{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Uttarakhand farmer Daya Danu turns uncultivated hills into herbal hubs, lifting hundreds of rural women",
  "summary": "Daya Danu from Bageshwar transformed long-abandoned mountain land by cultivating medicinal kutki, generating collective revenue of roughly 65 lakh rupees and earning the Teelu Rauteli award.",
  "content": "Transforming barren and uncultivated terraces into reliable livelihoods, woman farmer and entrepreneur Daya Danu from the remote village of Borbalad in Kapkot tehsil has established an empowering economic model in Uttarakhand's hills. By introducing the systematic cultivation of the medicinal herb kutki, she not only strengthened her own family's financial security but also connected over 400 local women with self-employment opportunities. Her initiative brought neglected farmland back into active use, proving that mountain geography and underutilized regional resources can be effectively harnessed to revitalize the rural economy.\n\nExpanding medicinal farming from remote mountain villages\nLiving in Borbalad, situated within the Kapkot block, Daya Danu recognized the potential of traditional medicinal herbs tailored to high-altitude terrain. She began cultivating kutki specifically on plots that had been abandoned for extended periods due to challenging conditions. As the venture gained momentum, she engaged local village women across multiple phases of farming, from field preparation to harvest. Gaining meaningful income opportunities right within their home hamlets enabled these women to build financial autonomy and contribute meaningfully to their household finances.\n\nInstitutional backing and collective earnings\nThe expansion of kutki cultivation throughout the Kapkot belt received notable assistance from regional agricultural bodies. Collaborative backing from the Horticulture Department and the Bheshaj Sangh helped popularize improved farming practices and provided structural encouragement across the region. This organized cluster approach yielded concrete financial dividends. During the 2025-26 financial year, farmers working across the Kapkot cluster generated a combined revenue of approximately 65 lakh rupees through collective sales of harvested kutki, demonstrating the commercial viability of high-altitude medicinal herbs.\n\nChecking hill migration and receiving state honors\nBeyond individual incomes, cultivating kutki on mountain slopes has played an active part in curbing distress migration by generating reliable work within village borders. Reclaiming idle lands has revived local farming interest and placed independent economic choices in the hands of women. Recognizing her leadership in fostering self-reliance and transforming rural farming, the Uttarakhand government conferred the prestigious Teelu Rauteli award on Daya Danu in August 2026. Her grassroots initiative continues to provide a working blueprint for other women across the mountainous state.\n\nWhat this means for you\nCultivating medicinal herbs like kutki on barren mountain terraces provides rural households with a sustainable alternative to distress migration.\n\n• In Uttarakhand: Mountain communities with neglected or unproductive land can turn to medicinal plant farming to secure stable household incomes without abandoning their native villages. Leveraging technical support from agencies like the Horticulture Department and Bheshaj Sangh enables smallholders to aggregate yields and negotiate better market rates.\n• For rural women and farmers: Village-level agricultural employment provides women with direct financial independence and reduces the pressure on families to seek low-paying jobs outside the hills. Collective cluster earnings reaching roughly 65 lakh rupees demonstrate that high-value herbs can establish viable commercial footholds across rural Himalayan belts.\n\nWhy this happened\nThe emergence of this successful agricultural initiative was driven by persistent rural unemployment, uncultivated mountain lands, and the resulting outward migration.\n\n• Adapting crops to local terrain: Daya Danu recognized that cold mountain climates and long-neglected hill terraces were well-suited for high-value medicinal plants like kutki.\n• Institutional assistance: Structured collaboration with the Horticulture Department and Bheshaj Sangh supplied necessary guidance and encouraged wider regional adoption.\n• Cluster-based collective farming: Organizing more than 400 rural women into cohesive groups made aggregation practical, culminating in roughly 65 lakh rupees in group revenue during the 2025-26 financial year.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Who is Daya Danu and where does she belong?\nDaya Danu is a woman farmer and grassroots entrepreneur from Borbalad village in the Kapkot tehsil of Bageshwar district, Uttarakhand.\n\n2. Which crop did she introduce to empower local women?\nShe introduced the farming of the medicinal plant kutki, organizing over 400 local women into income-generating activities.\n\n3. What collective revenue did the Kapkot cluster earn?