Following the death of his father, Maurya returned to Mansoorpur, his village in Prayagraj and took to farming in 2016. He has been growing what he calls the ‘black crops’ — rice, wheat, tomato, niger seeds, turmeric and ginger and potato — all with one thing in common, their black colour.

Having sourced the spuds from a farmer in Rae Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, Maurya says he started growing black potatoes due to their high concentration of antioxidants beneficial for good health.  

Locally known as ‘Kaala Aaloo’ (black potato) by the growers, it is far from that and is dark purple which is revealed once the spud is sliced into two. To understand more about this vegetable, let’s dive further into its background.

Where does the black potato come from?

Grown by some 50-odd farmers in the potato-growing belt of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, black potatoes have yet to make their presence known in the APMCs (Agricultural Produce Market Committees). Most of these vegetables are grown to be sold just as seed material.

“A kilo of tubers yields around 15 kg of potato,” explains Maurya. Grown with farm yard manure, he spends around Rs 6,000 on inputs and harvests nearly 90 quintals per bigha, which is slightly less than regular potatoes.

Like other members of the potato family (Solanum tuberosum), they come from a tuber plant native to the Andes Mountains region in South America and are characterised by their distinctive blue-purple-black outer skin. The inner flesh of this vegetable is a brilliant purple, which remains intact even after cooking. 

Grown the world over, it can be identified with different names like the Shetland Black, Purple Peruvian, Purple Majesty, All Blue, Congo, Adirondack Blue, Purple Fiesta, and Vitelotte.

How does the black potato taste?

“They have a denser texture and are slightly nuttier than the usual white potatoes,” explains Maurya. Anand Mani Bhat (44) of Bhimtal village in Nainital, who took to growing black potatoes in 2021, agrees with Maurya, adding, “They have an interestingly earthier flavour than the usual.” 

Ever since Atul Singh of Jhansi was given a handful of black potatoes by Maurya about two years ago to try them out, he has been seeking them whenever they arrive in the market.

The 35-year-old trader of agricultural products online says, “It is fairly small compared to the regular potatoes which we have been using. When sliced open, it reveals a purple ring near the edge. I find it suitable for roasting, baking or steaming and have commonly made chips from it which is perfect for its sweet and buttery flavour and light, floury texture.”

Nutritional value of the black potatoes

Principal scientist at the Modipuram-based ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Regional Station,  Dr Satish Kumar Luthra adds, “Dark purple or red-skinned potatoes with purple or red flesh possess higher nutritional values than white-skinned potatoes.” 

Dr Luthra is also credited with developing the Kufri Neelkanth potato variety.

In fruits and vegetables, purple often indicates the presence of nutrients called anthocyanins. Like other phytonutrients, your body doesn’t need them to function, but they do help protect your cells from damage that can lead to illness and disease.

“These potatoes are probably rich in anthocyanins, imparting a deep purple colour. A class of flavonoids, anthocyanins are known to have several health benefits,” says Dr Pradeep Singh Negi, Chief Scientist, Fruit and Vegetable Technology Department at Mysore-based CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute. 

“Having hues from blue to red, anthocyanins are water-soluble and are used as food colourant as well,” he adds.

While all potato varieties impact blood sugar levels because of their carbohydrate content, black potatoes may exert less of an effect than other types due to their high concentration of polyphenol plant compounds. 

Besides anthocyanins, they have 2-3 times the total antioxidants of a typical white potato, which is loaded with potassium, magnesium, vitamin C, and fibre. Fruits such as jamun, blueberries, and blackberries are rich in anthocyanins.

The glycemic index (GI) measures the extent to which food raises your blood sugar. It ranges from 0 to 100, and a GI greater than 70 is considered high. A comparison study in humans found that black potatoes have a GI of 77, yellow potatoes have a GI of 81, and white potatoes have a GI of 93.  

How popular is it?

Being a new variety, most farmers are still experimenting with it. 

“The farmers order between 3-5 kg of seeds. They keep parts of the harvest for themselves and the rest to sell as tubers or seeds,” says Maurya. “That’s the main reason one doesn’t see it in the markets or shops.”

Ever since Abhishek Shrivastava, president of the Agri Junction — an initiative of the Uttar Pradesh government with 4,000 outlets across the state — put up a video on Youtube in March 2020 about the black potatoes, he has been flooded with requests for these tubers. 

So far, they have supplied a total of 3,000 kg of these to farmers in Bihar, Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. 

“By early 2025, we will hopefully see black potatoes arriving in the market,” says Shrivastava. 

Maurya, too, has been flooded with orders for the tubers and has, so far, supplied it to more than 500 plus farmers across the country. He even experimented and made potato chips and papad at home from the vegetable. “They may be dark in colour but are very tasty,” he adds.

Ramgopal Chandel of Barsawan village has been growing black potatoes on one bigha land for more than a decade now.  Having spent Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 on inputs, he says, “I get around 80 quintals per bigha, which is slightly less than the regular ones. But this potato scores well as its shelf life is longer.”

If you want to try out this vegetable for your garden or kitchen, you can contact Ravi Prakash Maurya at 9026253336.

Edited by Padmashree Pande.

Fondly called the ‘Banana Man’, Vinod Sahadevan Nair (63) from Parassala, Thiruvananthapuram, was not a farmer when he started his career.

After completing his BSc in Physics, Vinod worked for a while and later started a web designing firm in Kochi. It was after his mother’s death that he decided to come back home and become a farmer to expand his family farms.

Vinod wanted to create a unique farm and started collecting varieties of bananas, not commonly seen in Kerala.

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He travelled to different states — such as Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharastra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Manipur — to source uncommon varieties of plantains. He even approached various horticulture departments, research institutes and universities to get hold of as many varieties as he could.

“Every kind of banana has a certain cultural element attached to it as well. For example, ‘Manoranjitham’, a variety of Kanyakumari emanates a beautiful fragrance. So in the olden days, people would hang them in their homes during auspicious occasions, marriages and festivals,” Vinod explains.

Presently, his farms have 500 varieties of bananas — including international varieties like the lady’s finger banana, red banana and blue java. He journeyed to countries like Malaysia, Africa, Australia, Hawaii, and Honduras, returning with numerous rare coastal climate plantains.

Vinod sells his produce at the wholesale market and earns up to Rs 1 lakh per month. And to spread awareness about different varieties of bananas, he has started a Facebook group where he offers these varieties free of charge.

(Edited by Pranita Bhat)

Growing input costs and unfair market prices have severely affected the output and yield of the major crops of the region — like soybean, sugarcane, sorghum, and millet. The compounding debts put Maharashtra farmers under a huge economic burden.

Sadly, the recurring droughts force farmers to sometimes end their lives. The government’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data revealed that a total of 10,881 persons involved in the farming sector died by suicide in 2021. With 37.3 percent, Maharashtra accounted for the highest number of farmer deaths.

Interestingly, a bunch of impoverished farmers have turned to cultivating oyster pearls in the water-starved Marathwada to overcome the challenges posed by recurring droughts and low crop yields.

One such farmer is Sanjay Narsing Pawar.

Along with nine other small-scale farmers, Sanjay harvested 8,000 pearls in an acre of pond, earning them Rs 40 lakh. We sat down with him to understand the nitty-gritty of oyster pearl farming.

Harvesting pearls in water-scarce land

After pursuing a Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology (DMLT), Sanjay works part-time as a lab assistant. But farming comes naturally to him as for generations, his family has been cultivating traditional crops. However, agriculture hardly reaped the family any profits.

“This year, we did not get rain at all. We did sow soybeans and other crops, but we did not get any output. It has become difficult to even earn back the input costs,” he tells The Better India.

A couple of years back, the 45-year-old even established a water bank in an acre of land for irrigation purposes. In 2020, he turned to fish farming to utilise the water bank but the initiative was dead in the water.

“Fish farming did not prove profitable for us as it required a lot of input costs. If we sold a fish for Rs 100, we would incur expenses of Rs 80. We were only left with Rs 20 profit. It was very little,” he adds.

In 2021, Sanjay came across a news report that mentioned the profitability of oyster pearl farming. Motivated to try his hands in cultivating oysters, he bought 25,000 oysters to cultivate in his water bank. For this, he also roped in other farmer friends.

With a collective investment of Rs 20 lakh, the group started oyster farming. And in a year, they were able to generate an income of Rs 40 lakh by selling 8,000 pearls.

Seeing their success, about 40 farmers have joined Sanjay and his cooperative ‘Bless All Pearl Farmer Producer Company’. Together, they have planted 50,000 oysters and collaborated with companies like GKP Pearl Farm of Solapur and Namo Pearl Farm in Chandrapur to sell their produce.

The cooperative is set to harvest its second batch in the upcoming December month.

Six tips for beginners

Although the group was able to generate a handsome profit in their very first attempt, the success rate, Sanjay says, was not as estimated.

In 2022, the progressive farmer travelled to Bhubaneswar — 1,400 km from his village — to get formal training in oyster pearl farming. He attended a seven-day training at the Central Institute for Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) in Odisha.

“There, I was taught how to source raw material, how to nucleate oysters, the kind of pearl designs that are in demand, what food to offer oysters, the surgical procedure of pearls, how to keep oysters in antibiotics, and what is its lifecycle,” he says.

Explaining how pearls are cultivated, Sanjay says, “First, we source good quality oysters. Then, we perform minor surgery to implant plain or designed pearls [an artificial nucleus] into the tissue of a pearl oyster. The oyster is closed and is kept on antibiotics inside a smaller water tank for two to three days and then shifted to a bigger pond.”

“The oyster then secretes nacre [a form of calcium carbonate] around the nucleus. The pearls get readied to be harvested in 12 to 14 months,” he adds.

Sanjay shares tips on how to start oyster pearl farming for beginners:

How to identify good oysters: Sanjay says that it is much easier to cultivate oysters and earn a decent income provided you cultivate good quality oysters.

“Source good quality oysters to get A-grade quality pearls. The size of the oyster should be between 2.5 to 3 inches. Its outer cover should be golden in colour,” he says.

Know the market: Sanjay highlights that usually ‘designer debris’ or ‘irritants’ in the shape of Hindu deities Ganesha, Rama, Shiva, the Ashoka Chakra, 786 (holy number in Islam), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, etc are implanted in the oyster.

“The final pearls come out in the shape of these symbols,” he explains. Sanjay adds, “You should be informed about the market demand. If you implant the nucleus of Ganesh ji, and go to sell in a Ram temple, then it would not be profitable.”

Master the easier surgery: Sanjay says that there are several types of surgical procedures in pearl cultures — like gonadal implantation, mantle tissue implantation, and mantle cavity insertion.

“I suggest that farmers learn mantle tissue surgery as it is easier to perform and the chances of oysters are higher as compared to other kinds,” he says.

Prepare the pond: Sanjay informs that it is important to provide a river-like ecosystem for oysters.

“Oysters should not feel alienated and that they are outside a river. They must have a river-like environment to thrive. To ensure this, you must introduce algae inside the pond. Algae is the major food source of an oyster,” he adds.

Check the pH: Sanjay points out that farmers should ensure a pH of eight inside the water tank. “If pH is more than eight (alkaline), oysters will not survive. You should also check pH levels weekly. If the pH is higher, keep changing the water.”

“If you have a 20×20 square feet pond with 10 feet depth, it would have the capacity to store one lakh litre water. So, you should replace at least 10,000 litres of water in every batch,” he adds.

Maintain the temperature: Given its geography, Sanjay says that Osmanabad has a fluctuating temperature between 20 and 40 degrees throughout the year.

“In oyster pearl farming, we must ensure a temperature of 32 degrees Celsius. It should not exceed 35 degrees. We have externally used aerators to regulate the temperature inside the water bank. It also boosts fresh algae growth and provides new micronutrients,” he says.

Edited by Pranita Bhat; All photos: Sanjay Pawar

She says she had always wanted to be a doctor, but failed to clear the entrance test. It was during a final-year engineering project that she got a chance to work on a vermicomposting project. 

“During the project, I became fascinated with and attached to the worms and thought — why not implement this project on a large scale? I started breeding these worms and began commercialising this product,” Sana tells The Better India.

So in 2014, with funding from her brother, she set up S J Organics vermicomposting company.

Although her first business model did not work out, she figured out an alternative and employed contractors to bring in dairy and biodegradable household waste. Each batch of vermicompost at SJ Organics is lab tested to meet the certification standards. The company also customises composts according to soil requirements. 

By 2020, the company received 500 tonnes of waste and produced 150 tonnes of vermicompost per month. Today, it has an annual turnover of Rs 1 crore a year and provides employment to more than 30 people.

Under SJ Organics’ consultancy, more than 100 schools in Meerut have now set up vermicomposting sites. They also conduct training programmes for entrepreneurs.

Sana hopes that by sharing her knowledge of vermicomposting, she can popularise organic farming methods, not just in Uttar Pradesh, but all over the country.

Watch this video to learn more about her work: 

Edited by Divya Sethu

For Yashika Bisht who runs a luxury resort ‘Moksham Himalayan Campsite’ in Uttarakhand with her husband, this is a very important time of the year.

The changing temperature is cumbersome for any gardening enthusiast. Here, Yashika shares a few tips to ensure your garden is winter-ready.

1. Weed out your plants

Let’s face it. De-weeding the garden is a task. But if you don’t do it now, the problem will only worsen with time. One thing to ensure while de-weeding is to remove the weeds right from the root and use manual methods instead of chemicals that will pose a risk to the healthy plants.

2. Pruning the damaged plants

Following de-weeding, Yashika begins looking for plants that show slight signs of damage. “Sometimes plants tend to rot due to excess water or have leggy growth due to lack of sunlight,” she says. What pruning essentially does is promote healthy plant growth by improving air circulation and enabling the plants to get their fill of sunlight.

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3. Till your garden

Before you can begin planting your winter seeds, you should consider tilling the soil. This process improves aeration by breaking compact pieces of soil and encouraging essential nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous in the lower layers to emerge into the upper ones.

4. Add compost to the soil

Balancing soil density is integral to the growth of plants and compost is one of the best ways of ensuring the density remains optimal. Whether it is kitchen waste, manure or wood mulch you plan to use, ensure it is a 50:50 mix of nitrogen and carbon-rich material.

Edited by Pranita Bhat

The year 2018 marked a watershed moment for Bhagalpur district in Bihar. Katarni rice, a short-grained variety, known for its unique taste and aroma, along with the Jardalu mango native to the region, received the coveted Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the UN — a distinction that promised to breathe new life into the agricultural landscape of Bihar. While this recognition was an auspicious beginning, challenges persisted for small-scale farmers, who struggled to maximise their profits and access broader markets.

Around the same time, Manish Singh, a teacher by profession, hailing from a farming family in Sultangunj village in Bhagalpur, decided to take the plunge into agriculture. With a deep-rooted passion for farming and a vision to amplify the value of the produce, Manish embarked on a mission.

Despite having a GI tag, most farmers in the district were selling Katarni paddy at Rs 30 per kg. The challenge, Manish says, was that “farmers didn’t know the value of the rice. Since we are all small farmers, we were not able to get the right price or find the right people to sell our products to.” He knew collectivisation was the only way to ensure that farmers like himself are able to get the right value for their produce, Manish tells The Better India.

Manish led a group of farmers to form the Jardalu and Katarni Agro Producer Company Limited, a Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO), in April 2023. Their journey was made possible through the support of Bayer, working in collaboration with the Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) under the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Union government developed the concept of FPOs in the early 2000s to enable small and marginal farmers to improve their access to investments, technology, and markets. The power of collectivisation not only improved production efficiency but also paved the way for better pricing strategies and marketing avenues.

Helping farmers become self-reliant

“Bayer embarked on a mission to bolster FPOs five years ago. The formation of FPOs is very important to support small farmers. Individually, they have a low scale and cannot market or transport their products. When 400 to 500 farmers come together, they have an opportunity to collaborate. We help these FPOs on input as well as output,” explains Rajesh Singh, Lead – Model Farms and Collaboration, Bayer.

Bayer’s support strategy is two-fold. Their first focus is building capability, and the second is advancing agricultural output. On the input front, they provide FPOs with fertilisers, crop protection products, high-quality seeds, and cost-reduction initiatives. Simultaneously, they forge connections with large retail chains, facilitate international exports, link farmers to financial institutions, and explore avenues for value-added products that promise additional income.

Bayer nurtures and guides FPOs in 21 states which fulfil the requirements of the farmers through a consortium of agricultural companies. They eliminate the need for a middleman by aggregating demand and ensuring uptake of the produce while also providing agronomic inputs to increase yield.

Doubling farmer incomes

Within a month of its inception in 2023, the 200-farmer-strong FPO called Jardalu and Katarni Agro Producer Company Limited, achieved a remarkable feat by exporting 4 Metric Tonnes (MT) of Jardalu mangoes to Dubai and also creating linkages like supplying 3.5 MT to Lulu Mall in Lucknow. The FPO achieved this success without middlemen, leading to recognition and increased profitability.

Manish beams with pride, “For the first time, we were able to export our Jardalu mangoes and earn higher profits. Despite having a GI tag, we never got the benefits of it directly. These mangoes and Katarni rice only grow in Bhagalpur and Munger districts.” Paddy farmers in the region would earlier sell their produce in the domestic markets at Rs 30 per kg. The formation of the FPO under Bayer’s guidance has helped them fetch Rs 55 and above per kg for Katarni paddy, he explains.

This has spurred farmers in Bhagalpur to rekindle their love for Katarni rice, a variety that yields double the income in the same land compared to conventional rice. “As compared to 15 mann (600 kg) per acre yield of other rice varieties earlier, farmers are now producing 20 mann (800 kg) of Katarni rice,” says Manish.

Farmers learned the art of branding, packaging, and effective marketing through their association with the FPO. Manish thanks Bayer for playing a pivotal role in steering the farmers in the right direction, and helping them forge connections. The FPO now aims to sell 50 MT of chuda (flat rice), in addition to the rice, from January 2024.

The future holds exciting possibilities, including the production of ‘green poha‘ from Katarni rice, a venture into exports, and the imminent enrollment of 300 more farmers into the FPO.

Collectivisation: A roadmap for growth

Aligned with the government’s drive to collectivise farmers under producer organisations, Bayer has been nurturing and supporting more than 3000 FPOs across the country.

Rajesh Singh shares, “We want to help lakhs of farmers in the coming years. On average, each FPO has around 580 farmers. In the next six to seven years, it is estimated that almost 30 percent of the country’s small farmers will be under FPOs. This is needed to help farmers grow and these collectives make it easy for us to serve and connect with them.”

Bayer is working on improving farmers’ profits considerably in the next two years and providing them with tools to increase their produce. They are focusing on areas such as soil testing, nutrient management, disease and pest control, and the enhancement of horticultural crop output. The ripple effect of aggregation and marketing has already resulted in better pricing, and now, value-added products such as pulp, dehydrated fruits, and vegetables are on the horizon.

As a new dawn emerges over the fields of Bhagalpur, the story of Manish Singh and his fellow farmers serves as an inspiration. Their journey from modest beginnings to thriving Agri-entrepreneurs paints a vivid picture of empowerment, unity, and the potential hidden within the fields of Bihar.

Edited by Padmashree Pande and Pranita Bhat

“India’s soil is so rich; we have hundreds of varieties of rice and other crops that people are unaware of. This unawareness is one of the reasons leading to their extinction, and I wanted to do something about it,” recalls Mahan in a conversation with The Better India.

