Tulyachapada, Mokhada
19°58’08.3"N, 73°25’00.3"E
Solar Powered Group Irrigation
10 pumps, 108 farmers, 87.5 HP installed
Commissioned: January 2019
Drawing water for the farms from the Morchondi Dam
Tulyachapada is a village in Palghar district, mainly inhabited by the Warli and Katkari tribes. Paddy farming was the main source of income, with the occasional farmer growing groundnut. Most residents had to migrate to cities for daily wage work, as they rarely grew a second crop.
Challenges such as lack of electricity on farms, traditional farming practices, high investment in diesel pump-based farming, lack of upfront investment, and market connectivity issues only compounded matters.
Drip irrigation
Dragonfruit cultivation
To address these challenges, a project was launched with 10 groups of farmers, each with 10–11 farmers cultivating groundnut on 1-acre plots using solar pumps and a drip irrigation system. The collective capacity for the 10 installed pumps was 87.5 HP, with a maximum of 110 acres irrigation capacity. Income has increased and migration has reduced greatly due to this.
Farmers visit Tulyachapada’s irrigation system
One of the ten solar pumps installed at Tulyachapada
| Before 2019 | 2020 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type of Pump | Diesel | Solar | Solar |
| Type of Irrigation | Flood Irrigation | Drip Irrigation | Drip Irrigation |
| Number of Farmers | 11 to 12 | 108 | 108 |
| Cultivated Area | 6-7 acres | 55 acres | 87 acres |
| Crops | Groundnut | Groundnut, Onion, Garlic, Long bean | Groundnut, Onion, Garlic, Maize, Strawberry, Cucumber |