Indian Farmer Grows Off-Season Coriander, Earns $830/Year

Last year, Basanti Devi moved her family from a mud home into a solid brick house in rural Jharkhand, India. Her eldest son started college, a dream she never thought possible on their 1.2-acre farm.

The 33-year-old mother of three made it happen by growing coriander during monsoon season, when most farmers can't. For years, she tried planting the herb outside its normal October-November season, but heavy rains washed away her crops and money every time.

Everything changed in 2023 when Basanti installed a simple net house on her farm. The portable structure, designed by agricultural company Kheyti, shields crops from harsh weather while letting in light and air.

In October 2025, she planted three kilograms of high-quality coriander seeds worth about $11. Over the season, she harvested eight times, collecting 85 kilograms of fresh coriander that sold for $1.80 per kilogram.

The net house drops temperatures inside by three to five degrees Celsius and protects plants from winds up to 100 kilometers per hour. It cuts pest problems by 90 percent, eliminating a major source of crop loss.

Bapi Gorai from Transform Rural India, the nonprofit that helped install Basanti's net house, says farmers can now grow three to four crops yearly instead of one or two. The technology works year-round: cooling vegetables in scorching summer months, shielding them from monsoon rains, and regulating humidity during winter.

Basanti replaced her manual pesticide sprayer with a battery-powered version, cutting labor time while improving accuracy. She spends her days fielding questions from neighboring women farmers who visit to learn her techniques.

The Ripple Effect

The changes ripple beyond Basanti's family. Women farmers across her village now gather at her field, learning that climate uncertainty doesn't have to mean poverty. They're discovering they can earn throughout the year instead of gambling on unpredictable weather patterns.

Kheyti provides every farmer with free agricultural guidance for a year, ensuring they succeed with the new system. On-field representatives and online advisors walk farmers through the transition from traditional open-field methods to protected growing.

The net house costs a fraction of what Basanti now earns, and it's portable if she ever needs to move it. She grows over 20 different vegetables, herbs, and flowers depending on the season, matching crops to the protection the structure offers.

Other farmers are watching closely as Basanti's success proves that simple technology can beat complex climate problems. Her solid home and her son's education stand as visible proof that small farmers aren't helpless against changing weather.

One simple structure transformed worry into confidence, scarcity into abundance, and mud walls into opportunity.