Son of a farmer, Mahan did what he knew best — farming. He started researching and growing different indigenous varieties of rice in his ancestral field.

The result was the formation of Annapurna Rice Library — a hub of not only preserved indigenous seeds but also all things ‘rice’.

“We currently have more than 500 types of seeds preserved and grown organically,” he says.

A farmer’s boy on a mission to save indigenous seeds 

Born and raised in the Jorhat district of Assam, Mahan was a curious reader. 

“I was the middle child of four siblings and my father was a farmer. I always had a curiosity about things and wanted to get a PhD,” he recalls. 

Most of Mahan’s days were spent reading and helping his father out in the fields. “Working with him in the fields is where I learnt all I know about farming,” he says. 

“Our family was quite humble and we did not have a lot of money. While I wanted to study more and my family wanted to support it, the money was an issue,” he adds. 

Financial stress became even harder when Mahan’s father passed away. “I was completing my graduation and was heartbroken. However, I also had to look after my family. Studying further was out of the question so I decided to do agriculture like my father for a living,” he says. 

But it is said that one cannot stop a curious mind. Mahan could have decided to go for traditional farming but instead, he decided to research alongside. 

“I always loved reading and I would go online to look for papers on farming and seed saving. I read articles and papers on how there are many indigenous rice varieties that are going extinct. I also noticed while India has lots of resources in agriculture, no one was trying to save them,” he says. 

By 2008, Mahan had already started to set up a ‘rice library’ in his home. 

A testimony of his father’s heritage

Recalling the days he spent on the field with his father, Mahan says, “Those were the best days of my life. I used to do everything from taking care of the cattle and sowing the seeds. The seed bank is carrying my father’s legacy too.” 

“For the library, I started off with some seeds from my father. Today I have more than 500 types of seeds preserved in the library,” he says. 

Mahan started to visit more farms in Assam and learnt about the types of seeds they sow and managed to collect more and more seeds. 

“The library is also a gene bank of indigenous seeds that are fast disappearing not only from Assam but also from other parts of northeast India; and the rest of the country as well. We have various varieties of rice such as Bhao Dhan which has a cooling effect on the body, Dol Kosu which can treat fever and Navara — a rice variety from Kerala which has medicinal properties,” he says. 

Mahan’s seed library boasts a wide variety of rice seeds that are aromatic, sticky, black, flood-tolerant and hill rice, even some with medicinal properties. 

Talking about his personal favourite type of rice, Mahan says, “While all these rice varieties are my favourite, Bhao Dhan is very good. It is very tough in nature and can adapt easily to the flood-prone nature of Assam. It can survive long periods of being submerged in water.” 

However, the lower yield per hectare has been a factor as the farmers do not prefer to grow the rice. 

“But I believe that such varieties need to be saved. They were grown and consumed by our forefathers before farming was commercialised. They are the legacy that needs to be protected,” says Mahan. 

To take his cause further, Mahan says that his library is open for anyone to visit and take seeds of the rice. 

“Farmers from northeastern parts of India come to the library and they are free to take the seeds and try to grow them at their farms. Of course, the seeds are given in smaller quantities as I do not have an excess of them. Due to limited space in my farm, all these varieties only get a few square metres to grow,” he says. 

The library also has records of information about each variety and how they can be grown. “All this information is also available free of charge. I also visit schools in my district to spread awareness and host seminars to tell the younger generations about the existence of these varieties,” he says. 

For the last 15 years, Mahan has operated his library on his own funds. “My fields produce enough for my family and I sell the excess in the market. From the money, I run my household and maintain the library. Lack of funds has become an issue but I am managing somehow and I am sure I will keep the library alive for as long as I can,” he says.

If you found his work interesting, Mahan is currently seeking funds and volunteers for his library. You can reach him at 91270 69446.

(Edited by Padmashree Pande)

Named ‘Orchid n More’, the farm is located in Kantapada village near Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary, about 23 km from Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Along with the help of his wife, Monalisa Mohanty (53), his outfit has gained an annual turnover of about Rs 15 lakh, a feat which they managed to achieve in about two and a half years.

While orchid cultivation is not an easy feat, Sujan shares what qualities are required to make this a fruitful vocation.

“One should have patience and perseverance to take up this task. One has to wait for two years for a suitable and proper yield at first. An acre of land may only produce 60,000 flowers, to begin with, but wait and watch in wonder how that number slowly shoots up to almost two lakhs soon. My training in the army has helped me immensely with this profession. That’s the only reason why I am now able to reap the benefits of it,” he says.

“As the wife of an army man, I have been ingrained with these traits as well. I have to play the role of a robust support system both in his personal and professional life,” adds Monalisa. 

However, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Sujan before he decided on orchid cultivation, a venture which is totally alien to him. But with pure dedication and determination, his idea took root and then there was no turning back.

How ‘Orchids N More’ came to be

Sujan had been in a fix over his future after his retirement in 2012. He wanted to break into a new venture but was baffled by the number of options available. His interest, however, lay in floriculture. But he knew he needed time to make a wise choice.

So he proceeded to join Bengaluru-based Café Coffee Day Group as the head of facilities of one of their IT SEZs. 

After working there for one year, he switched over to Adani Group as the head of operations of a township in Ahmedabad till end of 2016. Then he returned to Bhubaneswar, where he was born and brought up, to settle down. Here he joined a civil engineering consultancy firm called OP&HS Infra as director-partner.    

“As an army man, I can’t be idle. The jobs not only kept me busy but also gave me time to research different types of floriculture,” Sujan explains.

But something was amiss. The nagging sense of doing something of his own kept him busy. He went on researching, surfing the internet, debating and discussing different business venture ideas with his friends and wife. Finally, in 2017, the Mohantys zeroed in on orchid farming.

“I once toyed with the idea of rose cultivation. When I learnt that the longevity of a plucked rose is two to three days and that of an orchid’s vase (a set-up of coconut husks where orchids grow) is 20 to 30 days, I opted for this instead,” says Sujan. 

But that came with its own set of problems. For one, he had no land or funds to support the idea.

The research and efforts that went into setting it up

Sujan then met experts from Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) and various orchid growers in Huma of Ganjam district to get the hang of it. 

“My wife and I toured across India for eight months in 2018 to meet the farmers there and get hands-on knowledge of the skill,” he says. 

Some of the places that they toured were Siliguri in Assam, Shillong in Meghalaya, and Baramati near Pune in Maharashtra. 

Kitted out with preliminary knowledge, the couple geared up to take the plunge into farming. They procured a patch of 2,500 sqm on lease from a farm of nearly 15 acres in Kantabada.

They then secured a loan of about Rs 24 lakh with some 50 percent subsidy from the horticulture department in the Khordha district.

Dr Debasish Mishra, the assistant director (horticulture), Khordha, explains how the scheme for people interested in the career works. “Under the Protected Cultivation Component of Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) of the central government, the scheme promotes different horticulture sectors that include flowers, aromatic plants, vegetables, tuber crops roots and mushrooms,” he says.

Availing of the benefits of this scheme, Sujan set up a polyhouse — a type of specialised structure that utilises controlled climatic conditions for the growth of plants — on the land to house orchid saplings.  

“Flowers like orchids can grow well inside a polyhouse when the temperature is 20 to 25 degrees Celsius and humidity ranges between 40 to 70 percent. Besides, a micro-irrigation set-up is an added fixture as orchids require little water. However, quantifying the water requirement is difficult as it differs from species to species,” says Dr (Prof) Sharat Chandra Sahoo of the department of fruit science and horticulture of OUAT.

The Mohantys then proceeded to get white and purple orchid saplings from Bengaluru as the city has the best varieties of orchids available. They hired around 25 local labourers to get started with the farm. 

Other obstacles along their way

With Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary flanking the farm, there was a fear of wild animals such as elephants, boars and deer coming and ruining the plot. The presence of venomous snakes was another big issue that haunted Sujan.

“I set up a solar fence around the polyhouse at a cost of about Rs 6 lakh. I kept pots with carbolic acid at their entry points, the smell of which supposedly keeps snakes away. I learnt this information from the internet,” says Sujan, reporting that this trick has so far worked very well on the farm. 

The odds were still stacked against him as the orchids started blooming in the polyhouse only after 10 months. They were small in size and failed to click with the flower market of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. 

The market there is said to have an annual turnover of over Rs 100 crore, where orchids have a share of nearly eight percent. Sujan, however, bided his time. Once his orchids grew in shape and size, they started to sell between Rs 15 and Rs 30. He also managed the sales and marketing functions of the farm and soon the business started picking up momentum. Their business even forayed into the markets of Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune.

Natural disasters played a dampener

Just as the Mohantys began reaping the results of their hard work, cyclone Fani struck in May 2019. The roof of the polyhouse was blown away and a part of its boundary wall collapsed during the stormy downpour. The couple had to spend over Rs 6 lakh from their personal savings to reset things. 

This disaster was soon followed by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, bringing everything to a standstill. Monalisa — who looks after the management of the polyhouse and operations inside it — said that they didn’t let these setbacks leave them nonplussed. 

“We presented our orchids to policemen, health workers and other frontline warriors as a mark of respect for their selfless service during this trying time,” she says. 

“We also made orchid bouquets during the second wave of the pandemic and sold them at a price between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. Though the sale proceeds were not enough, it could meet nearly 15 percent of our management cost,” she says, mentioning that they slowly limped back to normalcy. “We were able to sustain ourselves on my husband’s pension and the money we saved. We are also grateful that we could help our staff during that time of crisis,” she adds. 

What’s next for the farm

Sujan has made up his mind to take another patch of 2,500 sqm on lease next to his existing plot to expand the orchid farm. To that effect, he has already applied for a loan of about Rs 55 lakh with a 50 percent subsidy. 

The state government undertaking called Agricultural Promotion and Investment Corporation, provides financial assistance under the Mukhyamantri Krushi Udyog Yojana, an initiative of the state government, he informs.   

Though Colonel Sujan’s main focus is on floriculture, he is now turning to apiculture, which is beekeeping.

When he initially started the orchid farm, he had procured 15 boxes of bees and colonies as well. This came at a cost of Rs 4,000 each. Later, he added 25 more colonies. 

The honey from the first batch sells at Rs 1,200 per litre, bringing in an annual turnover of over Rs 2.5 lakh. Both these practices have immensely benefited each other, explains Sujan. “The apiculture has helped boost the orchid production by 20 percent through pollination,” he adds. 

“Now, my wife and I teach farmers and interns at OUAT and at the Siksa ‘O’ Anusandhan orchid farming and apiculture. To date, we have briefed nearly 15 batches of farmers and interns,” he adds, happy that he could bring his entrepreneurial dream to success. 

Authored by Niroj Ranjan Misra.

Edited by Padmashree Pande; All picture credits to Sujan Mohanty.

In a chat with The Better India, Dr Sethi explained the benefits of the technology, its applicability in real-time, and why there is a need for such technology in the future. 

With the changing environment and global warming, the agricultural needs of an ever-growing population will be hard to satisfy with our current technology. Scientists and agriculturalists from across the globe have been researching sustainable ways of increasing food production.

“A technology like HHT is needed for many reasons. I have travelled across countries like the US, Canada, Japan and seen scientists working hard to develop technologies for agricultural advancements at home. However, India did not have [an indigenous] hydroponics farming technology. While there are startups that are using hydroponics, they are mostly exported by Israel or Japan,” he notes. 

Increasing the food productivity of India

A former student and a university faculty member, Dr Sethi has dedicated nearly three decades of his life to researching and developing sustainable technologies. 

“After spending five years on research and development with a very small team of scholars and scientists from the Department of Botany, Chemistry, Soil and Vegetable Sciences, I was able to crack the code. Using HHT helps in improved water and nutrient perforation and re-circulation systems for pot-based substrate hydroponics,” he notes. 

Born in 1968 in Ludhiana, Punjab, Dr Sethi did his bachelor’s in Agriculture Engineering and his master’s in Mechanical Engineering. It was during his postdoctoral fellowship in the US that Dr Sethi met with a Korean professor Dr Chiwong Lee, who worked in the field of developing hydroponics. 

“He was working on the various substrates that can be used in hydroponics and found it very intriguing. I decided to come back to India and develop our own hydroponics system. I returned to the university and told them about my idea of developing a Hybrid Hydroponics system,” he says. 

It took Dr Sethi nearly five years to fully develop the HHT system and grow vegetables using it, and another five to get the patent rights, which he and PAU received in November 2021. 

What is HHT and how does it work? 

There are two types of hydroponics — water-based and substrate-based. Dr Sethi’s hybrid technology merges the two to use the best of both technologies. 

“With seed money of Rs 5,00,000 from the university, I started my research on developing the technology. We developed a small greenhouse with a capacity of 250 plants. It took me nearly two years to fully develop the technology and I tested it for another three years before applying for a patent right,” he says. 

The technology took a few hits and misses to become what it is today, notes Dr Sethi. While the concept of soil-less farming is not unknown to us, what he noticed was that the technology uses water from reservoirs and passes it to the pots. 

“The water that was not taken by the plants would go to waste.” 

How does Hybrid Hydroponic Technology work? “In Hybrid Hydroponics Technology, we save this water by using the technique of recirculation. We developed a porous plate between the pots. The lower part of the pot contains the shallow water pond and the upper part of the pot carries the substrate. The plate between the two is the innovation as it carries equivalent pressure at both the upper and lower end of the pot.”

This allows the roots to breathe and grow, and from the top, they would get ample oxygen. 

“In the recirculation mode, we could save about 90% water as we don’t allow even a drop to go to waste,” he informs. 

Dr Sethi also sprays the required minerals and nutrients on the plants to ensure that the fruit is the best in quality. “The newly-developed technology underwent a rigorous two-year testing phase by cultivating cucumber, tomato, and capsicum crops. Through this experimentation, it was established that the technology accelerated growth and yielded higher produce compared to prevalent pot-based systems like the bato bucket (inspired by Dutch technology) and grow bag-based systems (non-recirculation type, inspired by Israeli technology) in the realm of soilless cultivation,” he adds. 

“The method is not labour intensive like traditional farming as it is fully automatic. We have timers that are set in advance that provide and sprinkle required nutrients according to the plant’s requirements.” 

Making it accessible for local farmers

There were a few arguments that Dr Sethi presented on the need for such a technology in India. 

“The most important reason is that there is a lot of barren land in India that can be used for this purpose. Besides, this technology allows farmers and gardeners to grow food anywhere — from a closed room to a small terrace,” he explains. 

“This will also generate employment in the country. Right from a homemaker with a spare room in her house to an unemployed youth, anyone can easily use the technology to grow plants with a little training. They can consume it and sell the excess in the market,” he says. 

Another reason why Dr Sethi thinks the technology is important is that it saves water. “In the recirculation mode, with the use of HHT, we can save about 60 to 90% water depending on the plant,” he says. 

As for making it accessible to the local farmers, he says that there are plans underway. 

“There are many industries of hydroponics in India, but most of them import it from either Israel or China. This increases the cost. What we have created saves the cost by three times. If the cost is less, the technology automatically becomes more accessible. We are also in the process of making a manual for farmers and other users, and are also open to selling its commercial rights to the industry to make it more accessible,” he adds.

“I have travelled across the world and have seen farmers using different innovative technologies to grow food. But this technology of merging substrate and water-based is not available anywhere in the world. I feel very proud that I was able to develop it and we call it swadeshi (made in India).” 

“India is a country of small land holdings and the technology is especially designed to accommodate small-scale farmers. Our motto is to focus on “sabka vikas” (development for all) and this technology does the same.” 

(Edited by Padmashree Pande)

Premchand Sharma, a native of Hatal and a Class 5 dropout, faced a similar situation. “I belong to a family of traditional farmers, and my father grew crops like rice, pulses and corn, among others. The soil and the geographical conditions never suited horticulture,” he tells The Better India.

Premchand recalls seeing a pomegranate plant for the first time being grown by a neighbour across the street. “I saw it during my childhood when a farmer experimented in growing the fruit variety. But the fruits suffered pest infestations, and the plant died due to various diseases. It was difficult to contain the infestation,” the 64-year-old says.

Moreover, Premchand says that the agriculture department officials, experts and other traders involved in the chemical fertiliser businesses in the region did not have any solution for the infestation. “The products were underdeveloped, and the experts lacked knowledge and experience,” he adds.

But consistent efforts and sincerity helped Premchand grow pomegranate and apple varieties with success, eventually winning him a Padma Shri Award for his contribution to the agriculture field.

Taking Maharashtra’s pomegranate to Uttarakhand

Premchand says the pomegranate tree in front of his house intrigued him. “I always wanted to find solutions to remove the infestation from the plant. The fruits were also small in size. Moreover, there were many wild pomegranate plants in the forest areas. I realised that growing a pomegranate tree would not be a problem, but controlling pests and harvesting a yield was,” he says.

The farmer visited officials and scientists from the forest and agriculture department to seek guidance. None of them offered solutions. “It is not possible to grow in this geographical area, they claimed,” he adds.

Later, he learned that the plant could be grown by two methods — seeds or grafting.

“In the year 1990, I researched about different varieties of pomegranates. I even visited Solapur in Maharashtra and was impressed by the yield because of its large fruit size. I sourced 500 grafted saplings of the Bhagwa variety to my hometown. They were also less susceptible to infestation,” he says, adding, “The plants also required less water for irrigation, compared to the native varieties.”

At last, the plants bore fruits successfully. “But the fruits had many seeds, and their size was huge. Each fruit weighed at least a kilo,” Premchand says.

Confident in selling the fruits, Premchand offered them to the customers in the local market but failed to find immediate acceptance.

“The big fruit size discouraged the mass buyers. Any person wanting to gift them couldn’t give one big fruit. Also, it was difficult for a family to consume a single fruit at a go. They were also aesthetically less appealing. The fruit vendors and commercial traders did not appreciate them,” Premchand explains.

He says despite the drawbacks, the fruit found a market with local customers. “The fruit was less juicy, but its quality was fresh as compared to other varieties like Himachal and Kullu in the market. Customers returned to buy fruits from me as they loved the taste,” Premchand notes.

The sales picked up and Premchand gained success, which eventually earned him an informal recognition as the ‘anarwala’ (pomegranate man) from the then-Chief Minister.

But Premchand realised that the pomegranate trees had a life of about 15-20 years and demanded a fresh cycle of different crops to restore soil nutrients. “So, I began growing papaya with other fruit varieties and seasonal vegetables alongside. It earned me considerable profits and covered my investment costs of pomegranate,” he says.

“I always visited various farmers to understand their techniques and implement the best practices. I adopted drip and mulching techniques in similar ways. Diversifying and finding innovative methods in farming proved crucial to increase income,” he says.

Recognising his success, other farmers in the neighbourhood started requesting him for the pomegranate grafts. “In 2000, I prepared a nursery of 2,000 saplings and sold them to 350 farmers in the state and neighbouring states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh,” he says.

By 2013, he formed a fruit and vegetable market committee to encourage farmers and youngsters in the village to grow farm produce and increase their production and profits. “About 200 farmers became a part of it, and many youngsters felt encouraged and took up farming as an activity rather than pursuing a job away from their hometown,” he says.

