At a time when innumerable youths from Punjab dream of settling abroad in search of better pasture and many farmers are struggling with mounting debts, shrinking landholdings and poor returns from the wheat-paddy monocropping cycle, 38-year-old Amandeep Singh Gill from Ramuwala Kalan village in Moga district has scripted a story of courage, determination and self-reliance through dairy farming.Owning just 3.5 acres and having lost his left leg in a road accident during a visit to Punjab from Lebanon, where he worked for four years, Gill refused to surrender to his disability and financial hardships and started dairy farming in 2019 with just one buffalo and a few cows. Through sheer hard work and determination, he today owns 25 cattle, and earns nearly Rs 35,00 to Rs 45,00 every day — more than what he used to earn in Lebanon — from dairy farming and livestock rearing.Amandeep completed his 10+2 and remained involved in agricultural work for some time before moving to Lebanon in 2012, where he worked in a factory and later at water stops and water-bar-related construction work. He returned to India in 2015, got married, and again went abroad. In 2016, when his elder daughter was born, he visited his family. However, lost his left leg, which eventually had to be amputated below the knee, in a severe road accident on the way back home from a pilgrimage on a tractor. For nearly three years, he remained mostly confined to treatment and recovery. “I used to cry, wondering how I would provide my daughters with better education and life,” he said.Instead of surrendering to despair, Amandeep decided to rebuild his life, and he chose dairy farming as his family had already been keeping a few cows. “An acquaintance motivated me to do something to get rid of negative thoughts. And then I decided to do something productive for my family,” he says. His journey began modestly with a few cows that his family had been rearing for years. Gradually, he shifted his focus towards buffalo rearing, especially the Murrah breed, which proved highly profitable.Today, his dairy farm has around 25 cattle, including 15 buffaloes and the remaining cows and calves. The farm has nearly 13-14 milch animals at any given time, making its dairy enterprise successful.Also, his elder brother, who looks after farming on their 3.5 acres, supports him in managing the dairy.Amandeep produces around 1.5 quintals or more of milk daily, depending on the weather. He supplies buffalo and cow milk to Verka cooperative dairy, earning nearly Rs 60 per kilogram for buffalo milk and around Rs 32 per litre for cow milk. Besides this, several households also buy milk directly from him. Apart from milk sales, he earns additionally by selling buffalo calves, making dairy farming a sustainable livelihood model.Story continues below this ad“I used to earn Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 per month in Lebanon and was very happy. I had saved a good amount during my stay there for four years, but after my accident, not only did all my savings vanish, but I had to spend nearly three times more than what I had earned,” he recalled.Despite financial struggles and debt during the initial years, his persistence helped stabilise the family income and made him debt-free. Today, the dairy farm comfortably supports his joint family and the education of his three daughters.“After my accident nearly 10 years ago, I faced hardships in the beginning. But ever since I started dairy farming, I have not even realised how time passes. My buffaloes are now as important to me as my family. My buffaloes are giving me much more than I used to earn in Lebanon,” Amandeep said with pride.“I am steadily increasing the number of animals. I do every task related to dairy farming — from bathing buffaloes and taking them to the pond, to feeding and milking them, and supplying milk to the Verka collection centre on my motorcycle. My physical disability no longer a hurdle in my daily work. I use an artificial limb for attending social functions, but otherwise I manage with a stick. I always thank Almighty for giving me the strength and motivation to use my abilities to support my family in a much better way while staying with them, rather than living thousands of miles away in Lebanon,” he said.Story continues below this adAmandeep believes that small farmers can substantially improve their incomes by adopting subsidiary occupations along with conventional farming. “I am not against wheat-paddy cultivation, but for small landholders, these crops alone cannot ensure a respectable life. Farmers must adopt one or another subsidiary occupation to earn better incomes,” he said.Agriculture experts often cite dairy farming as a reliable subsidiary occupation for small and marginal farmers. “I want to tell my fellow farmers to believe in themselves, even if they are facing losses in agriculture, and adopt new paths and innovative ways to earn more through agriculture and subsidiary occupations,” he added.