Jhok Sarkari village near Faridkot in Punjab is a village like many others all over India which suffered badly from unseasonal rains in April 2015. The maturing wheat crop in the village had seemed to be doing well and farmers were looking forward to the harvest festivities of Baisakhi with eager anticipation, when disaster struck. Repeated spells of rain accompanied by wind destroyed the wheat crop.

When farmers take ownership of a new idea or technology, then it means they have really benefited from it and have taken it to heart. This is an instance of how our STEP System is now being popularized by farmers themselves.

The village of Lalliana near Raman Mandi had been famous in the region for growing capsicum. Each year over 300 acres of the crop was traditionally grown in the village. However, virulent strains of leaf curl virus together with soil borne fungal pathogens like Rhizoctonia, Fusarium and Phytophthora had decimated the crop and farmers had been forced to grow cereals which at least offered some returns. By the year 2010, the area under capsicum had declined to a mere 35 acres.