Utpal Singh, a farmer from Premchand’s village, says, “I felt inspired to grow pomegranate after he showed a successful way of commercialising it. Moreover, I also learned and adopted drip irrigation and mulching methods from Premchand. He has helped many farmers increase our yield in farming.”

An Organic Shift

In 2017, a visit to Punjab changed Premchand’s farming methods forever. “I attended a seminar that insisted farmers move away from harmful use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. The experts mentioned the correlation with cancer cases because of the toxic chemicals used to grow vegetables,” he says.

So, Premchand felt pained by the case studies and the long term health effects because of the heavy chemical usage. “I was slightly aware and had already started reducing the use of chemicals on my farm, but stopped entirely after returning from Punjab and began practising organic farming. I even innovated organic liquid manure made from neem, walnut, carrot grass, congress grass, cow dung, cow urine, organic waste and other organic matter,” he says.

Premchand claims the use of his brewed organic liquid has helped him increase productivity and bring it at par with agricultural produce grown using chemical fertilisers. “I am in the process of registering it with the government agencies to obtain necessary certifications and commercialising it. The samples are undergoing tests for their precise scientific value and the percentage of yield it helps in increasing,” he adds.

Recently, Premchand planted an Italian variety of apples in his village. “Apples are not known to grow in our part of the state. I have planted a high-density variety that bears fruits in a year and is low hanging. It has brought success to me, and many farmers are now picking up the trend,” he adds.

Last year, he received the Padma Shri Award for his immense contribution to agriculture. “I appreciate that the government recognised my efforts, but I had no support when I began pomegranate farming. The officials and residents discouraged me. Some people mocked and teased me for trying to grow something unique. But I feel glad that the same people now pat on my back, feel inspired and take up pomegranate farming,” he says.

Premchand says farmers should move to new farming methods to bring a new revolution in the field. “The drip irrigation, high-tech farming and organic methods, if implemented, can help farmers cope up with changing demands and markets. Such efforts will ensure to keep the farmer fraternity active and make farming a successful and potential profession for a younger generation,” he says.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

“I used to sell products to middlemen at a commission of 30 percent. If I give them produce for Rs 90 per kg, they sell it for Rs 120-150. So, they were the ones reaping the profits for my produce,” he tells The Better India.

Exploitation by intermediaries in the farming sector is a longstanding issue. Despite being the producers, farmers receive less income in the farm-to-consumer supply chain, which is controlled by middlemen.

A few years back, the 43-year-old farmer even tried to take his life. “Our situation was very bad. We would not get sufficient income for our produce. I have a family of eight to look after,” shares the Gove village resident.

Today, the farmer can sell his produce-based products, like jaggery and turmeric powder, through the Indian Farmer Entrepreneurs (IFE) Store. This online marketplace liberates farmers from middlemen’s control.

“Here, we do not have to give any amount for commission. We find this system extremely beneficial for small farmers like me as we cannot sell so much produce alone. It also helps us sell to places other than Maharashtra,” says Sachin, who manages to get orders for up to 50 kg of produce from the platform.

Behind the e-commerce platform are college friends Aniket Gharge and Jay Sidhpura. They have collaborated with at least 20 farmers from across Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh since the launch of the platform in 2022.

Eliminating the hurdle

Coming from a family of farmers, Aniket from Vadagaon village in Satara always had a passion for farming. After graduating in computer engineering, he worked in a web development company in Pune for a year. However, in 2017, he took the leap and started his own YouTube channel to share stories of farmers.

“Since my school days, I would like to speak to farmers and understand their issues,” says Aniket, who has around 2.5 lakh subscribers on his YouTube channel today.

During the stint, he found that although the government promotes organic farming, there was hardly any dedicated marketplace where farmers can sell such products without the help of intermediaries.

“Farmers earn better income with value-added organic products, but nobody tells them where they can sell them. Also, a bulk of their time goes into growing crops and cannot invest their energy in marketing the products,” he says.

“Therefore, they would sell their products locally, but despite good quality, they would not earn as much as they should because of middlemen. So I wanted to create a large marketplace for farmers so that they can earn decent incomes without any interference,” adds the 28-year-old.

So last year, Aniket combined his interest in farming and tech background to launch a marketplace for farmers along with his college friend Jay, who manages product listings on the website. With hardly any investment, they designed the website to help farmers directly sell their products to consumers and eliminate the long chain of intermediaries.

Beyond Maharashtra

Farmers reach out to Aniket through his YouTube channel and social media. Aniket then visits their farms to inspect the products. Farmers must provide FSSAI licenses for the products. Once the registration process is completed, which involves sharing their information and product details, the products are listed on the website.

The collected products are stored in Aniket’s warehouse in Satara until they are distributed to consumers based on demand. When orders come in, the products are packaged from the warehouse and dispatched to customers via courier service.

“If your product costs Rs 100, then we will display the same. We do not charge anything other than the packaging cost which is Rs 10. For our consumers, we have also recorded documentaries on the manufacturing and processing of each of our products,” says Aniket, who simultaneously runs a digital marketing business for survival.

Highlighting one of the challenges in running such a marketplace, he says, “Sometimes, products did not deliver because of carelessness at the end of courier companies. We have to make multiple calls to ensure products reach consumers on time.”

However, “The benefits of the system are bigger than its challenges. In a span of a year, we are estimated to have nearly doubled their income. This has also helped farmers expand the customer base from Maharashtra to across the country,” he adds. With IFE Store, farmers are able to sell their products to customers in more than 15 states including Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Assam.

The platform currently has over 25 categories of products — including jaggery candies, air fresheners, pickles, rose jam, millet products, and spices. So far, they have managed to cater to about 340 customers, and Aniket plans to expand the e-commerce business in other states and connect more farmers to the platform.

It is with this motivation that Aniket continues to do the work despite reluctance from his family.

“My parents are farmers, but they always wanted me to quit farming and earn a decent income in an engineering job in the city. I believe that I could have established a good career in the IT sector, where there would have been job security. But I am fortunate to pursue my passion and be of some help to farmers at the same time,” he shares.

Edited by Pranita Bhat

“By the time they get the results, farmers have already added fertilisers to the soil so they can sow seeds on time. We have 14 crore farmers in India, but we hardly have 3,000 labs for soil testing,” explains Dr Rajul Patkar, CEO and co-founder of Pune-based Proximal Soilsens Technologies.

To tackle this issue, Dr Rajul and Dr Mukul Singh developed NutriSens — a paper-based sensor strip device that makes soil testing as easy as testing blood sugar at home.

After more than a decade of research, Dr Rajul made the prototype of the device in early 2022.

Explaining how the device works, she says, “Prepare a sample using one gram of soil; put an agent solution of 3 ml in a small vial; shake it; and leave for about half an hour for the soil to settle until the clear solution appears. Put a drop of solution on the sensor.”

It takes about five minutes for the device to test the soil for all six parameters. After the test is completed, a soil health card is generated, which can be downloaded instantly on mobile phones.

So far, the duo has sold over 2,000 consumable sensor strips, which are priced at Rs 35,000 in Punjab, Assam, Telangana and Maharashtra.

Watch this video to learn more about the soil testing device:

Edited by Pranita Bhat

Jath taluka, bordering Karnataka, is predominantly sunny, with temperatures in the summer reaching 43 degrees Celsius. In the winter, the temperature doesn’t cross the 27 degrees mark. Gifted with sandy-loamy soil, the rainfall is limited to just 30 days a year, averaging 560 mm. In such adverse conditions, Sawant has been able to grow apples (locally known as safarchand) and those visiting his farm consider it no less than a miracle.

People laughed at him when he decided he would grow the fruit in Konkan, recalls the 44-year-old, who runs a successful nursery of fruit and forest trees that he established in 2010 after bidding goodbye to his job as an automobile mechanic.

It was sometime in early 2020 that Sawant bought 150 saplings of HRMN-99  apples — an all-terrain apple variety developed by Himachal Pradesh native Hariman Sharma.

The genesis of the all-terrain variety 

It was sometime in 1999 that Sharma observed a fruit bearing apple seedling in his courtyard at Paniala village of Bilaspur district, which is situated 1,800 feet from sea level. Being an innovative farmer, he could sense that it was an extraordinary event. He persevered and grew several grafts of the same. 

“After working as a labourer in other farms for many years. In 1998, I started nurturing mango orchards and began vegetable cultivation. In 1999, I purchased apple seeds from another farmer in the district and planted them. I did not have any hopes that it would grow, but I observed a small apple seedling that had sprouted. I nurtured that seedling with the little knowledge I gained from my farming experience, and let it grow,” Hariman recalled in an earlier conversation with The Better India. 

Though Sharma’s crop bore fruit, the harvest was small in size. He decided to graft a stem from the apple tree with a plum tree. 

“The fruit quality was much better,” he said. “They were the size of regular apples, and in an earth-shade colour with red tinges on the side. Soon, I grafted some more trees, and created a mini orchard with eight trees. Till date, these trees continue to bear fruits, and provide a yield of 1 quintal every season which is usually in June.”

What makes this variety so unique 

The climate crisis has posed a significant challenge for apple growers in Himachal’s regions of Kullu, Shimla, Mandi, and more. A disproportionate rise in temperature has resulted in disturbed snow and rainfall patterns, in turn leading to cutting down on the chilling hours of traditional apple varieties, notes Outlook India. 

Perhaps apple varieties like those developed by Sharma could come as some respite from this challenge. 

In order to study the suitability and adaptability of Sharma’s apple variety in various agro-climatic conditions of the country, the National Innovation Foundation-India (NIF) transplanted around 10,000 saplings at 1,190 farmers’ fields in 2015-2017.  

Sharma claims that this apple variety does not require chilling hours for flowering and fruit setting. Chilling hours refers to the period when the plant is maintained at a certain temperature, usually from 0-7° C, to start producing flowers. While conventional apple trees could develop improper colour and fungal spots on its surface in case of excessive rain or fog during the fruit maturity period, the new variety is resistant to scab disease, he says.

Following its successful fruiting at several locations countrywide, Sharma was awarded the Plant Breeders’ Right for his innovation. It was named HRMN-99. The variety is ready to harvest in early June after three years of transplanting and the average yield from a seven-year old plant is one quintal. 

“Earlier, no one would have believed that apples would grow in the plains and in warm temperatures,” says Sharma, dwarfed by the fruit trees in his orchard-cum-nursery. As an innovator of this unique variety, he has exclusive control over its propagating material. 

Though many individuals and nursery owners on social media platforms claim to be HRMN-99 sellers, the case is not always so. “I appeal to those farmers interested in growing genuine low-chill apple varieties to buy from our government-certified nursery located in Bilaspur,” says Sharma, a member of the Research Council of Solan-based Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry.

With the sale of 9 lakh saplings so far, HRMN-99 apples are presently growing in 27 States of India and have found buyers in countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, South Africa, Zambia and Germany.

Having learnt about Sawant’s feat, the NIF awardee-farmer says, “I’m happy for him and hope more and more farmers take to growing it. This variety is resistant to common diseases and can be grown even in regions with temperatures of 40-45 degrees Celsius. I was in Manipur recently, where a group of 202 farmers planted 30,000 HRMN-99 saplings.”

125 apple bushes in Antral

“Of the 150 I planted on an acre, only 125 have survived. Each plant has 30 to 40 apples and the fruit weighs between 100 to 200 g,” says Sawant, recipient of Udyan Pandit, an award given by the Maharashtra Government for excellence in fruit cultivation and sponsored by the National Horticulture Board. 

Social worker and fellow farmer Sanjay Sawant (44) is all praise for the efforts that Kakasaheb and his two brothers — who work as school teachers — have put into their 20-acre farm. Moreover, they did this in a region where farming activities are at the mercy of nature’s vagaries, as locals struggle to grow crops in a rain-shadow area. “To irrigate their parched farm plot land, the Sawant brothers laid four pipelines, both 4 km long, to bring water from the Mhaisal Irrigation Scheme on the Krishna River.”

 Of the many who have lately visited Sawant’s apple orchard is the taluka Krishi Adhikari Manoj Kumar Vetal. He says, “The vegetative growth of the trees is remarkable, the colour of the fruit is acceptable too. However,  it lacks in fruit-setting and palatability, which it will overcome in a season or two, a phenomenon we earlier witnessed when dragon fruit was introduced in Maharashtra.”

With the likelihood of the fruit fetching Rs 200 per kg Sawant is not worried once he harvests the Sangli apples, for he is sure to make a couple of lakhs in the bargain.

Edited by Divya Sethu

On asking the farmer why he was resorting to this, the farmer replied, “My crops failed. My stomach doesn’t know my pockets are empty.” 

The incident remained in Sathya’s mind and haunted him even years later, when and his colleagues Kaushik K, Saumya, and Ayush Sharma were discussing the harrowing lives of small farmers. 

This propelled them to launch Kheyti in 2015 and come up with an innovation ‘Greenhouse-in-a-box’ that would get smallholder farmers in India their dues by increasing their profits. 

Explaining how the model works, Sathya says, “We build houses to live in safety and to protect ourselves from environmental factors like heat, rain, insects, etc. Likewise, a greenhouse helps plants thrive. Our greenhouse cuts off excess heat by 2-4 degrees Celsius, reduces pests by 90 per cent and saves 98 per cent water as compared to open-field conventional irrigation.”

The intent behind this, he says in a TED Talk, is that while we cannot cool the entire planet in one day, it is possible to create a climate for a small portion of farmers’ land to be suitable for farming. 

The ‘Greenhouse-in-a-box’ kit has two variants — one costs about Rs 2 lakh (for 320 sq mts) while the other costs about Rs 3.35 lakh (for 462 sq mts) and the farmers also get training on what to grow, how to grow and when to grow. 

Watch how this concept is helping farmers across the country increase their yield:

His 4-acre farm in Chottanikkara has both well-known as well as the rarest of rare herbs — from chakkarakolli (gurmar), which can be used to reduce sweet cravings to anali vegam (poison devil tree), which is used as an antidote for viper bites, shimshapa (Indian rosewood), parijatham (night jasmine), lakshmi taru (paradise tree), and betadine plant. 

During his work trips, he would collect and buy saplings of various medicinal plants from fellow hobbyists. He started off by planting nutmeg. Seeing its yield inspired him to plant more varieties. Over time, he became increasingly dedicated to conserving rare plants for their incredible medicinal properties.

“Dad was into herbs. He had grown the usual herbs. That became an inspiration. Family-wise, for three generations, we have been in agriculture. Our livelihood was through agriculture,” the 40-year-old tells The Better India.

While working in Bengaluru, he would visit his home in Ernakulam every weekend to ensure the plants were okay. Since the lockdown and the subsequent work-from-home orders, he now finds time to look after the plants.

Ezekiel believes everyone should have a hobby that can calm the mind. For him, it is farming.

Watch how Ezekiel has been growing rare medicinal plants: 

Edited by Divya Sethu.

The 13-year-old was staring at a fraction of India’s looming problem of agricultural spoilage, an issue that made headlines in 2019. According to the World Economic Forum, India — despite attaining food sufficiency with its 270 million tons of agricultural produce in a year — found itself at a position of 103 out of a list of 119 countries on the Global Hunger Index. 

How? 

The major discrepancy the report estimated was because of agricultural food spoilage, meaning that while sufficient amounts of produce are harvested, much of this doesn’t even reach the intended populations. 

According to the United Nations’ (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about US$14 billion (12.42 billion euros) worth of food is wasted every year in India. 

These were the startling facts that Mahek discovered as she tried to wrap her mind around why food wastage was such a concern. Now 19, she says she decided to take matters into her own hands and come up with some kind of a solution that would help farmers, at least in her region, to salvage their produce. 

Her innovation is an eco-friendly grid-less cooling methodology named SunHarvested CoolRooms, a technique she says allows the produce to remain fresh for three times longer than it would in traditional drum storage. 

Mahek’s methodology went on to win the Lexus Design Award India 2023 under the ‘Eco-Innovation’ category among 1,000 projects from across the country.

‘I didn’t have the heart to see so much food wastage.’

Tracing back to the time Mahek watched the produce on her mom’s 2-acre farm going to waste, she says it was disheartening. 

“This was quality produce, including seasonal fruits like strawberries, cherries, and passion fruits. When I’d spend time here during my summer vacations, it was eye-opening to watch just how much goes to waste. Piles and piles of good fruits are thrown away. For me what stood out was that my mother, along with her team of six farmers, would put so much effort into growing the produce, and all of this effort would amount to nothing. There had to be a way to avoid this spoilage.” 

Mahek began working on a technology in this regard in Class 6, and continued through school. Now, she’s taking a gap year to scale it up, after six years of understanding the prototype, perfecting it, and bringing the drawings to reality. 

Elaborating on the design, Mahek says it was inspired by the climate in which she lived. 

“In Chennai, the evenings are colder compared to the mornings, when the sun is scorching and the temperatures soar to as high as 45 degrees Celsius. I thought it would be interesting to play around with this factor while designing something that would keep the produce fresh for longer. Rotting happens when humidity increases, so I knew I’d have to get the humidity to a stable level to prevent the produce from getting spoilt.”

A sustainable design that mimics nature

This was when Mahek read about convection currents. The first draft of the product she designed comprised three parts — a brick room, an exhaust chimney and a draft tube. These come together to work based on scientific principles of evaporative, cooling, and dehumidification and keep the produce fresh without refrigeration. 

The draft tube, which took Mahek a year to perfect, is made up of a wooden tray lined with aluminium sheets, aluminium grids, a material that maintains humidity and arched glass. When the aluminium sheets absorb the sun’s rays, they heat up and create a pressure void, propelling the wind towards the closure. This forms the wind circuit. 

“This design mimics nature and convection currents, the same way the land and sea breezes work. The air flowing into the draft tube rises to the arch of the glass and moves further through the tube into the enclosure of the brick room. It is then dehumidified by the desiccants hung on one side and a screen of khus root hung on the other. This allows any moisture to evaporate,” explains Mahek. The entire apparatus is designed to keep the temperature and humidity optimal. 

Letting us in on the journey of innovating the apparatus, she says the hardest part was coming up with the draft tube, considering there was no information on the internet on how to build one. Mahek recounts the struggle to find the perfect material and come up with a design that would work well to keep the produce fresh. 

Another challenge was getting the shape right. “It’s an unusual structure with an arched glass and so explaining it to people in the manufacturing space was tough. I would use matchboxes to show them the ridges I was looking for in the structure and how the aluminium sheets needed to be aligned as grids on the tube.”

She adds that every part of the draft tube was built by a different vendor in Chennai and assembling it all together was another task. Finally, after a pilot, the project was commissioned in 2022. 

Mahek emphasises that since the SunHarvested CoolRooms methodology is a sustainable alternative to cold storage, it can help in cutting down on nearly 14 per cent of the global greenhouse gases emitted due to refrigerants.

A potential solution to the problem of food spoilage

While Mahek says there is still scope for improvement of the apparatus in terms of remote accessing and automation, she says the field prototype showed good results. “The sensors we installed in the prototype provided us with information on the humidity and temperature. They gave us a good estimate of the conditions inside the tube, with the humidity being 20 percent and the temperature having a difference of eight degrees Celsius between the ambient and enclosure.”

The implications this could have for rural India could be great, she adds. 

“A majority of the farmers in rural India harvest the land in slots, storing their produce in drums, and eventually this leads to rotting as the storage spaces are not equipped correctly.”

