A women-led Farmer Producer Organisation in Odisha is demonstrating how millet cultivation and renewable-energy generation can coexist on the same farmland, creating a potentially important model for income diversification among smallholder farmers.

The Alekh Mahima FPO in Koraput district has brought together 513 women farmers from eight panchayats for an integrated agriculture and solar-energy initiative at Kulabir village in Nandapur block.

Five landowners have pooled approximately 13 acres for the project. The women cultivate a diversified selection of crops during the kharif and rabi seasons, including little millet and finger millet, alongside ginger, turmeric, potatoes, onions and several fruits and vegetables. Produce is marketed to generate income for FPO members.

The major innovation is the addition of renewable-energy generation without abandoning agricultural production.

A total of 1,735 solar panels have been installed on the farmland and are expected to generate 1 MW of electricity. According to OrissaPOST, Tata Power will purchase the electricity, with the FPO expected to receive at least ₹50 lakh annually from power generation.

Officials describe solar electricity as a potential “third crop” for participating farmers—providing another income stream while conventional agricultural production continues.

The initiative is expected to become Odisha's first community-based agricultural solar-power project under the PM-KUSUM Yojana, according to the report.

The approach fits within the broader concept of agrivoltaics, where agricultural production and photovoltaic electricity generation share the same land. An ICRIER research project supported by Heifer International is studying a 1 MW Agri-PV model in Odisha specifically to determine whether farmer collectives can simultaneously generate agricultural and solar income while strengthening FPO assets and capabilities.

For millet agriculture, this is particularly interesting because it moves the climate-resilience discussion beyond the characteristics of the crop itself.

Little millet and finger millet already form part of the FPO's diversified production system. Integrating those crops with renewable-energy infrastructure could potentially provide farmers with an additional revenue source that is less directly dependent on seasonal crop performance.

The initiative also places women farmers at the centre of agricultural technology adoption. FPO representatives said members received technical training and guidance, while some women travelled to Uttar Pradesh to study comparable projects before applying their learning in Koraput.

If agricultural production can be maintained successfully alongside electricity generation, the Koraput initiative could provide useful evidence for other farmer collectives exploring agrivoltaics, diversified cropping and renewable-energy-based rural enterprises.