\nDuring the 2025-26 fiscal year, farmers in the Kapkot cluster generated approximately 65 lakh rupees through collective sales of kutki.\n\n4. Which award was conferred upon Daya Danu?\nThe Uttarakhand government awarded her the prestigious Teelu Rauteli award in August 2026 for her leadership in rural women's empowerment.\n\n5. Which organizations supported her agricultural venture?\nThe Horticulture Department and the Bheshaj Sangh supported the expansion and promotion of kutki farming in the region.\n\nInspiration & Lessons\nDaya Danu's journey demonstrates how focused determination and community collaboration can unlock value from the most challenging terrain.\n\n• Leverage unused local resources: Rather than viewing rough geography or abandoned land as a drawback, identify crops and enterprises naturally matched to the environment.\n• Build strength through community: Scaling up by bringing more than 400 women into the initiative highlights that collective action drives far greater economic stability than isolated efforts.\n• Utilize institutional partnerships: Collaborating with public departments and cooperative unions allows grassroots ventures to achieve lasting commercial scale.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/uttarakhand/uttarakhand-men-bnjara-kheton-para-aushadhiya-kutaki-ugakara-daya-danu-ne-snvari-saikaron-mahilaon-ki-jindagi-56369",
  "category": "Uttarakhand",
  "publishedAt": "2026-11-04",
  "tags": [
    "Daya Danu",
    "Bageshwar",
    "Kapkot",
    "Kutki farming",
    "Teelu Rauteli award",
    "Uttarakhand agriculture"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia",
  "whatItMeansForYou": "Cultivating medicinal herbs like kutki on barren mountain terraces provides rural households with a sustainable alternative to distress migration.\n\n• In Uttarakhand: Mountain communities with neglected or unproductive land can turn to medicinal plant farming to secure stable household incomes without abandoning their native villages. Leveraging technical support from agencies like the Horticulture Department and Bheshaj Sangh enables smallholders to aggregate yields and negotiate better market rates.\n• For rural women and farmers: Village-level agricultural employment provides women with direct financial independence and reduces the pressure on families to seek low-paying jobs outside the hills. Collective cluster earnings reaching roughly 65 lakh rupees demonstrate that high-value herbs can establish viable commercial footholds across rural Himalayan belts.",
  "whyItHappened": "The emergence of this successful agricultural initiative was driven by persistent rural unemployment, uncultivated mountain lands, and the resulting outward migration.\n\n• Adapting crops to local terrain: Daya Danu recognized that cold mountain climates and long-neglected hill terraces were well-suited for high-value medicinal plants like kutki.\n• Institutional assistance: Structured collaboration with the Horticulture Department and Bheshaj Sangh supplied necessary guidance and encouraged wider regional adoption.\n• Cluster-based collective farming: Organizing more than 400 rural women into cohesive groups made aggregation practical, culminating in roughly 65 lakh rupees in group revenue during the 2025-26 financial year.",
  "questionsAndAnswers": [
    {
      "question": "Who is Daya Danu and where does she belong?",
      "answer": "Daya Danu is a woman farmer and grassroots entrepreneur from Borbalad village in the Kapkot tehsil of Bageshwar district, Uttarakhand."
    },
    {
      "question": "Which crop did she introduce to empower local women?",
      "answer": "She introduced the farming of the medicinal plant kutki, organizing over 400 local women into income-generating activities."
    },
    {
      "question": "What collective revenue did the Kapkot cluster earn?",
      "answer": "During the 2025-26 fiscal year, farmers in the Kapkot cluster generated approximately 65 lakh rupees through collective sales of kutki."
    },
    {
      "question": "Which award was conferred upon Daya Danu?",
      "answer": "The Uttarakhand government awarded her the prestigious Teelu Rauteli award in August 2026 for her leadership in rural women's empowerment."
    },
    {
      "question": "Which organizations supported her agricultural venture?",
      "answer": "The Horticulture Department and the Bheshaj Sangh supported the expansion and promotion of kutki farming in the region."
    }
  ],
  "inspiration": "Daya Danu's journey demonstrates how focused determination and community collaboration can unlock value from the most challenging terrain.\n\n• Leverage unused local resources: Rather than viewing rough geography or abandoned land as a drawback, identify crops and enterprises naturally matched to the environment.\n• Build strength through community: Scaling up by bringing more than 400 women into the initiative highlights that collective action drives far greater economic stability than isolated efforts.\n• Utilize institutional partnerships: Collaborating with public departments and cooperative unions allows grassroots ventures to achieve lasting commercial scale."
}