Following the fatal electrocution of her son during crop irrigation, Ladli Khatoon partnered with self-help groups and lenders to set up a solar-powered irrigation enterprise in Bihar. Supported by JEEViKA, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India), and the Gates Foundation, her five-horsepower setup supplies water to dozens of local farmers and generates substantial independent income. The initiative equips women with comprehensive infrastructure, including solar panels, borewells, and pump houses, allowing them to sell irrigation services across their communities.
Key points
Institutional partnerships enable rural women to establish sustainable, clean energy ente…: Institutional partnerships enable rural women to establish sustainable, clean energy enterprises that eliminate reliance on hazardous electrical connections.
Solar irrigation businesses create viable alternative income streams for low-income house…: Solar irrigation businesses create viable alternative income streams for low-income households previously dependent on daily-wage labor.
Community-based microfinance networks offer sufficient capital to scale decentralized agr…: Community-based microfinance networks offer sufficient capital to scale decentralized agricultural infrastructure to thousands of regional farmers.
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In Bahwanpur, Ghoncha village in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district, Ladli Khatoon has turned a personal tragedy into an opportunity to build a more secure future for her family. After losing her son to an electric shock while he was helping irrigate their crops, she became acutely aware of the dangers farmers can face while working in the fields. Today, she runs a solar-powered irrigation business, supplying water to 35 to 38 farmers and earning around Rs 1 lakh.
Her journey is part of a growing initiative in Bihar that is helping rural women become solar entrepreneurs. By using sunlight to power irrigation pumps, these women are not only helping farmers access water but also building independent sources of income in communities where women have traditionally faced barriers to running businesses.
From personal tragedy to a new beginning
Ladli’s family once depended largely on her husband’s earnings as an autorickshaw driver. With six family members to support and 1.5 acres of agricultural land, managing household expenses was not easy. The death of her son during irrigation brought an unimaginable loss to the…
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