Prof Harish JK, Mahek’s mentor from Chettinad Vidyashram, terms the innovation “novel and an important step towards curbing increasing greenhouse gases, like HFCs and CFCs, which are emitted by rotting fruits and vegetables as well as cold storages that are used to save them”. 

“By potentially replacing cold storages in rural parts of India, the SunHarvested CoolRooms will have an indisputable impact on the quality of our air, climate, and our lives and those of future generations,” he adds. 

Meanwhile Mahek’s school principal, Dr S. Amudha Lakshmi adds that Mahek’s project could be a boon for farmers who are constantly irked by the malady of perishable crops. She adds that while the innovation is notable, “Mahek’s scientific acumen and her thirst for innovative strategies have always been her strongest assets.” 

Ask Mahek her favourite part about this project, and she says it was her learnings, both academic as well as personal. “What I’ve realised is that you can get help for anything you need, but getting the ideas straight in your mind first is crucial.”

Edited by Divya Sethu

When Lenus was 15, he discovered bonsais and was immediately fascinated. Later, during his work travels to several Asian countries like Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and China, he visited various bonsai gardens, where he learnt about the different varieties and how to source them.

“In some places, they gift their precious bonsai garden to children, similar to how we deal with properties. It makes so much sense because the effort and time invested in the garden are tremendous. It is like having a pet or even raising a baby,” shares Lenus.

Today, he has over 200 varieties of bonsais in his collection, such as juniper, elephant tree, tropical boxwood, jade, black pine, and more, including varieties from the northern and northeastern parts of India.

“It takes at least 10 years to witness the proper growth of a bonsai tree. For me, the shape is very important for each of them. Otherwise, it will grow casually, which won’t be so aesthetically pleasing,” he shares.

Despite owning over 700 bonsais, Lenus has no plans to sell any of them as he considers them to be like his pets.

“I have been offered Rs 5 lakh for a bonsai tree that has been in my garden for the past 35 years. But how can money substitute my love for the plant?” says the urban gardener.

To know more about the bonsai gardener, watch this video:

Edited by Divya Sethu

The best part about coconuts is that they’re a full package. From its shell to its husk, everything has its own use. And a Bengaluru-based startup has found a way to use its goodness to help women and farmers, while earning revenues of Rs 4 lakh per month. 

With his startup Tengin, which means coconut in Kannada, 30-year-old Madhu Kargund makes virgin coconut oil, barfi, soaps, candle, sugar, chips, crockery shells, coir dish scrubbers, and more. 

“I am a farmer’s son,” says Madhu, “and I have seen how farmers are suffering due to crop failure, lower profits and climate change. I am trying to help them make more profits by converting their coconuts to cash flow.” 

Making coconut farming profitable 

Born and raised in Arsikere in the Hassan district of Karnataka, Madhu spent his growing years helping his father in the fields. 

“Growing up in a farming family, you see the problems farmers face on a daily basis. Firstly, due to climate change and bad rain patterns, growing anything naturally is very difficult. There is no aid for farmers to upskill, and a lack of knowledge about the market results in losses,” he says. 

Talking about the various problems faced by the farmers, he says, “If I go to the village and start growing tomatoes on my field and get a good price for it, every other farmer in the village would start doing that. This creates a demand and supply imbalance and no one makes a profit. The farmers lack this knowledge and lose profits.” 

Madhu says that while he always wanted to do something to eliminate these problems, his father wanted him to pursue a stable job. “No farmer would want his sons to join farming because of the losses,” he opines. 

After completing his Master of Computer Applications, he worked for eight years as a software engineer before deciding to quit his career and start Tengin in 2018. 

“Even when I was working as an engineer, my mind was occupied with the thought of how I was not doing what I was supposed to do. I kept ideating different ways in which we can change the current situation. The best way to increase revenue was to eliminate middlemen and source directly from the farmers so they get more margin,” he says. 

By 2018, Madhu was sure that a 9 to 5 was not his calling. When Madhu decided he wanted to start a business that helps the farmers, he knew where to turn to — coconuts, which he had seen his father grow all his life. The beginning of his venture came about while he was still working in engineering, when he decided to make batches of virgin coconut oil. 

“It was in 2020, that I decided to throw myself completely into the business and quit my job,” he says. 

Natural, sustainable and waste-free

When Madhu decided to quit his job, his decision did not get the reception he was hoping for. 

“My parents did not want me to do agriculture. He did not want me to become a farmer, he wanted me to continue my job. Agriculture is one of the most difficult jobs in the world, and farmers don’t get enough money or respect for it,” he shares. 

Even though there was resistance from the family, Madhu was set in his ways. To make farming more profitable in his village, he figured out a way of farming called zero-budget natural farming with multiple crops. 

“Most of the villagers in my village practised single farming or mono-crop farming, But in the other method, you grow multiple crops at the same time. For instance, in between coconut, you can plant areca nuts, in between areca nuts you can plant bananas, and in between them, tomatoes. This way, farmers produce a variety of plants on the same piece of land,” he says. 

While conceptualising Tengin, Madhu decided to engage women SHGs in his village to make the products. 

“There are many sanghas (women groups) in the villages, which I decided to engage with. They make a variety of products and we keep innovating to produce zero-waste from the coconuts. The coconuts are sourced from farmers in my village and some from other districts of Karnataka,” he says. 

Madhu works with more than 20 farmers in Karnataka and Goa, along with nearly eight women from SGHs in his village to make the products. 

“We buy directly from the farmers, eliminating any cost of transportation on their part and any middlemen at fair prices, so that they get more profit margins,” he explains. 

“We keep innovating with our products. While I started off with just virgin coconut oil, we have advanced into various other products, from soaps, scrubs to crockery. During Diwali, we made coconut diyas, and during Raksha Bandhan, we made coconut shell rakhis,” he says. 

“The coconut shells are mostly thrown away, but I thought that they could be a sustainable replacement for plastic cups and mugs. From the coir, another waste product, we made dishwashing scrubs. We made use of the residual coconut powder, which comes after we extract the oil to make coconut rocher, mixing it with dark chocolate,” he says, adding that all the coconuts used in the production are grown naturally. 

Vani Murthy, a customer of Tengin, says, “Coconut products are so intrinsic to our culture and traditions in South India. Coconut oil is a multipurpose product that we use daily in our homes, be it for cooking, or as personal care. Tengin is one such authentic brand that I reach out to for my needs. All their products are amazing and I love the fact that this brand supports local livelihoods too. They are constantly bringing out interesting new products from coconut.”

Madhu says he started by making 150 ml of virgin oil, and today has sold over 500 litres. On average, the company makes a revenue of Rs 3 to 4 lakh a month. 

“For me and Tengin as a company what we want to do is bring into light the story behind our brand. It is not just the products we are selling but the farmers who work hard’s story we are narrating too. I go to flea markets and talk to my customers, educating them about where the products are coming from, and how are they made. By buying them, they are not just buying the products but also helping the farmers,” he points out. 

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As for the future, Madhu wants to keep expanding and innovating new products made out of coconuts. 

“Whenever we talk about innovation or upskilling, it is always sectors like IT that we want to focus on. There is almost a negligible amount of conversation around upskilling farmers and updating them with the latest technology. We are already in the middle of a migration crisis with most of the youth moving out of farming in search of better job opportunities. With my startup, I can only hope to make the profession more profitable and appealing to the youth to carry on doing farming,” reflects Madhu on his journey so far. 

Madhu’s products are available to order from his Instagram page — Tengin or you can contact him at 97403 30316

Edited by Divya Sethu

With a mission to boost farm yield, they launched their startup Fuselage Innovations in 2020. So far, they have launched two drones — Niriksh and Fiya.

Both drones are cloud-connected. Niriksh has sensors that can spot problems such as pests and nutrient deficiencies at an early stage through plant mapping. Instead of spraying all the crops, these drones help spot specific plants or areas needing help. After analysis, Fiya is used to spray the required area.

“Over the past two years, we have seen that adopting drone technology and following the precision farming protocols help boost yield by 25-35 percent. A significant dip of 75 percent has been observed in fertiliser and nutrient use. Efficiently, farmers’ profits have become three times,” Devan, co-founder of the startup, tells The Better India.

The brother-sister duo also provides products and services to farmers. While the drones cost Rs 4-7 lakh, they charge Rs 2,000-5,000 per acre for the service model. So far, the startup has worked with more than 3,500 farmers.

What inspired the two engineers towards the innovation was the devastating Kerala floods, which left fertile land destroyed due to the removal of topsoil.

Learn more about their innovation here:

Edited by Divya Sethu. Photo: Haripriya Shaji

On the following morning, his last rites were performed in Pastapur village of Sangareddy district (formerly a part of Medak district), in the Zaheerabad region of Telangana. It was back in the early 1980s when Satheesh, along with a couple of friends, broke away from mainstream media to establish DDS in Zaheerabad, a semi-arid region in rural Telangana.  

As founder of DDS, he played a pivotal role in improving the livelihoods of thousands of women who were largely from Dalit and adivasi communities across 75 villages in Telangana. Collectivising these women into ‘sanghams’, the DDS organised a range of programmes challenging hunger, malnutrition and monoculture, and promoting biodiversity, gender justice and economic security.

Underpinning these programmes was a revival of millets, particularly white jowar (Sorghum), native to the region, that can sustainably grow in semi-arid conditions and offer better health benefits than more ‘commercial’ crops like rice, wheat and sugarcane. Satheesh led the internationally-renowned non-profit organisation for more than four decades. 

Over time, he also led and actively participated in several national and international advocacy organisations like Millet Network of India (MINI), South Against Genetic Engineering (SAGE), AP Coalition in Defence of Diversity and South Asian Network for Food, Ecology and Culture (SANFEC) to promote sustainable farming, livelihoods, biodiversity, and of course, millets.                    

For example, through MINI, an umbrella organisation of activists, scientists and non-governmental organisations, he successfully pushed the Union government to implement the National Food Security Act, 2013, and include millets in the public distribution system (PDS). His work has gone on to inspire similar initiatives in millet revival and promotion across India. 

Going one step further, he is also credited with starting India’s first Community Media Trust, a grassroots organisation where poor and marginalised Dalit women received training in filmmaking in a bid to facilitate their representation in the Indian media landscape, and even launched India’s first rural and civil society-led community radio station called Sangham Radio. 

Satheesh also established the Pachha Saale (‘Permaculture School’), where he inspired the youth with an alternative model of education and serious conversations about their socio-economic realities. Products of this school have today become community leaders. 

Giving young media talent their first break

Born on 18 June 1945 in Mysuru, PV Satheesh graduated from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi, and started his career as a journalist. For nearly two decades, he was a pioneering television producer for the state-run Doordarshan, where he often made programmes promoting rural development and literacy in erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh.   

Through his time in mainstream media, Satheesh helped many young talents get their first break including Harsha Bhogle, the well-regarded cricket commentator and analyst. He credits Satheesh with giving him his first major break in the media. 

As he notes in his Twitter thread, “He allowed me to host preview programmes & my work on DD (& AIR) made my CV a little more interesting during my IIM interviews. Somebody in Delhi heard me on that game and I got an ODI in Vadodara later that year against the West Indies and then my 1st test match in December 1984.” Bhogle goes on to add, “I will always be deeply grateful to PV Satheesh for setting me up on the path that I was able to navigate.”   

Satheesh also played a key role in the historical Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE). Launched in 1975, this was an experimental satellite communications project designed together by NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Between 1 August 1975 and 31 July 1976, the project was responsible for making informational television programs available to rural India. The experiment covered 2,400 villages across six states, and led to an increased focus on satellite broadcasting in India. 

Deccan Development Society (DDS)

In a conversation with Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation in June 2020, Satheesh recalled,  “Thirty-five years ago, when we came to this place as DDS, this region called Zaheerabad looked devastated. There was no greenery anywhere in the vicinity of 100 kms.” 

“To address this, the first set of initiatives that the DDS took was to restore the land to some modicum of productivity. Tend the earth, erase the scars that made earth scorched and restore the fertility of the earth. To make this, we worked for almost 10 years by de-stoning, adding top soil, bringing in natural manure and making the earth habitable and cultivable again,” he added.

What did this process look like? In a June 1999 paper published in Seedling, which he authored alongside M Pimbert, he presented an interesting explanation. 

Meetings were initially held in each of these villages with project partners, the DDS and the village poor who came forward to implement the project on their lands. The required money was advanced over a three-year period to the farmers to cover costs of ploughing, manuring, sowing and weeding. This money was later repaid in the form of grain grown on the newly developed lands. Rs 2,600 per acre was advanced and repayment was set at 860 kg of sorghum per acre over a five-year period. After every modality was explained, negotiated and agreed to, formal agreements were drawn up and a contract signed between the individual farmers and the DDS.

Once this was done, villagers started planting crops. Around this time, 5,000 women had joined the DDS. “These were women who were coming from the margins of society, socio-economically the most deprived people but they had the courage to face the challenge and rewrite their future. With this courage, they said that we will re-green the earth. They started planting many kinds of crops on the land,” said Satheesh, speaking to the Foundation.  

“When the time came for raising crops on this land, the women made some fantastic choices. For one, because of the extreme dryness of this semi-arid area, they did not go for any irrigated crop. Everything had to be dryland, rainfed agriculture,” he added.

More importantly, they didn’t go with monoculture. “They thought that biodiversity is the answer to make the soil healthier and responsive again…They planted more than 20 to 25 crops per acre of land and these 25 crops formed the rainbow of the food that they ate,” he said.

However, these women didn’t stop here. “Each village had something like 50, 100, 200 acres of land which were called Village Commons. Most of these Village Commons were dry, dusty and bald. The women said we must plant and completely change the shape of these Commons. In tune with this resolve, they raised neighbourhood forests and all these village commons and millions of trees were planted over a period of ten years,” he recalled. 

Today, a variety of neighbourhood forests have come into existence and “they bring the women not only fruit, fodder, fuelwood and small timber, but also a lot of greenery that will allow the land to absorb rain and keep it unthirsty,” he added. With neighbourhood forests blooming, and croplands yielding to their maximum potential, life had changed for these women. 

What’s particularly remarkable about these initiatives is their decentralised, people-centric and indigenous nature. Groups of Dalit women members called sanghams in each village form the cornerstone of these initiatives. For example, these villages created their own alternative PDS system called the community grain fund (CGF), whereby each resident is issued a ‘jowar ration card’. This card entitles them to a monthly allowance of jowar (sorghum) at subsidised prices. 

“This is an innovative programme where food grain production, procurement, storage and distribution are done at the local community (village) level and are entirely managed by the women sangham members. Another innovation of the programme is the identification of poor households within the community through a process of participatory wealth ranking that overcomes problems of exclusion/inclusion so pervasive in government run PDS,” notes a 2004 paper by Ch. Srinivas and S Abul Thaha for Glocal Research and Consultancy Services. 

Sanghams run by women in each village are responsible for running the CGF, where proceeds from the sale of crops is deposited. These groups are accountable to villagers and DDS. 

“Transparent procedures ensure that all the proceeds from the sale of the grain are deposited in the CGF account. The money is used as a revolving fund from year to year to reclaim more fallows [fallow land] in the villages,” explained Satheesh and Pimbert in their paper.  

To store the grains, meanwhile, they’ve used baskets made from date palm leaves and “reeds with insect-repellent qualities” by local weavers. These baskets are “smeared with mud and cow dung and then dried.” To ensure further protection against pests, “the grain is mixed inside the baskets with neem leaves (a natural pesticide) and cow dung ash,” noted the Seedling paper. 

Going further, to address food insecurity, the women farmers organised under DDS set up seed banks where they collect and store many varieties native seeds. Take the example of Begari Lakshmamma, a farmer, single mother and member of the Dalit community in Humanpur village of Telangana, who runs a seed bank with about 70 varieties. Set up in the early 1990s with assistance from DDS, no farmer in her village today buys seeds from seed companies.  

Today, these villages celebrate Mobile Biodiversity Festival (MBF) to celebrate seed diversity. 

Addressing a MBF gathering earlier this year, Satheesh said, “The MBF began as a small-scale event with two carts in a village. Over the last two decades, it has grown to 16 carts and 25 villages with the initiative of Sangham women. Every year, the rate of biodiversity loss in native seed varieties is rising rapidly. This has dire consequences for our food security in the upcoming era of climate change. Over the last 3 decades, DDS sanghams have saved Zaheerabad as one of the last standing agro-biodiversity hotspots in Telangana, especially for millets.”

Furthering the cause of economic security, Satheesh and DDS set up the sangham market or ‘Market of the Walkouts’ which farmer producer organisations (FPOs) can take inspiration from. 

Kavitha Kuruganti, a farm activist, in an article for The India Cable, wrote, “This is about protecting poor producers who also get exploited as consumers, by the creation of rural-rural markets to begin with, the surpluses then being sold to urban markets. The Millets Cafe on the Hyderabad-Bombay Highway was the first of its kind, popularising millets with everyone.”

Advocating for millets

In June 2019. DDS was selected for the Equator Prize for 2019 by the United Nations for setting “an outstanding example of local, nature-based solutions to climate change and sustainable development.” For years prior to this award, however, they’ve been advocating the growing and consumption of millets. Once seen as food only fit for animals, today they are in much demand.  

A major impetus for their rising popularity has been the National Food Security Act of 2013, which recently added millet to the basket of foods to be distributed through the public distribution system (PDS). In addition, the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Price has also fixed a high Minimum Support Price (MSP) for millets. And now, States are taking action.      

As of January 2023, Telangana is taking steps to include millets to their integrated child development services (ICDS). Meanwhile, neighbouring Andhra Pradesh is contemplating introducing millets through the Public Distribution System (PDS) on the lines of rice from this year, which is being celebrated as the year of millets. Many have contributed to the positive discourse surrounding millets, but Satheesh played an integral part. 

For example, in September 2016, as convenor of Millets Network of India (MINI), he launched a nation-wide campaign to push the Union government into implementing the National Food Security Act, 2013, and include millets in public distribution system (PDS). The campaign was conducted at village, block, state and national level to “create a mass awareness and momentum from the communities in fighting for the cause of millets,” he said. 

Social activist Biraj Patnaik said on Twitter, “PV Satheesh was a doyen in the field of millets in India. Deccan Development Society pioneered the reintroduction of millets in public programs. A mentor for many of us working on the right to food, Satheesh worked relentlessly till the end.”

Meanwhile, Ashish Kothari, an Indian environmentalist and one of the founders of Kalpavriksh, said, “He was a true revolutionary, believing in the agency of the most oppressed section of Indian society to create magical transformations towards food sovereignty, media independence, gender equality and a challenge to casteism, amongst other achievements.”

