Farmers in Kannamangala village of Chikkaballapur district, 63 km from Bangalore, used to mainly grow ragi, tamarind and other traditional crops in the laterite soil that yielded very little.

But of late, the income of farmers from this arid area has soared. For, the farmers are experimenting with various new crops and techniques of farming under a new project by the National Bank for Rural and Agricultural Development (NABARD).