Mandeep Kaur Khaira, 40, has just half an acre at Talwandi Mallian village of Moga district, but she farms 40 acres, owns three tractors and seven trolleys and farm equipment worth around Rs 80 lakh, and has built an agricultural enterprise, generating around Rs 80 lakh annually, from the land that almost belongs to others.When Mandeep and her husband began farming on the leased land nearly two decades ago, people in her village did not see a woman in the field as something to admire, and questioned her husband Jagdeep Singh Khaira (41). “Villagers used to say that, despite being a woman, she is made to work in the fields. Fields are not a woman’s work. They used to make fun of us, saying what we would make from leased land, but we never cared,” Mandeep, a Class XII pass, recalls.After her marriage, Mandeep, who comes from an agricultural family, started farming on about 9-10 acres of leased land. Her husband owned only half an acre and was also in sand transportation using his tractor-trolley.Mandeep wanted to farm on a larger scale and discussed the idea with Jagdeep. They decided to lease land — though it was not an easy start, as landowners generally prefer farmers with financial backing.“For someone with a little holding, it was difficult to gain their trust. Landowners wanted to be sure that even if there was a loss due to crop failures, their lease money would be safe,” she says. Mandeep Kaur Khaira farms around 40 acres of leased land in Talwandi Mallian village of Moga district.The family gradually increased the leased land to around 16 acres. As they established themselves as dependable tenants, they were offered another 24 acres a few years ago, taking their total leased land to about 40 acres.The growth came gradually through farming income, reinvestment and the family’s ability to continue making the leased land work.Story continues below this adThe land they do not own built the assets they doToday, the Khaira family owns three tractors, with most of the tractor loans largely cleared, besides around seven tractor-trolleys. They also have a house spread over 500 square yards, a cattle shed and a shed for farm machinery.Their machinery includes equipment used for potato cultivation, including potato sowing, digging and grading machines, besides other farm implements.“When some of the equipment is not required on our own farm, we rent it out to farmers, adding to our earnings,” said Mandeep, who estimates the value of their farm machinery and implements at around Rs 80 lakh.The family generates around Rs 80 lakh annually from the leased land by changing their cropping pattern from mainly wheat and paddy to a wider mix. Around 30 acres are under potato and eight acres under wheat during winter, while cauliflower, radish, beetroot and saag are grown on 1.5–2 acres. Maize, moong and short-duration paddy are part of their kharif cropping strategy.“Diversification is important to improve profit margins,” Mandeep said.Story continues below this adThe scale of the operation, however, comes with a substantial annual obligation. The family pays about Rs 28 lakh a year to lease 40 acres, at roughly Rs 70,000 per acre. They also spend around Rs 22– Rs 23 lakh on input costs, with the remaining amount constituting their profit.They has kept multiple income sources for household expenses, children’s education and other recurring needs, including a small dairy and tractor-trolley based sand supply. The farming income is primarily used for reinvestment in farming and savings.Not just manages farm, but works on itShe drives tractor, works in the fields, hoes crops, cuts fodder and milks cattle.“Whatever we have today is due to her motivation and efforts,” Jagdeep, also a Class XII pass, says, adding that from being questioned for working in the fields, Mandeep has now become an example for others. “Today, she owns and has built so much that a marginal farmer like us could never have imagined,” Jagdeep says.Story continues below this ad“My husband has been my strongest support, encouraging my ambition and teaching me practical aspects of farming,” says Mandeep, who now considers her children as a big support as well.Her daughter is pursuing nursing and her son is studying in Class IX. Both contribute to farming whenever they can.Mandeep’s next ambition is to purchase agricultural land of her own.