(Edited by Divya Sethu; Images courtesy Twitter/Kalpavriksh/DDS)

Sources:

‘Conversation with PV SATHEESH – Director, Deccan Development Society’ by Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation

‘Reclaiming Diversity, Restoring Livelihoods by Women Sanghams of the Deccan Development Society’ by PV Satheesh and M Pimbert; Published on 20 June 1999 courtesy Seedling 

Twitter/Harsha Bhogle/Biraj Patnaik

‘Begari Lakshmamma’ by Civil Society; Updated on 24 September 2019

‘Biodiversity festival held in Zaheerabad’ by The Hindu Bureau; Published on 24 January 2023

‘Millets should be in PDS, Says Lobby’; Published on 22 September 2016 courtesy Vikalp Sangam

‘A revolutionary passes on: PV Satheesh’ by Ashish Kothari; Published on 19 March 2023 courtesy Asish Kothari/Blogspot

‘Obituary: PV Satheesh, who helped women reinvent self-sustained agri, passes away’ by KV Kurmanath; Published in 19 March 2023 courtesy The Hindu BusinessLine 

‘P.V. Satheesh, the Original Millets Man of India’ by Kavitha Kuruganti; Published courtesy The India Cable

‘A Study on Alternative Public Distribution System: A Novel Initiative of Deccan Development Society’ by Ch. Srinivas & S. Abdul Thaha; Published by Glocal Research and Consultancy Services, Hyderabad 

Thinles Singhey, a 35-year-old resident of Ladakh, who was pursuing his MBA in Human Resource Management from the Central University of Jammu at the time, was back home for the holidays.

It was during this time that he had a chance encounter with a traveller from Kerala, who was also a practising doctor. As the two got talking, the conversation turned towards the local flora, and they bonded over a mutual love for local herbs and plants with potential.

Intent to share the potential of North India in this domain, Thinles began talking about the sea buckthorn and all it had to offer. A few weeks later, while the doctor returned to Kerala and his practice, these conversations left Thinles feeling restless.

“Having spoken so much about the wonderful berry, it got me thinking about how amazing it would be to start a small venture making juices and other products from this,” Thinles tells The Better India. “That was the moment that Jimpo was conceived.”

Jimpo in Ladakhi translates to ‘Tasty’ or ‘Tasty treat’.

A gem in North India

Also known as a ‘magical plant’ in North India, sea buckthorn belongs to the berry family. It is said to be one of the only plants on the face of the earth that contain all types of omegas — omega – 3, 6 and 9 and rare omega 7 — which helps in bodybuilding and maintaining a healthy body.

A prime energy source, omega helps keep the heart, lungs, blood vessels and immune system working the way they should.

Science also suggests that the plant is a storehouse of nutrition with its leaves, roots and shoots containing biologically active substances that regulate metabolism. To add to this, the polyunsaturated fatty acid content, provitamins A, C and E, and high levels of carotenoids make the plant a wonderful addition to the diet.

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Thinles adds his own learnings to these claims through the research he conducted.

“I understood that the berry has twelve times more vitamin C than an orange and helps with diseases like scurvy in remote areas of Ladakh. This is important as the vegetation is very scarce during the winter months and people need all the nutrients they can get.”

Whilst on his quest to optimise the benefits of the berry for his startup, Thinles says he was glad to learn about policies in the region that encouraged the growth of sea buckthorn.

“Other than Ladakh, sea buckthorn is grown in the Lahual-Spiti region in Himachal and Gilgit Baltistan region in PoK. Other than the horticulture department, DIHAR (Defence Institute of High Altitude Research), the life-science wing of DRDO does research and helps local entrepreneurs.”

He adds that noticing the buzz among the locals around this plant as well as the importance attached to cultivating it from the government, he decided to focus on food processing, particularly beverages, through his startup Jimpo.

The creation of Jimpo

Elaborating on how he set up the brand, Thinles says, “With the help of a friend who had graduated in fine arts from Delhi University, we designed the labels. And with a little help from my stint at Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) [before the lockdown] we sourced the bottles and labels and other machinery.”

When the first batch of the product was released, the youth of Ladkah were quick to show their love for this homegrown business. Thinles recounts how they began sharing the word across social media, and this he says contributed to a major part of the sales.

With this popularity and the well-known health benefits of the berry, Thinles says Jimpo became a brand of Ladakh.

While it took three years to establish the whole setup, they are constantly trying to improve the products and also expand market reach. The two hero fruits of Jimpo are apricot and sea buckthorn which they source from the villages around Ladakh.

Along the way, Jimpo has also made way for sustainability.

“On our journey, we met Zero Waste Ladakh, and they made us understand the importance of recycling. So we started recycling glass bottles. Now we buy back empty glass bottles from the stores and restaurants,” he adds.

Speaking about the products, Thinles says that currently there are three — Jimpo juice (a ready-to-drink beverage containing sea buckthorn pulp), Jimpo Squash (a concentrated drink), Jimpo Pure Pulp (pure raw pulp of sea buckthorn), and Jimpo Jam (a mix of apricot and sea buckthorn).

These are being relished by people across Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai.

But while the venture is an amazing step, being based in North India does bring along its own challenges. The major one, says Thinles, is the issue of transportation.

“We have to bring everything from Delhi (bottles, labels, packaging material, etc). Due to Ladakh being in a remote location, we have to wait and plan out our expansion in a phased manner. We cannot simply launch once and then ask our customers to wait for the road to open for the next shipment. Air transportation is not feasible as they don’t carry liquid items for security reasons,” he notes.

He adds that they are hopeful with new outlets and communication channels, this problem too will get resolved. The UT government, he says, is currently helping local entrepreneurs by organising ‘Buyer-Seller’ meets, through which NIFT graduates are being encouraged to develop packaging materials like labels and cardboard boxes.

“Ladakh being a new Union Territory is seeing a lot of activity in the domain of local and small businesses. We expect to get a lot of help from the government in making the local industries strong and making Ladakh self-sufficient,” he says.

Jimpo saw a turnover of Rs 10 lakh in the last year. Reminiscing the journey, Thinles recounts it as having been wonderful.

Through this venture, he says, they are also contributing to a larger looming problem which is the wastage of food.

“A lot of the fruits that the farmers grow go to waste due to lack of manpower in the villages. I wanted to put these fruits to use. My parents have moved to the city like many other people I know who have left the rural farms of Ladakh. They often check back worried about the fruit harvest season in July-August. I feel Jimpo is part of the solution,” he says.

Edited by Pranita Bhat

Though well-settled in the corporate world, Shailesh was intent on doing something that enabled him to follow his passion for agriculture. However, he knew of the uncertainties that came up in the field. 

“The biggest problem with agriculture is that there is too much reliance on climate and weather. With drastic changes in climate due to global warming the crops would fail,” he notes. This was when Shailesh stumbled upon the idea of hydroponics through research. 

He decided to focus on a unique crop — saffron — that was at the time only limited to certain belts in India. Today, Shailesh’s venture which focuses on saffron grown in shipping containers earns him lakhs. 

The containers are insulated and measure 8 by 40 sq ft, comprising all the systems that are needed for farming from seed to final harvest. What is amazing is that the amount Shailesh reaps from a 160 sq ft area of saffron is the same as what one could get from half an acre of land. 

The sales too are good. While Shailesh was able to grow 875 grams in the first batch, he sold this at Rs 500 per gram. The venture clocks a revenue of Rs 5 lakh. 

Watch how Shailesh is making this possible!

At a tender age, she started working on the farm along with her father, who was an agricultural labourer. He could barely earn enough to meet the medical expenses of her mother. “It was a painful period. At times, we used to eat one day and skip meals on the other,” the now 31-year-old tells The Better India.

A few years later, she was married off. She hoped for a better life, but luck did not favour her.

Dignity vs dowry

From abject poverty, Jhunbala went into an abusive relationship.

“My husband was an alcoholic. He used to drink all the time, even during the day. Before marriage, I did not even know his name, let alone his behaviour and habits. He used to beat me up. Not only him, but my father-in-law, mother-in-law and sister-in-law would also beat me up. When I would complain about this, my husband would not listen. He never supported me,” recalls the tribal woman.

The reason? Dowry.

“My family could not fulfil the dowry they demanded. They asked for Rs 20,000, but my family could give only Rs 15,000,” she adds.

Despite the Dowry Prohibition Act 1961, India continues to witness dowry-related cases. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data shows that there were 6,589 dowry-related deaths in the country in 2021, which is equivalent to three deaths every four hours.

After three months of agony at her in-laws’ place, Jhunbala took a courageous step to escape. “I decided I could not continue to live like this. I lied to my in-laws that I was going home for a few days. But after coming to my parent’s home, I never went back,” she says.

“After two to three months, my in-laws came to take me back. They convinced my parents that they will not beat me. My parents asked me to go back, but I resisted. I told them that I can be independent and that I don’t want to go back to that hell. If I had continued to lead that life, I would have ended up taking my life,” she shares.

This decision of hers was followed by the contemptuous behaviour of villagers and relatives, but she decided to not bother.

To make it worse, her elder brother was killed in a dispute. “He used to work as a mechanical fitter and earn Rs 30,000 a month. He would financially support us. After his death, the entire burden of looking after my family came upon me,” recalls Jhunbala.

When women come together

In 2018, Jhunbala joined a self-help group (SHG), and life started taking a turn for the better.

With her consistent efforts, she became a prominent member of the SHG. She even conducted meetings with other tribal women twice a month to work on improving her income.

Today, she manages to contribute Rs 10,000 to her family for their monthly expenses by working as an agricultural labour and selling agricultural produce. In addition, she toiled to make all the arrangements for her younger sister’s marriage. “With the earnings from farming, I married her into a decent family. They did not ask for dowry. She is living happily with her husband,” smiles Jhunbala.

Meanwhile, in December 2021, an initiative — led by a non-profit called ‘Habitat for Humanity India’ in association with Standard Chartered Bank — financially supported and trained the self-help group members. They were taught to grow seasonal vegetables such as bananas, tomatoes, brinjal and cauliflower. They were also trained for alternate livelihood opportunities — such as making hand fans and plates using palm leaves — to generate additional income and become self-reliant.

“After learning new skills and working with fellow women, I feel that I have truly realised my potential. I am no longer a victim of my circumstances, but I feel more confident and self-reliant,” says the tribal farmer.

The intervention helped all 10 women of Jhunbala’s SHG to earn well within eight months. “We came together and invested Rs 55,000 and started cultivating vegetables. We managed to earn Rs 1.5 lakh. Nothing is impossible when women come together,” adds Jhunbala, who now cultivates tomato, brinjal, and ginger in a 4-guntha (used for measuring land area) field.

She is now repairing her dilapidated home and treating her 70-year-old ailing father [who is suffering from heart disease] with her hard-earned money. “After my brother’s death, I have been looking after my family. It costs us Rs 3,000 per month for my father’s medicines. I will take him to the doctor in a couple of days. I have started saving for his surgery,” she says.

“I want to tell other women that they should become independent. Money brings you respect. People will enquire about your well-being when you have money. I have learnt it the hard way,” she shares.

(Edited by Pranita Bhat; All images: Habitat for Humanity India/Prashant Nakwe)

Sources:

Crime In India 2021: Published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Hailing from a farming family from Rajpura village in the Nagaur district of Rajasthan, agriculture for a living is all he has known his entire life. So even leaving his village to pursue BSc from Jaipur did not deter his decision to join his family profession.

“If you leave home and get educated, most people expect you to get a job and not do farming. I find this problem with youth, who would prefer a Rs 7,000 job instead of taking up agriculture. However, for me, it was always clear that I’ll end up on the farm,” Rakesh tells The Better India. 

Today, Rakesh earns Rs 10 crore annually by planting herbal and medicinal plants with his company Vinayak Herbal. He has farms all over the country in states including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Gujarat, engaging over 50,000 farmers to do organic medicinal farming.

The roadblocks to success

Talking about the inspiration behind planting herbal plants, he says, “In 2003, I was helping my father on farms while looking at different farming businesses. This is when I found out about the State Medicinal Plant Board’s scheme of contractual farming.”

He continues, “In the scheme, the government was offering subsidies to farmers who would do contractual farming of medicinal plants. Contractual farming is an agreement between farmers and processing and/or marketing firms for the production and supply of agricultural products. But at the time, no one in my area, including my family, was ready to take the leap and try something other than traditional farming.”

For Rakesh, it seemed like no one could see the potential of an opportunity like this. “I thought to myself, ‘Why not?’. The officers that I met in the medicinal plant department guided me towards highly profitable medicinal plants,” he says.

While Rakesh’s success story might seem like a stroke of luck, the path leading to it was riddled with hurdles. Firstly, he suffered from a lack of resources and money to invest in his enterprise. 

“For a small farmer like me, there are no loans, as we have nothing to mortgage. My wife took a loan by mortgaging her jewellery. We also had some cattle that we sold to procure the necessary funds to sow my first crop,” he says. 

In 2004, he used a portion of his family farms and sowed his first crop — mulethi (liquorice) and flame lily.

“It was a disaster. Rajasthan is dry, hot in the summers and extremely cold in winter. I did not look deep enough into the climate of the place and the requirements of the plant. I lost a lot of money. I was beyond consolation at that point,” he recalls.

Although he was knee-deep in losses, Rakesh never thought of giving up. For his second crop, he put his only tractor at stake and borrowed money from a private individual. 

“All the taunts that people made seemed to be coming true. But not even for a second did I think of giving up. I knew this had potential. I planted aloe vera the second time, and it worked wonderfully. All I needed to do was to research more and understand the soil of the area for a successful crop,” he says. 

All these hurdles aside, what burdened him the most was the lack of faith from his family. 

“I was very young, and all I was seeking was faith and support. I was an unsuccessful farmer with debt in his hands and a family to look after. My greatest motivation was the adversity I was in. I had to make it work; it was like I had no other choice. I made a checklist to consider before sowing a crop — look at the climate of the place, plant supreme quality crops, and market demand of the sowed crop. 

By 2005, Rakesh had cracked the code of farming. He says, “I knew all about my soil, the crop and the climate required, etc. What was ahead was to procure customers — the third thing on my checklist. In 2006, I found my first customer for aloe vera, and they bought it for Rs 1.5 per kg.” 

Making farming profitable

“Although I had a lot of faith in my work, with so many hurdles, I was starting to feel discouraged. When I got my first order, it felt like a ray of hope. Knowing the ins and outs of farming, I knew this was the right time for me to reach out to more and more farmers across the country,” he says. 

He continues, “Reaching out to farmers became a task for me as I had never been out of Rajasthan, and I was a little nervous too. It was an internal struggle that I had, but I kept pushing myself. I reached out to farmers, spoke to them about the benefits of medicinal farming and collaborated with them. Today I have farms across the country in several states that grow crops that suit the climate and soil.” 

It took him nearly a decade to establish himself. In 2017, he launched his firm, Vinayak Herbal, with which he was able to connect with thousands of farmers across the country. 

“To build a network was hard. Nobody knew me, but today, many do. We grow over 120 varieties of medicinal plants and ship them to pharma companies and dealers across the country,” he says. 

These include aloe vera, ashwagandha (withania somnifera), chamomile, stevia, chia, akarkara (anacyclus pyrethrum), methi (fenugreek), and saunf (fennel).  

Rakesh strongly feels that there is a need for more and more young people to take up farming. 

“It is noticeable that the newest generation of children from farming families leave the profession. The farmers work hard and send their children to colleges and universities so that they find jobs and never return to farming. Only 30 percent of the children actually turn towards agriculture. Mostly they opt for farming because they could not find a job or could not get an education,” he says.

“The problem lies in how unorganised the sector is. Once known as an agricultural country, India’s farmers have suffered losses over and over again. With proper planning, market orientation and fair prices, the scenario can be changed. It is becoming the need of the hour. Otherwise soon, there will be farms but no farmer to farm on it.”

Rakesh has taken it upon himself to induce more and more young people into the agriculture sector by proving how profitable it can be. “With the right set of people, knowledge and the will to struggle through hard times, anyone can become a successful farmer,” he says. 

Edited by Divya Sethu; All images courtesy: Rakesh Chowdhary

While the spice is always in huge demand, the production is concentrated in a small area in Kashmir. But software engineer Shailesh Modak has made growing it possible in Pune, after quitting his 13-year career to successfully plant and grow the spice in a shipping container using hydroponics. 

In his first crop, he was able to grow 875 grams, which was sold for Rs 500 per gram. While he invested Rs 10 lakh for research and setting up the lab, he has already earned Rs 5 Lakh in revenue. 

The search for his calling 

Growing up in a middle-class household in Nashik, Shailesh always was taught to have stable jobs with steady earnings, he recalls. 

“Growing up, my brothers and I were taught to always work hard and have stable jobs. So when I decided to quit my 13-year-long career to become an entrepreneur, it felt like a life-altering decision,” Shailesh Modak tells The Better India.

After completing his graduation in computer science from Pune University, he found a job with ECS Pune. “I was asked to travel to Cambodia, Malaysia, Uganda and many other countries for work. This gave me a lot of confidence. I later joined Barclays and headed a team of 50 people. They were giving me a promotion too, but something was bugging me.” 

Bogged down by his 9-to-5 routine, Shailesh wanted to learn something new and emerge from the mundane cycle. 

“I would come back after work and pick my wife’s brain saying that I don’t like my job. One day she just simply said ‘Itna mann hai toh karo’ (if you really want to do it, then take a chance). She asked me to give her the ropes of finance at home and find my dream.”

Business seemed like a viable option to him, and he started a venture that made websites for other entrepreneurs. 

“I started the business while continuing my job. But this did not give me the satisfaction I thought it would. The problem was that it was the same as software-based work that I was kind of running away from,” he recalls. 

In 2016, Shailesh finally started to leave his job and commit himself fully to entrepreneurship.  

“My life became this large playground where I could explore and play different things. I had so much time in hand to find my calling. My parents and siblings were not really happy with my decision but my wife became my biggest cheerleader,” he says. 

Trying hands at different trades

The first ever business idea that Shailesh had, which later became a stepping stone for growing saffron in shipping containers, came to him in a unique way. 

“I was driving on Mumbai-Pune highway and on the radio, they were talking about how if honey bees die, the entire world would be at risk. This is where I got the idea of renting honey bees on farms for the purpose of pollination. While the initial response was not all good, I was able to get more customers with time,” he says. 

What happened in this process was that Shailesh would spend hours on farms learning about farming. 

“While the business was popular, it was very hard to get employees. Even if I would pay them more money, they would run away because they were scared of the bees. They would call me and tell me that they quit, weeks after joining. This is why I had to close the business,” he shares. 

“I knew the agriculture industry had a lot of potential and my newly acquired interest made me  switch to it. I thought to myself, how can I make it profitable? The biggest problem with agriculture is that there is too much reliance on climate and weather. With drastic changes in climate due to global warming the crops would fail,” he says. 

Looking for a solution to the problem, Shailesh started researching and stumbled on the idea of hydroponics in 2018. 

“I had heard of the technology, but it took me a lot of research, hours of browsing books, and reading on the internet to truly understand it. I had figured that a plant only needs water, sun and nutrients to grow. My work visits to Cambodia and Vietnam proved beneficial, as a few friends helped me with my research,” he says, adding that the research took him more than a year. 

“I came up with the idea of using shipping containers to develop controlled environments, where crops can be grown. I went to Mumbai, bought a shipping container for Rs 5 lakh and had it shipped to Pune. The reason behind using a shipping container is that they are very good insulators,” he explains. 

Talking about the benefits of hydroponics, he said, “Imagine a room full of plants with roots hanging in the air with no soil. Sounds amazing right? Hydroponics has numerous benefits. Firstly since the atmosphere is controlled, it can produce output year long. There is 95 percent less water wastage because there is no soil involved and the process also helps in tackling pests,” he adds. 

Indoor planting helps the year-round production of vegetables and fruits. Initially, Shailesh grew crops like lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes etc. 

