Kamala Pujhari Biography 
Kamala Pujhari is a tribal woman and agricultural activist from Koraput in Odisha, best known for promoting organic farming. She also preserved hundreds of local varieties of paddy over the years. For her overall contributions towards the field of Indian agriculture and farming, government of India honoured him with Padma Shri in 2019. She is a Member of the Odisha Planning Board and winner of 'Equator Initiative Award. When Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik recently announced the names of the five new members of the state planning board in 2018, Pujhari’s name was also included in the list. She is now 70 years old.
Also known as an agricultural activist, this tribal woman from Odisha become famous by preserving hundreds of local varieties of paddy and promoting organic farming. She also persuaded villagers in her area to shun chemical fertilisers and adopt organic farming for better harvest and soil fertility. She also gives priority to provide drinking water supply in the villages. She was trained at M S Swaminathan Research Foundation at Jeypore. She also attended a workshop on organic farming organised by the Foundation at Johannesburg in 2002.
Then she organised group meetings among villagers, interacted with them and convinced them to take up organic farming so that quality of soil remains intact. She received ‘Equator Initiative Award’ in South Africa in 2002 for preserving hundreds of local varieties of paddy and promoting organic farming. The woman farmer is the first tribal woman to become a member of the state planning board. Following the announcement of Padma awards in January 2019, she was hospitalized after her condition deteriorated at home. She is a well- known figure in the district of Koraput.
Published: January 31, 2019
Updated: January 31, 2019
