The society has also attracted help from Winrock International, FTF-USAID, for training the farmers in scientific methods of growing and cooperative marketing. Says country director of Winrock, P.S. Srinivasan, who is camping here with a team of agriculture and mushroom production expert: “Doing away with the past trend, the farmers will now grow for an identified demand, so that overproduction does not hit the market price. Apart from exotic vegetables we intend to begin mushroom production this year with 12 farmers, for a target production of 12 tonnes per batch.”

Despite acute water shortage, Karsog valley produces four tonnes of exotic vegetables every day between May and October. In better times, farmers have registered annual profits of Rs 50,000-80,000. The 40-year-old water scheme feeding the village can barely fulfill the drinking needs, so the farmers rely on rain water harvesting. Perhaps the society will find a solution to this problem as well.