“I was looking at cash crops and realised that 95 percent of saffron comes from Pampore in Kashmir. While we have so much demand for the spice, we do not have the same amount of supply. The greatest problem that we had to overcome was getting the seeds of the plant shipped. Only 30 percent of the seeds I ordered from Kashmir actually reached me in good condition. With months of research and spending time with saffron farmers, we were finally able to grow the spice in our 160 sq feet area container,” he says.  

“The feeling of seeing those flower buds for the first time was incredible. I was so happy, as we were so unsure of whether the flower would bloom or not. I had all these expectations from myself and from this ambitious project. I used to track the plants’ every movement and growth vigorously through highly sensitive cameras. The first time it bloomed, I was not in town, but I rushed back” he recalls. 

“We are not looking into how many times we can rotate the crop. Additionally, we are looking into how we can simplify the setup and make it accessible to anyone and everyone. If you have a room, you can grow saffron in it is what we are looking into now. We keep getting calls from farmers and young people interested in agriculture to learn the technique. So we also want to help them and spread the technique,” he says about his future plans. 

Edited by Divya Sethu

To address this huge problem, Aurangabad-based chemical engineer Nidhi Pant launched S4S (Science For Society) Technologies — a food processing platform to integrate a chain wherein farmers extract the maximum output of their produce which is otherwise sold at throwaway prices or left in the farm to rot.

“If you go to the farmgate, you will find the farmers not getting a fair price for their produce. At times, the cost of harvesting is greater than the output. They leave the produce without even harvesting it. This problem is very big. I have seen it in Mumbai mandi (market) and also in my village,” the 30-year-old, who hails from Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, tells The Better India.

“It is such a big paradox that at one end, this produce is being wasted, and on the other, farmers are in poverty as they are unable to tap distant markets,” she adds.

In 2013, Nidhi launched the startup along with her six college friends. They have created a platform that converts farm losses (lower-grade produce) into food ingredients using its patented solar-powered food processing system.

‘We rise by lifting others’

Coming from a farming background, Nidhi understands the challenges faced by rural farmers every day. She was inspired by her father who used to work as a farmer and later became a scientist.

“My parents always used to say that we rise by lifting others. They helped me understand the farmers’ problems. Uttarakhand is very destabilised in terms of geography. Natural calamities such as floods and landslides frequently damage crops affecting livelihoods,” she says.

“I wanted to use my scientific knowledge and new-age technologies to help the most underprivileged get out of poverty and help them realise their potential. We wanted to develop solutions keeping them in the centre,” she adds.

While doing so, Nidhi is also empowering women as she employs small-holder women farmers at every step. Women collect the cosmetically damaged produce from women farmers and give it to women micro-entrepreneurs, who use patented solar-powered food processing technology to convert the produce into value-added products. For instance, tomato is converted into tomato powder, onion into onion flakes, and ginger into ginger granules.

The solar-powered machines including dehydrators and cutting machines remove moisture from produce within 6-8 hours without adding any chemicals. With the help of these machines, women convert farm produce into non-perishable items while retaining colour, aroma, and up to 95 percent of its nutrition, claims Nidhi.

The produce is taken to a central facility where it is graded, sorted, and made fit for customers through quality control operations. It is packaged and supplied to the food and beverage industries, including The Indian Railways and Sodexo.

“With this, farmers now have a direct market for lower-grade produce. They have seen an income growth of 10–15 percent while women micro-entrepreneurs have observed an increase of up to 200 percent in their income,” she informs.

For Nidhi, it’s quite fulfilling to see how the work transforms the lives of rural women. “These women who were not initially confident and did not have a say in the household are now taking leadership roles, creating assets for themselves, becoming decision-makers in the family, lowering their household burden, and are more respected by their children. They are not the last to eat; they are now breadwinners,” she smiles.

For instance, Shobha Ramesh Rathod, who has been working as a micro-entrepreneur with the company for the past three years, earned herself a life of dignity. “Earlier, I did not have my own house. Abhi mast makaan bana liya hai (Now I’ve built a nice home). I run the household now,” the 32-year-old, who earns up to Rs 24,000 in a month, tells The Better India.

She cuts and dries fruits and vegetables, such as onion, tomato, and ginger, into value-added products and supplies them to the company.

Like Shobha, over 6,000 smallholder farmers and 2,000 women entrepreneurs in Maharashtra, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh have been empowered.

For her work to transform lives and livelihood, Nidhi was awarded the Cisco Youth Leadership Award 2022 by Global Citizen & CISCO and Women Transforming India Awards by NITI Aayog & United Nations (UN). She has also been listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia and India.

Nidhi was also one of the 16 climate champions to be part of the recently launched Women Climate Collective (WCC), a pan-India initiative that seeks to galvanise women-inclusive actions and outcomes. “This collective is helping give voice to my micro-entrepreneurs. All these women at the grassroots level are changemakers. I am able to bring their stories to the larger platform,” she adds.

Edited by Pranita Bhat; All images: Nidhi Pant

In the tiny village of Jigali in Karnataka’s Davanagere district, a young boy had just finished his Class 10. He was, in fact, the first in his family of farmers to have any kind of education. His only wish was to continue studying further.

Owing to the family’s financial situation, however, he couldn’t. Instead, he had to join his family to work on their 5-acre farm. 

That young boy is in his 50s today, but his life is now a far cry from what it used to be. In 2018, Karibasappa MG won the Infosys Foundation’s Aarohan Social Innovation Award for innovating a solar insect trap, under Jury Special Mentions for the category Rural Development.

He says, “Infosys has introduced a new phase in my life — a very big change. The company took me, a regular farmer, from a small village to the world stage.”

Necessity is the mother of invention

Karibasappa comes from a long line of generational farmers. Once he completed his Class 10 in 1980, he stepped into agriculture full-time. “Back in the day, we used to farm using bullocks. Then eventually, I switched to tractors. We used to grow cane crops, but I wanted to grow our profits, so I ventured into horticulture crops.”

In 2012, he decided to grow pomegranates. “I sowed the seeds and reaped a good harvest in 2014. But in the two years following that, my harvest was reduced because of an insect attack. The insects would make holes in the fruit. We were suggested to spray pesticides over it. In our 5-acre field, we ended up spending around Rs 4.5 lakh just on pesticides.” 

“We were poor, and could not afford that kind of money. So, I had to take loans. But despite our efforts, we didn’t get a good harvest. The insects feasted on everything we grew,” he shares.

The farmer says that he was devastated and could not sleep for days. “How to get out of this situation?” was the only thing on his mind day and night. Then one day, a chance observation gave him an idea.

“On the farm, we had a small hut where there was no electricity. We had installed a solar bulb there. I observed how the light attracted all the insects. The next day, I bought an ordinary DC solar bulb and placed a bucket underneath it for three to four days. A lot of dead insects fell into the bucket,” he notes.

Soon after, he collected these insects and took them to ICAR Taralabalu Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Davanagere. “I showed them to a scientist. He asked me to continue experimenting with different-coloured lights at different heights,” he says, adding that he kept tweaking the setup till the results were satisfactory.

“It took me around a year to make the product. My first model had a 2 by 2 feet 10W solar panel and a 12 V battery. It was big and expensive. The battery had to be changed every year, and the farmers who were experimenting with it could not afford the costs. We eventually managed to reduce the size. Now we use a 5W solar panel and Lithium-ion battery,” he informs.

The current solar insect trap is a fourth-generation model. Describing it, he says, “An ultra-violet LED light is connected to a solar panel, which is in turn connected to a battery which gets charged. A programmable timer is attached which switches on the light around sunset and switches off automatically at 9.30 pm.”

Karibasappa says that even after making the product small, convenient and affordable, he faced other challenges while convincing his fellow farmers to use it. “Some said that my product will kill honey bees, which was not true. I approached many institutions and met scientists to test my product and recommend it. I even installed this product at a bee farm to prove it.”

He adds, “Then some villagers started spreading rumours that the product kills friendly insects also. Again I had to show them scientific studies that proved most friendly insects only appear after around 10 pm…And our product is designed to automatically switch off at that time.”

Eventually, many farmers started seeing good results after using the solar insect trap. He was able to reach around 3,500 local farmers with his innovation, he says.

The overnight recognition that changed his life

One day, he says, he came across the Aarohan Social Innovation Awards in the newspaper. He filled up the application form with his manager, who helped him do it in English. They even recorded videos to demonstrate the working of the product along with its explanation and sent it over. The product was selected.

Karibasappa and his team were invited to visit Infosys for the final round. He shares, “I don’t speak English. So, during the presentation, one of our team members acted as a translator. But he wasn’t able to properly convey what I was saying in Kannada to English. So Sudha Murthy madam [chairperson of Infosys Foundation], one of the judges herself translated everything I said to the other judges for 23 minutes straight.”

“And later, I was told that we had won. They felicitated us and presented us with a Rs 5 lakh cash prize. I had never seen such a big amount of money in my whole life,” he says, overwhelmed.

After receiving the award, he says, many newspapers and Kannada news channels covered his work, and more farmers got to know about the product. “The insect trap has now reached over 16,000 farmers across six states in India. I recently sent some samples to farmers in countries like Malaysia, the UK, Bahrain, Nepal and Australia.”

Even the Department of Agriculture in Karnataka recognised Karibasappa and his team after this. “They came over to our farms, checked our installations, and presented me with the Krushi Pandita Award along with Rs 50,000 cash prize. Six other institutes in Bengaluru also felicitated me, and they presented certificates and cash to encourage my work. These recognitions have helped me reach more farmers.”

He shares that he is now trying to get bigger loans to manufacture more units which will help to reduce the manufacturing cost of the product. “We want to make the insect trap more affordable and help farmers worldwide. Right now, it’s priced at Rs 3,500 including GST, along with a six-month warranty. The bulb needs to be changed once every 14 months and the Lithium-ion battery will last three years.”

He says that Syngenta India Ltd has ordered 600 pieces of his product which it plans to use all over India, and has promised to buy 6,000 more.

Karibasappa informs that his company’s turnover is rupees two crores and 20 lakhs this year, all thanks to Aarohan Awards. He says, “We were and still are small-scale farmers. We had no idea whether we’d win or lose the competition. We believe in working hard to the best of our capabilities and then putting the burden of results on God. I understand the difficulties that farmers face. My only intention is to support them as much as I can and do my share of seva in this world.”

He further says that he is immensely proud that an MNC recognised his innovation through the Aarohan Award, which has boosted his resolve to give back to the society that has given him so much support.

“There’s a mention of us on the Infosys website. I know people around the world visit their websites, and this makes me feel very proud. My family, my fellow villagers and I keep Infosys in our hearts. There’s not a single day that passes when we don’t acknowledge their support. We are eternally grateful.”

Do you have a similar innovation that has the potential to create an impact? Apply for the Aarohan Social Innovation Awards, 2023 and win upto Rs 50 Lakh.

Edited by Divya Sethu

From serving as chief technology officer at Grofers (now Blinkit) to co-founding MyGreenBox, an online grocery delivery service, he transitioned to founding Otipy, a community group-buying agritech startup looking to improve the supply chain for fresh produce, in May 2020.

Based out of Delhi-NCR, he founded the startup backed by the idea of helping small farmers who do not have large landholdings and enough resources to sell their produce in the mandis. Nearly three years after establishing Otipy, the platform today has a network of more than 20,000 small farmers and has also tied up with 100 FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations).

“Our idea behind starting Otipy was to cater to a large target addressable market (TAM) both for consumers as well as farmers. As such, the average landholding of our farmers is around a hectare. Farmers associated with us have improved their incomes by about 35%-40%,” claims Varun Khurana, CEO and founder of Otipy, in a conversation with The Better India.

“Otipy has also set up its pre-cooling units at the farms which helps keep the produce fresh on the ground, even during peak summers which helps farmers earn the maximum profit. We employ a method called pre-cooling, which reduces the field heat of the produce harvested by farmers and increases the shelf life of the product by almost 50%,” he adds.

Otipy’s USP

Today, the startup also works closely with more than 1,000 partners/re-sellers across Delhi-NCR and Mumbai, who serve more than 10 lakh end consumers with fresh produce at their doorstep. They source a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables from farmers across Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.

“We work directly with farmers to deliver fresh, safe, and hygienic produce to consumers within 12 hours from harvest. This ensures our produce is fresh. We also guide farmers about correct harvesting practices and consumer expectations so that their incomes are maximised. Our artificial intelligence (AI)-based prediction method helps us reduce wastage. We are able to pass those savings to consumers; this ensures they get a better price from us,” he claims.

Benefits for small farmers

Varun breaks down the benefits that his platform offers to farmers, including:

1) Better visibility of benefits over price variability in mandi: “We share and negotiate prices in advance with farmers and honour that. This is unlike the mandi where the farmer only gets to know the price once he reaches there, and then he has no option but to sell,” says Varun.

Speaking to The Better India, Monty Antil, a farmer based out of Sonepat, who grows a variety of seasonal vegetables and has been working with Otipy for the past three years, says, “We know how much produce to harvest as per their demand. Also, they pre-decide the rates for our produce that are higher than the ones offered in mandis. This gives us some security.”   

2) Quick payment cycle for farmers over conventional supply chain: “Our platform offers a 10–15% premium to farmers over mandi prices,” claims Varun.

3) Financing to farmers in case of urgent need: Otipy normally has a 10–12 day payment cycle. “However, we provide an invoice discounting facility where a farmer can get the payment in just one day of selling his produce. All our payments are electronic,” he claims.

4) Transparency for quality, quantity and price embedded through a ‘farmer friendly’ technology: “Yes, we have a completely transparent process of quality, quantity etc, and the entire process is automated. The complete ledger and payment details are shared with farmers in just one click. They also know immediately how much material has been received in the warehouse. Also, we share customer feedback on quality with farmers,” notes Varun.

5) In certain cases, Otipy also assists in arranging good quality seeds and fertilisers for their crops: “We share our long-term projections with farmers before the season, and thus, they know about our demand and grow accordingly,” he notes.

The objective is also to make farmers tech-savvy based on their ‘unique prediction model’ which uses machine learning (ML) algorithms and business intelligence from stakeholders and SMEs to understand the variations in demand “which allows us to forecast demand with up to 95% accuracy,” claims Varun. “As a result, we have also been successful in reducing the food wastage in the supply chain from 40% to just 3%,” he adds.

After all, wastage basically happens because of the gap between the demand and supply chain and the time a farmer’s produce spends in the supply chain.

“Our AI-based (data regression, Arima) demand prediction model helps us in calculating the exact demand based on more than 40 parameters viz. seasonality, prices, temperature, holiday, flag, associated products, substituted products, deal penetration, burn, percentage etc. We also convey the calculated demand to our farmers, and hence wastage is reduced,” he says.

“Our whole system that connects farmers to consumers is designed in-house. This way farmers get real-time information on price as well as quality feedback from consumers,” he adds.

Here’s what Abhishek Dhamma, a farmer who also runs an FPO called Adhirayansh Organics Producer Company Limited, with 187 farmers in it, has to say about working with Otipy.

For some context, farmers in his FPO grow all the local vegetables suitable for their agro-climatic zone, including exotic ones like broccoli, iceberg lettuce, cabbage, etc. They have many farmers who aren’t based out of Delhi-NCR and come from states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. “They have taken land on lease, and their average landholding is 1.5 acre or less than a hectare. Some farmers, however, lease up to two hectares,” notes Abhishek.

“Otipy provided a direct marketing strategy for farmers connected to our FPO. Going further, they’ve helped us develop cultivation plans according to their demand. Certain farmers in our FPO are very good at growing spinach, while others favour growing different kinds of gourds. As an FPO, we classified all the farmers, giving them all the data including how much they have to produce and the kind of vegetables we require throughout the season,” he adds.

Once this happens, the FPO informs Otipy about the amount and kind of produce available. For example, the FPO tells Otipy that they can deliver 500 pieces of bottle gourd. Accordingly, they place the order, and the FPO informs the farmer.

The next morning, the farmer is ready with the harvested produce, and the FPO sends transportation to collect it from them and transport it to their collection centre. A simple sorting and grading process happens at the farmer’s end, followed by another one at their collection centre. If the vegetable needs washing, the FPO does it.

“In the case of premium spinach, for example, we also perform hydro-cool and pre-cool during the peak summer months. We remove the leaves, dip the spinach into cold water for which we have a facility, use some disinfectant and store it in our cold storage,” says Abhishek.

The produce is locked in their cold storage for two to three hours. Once the FPO removes all the vegetables from the cold storage, they load them on their delivery vehicle and transport them to Otipy’s dispatch centre in Noida and Manesar. Once it’s delivered, packaging and further processing are done at the startup’s dispatch centre.

However, according to Abhishek, “Their mode of payment last year wasn’t very good, but they’ve improved significantly in the last six months. The frequency of payment is high, and farmers are very keen to work with us because of this particular aspect. Once produce is accepted at our collection centre and delivered to their dispatch centre, payment is more than 100%.”

“More importantly, they are very accommodating and responsive to our requirements compared to other retailers regarding pricing or size of our stock-keeping units (SKUs),” he adds.

Currently, Otipy is operational in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Sonipat, Meerut and Bhiwadi. “Till now we have received funding of $45 million. Our biggest investors are Westbridge Capital and SIG Venture Capital. Our annualised revenue run-rate (ARR) is Rs 160–180 crores and about 35–40% of this can be attributed to small farmers,” claims Varun.

(Edited by Pranita Bhat; Images courtesy Otipy)

The winter season in Delhi once welcomed as a relief from its burning summers, now only brings in the terror of smog and pollution. The rise in toxins often leads to severe health issues among the residents of the national capital. Year after year, pollution levels continue to rise with the onset of the cold season, a big cause of which is stubble burning across the northern states of Punjab and Haryana.

Delhi witnessed a peak AQI of 303 this time around on the morning after Diwali. With smoke from stubble burning being the highest contributor to this pollution, it has become a worrying cause for administrations across Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana.

However, unique solutions by an IAS officer in Haryana helped to reduce stubble burning in the district of Ambala, which, until two years ago, witnessed at least 5,328 incidents of farm fires.

Vikram Yadav, who joined as the district collector in Ambala in June 2021, helped cut down stubble burning in his district by a whopping 80% by providing measures that helped farmers switch to cleaner crop residue disposal alternatives. Within months, Vikram mobilised state machinery to reduce stubble-burning incidents, without any penalties for farmers.

Burning paddy stubble is a common activity among many farmers, primarily because it is a cheap and time-effective solution.

Speaking with The Better India, Vikram explains, “This is inevitable for farmers as they need to clear and prepare the ground for planting the crop for the Rabi season,” adding that this method is preferred by farmers due to the short gap between the seasons.

According to the officer, burning stubble clears the ground for the next harvest overnight, while the other methods require at least a month, which can delay the sowing process.

What was so unique about Vikram Yadav’s solutions?

As soon as he joined the Ambala district administration, he began studying the data and causes of stubble-burning incidents and worked to find possible solutions. He says, “I realised that it was mandatory to approach farmers for in-situ and ex-situ waste management.” The state administration began holding awareness camps and training programmes, much before the onset of the harvest season in September, which helped the district bring down stubble-burning cases without registering a single FIR.

