The hands that had once never touched the soil of a farm now confidently hold the steering wheel of a tractor. With no prior experience in agriculture, Pooja Pravin Shinde built a grape vineyard on one and three-quarter acres of land. In its very first year, the vineyard generated an income of ₹9 lakh. Today, this vineyard has become a symbol of her confidence and determination.

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Sonari in Sinnar taluka is Pooja’s marital home. She joined the Shinde family in 2008 after marriage. Since her husband was involved in the construction business, the family spent many of their early years living in Nashik city. As a result, Pooja had very little connection with farming or agricultural work.

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In 2017, her father-in-law retired from the Army and the family moved back to their native village, Sonari. Later, her husband had to stay in Pandharpur for four years for work. Then, during the COVID period, her father-in-law passed away unexpectedly.

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Everything changed in an instant. Along with the responsibility of the household, the responsibility of the farm also came onto Pooja’s shoulders. She now had to take charge of work she had never done before. It was a turning point in her life.

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Instead of stepping back from the situation, Pooja decided to face it. She started going to the farm and learning every aspect of the work. What had to be done, when it had to be done and how it had to be done—she learned through hands-on experience. Within a year, farming became familiar to her, and gradually, it became a source of confidence.

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While learning farming, Pooja also pushed beyond her own limitations. She learned to drive a tractor and carry out crop spraying herself. This reduced her dependence on others for important farm operations and gave her the confidence to take decisions on her own farm and put those decisions into practice.

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The change was not limited to the farm. At a time when very few women in the area rode two-wheelers, Pooja also began riding a scooter. Today, if a woman from the village wants to learn to ride, Pooja happily lends her scooter and teaches her free of cost. Through her own transformation, she has helped create a belief among other women that they too can do it.

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After gaining confidence in basic farming activities, Pooja took her next major step—grape cultivation. With guidance from Sahyadri Farms, she planted the ‘Ara 36’ grape variety on one and three-quarter acres. She learned the finer details of vineyard management not simply by listening to others, but by working directly in the field.

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Her hard work, consistency and willingness to learn produced results in the very first year. The vineyard generated an income of ₹9 lakh.

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For Pooja, however, this income was much more than a financial achievement for one season. The biggest change was the confidence she gained in herself—the confidence that a woman who once knew nothing about farming could build her own vineyard and generate substantial income from it.

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She moved from simply managing household responsibilities to taking agricultural decisions and making an active contribution to her family’s financial journey.

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She did not make this journey entirely alone. Working together with other women from the village became an important part of her approach. As women came together to carry out farm activities, they were able to save both time and labour costs.

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Pooja also started a dairy business alongside farming, which provided a more regular source of income for the family.

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Today, the transformation in Pooja’s life is clear. A woman who once had never even stepped into a field now drives a tractor, carries out spraying, manages her own grape vineyard and runs a dairy business.

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But the biggest change has happened within her. Instead of waiting for circumstances to change, Pooja has developed the strength to change herself according to the circumstances—and that has become the real foundation of her journey.

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Watch the video: Navdurgas of the Farm — Pooja Shinde

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