Praveen Kumar Jha, Founder Member and Director of Maa Kaali Meen Farm in Pipra, Supaul, Bihar, has dedicated the past four and a half years to integrated farming, farmer training and community service. A retired District Agriculture Officer with extensive experience in the Government of Bihar, he has transformed his post-retirement years into an opportunity to demonstrate diversified farming practices and contribute to the development of the farming community.
His professional career includes several significant administrative and agricultural responsibilities. He served as a Block Development Officer (B.D.O.) across three districts for nearly a decade, gaining valuable experience in grassroots administration and rural development. He subsequently served as Deputy Director in the Sugarcane Department for six years and Joint Director, Sugarcane, Bihar, for four years. These roles strengthened his understanding of agricultural administration, crop development and the challenges faced by rural communities.
His public service also included an assignment as Officer on Special Duty (O.S.D.) in the Disaster Management Ministry under Shri Nitish Mishra during 2011–12, where he served for approximately one and a half years. He later worked as District Agriculture Officer in Madhepura, Sitamarhi, Supaul and Kishanganj for a cumulative period of 12 years. These responsibilities provided him with extensive exposure to agricultural policy implementation, farmer engagement and district-level development.
After retirement, he channelled his experience into agricultural entrepreneurship. At Maa Kaali Meen Farm near Pipra Bazar, he has developed an integrated farming model combining fishery, goatery, poultry and vegetable cultivation. The farm functions not only as a productive agricultural enterprise but also as a practical exposure centre where farmers can observe diversified farming activities and understand their potential applications.
Farmer training and knowledge-sharing are central to his work. Farmers from different districts visit the farm through training and exposure programmes organised with support from the Agriculture Department, Fisheries Department and ATMA programme. Institutions including SBI Madhepura and Axis Bank, Saharsa, have also supported such exposure initiatives. More than 4,000 farmers from Araria, Supaul, Saharsa, Madhubani, Darbhanga and Madhepura have reportedly visited the farm, gaining firsthand exposure to integrated and allied farming practices.
Beyond the farm, he remains involved in grassroots agricultural outreach through Kisan Chaupal programmes across villages in Supaul district. These initiatives provide opportunities to interact directly with farmers and contribute to awareness and community-level development. His involvement in social welfare activities further reflects his continuing commitment to public service.
His post-retirement journey demonstrates how professional experience in agricultural administration can be translated into practical grassroots impact. By combining integrated farming with farmer training, exposure programmes and community engagement, he continues to share knowledge and encourage diversified agricultural practices.
His guiding philosophy, “करते रहें सेवा” — Keep serving, reflects the continuity between his years of government service and his present work. Through Maa Kaali Meen Farm and his wider rural outreach, he continues to contribute to farmer empowerment and agricultural development in Bihar, demonstrating how experience, service and practical action can collectively create meaningful impact in rural communities.
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