Barren No More: How Meena Turned Wasteland Into a 40-Year Promise

For years, Meena Vitthal Dhadhawad's family depended on half an acre of rainfed farmland, daily-wage work, and a few goats to make ends meet.  In Jalawandi village, in the Junnar block of Pune district, Meena Vitthal Dhadhawad, 40, lives with her husband, Vitthal, and their two daughters in a modest home. This family has traditionally made a living from half an acre of rainfed paddy, daily wage labor, and a small herd of goats.

For years, some acres of their landholding sat untouched: barren and unproductive. In a region where rainfall is unpredictable and livelihood options are few, for years, one acre remained barren because the family lacked a crop suited to the land. It was a missed opportunity the family couldn't afford.

Meena saw an opportunity to make productive use of land that had remained fallow for years. When she learned about bamboo cultivation, a crop known for thriving with minimal water once planted and for yielding returns over decades rather than seasons, Meena saw a chance to rewrite her family's future. With technical guidance, quality saplings, organic inputs, and training in scientific plantation methods, she began transforming the barren acre.

But planting was only the beginning. Establishing bamboo requires consistent care during its first four years. Meena learned irrigation, mulching, weeding, and plant protection, applying each practice on her own farm.

Water was her biggest challenge. With no assured source on the farm, Meena dug a small storage pit to hold water delivered by tankers from Industree Foundation, ensuring her plants received adequate moisture during the initial years. She wove protective thorn fencing to keep grazing animals at bay and stayed relentless with weeding and routine care.

Today, that once-barren acre is alive: healthy bamboo plants and new shoots now cover the land that once lay fallow. Neighboring farmers have taken notice, drawn in by the transformation happening on Meena's land.

For Meena, this isn't just about a new crop. It's about reducing dependency on the uncertainty of seasonal farming: the recurring costs, the unpredictable yields, the constant risk. Bamboo offered her something different: stability.

"We need to care for it well during the first four years, but once it is established, it can provide income for nearly 40 years. The land that once remained fallow has now become our biggest hope for a secure and sustainable livelihood."

What changed on Meena's farm was not simply the crop. It was the value of land that had remained fallow for years. Today, that same acre represents a long-term investment for her family and demonstrates how fallow land can become productive through the right crop, technical support, and patient care. 

This effort is part of REAL (Regenerative Agroforestry and Livelihood), Industree Foundation's initiative to build climate-adaptive livelihoods for smallholder women farmers across India. Through the Roots to Rise program, supported by Infosys Foundation, the program is enabling 1,000 women farmers in Junnar and Bhor, Pune district, to cultivate bamboo, diversify their incomes, and strengthen climate resilience.