“We began by analysing the severity of the issues and demarcated areas into red and yellow zones. The red highlighted areas with more than six farm fires in a year, while the yellow indicated up to five incidents. The exercise narrowed down eight red zones and 89 yellow zones,” he said.

With a focus on reducing farm fires from the red zone to zero, his team introduced seeder machines, subsidised government equipment and shedders to manage farm waste ethically. The farmers were also offered straw balers with racks, a reversible hydraulic plough, and a rotary slasher to convert crop residue into fertiliser. The farmers were also provided cash for selling the stubble to power plants.

These methods reaped positive results. While 702 cases were registered during the peak stubble-burning period in 2020 (September 15 and October 30), only 146 incidents were registered during the same time frame in 2021.

Vikram adds, “The farmers also chose the options as they received immediate cash payments or money transfers in the waste management process. It became a motivational factor for them. Also, no police cases were registered against the violators, but 41 farmers received fines for burning farm waste.”

While Vikram Yadav is now the district collector of Faridabad, the crucial strategies implemented by him in Ambala have inspired many administrators in the agricultural state. Incidentally, Haryana recorded the lowest number of farm fires this year since 2020, according to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). According to the centre, farm fires contributed to only 34% of PM 2.5 pollution this year, as compared to 48% last year.

Additionally, between September 15 and November 25 this year, Haryana witnessed 48% fewer incidents of farm fires compared to the same period last year.

“I hope the initiative’s success remains consistent in coming years and serves as a model for other farmers to prevent stubble burning,” he concludes.

Sources:

Stubble burning counts in Punjab and Haryana lowest since 2020 by Priyangi Agarwal, published on November 24, 2022.

31.5% reduction in paddy stubble burning recorded in these North-Indian states by PBNS, published on December 06, 2022.

Cleanest day-after-Diwali air in Delhi since 2015 by Abhinaya Hargovind, published on October 26, 2022.

(Edited by Pranita Bhat)

This year, the district of Pathankot in Punjab recorded one farm fire. 

This was even when the state has been widely regarded over the years as among the largest contributors to stubble burning, with reports suggesting that this season, Punjab logged nearly 80 per cent of stubble-burning cases in North India.

But thanks to the efforts of officials like Deputy Commissioner Harbir Singh and Chief Agricultural Officer Dr Amrik Singh, as well as the cooperation of farmers, Pathankot was able to buck this trend.  

As per Punjab Remote Sensing Centre reports, while the state saw 71,304 stubble fires in 2021, Pathankot saw only six. The district reduced its fires every year from 28 in 2016, 12 in 2017, 10 in 2018, 4 in 2019, 11 in 2020 and finally one so far this year.

‘Meri Kheti, Mera Maan’

Stubble burning is among the biggest contributors to air pollution. The gases released during this process — like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides, and methane — cause serious damage to both the environment and our health. One of the reasons quoted by farmers for farm fires, despite so many awareness programmes, is the fact that the time period between paddy harvesting and wheat sowing is very less. 

Dr Amrik Singh, who has been in Pathankot since 2016, says that the Deputy Commissioner wanted to make the number of farm fires zero this year. For this, just awareness programmes wouldn’t be enough.

“Usually, we go to each village and speak to farmers. This method works for older farmers. For the younger generation, we wanted to reach out in a language that they understand. So we started a YouTube channel called Meri Kheti Mera Maan. We posted success stories of farmers who didn’t burn their stubble,” Singh tells The Better India.

Thanks to their channel, they’ve been able to reach almost 70,000 farmers, adds the officer. “Since young farmers are tech-savvy, this works. Also, it helps us have a deeper penetration instead of going to far-flung areas. We’ve posted 156 videos so far,” adds Singh.

They also have 15 WhatsApp groups, which have 2,200 members in total. They also create awareness through their Facebook page, Agriculture Department, Pathankot. Wall paintings across the district also speak about the ill effects of stubble burning. School children are also being made aware through painting, essay, and poetry competitions.

Pathankot grows paddy over 28,500 hectares of land. The district generates 1.3 lakh metric tonnes of paddy straw each year. Instead of burning this stubble, the administration has urged farmers to sell it as fodder for milch animals. This way, both cattle owners, and farmers benefit.

“The farmers will get Rs 3,000 per acre by selling their straw to these cattle owners. The cattle owners, mainly the Gujjar community, get this at a cheap rate. They come and manually collect and store the straw. By this, the crop residue will go to the soil in the shape of manure and enrich the soil,” adds Singh.

He says that there are 1,05,000 milch animals in the district that can consume the entire straw produced. “We have studied soil samples from 2016 to now, in farms where burning has been stopped. The soil has improved greatly,” he adds.

The economic benefit to the 12,000-13,000 farmers of Pathankot due to this, is estimated at Rs 21.37 crores this year, as per Singh.

Through government schemes, machinery is also being provided as a subsidy. He adds that the water table has also gone up, air quality has increased, and human health has improved. 

They are now working towards a zero wheat straw burning campaign in the 421 villages in the district.

Sources

Stubble burning: Effects on health & environment, regulations and management practices by Science Direct.

Punjab has 80% of stubble burning cases in North India: Central body by Hindustan Times.

Crop Residue Burning (CRB) Information and Management System.

Born in the Adivasi community of Kurichiyas in Wayanad, Raman lived most of his life cultivating rice. When he saw the native paddy being replaced with hybrid seeds in the village, he decided to sow native seeds in a 1.5-acre area of his field.

“I embarked on this path sometime during the early 2000s. Wayanad has always been a region known for its paddy cultivation, but our native paddy varieties were losing out to hybrid and genetically engineered seeds,” Raman tells The Better India.

Raman started cultivating paddy at the young age of ten. But, his uncle passed away in 1969, leaving him with 40 acres of land. That’s when he threw himself into farming completely. Today, Raman can identify rice varieties just by sight.

He stores native varieties of rice like Mannu Veliyan, Chembakam, Thondi, Channalthondi, Chettuveliyan, Palveliyan, Kanali and aromatic rice varieties like Gandhakashala, Jeerakasala and Kayama in his 150-year-old mud house.

“After every harvest, I myself clean and dry all the seeds before I stash them safely at my home, which doubles up as a storeroom. I have been relentlessly doing this year after year,” he says.

Intrigued by his achievements, people from across the world come to learn his techniques. Also, the 72-year-old farmer does not sell his seeds, but lends them on one condition — the person who borrows the seeds has to return the exact same quantity of seeds from their field after harvest.

“My knowledge and learning are out there for everyone, and I will always keep my doors open for those with the heart to learn,” he says.

Raman has won various awards and recognition like the Plant Genome Saviour Award and the Kerala government’s P K Kalan Award.

Watch this video to learn more: 

(Edited by Pranita Bhat)

In addition to putting together a garden in his home, Gopinath had even managed to set up an equally adorable garden in his school, which also had a pond.

Growing up in this household, Gopinath’s children also developed an interest in gardening. They would assist their father in watering and taking care of the plants. When Gopinath retired, both from his profession and hobbies, his son Dhrubajyoti Sharma took over the planting activities and decided to expand them.

“It was by seeing my father’s interest in plants that encouraged me to read more about them. Even my career shifted as I took up biology as the main subject,” shares Dhrubajyoti.

He continues, “In 1992, I took gardening seriously. I had just completed my post-graduation in biology and thought of earning some pocket money by helping my father. I was also preparing for a job then.” 

Dhrubajyoti is now the head of the Department of Zoology at Dimoria College, Guwahati. He also runs one of the biggest garden nurseries in the Northeast called Daffodil Farm.

“The garden was set up on a small scale basis in 1992 by taking the plant collections of my father. In the initial days, I couldn’t earn even Rs 100 per day. Slowly but steadily, the business picked up and by 1996, we began getting a daily income of Rs 1,000,” shares the professor.

Two years later, his father passed away and Dhrubajyoti’s brother joined the business. In 1999, Dhrubajyoti married Rekha Goswami, a teacher by profession.

“Just like everyone in my family, Rekha was also very interested in gardening. She even quit her job in 2003 to spend more time in the nursery and ensure its smooth functioning. Because of this, I could continue my job and use the rest of my time for the nursery,” he says.

Dhrubajyoti adds that his love for the subject remains the same even today. “I have the option to stop teaching and run the business. But my love for biology and teaching is never-ending. Moreover, as my family members and employees are doing great with the business, I have no worries.”

Haven of age-old mother plants

“Spread over 17 bighas (land area varying locally from one-third to one acre), Daffodil Farm is one of the biggest nurseries in the state,” says the owner. He adds that it is also a tourist attraction in Assam as it is home to more than 700-year-old mother plants certified by the Department of Horticulture.

Dhrubajyoti shares that the farm has more than 10,000 varieties of flowers, fruits, vegetables, and medicinal and ornamental plants. The enormous bonsai collection is another major attraction here.

“There are about 300 full-time employees at this large nursery”, says Dhrubajyoti, “including landscapers, delivery persons and drivers. Apart from shipping nationwide, lakhs of saplings get exported to Nepal, Bhutan, the Philippines and Bangladesh, every year.”

Varieties of seedless litchi, mango, apple, kiwi, banana and coconut are present in this nursery. Many types of lemon plants are also sold here.

Dhrubajyoti says, “During winters, 200 to 300 people visit the farm every day. Most of them are attracted to the bonsai collection. Some of them come to take advice in setting up their own nurseries. So far, we have helped around 600 people to open their own nurseries in the northeastern region.”

Setting up a horticulture college

In 2017, Dhrubajyoti and Rekha came up with the idea of starting a horticulture college. Both of them being biology teachers, it was quite easy for them. They felt that this will help in developing more interest in farming among young people.

“This thought sprouted when a large number of people started coming to us for advice. We felt that it would be good to have a separate college to teach about horticulture. In 2017, we launched Daffodil College of Horticulture in Khetri, Assam,” says Dhrubajyoti.

The college has an affiliation with Assam Science and Technology University. Additionally, the college is associated with many projects of the Horticulture Department, Government of India.

The institution is equipped with a large library with up to 6,000 books related to horticulture, which are from the personal collection of Dhrubajyoti. The professor’s son is also studying at the college.

“We plan to turn the college into an agricultural university soon. Another future plan is to expand the collection in our nursery and ship the plants to more foreign countries. We’d also love to spread our knowledge in the field to upcoming gardeners,” says Dhrubajyoti.

Interested to know more? Contact their Facebook page.

Read this story in Hindi here.

Edited by Pranita Bhat

“Even then, I’d grow vegetables and flowers using a method called square foot farming. In this method, a space of 9 x 9 feet is divided into 81 parts and a plant is grown in each spot. This is a common method used by urban gardeners,” Milan tells The Better India.

He continued to experiment in the available space and resources. Four years ago, after moving to his native place in Dehradun, Milan discovered a novel way to grow garlic cloves. 

Garlic has the ability to help lower blood pressure. It is also known to solve digestive issues and contributes to the fine taste and aroma for many dishes. 

“Garlic contains antioxidants that can help protect against cell damage and aging. It may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia,” reports Healthline.

“All you need set up a garlic garden are a few old plastic containers and baskets. While green garlic or garlic leaves can be grown in the container, the basket can be utilised to cultivate garlic as a whole,” he says. 

Every year during October or November, Milan sets up the garden in containers, to which he has made some alterations. While a container of 8 x 5 inches has room for up to 160 green garlic cloves, a similar basket can hold up to 10 whole garlics. 

He shares his step-by-step process to grow garlic:

• Take an old plastic basket with a wide surface area.
• Make holes in every corner of the basket to allow excess water to flow out.
• Fill it with the same mix of soil.
• Insert garlic cloves, leaving at least 3-5 inches in between so that they can grow well.
• Similar to the green garlic, place the pointed end of each clove towards outwards.
• Sprinkle water on every alternate day.
• In less than a month, you will spot sprouts. Give another 2-3 months for the garlic to grow fully.
• When the leaves begin to turn yellow, it indicates that the garlic is ready for harvest.

“Green garlic is also filled with an antioxidant called allicin which acts as an active ingredient in reducing cholesterol and inflammation. It can also prevent cold, cough and flu. The antioxidant is capable of boosting immunity. In our household, we use the leaves to make delicious green chutney by mixing coriander and mint. This goes well with rotis and can be used as a dip as well,” he explains.

“If you are planning to use a lot of green garlic, it is better to grow them separately. If we pluck many leaves from any plant, it may die or not give healthy fruit. Avoid doing that,” notes the gardener.

Steps to grow green garlic (garlic leaves):

• Take any plastic container which has a minimum width of 5 inches. 
• Take a sharp knife, heat its end and make small squares in the container leaving a little space between each other. The size of the squares should be slightly bigger than a garlic clove.
• Fill the container with garden soil, cocopeat and vermicompost in equal proportion. Additionally add a piece of neem cake and one tablespoon of ash, both of which act as excellent fertilisers.
• Take a whole garlic and separate each clove. 
• Using your thumb, insert the cloves to each square in a way that the pointed end faces outwards.
• Make sure the cloves are completely immersed in the soil.
• Water the container using a sprayer, once in alternate days or based on the dryness of topsoil. 
• Within a month, leaves will be ready to be cut and used. These will last for many months.

Edited by Divya Sethu; Photo credits: Milan Kumar

Sources:

11 Proven Health Benefits of Garlic, published by Healthline on 5 May 2022.

Green Garlic: Origin, benefits and delicious ways to use it, published by Time of India on 11 December 2021.  

All of this was new information to former bank employee Ajay Gopinath, who happened to find these tiny greens on his plate while dining at a restaurant in Bengaluru. Intrigued, he began research into what these were, and learned that they were not merely seasoning, but also highly nutritious. 

Later, when Ajay quit his banking job to move back home to Kochi, he decided to try his luck with growing microgreens.

“Around 2017-2018, I started growing them on a small scale on an experimental basis. Though I wasn’t sure about the right methods, I eventually figured it out after two years of research and experimentation. Then I started growing them commercially,” says the 50-year-old.

Cut to 2022 — Ajay grows around 15 varieties of microgreens in an 80 sq-ft room in his house. He harvests around 5 kg of greens every day, and sees sales worth Rs 2 to 3 lakh per month.

A viable business

Ajay started out his journey with microgreens by watching YouTube tutorials. “I experimented with growing microgreens from green gram using tissue papers. But the result wasn’t as good as I expected. This made me realise that the tutorials were mostly fake and did not demonstrate the right way to cultivate microgreens,” he explains.

He widened his search for a viable procedure. Through a friend in the UK, he connected with a microgreens expert there. “He was a farmer growing microgreens and he enlightened me in this regard. He told me that not all seeds can be microgreens,” he says. “These are only Non-Genetically Modified Organism (GMO), non-hybrid, non-treated and open-pollinated seeds.”

Interacting with him made Ajay understand that there was a lot more to growing microgreens than what he saw online. He began sourcing seeds from Bengaluru, Pune, and Chattisgarh. “The seeds are bought at around Rs 600 per kg. Though it is expensive, when it comes to the yield, one could reap three times the amount spent on the seeds,” he points out.

It took him around two years to come up with a successful method of growing the greens within his house under controlled conditions.

“I started with two trays of microgreens and never expected to expand commercially. But once I distributed them among my friends, the response was very positive. They all were happy with the taste and quality. That’s when I realised its potential to be a viable business,” says Ajay, who expanded it into a business in 2020.

Almost three years into microgreens farming, he has so far tried around 30 varieties. “Around 150 varieties of microgreens are now available in the world, among which I am currently growing 15 varieties,” he adds.

Some varieties he grows at home are radish varieties like sango purple, china rose, red, and white, green mustard, yellow American mustard, beet, bok choy, corn, sunflower, etc.

“Radish, mustard, and sunflower are the best-selling varieties,” he says, adding that sunflower microgreens are the most nutritious of the lot.

How to grow microgreens 

Ajay grows his microgreens in a bedroom at his house in Chittoor. The room has an area of 80 sqft and is always maintained at a temperature below 25 degrees and humidity at 40 to 60 per cent.

“One of the best mediums to grow high-quality microgreens is low EC cocopeat medium,” says Ajay, who grows them in the same cocopeat medium placed inside food-grade trays with holes. 

Once the seeds are distributed onto the medium, they are closed and kept under dim light with good air circulation. After two days, when they germinate, they are kept open under certain light settings for proper growth.

It takes around seven days for the seeds to grow into microgreens, which will have a thin stem with a pair of leaves. As soon as the cotyledon leaves are out, they need to be harvested by cutting above the roots,” he explains.

Ajay says that only the stems and leaves of microgreens are to be consumed, and only in raw form. “There is often confusion about whether it needs to be cooked. But they shouldn’t be, as it would lose their nutritional value. They are best to be used as a healthy nutritional supplement and can be consumed as is or in dishes like salads,” he explains.

Ajay, who harvests around 5 kg of microgreens every day, sells them for Rs 150 per 100 gm and in bulk under his brand name Grow Greens. He also has franchises across Kerala, as well as in cities like Chennai and Bengaluru.

“Currently, I am supplying them to around 20-25 different channels of customers such as hotels, gyms, hospitals, and so on. Even celebrities buy greens from me,” he adds.

According to him, “Microgreens of a vegetable or plant hold many more nutrients than a full-grown plant. For example, 25 gm of red-cabbage microgreens have a nutritious value equal to consuming 1 kg of red cabbage.” 

Studies also stated that they are a good source of nutrients like Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B 12 etc. Most greens are also rich in minerals like potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium, and copper. Besides, they are packed with several antioxidants. 

Ajay says that people are still unaware of the true potential of microgreens. “They are often considered sophisticated ingredients only available in five-star restaurants. But people must understand that it isn’t expensive or hard to nurture them. More people need to venture into microgreens farming and increase its availability, thereby spreading awareness about how good they are for everyone,” he adds.

For more information and enquiries, you can contact Ajay at 73062 99044.

Edited by Divya Sethu; Photo credits: Ajay Gopinath

After completing her schooling, Reshma studied agricultural science at The Indian Council of Agricultural Resources (ICAR), which landed her a government job. However, she was not happy with what she was doing, she says.  

Led by her love for the outdoors and nature, she quit her high paying government job as an agriculture coordinator to launch her YouTube channel ‘Prakriti’s Garden’. Today, she has lakhs of followers and earns Rs 1 lakh per month. 

Her first video giving instructions about growing a rose landed her millions of views. Soon, she started getting requests from brands reaching out to her for promotions. This encouraged her to make a living out of her beloved hobby. And with this, Reshma became a full time YouTuber. 

Today if you walk into her home in Bokaro, you’ll be greeted by around 2,000 potted plants that she has grown over the years. She continues to inspire her 9 lakh followers who take her tips to grow their own home garden from her videos. 

Watch this video to know more about her journey:

For years, her hands had been full with taking care of her household and children. So when her children grew up and left for further education, she didn’t know how to use her time productively, she says. While looking for ideas, she stumbled upon the scope of mushroom cultivation in her state and decided to try her hands at it.

“The best part about mushroom farming is that I can be at home and make money. It is convenient for women like me who prefer to stay at home and do farming within our comforts,” says Rekha, who started her venture in 2013 with just Rs 1,000.

“Today, I earn around Rs 3 to 4 lakh a year. I have also been training people in mushroom cultivation and value addition,” she adds.

Currently, like Rekha, many other rural women in the state of Bihar are earning a steady income by growing mushrooms.

