Shailendra Mahato and his wife Sushila live in the northeast of India, in an industrial region. The farmers are among the poorest of India, they have no irrigation and are not able to cultivate rice outside the monsoon season, mid-June to mid-October. After his studies, Shailendra wanted to find a job in a business. It meant leaving his village. This raised the question: ‘Why leave my village to make a living? I am farmer; I should be able to earn my living from my land and help others too’. To do this it would be necessary to solve the problem of the irrigation. He decided to create reservoirs. The plan he had in mind was, for financial reasons, spread over five years. But he was invited to a meeting of industrialists in his region, organized by Initiatives of Change. This accelerated his project! He was invited to present it. An engineer from a big industrial group offered then to put an excavator at his disposal, free of charge. In three months, 50 ponds were dug around the village. This made irrigation possible and raised ground water levels, resulting in improved production of vegetables, wheat, potatoes and rice, and fish farming.