According to the data released by the National Horticulture Board, Bihar has become the largest mushroom-producing state in the country. With around 28,000 metric tonnes of mushrooms produced in the year 2021-2022, the state has accounted for around 10.82 per cent of the total mushroom production in the country.

But this wasn’t the situation in the eastern state a few decades ago. The mushroom revolution was brought here with decades-long expeditions and efforts. 

Dr Dayaram, a scientist from the Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University in Samastipur, played an important role in promoting mushroom cultivation in Bihar. Popularly known as the ‘mushroom man’, his efforts have been crucial in boosting mushroom cultivation in the state to the current level of success.

“When I started out my career as a scientist in Bihar, the situation in the state was different. It was economically weaker than it is today. After interacting with people, I realised that a majority were daily wagers who struggled to even find work every day. This made me think of a way in which they can be empowered, and I tried to do it within my capacity,” Dr Dayaram tells The Better India.

Spurring a mushroom revolution

In 1991, Dr Dayaram joined as an assistant professor and junior scientist in the Department of Plant Pathology at the Regional Research Station in Madhopur. Alongside senior colleague Dr VK Singh, he began his efforts in mushroom cultivation.

“We started with our focus on oyster mushrooms and researched its scope and potential. I also conducted free training programmes for people on oyster mushroom cultivation. Over the years, I was able to do my part in popularising mushroom farming in the state. Eventually, the state government also realised the potential of mushroom cultivation,” says Dr Dayaram, adding that back then, mushrooms were more attached to the concept of eradicating malnutrition.

In 1999, with the popularisation of mushroom cultivation, the state government was ready to give out funds for its development. “The government sanctioned around Rs 24 lakh for the development of mushroom cultivation,” he adds.

The following year, when Dr Dayaram was moved to the university headquarters, he started researching button mushroom cultivation. 

“We slowly started researching more varieties of mushrooms. So far, we have developed technologies and procedures to cultivate around six varieties — namely oyster, button, milky, shiitake, hericium, and paddy straw. These technologies have helped increase the yield. We have also been doing a lot of groundwork in disseminating these technologies to people through training programmes and workshops,” says Dr Dayaram.

He also adds, “Around three years ago, Bihar was 13th in terms of mushroom production. Today, with our efforts, the state has topped with over two lakh mushroom farmers, among which the majority are women. It has become a better and more convenient source of income for them”

“Among the two lakh cultivators, there are around 123 control units that grow mushrooms round the year under controlled conditions. Their minimum production is 500kg per day and the maximum is around 10 tonnes per day. The rest are seasonal cultivators who do it in seasons or in a small way, whenever they have time,” he says.

A few years ago, when the production was amplified across the state, Dr Dayaram and his team came up with the idea of the value addition of mushrooms. “We initiated the concept of making value-added products out of mushrooms, thereby increasing the scope of its cultivation. We developed more than 50 products, among which 10 have been branded and are available locally,” he adds. These include mushroom powder, pickles, cookies, samosas, namkeen, and ladoos.

“We were able to develop the potential of mushroom in aspects like spawn production, compost production, round-the-year mushroom production, processing, packaging, product development, and marketing. The research has resulted in formulating spawn varieties that can be cultivated every season in Bihar, thereby helping farmers grow mushrooms throughout the year,” says Dr Dayaram.

The university now offers several training programmes and courses for people who are interested in mushroom cultivation. 

“From a one-day training course to a year-long certificate course, we have a wide range of courses on growing different types of mushrooms. All the courses are paid, except for SC/ST candidates,” he adds.

Meanwhile, Rekha says, “I consider Dayaram ji my guru. I learnt all the aspects of mushroom cultivation under a training programme led by him. So, whenever I have a doubt, I call him right away to get his advice and suggestions. He has always been happy to help farmers like us.”

Understanding the real potential of the fungi, the government of Bihar has been widely promoting its cultivation and production across the state. “The state government is currently offering a 50 per cent subsidy for mushroom farmers. Around 28 tonnes of mushrooms were produced in 2021-22 and we are expecting around 35 tonnes in the upcoming year,” he says.

Edited by Divya Sethu; Photo credits: Dr Dayaram

Unable to complete his Class 10 due to the financial constraints, Mahipal took up the job of a bike mechanic in a town near his village in Hyderabad. He started out as an assistant, but soon became good at repairing vehicles. 

“In the early 2000, my father transferred the land to me. I returned to my village and took up farming, but began facing the same issue of labour costs. After spending thousands as wages and rent for animals, there was nothing left as profit. As a side business, I began repairing tractors and used some to work on my farm,” Mahipal tells The Better India. 

The 42-year-old began thinking of how he could solve his woes, and arrived at the conclusion of building a cultivator of his own to save some money. 

“In 2011, I began trials by using an old auto rickshaw engine. But the attempt failed. Later, I went to Hyderabad city and purchased an engine made in China. When it worked well, I incorporated other parts using scrap materials and built a cultivator machine by the end of the year,” he explains. 

This machine, he says, can run for three hours on 1 litre of diesel. In this duration, it can cover an area of 3 acres. Only one person is required to operate the device, he adds. “Running the machine is simpler than riding a scooter. There is an accelerator in the left hand grip and the machine can be run by placing both hands, like in a two-wheeler,” he shares.

Becoming an agripreneur

“While other farmers spent upto Rs 1 lakh as rent and labour charges for the process, I spent less than half of it to build this machine, which can be used repeatedly without further maintenance. Due to this reason, I started getting requests to build more of it, available for purchase,” he says.

In 2012, Mahipal launched Varun Engineering Works, from where farmers could buy cultivators and other farming-related machines “at an affordable price”. Mahipal also customises machines based on preferences.

“My innovation came under the limelight after being featured on a Telugu news channel. By then, I had sold over 13 machines. I now have 12 employees and my other innovations include a power weeder and a mini-tractor. The latter can be connected to a trolley and can carry upto 1 tonne of weight. I also built a hydraulic lift that can lift upto 500 kg which can be utilised in other industries as well,” notes the agripreneur.

“The plight of farmers in India is one reason why I opted for this field. Like me, many of them are left battling poverty due to high labour costs and unavailability of affordable machinery. I am on a mission to change this narrative,” he adds.

Varun Engineering Works is located in Mahipal’s native area Parkal.

‘Affordable and user-friendly’

The innovator shares that he now builds the machines by assembling engines from Kolhapur, and material as well as gears from Hyderabad. “Till date, more than 4,000 cultivators have been sold for a price between Rs 45,000 to Rs 55,000,” he says.

Viswesara, a farmer who bought the cultivator machine two years ago, says, “I am able to save at least Rs 50,000 every season with the help of this machine. Buying this was a one-time investment and I have not done any maintenance till now. I handle the cultivator easily without anyone’s help, saving labour charges. I hope Mahipal comes up with more innovations to make our lives better.”

Currently, Mahipal is working on a mini tractor that runs on battery. “Given the high price of petroleum products, it is better to shift to other alternatives,” he says.

For his innovations, Mahipal was given the National Grassroots Innovation Award by the President of India in 2015 and the National Entrepreneurship Award in 2018. “Both of these were big honours but what means the world to me is the farmer who struggles to make ends meet even after receiving a good harvest. I am glad that my machines are making their lives easier,” he notes.

Contact Varun Engineering Works on 9866922168. 

Edited by Divya Sethu

Kulwant Nutrition, which started with one plant and maize crops in 1989, has grown into a company with an annual turnover of more than Rs 7 crore.

Jagmohan (63) is doing contract farming on 300 acres of land and grows crops like corn, mustard and wheat, and vegetables like carrot, cauliflower, tomato and beetroot.

He works with 300 farmers in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and supplies produce to companies like PepsiCo, Kellogg’s, and Domino’s Pizza. He also exports his produce to England, New Zealand, Dubai and Hong Kong.

Creating a corn empire

“Before partition, my family used to stay in Karachi. My father then moved to Mumbai and finally settled in Punjab. At that time, in spite of the demand, there were very few people doing flour mill repair work. So, my father took it up,” says the agripreneur.

Jagmohan’s father wanted him to work in the food business. But, as there were no courses in Punjab then, he studied food cereal milling and engineering at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.

After returning to India, he started an agribusiness, Kulwant Nutrition. The start was bumpy as he wasn’t able to get a good maize crop.

“I started a plant but we didn’t have a good maize crop in Punjab then. So I started ordering corn from Himachal Pradesh but the cost of transportation was very high. To get a good crop, we tied up with Punjab agricultural university through the university-industry link. The university would give farmers good quality seeds, and I would buy the produce from these farmers,” says the 63-year-old.

His first customer was Kellogg’s.

Wanting to grow the crop himself, Jagmohan started contract farming in 1991 and slowly started growing it all by himself.

In 1992, he started working with PepsiCo and supplied corn for their snack Kurkure. He says that he had a demand for almost 1000 tons of corn per month. In 1994, he started supplying Domino’s Pizza too. In 2013, he ventured into the canned foods business and started growing other vegetables too.

Pivoting his business in COVID

While his business was booming, the pandemic brought a host of challenges to this agripreneur.

“Covid really affected the supply chain. What I noticed was that while many factories and businesses shut down, grocery stores continued to run as they came under essential services. Therefore, I started focusing on grocery items like organic wheat flour and corn flour. To scale this up, I am also planning to start processing mustard oil and growing rice and chia seeds,” says Jagmohan.

He provides employment to 70 people through his company and free training to agriculture students and farmers. He helps farmers learn advanced methods of farming and teaches them how to sell their produce profitably. 

“I have been working with Jagmohan for many years. He has taught me how to market my produce and turn them into value-added products. He says that instead of milk, it would be more profitable to convert it into ghee or curd. He is also buying items from me for his grocery business,” says Satbir Singh, a farmer.

Jaganmohan says, “To motivate the youth to farm, the government must provide incentives and promote agriculture-based businesses at a local level. They should also encourage food security and agriculture-based technologies.”

He also urges farmers to follow guidelines properly so that they get the desired results and don’t face losses.

“Farmers should choose crops that grow well in their area, instead of following trends. This will help them reap profits,” he says.

Edited by Pranita Bhat

She would often miss home-cooked food and reminisce about the delicacies her mother would cook up back home.

In an attempt to curb Keerthi’s impulse to whip up some instant noodles on a daily basis, her mother, Odapalli Vijaya Laxmi, came up with an ingenious way of introducing vegetables back into her daughter’s diet.

“My mother started sending me dehydrated tomatoes and carrots. This simplified things a great deal as I could now simply add the veggies to my dish, heat it up, and have a meal ready,” says Keerthi. 

Her friends also found the idea ingenious.

“It dawned on me that my mother’s hack was actually a method of food preservation. And if scaled in the right way, a solution like this could slowly put an end to the food wastage problem across borders,” says Keerthi.

Having spent a great deal of her time in farmlands, she was no stranger to the problems that farmers witnessed when the harvest wasn’t good or when the produce did not sell.

“I would visit my village in Telangana during my summer vacations, and my heart would break to see produce being dumped, sometimes even before harvesting. When I would return to the city and visit the mall, I would see packaged products advertising their long shelf lives. I wondered why the gap existed,” she recounts.

So, she thought of testing entrepreneurial waters and venturing into the space of food preservation.

And finally, in 2022, Keerthi launched Nurture Fields and its retail arm Koh!. The motive was simple — to reduce food wastage whilst working with marginal farmers to increase their income.

But the journey to the launch came with a big learning curve.

Starting out with a solar dryer

In 2018, Keerthi quit her corporate job and returned to Telangana, filled with enthusiasm at the prospect of this new venture. She then made her first purchase — a solar dryer.

As she would soon learn, even with plenty of zeal, building a business was no easy task. 

“The next few years were filled with trial and error. I began researching the domain of food preservation and worked with branding agencies in Mumbai to learn the intricacies of building a business. I even spent time with farmers in Telangana to understand the gaps in the supply chain,” she says.

In 2021, after gaining confidence and knowledge about the food preservation industry, the mother-daughter duo started Nurture Fields. Koh! was launched in April 2022.

Odapalli says, “The idea of Nurture Fields was to eliminate steps like planning for groceries, storing produce, and worrying about produce getting bad. We don’t wish to replace fresh produce, but simply give people an alternative.”

Today, Nurture Fields is a space that lies at the intersection of many things — empowering farmers by helping them earn more, enabling people to have produce that is quick and simple to add to their dishes, and curbing the food wastage scene.

The value of reducing wastage, Keerthi says, is also reflected in their demand-based cultivation model.

“We don’t produce in bulk. We have in-house agronomists who carry out soil analysis, studies on biopesticides, etc, as well as research scientists who conduct intensive studies on the quality of produce.”

She adds that the model has been designed to keep the farmers “worry-free”.

“We work with a team of 15 farmers from Thonda, Thirumalgiri, Mamidala, and Kotamarthi villages of Telangana. They grew paddy and cotton, which would disrupt soil fertility and not give good profits. But now, they have shifted to ginger, beetroot, carrots, mango, chikoo, spinach, papaya, and zucchini,” says Keerthi.

“Our agricultural officers and agronomists guide the farmers right from soil preparation to harvest. Once the harvest is done, we collect the produce from the fields and bring it to the factory. The produce is processed here, and it is dehydrated and turned into powders,” she adds.

Empowering farmers and local women

Setting up a system of this sort has been refreshing, says Keerthi. She adds that the farmers would previously get Rs 1 to Rs 5 per kg of tomatoes, but now they get a consistent Rs 7 per kg, no matter what the turnover is that month.

“For instance, a farmer cultivating on one acre of land earns Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 a month,” she says.

Kavitha, a farmer from Kotamarthi village, has been farming for six years since her divorce. She says that she learned about Nurture Fields two years ago.

“We were promised that they would help farmers like us, and they have kept their promise. My initial days with them were spent learning about organic modes of cultivation. I remember growing okra (lady’s finger) on half an acre and tomato on the other half using natural fertilisers. Not only were the results great, but I also received guidance from start to end about any farming-related queries I had,” she says.

Keerthi says that while the farmers trust them now, it has been a slow process. “It was tough convincing them to transition from their old ways. But today, they are happy to be reaping the success of their efforts,” she says.

In addition to empowering farmers, Nurture Fields also focuses on its women’s team, which is managed and engaged by Odapalli.

“Once we started the production unit that spans 6,000 sq ft, I thought of motivating the women from the nearby villages of Telangana to come and work here. Today, we have 15 such women associated with us, and we provide them with access to washrooms, transport facilities, etc,” she says.

Among them is Shailaja, who says her time spent at the production unit is one of the happiest parts of her day.

She says, “I never really knew much of farming, but I was devoted and tried my hand at it. However, when I got the opportunity to work in an indoor environment, I was happy. I spend my time cleaning the vegetables and then processing them. It is fun! I even brought along two friends of mine to work here.”

As Keerthi and her mother take stock of their labour of love, they say the dream is coming to be a reality.

Koh!’s food products are bringing a smile to Indian homes with their spiced okra chips, candied chikoo, powdered ginger root, dehydrated carrot cubes, and dehydrated vegetable combo packs for easy cooking.

“We have fulfilled 2,000 orders till date, have served over 1,600 customers, and ship pan India,” says Keerthi.

Thinking back to how it all started, Odapalli says she never imagined a simple trick of sending her daughter dehydrated tomatoes would one day scale into a business.

“My daughter gave me the strength to put my ideas forward, and today, I’m grateful for that.”

You can check out the products by Koh!, here.

Edited by Pranita Bhat

“We also faced similar issues when we were working or travelling, and had a hard time maintaining a healthy balcony garden. So we started looking for a smart solution for people who don’t have time to water their plants regularly,” Santosh tells The Better India.

Though he loved working with computers, had a passion for electronics, and was employed with several tech giants as a software developer for many years, Santosh eventually decided to quit his job to spend more time with his family.

He and his wife Deepika were optimistic about doing something on their own. After a lot of brainstorming, they conceived a unique idea of building an automated drip-irrigation system for providing watering solutions to urban gardens.

After working for almost a year, the couple developed a water automation system. It runs on an IoT (Internet of Things) platform that can be operated from anywhere, anytime using a website or a mobile app.

Love for innovation

Santosh says, “The IT job gave me a lot of great opportunities, but a few years ago I realised that it was time for me to switch my career. I had a tough time in the initial phase of the pandemic, as I was in Ireland and my wife and three-year-old daughter were in India. This made me finally call it quits.”

After leaving his job in early 2022, Santosh and Deepika spent months coming up with a solid and workable idea. But the idea didn’t hit them instantly, says Deepika, also a former IT employee who took a break from work to take care of her child.

“I remember around five years back, when I was pregnant and at my parents’ home in Udupi, Santosh was staying all by himself. I had a lot of plants on my balcony and I had asked him to water them regularly. But Santosh was extremely busy with his work and often forgot to water them. When I was back, I could only see wilted plants. This was when we discovered the watering issue for the first time,” she says.

The couple started working on conceptualising and implementing the idea together in April 2022. “It wasn’t easy to work on something from scratch. Deepika and I were in it together and had to face a lot of ups and downs,” Santosh says.

Deepika says, “We were finally able to come up with a working prototype by September 2022 and tested our product in the following months. Currently, we have a final product which is ready to be installed.”

App-based device to water plants remotely

Named ‘Ukshati Automation System’, Santosh and Deepika’s startup is all set to register as a private limited company. They say they are planning to apply for a patent for their product soon. Their “one-of-a-kind” device serves as a watering solution for both large and small gardens, including terrace and balcony gardens.

According to Santosh, their major goal behind developing this device was to make watering easy for people and reduce wastage. “The device is a WiFi drip controller. In layman’s terms, it could be defined as an Internet-connected tap that allows people to water their plants on a scheduled basis,” he explains.

“It allows the user to set the time for watering the plants. They can also set the duration for which the plant should be watered. The device runs on batteries and can be controlled either through our website or through our mobile app, which also notifies the user of all the relevant updates,” elaborates Santosh.

“Users can store their watering history on the website and even switch the device — on or off — from a different location,” he adds.

Not just that, the couple also customises the water delivery system according to customer needs. “When it comes to balconies and terrace gardens, there is an issue of finding a water source. To tackle such issues, we have built a water-tank-based watering system, where the user can store water and use it accordingly. The device notifies the user when the tank gets empty,” says Santosh.

As a conscious step towards reducing water wastage, they have also developed a tank system placed inside a hexagonal wooden box. “The water from the RO purification units and AC compressors is often wasted. So, we set the tank in such a way that it is collected in the tank. This water is then used to water the plants, thereby putting it to better use,” he explains.

Mithun Bhat Kakunje, a businessman based out of Mangaluru, has been using the automatic watering system. He says, “I would say it is a high-quality device that has helped me increase the life of my plants. It helps me water plants on time effortlessly, especially when I’m travelling. The app constantly monitors the water level and battery status. I must say, it has made my life a whole lot easier.”

Currently, the couple has installed five such devices in Mangaluru, Karnataka and plans to come up with larger models of the device.

For more information and enquiries, you can contact Santosh Shet at 88615 67365.

Edited by Pranita Bhat

Over the years, his native place in a village in Malappuram saw many changes — new buildings, roads, shopping complexes, and expansion of residential areas. And while these were all part of development, Musthafa was anguished by the cutting down of trees to make space for such infrastructure. 

“Kerala is called ‘God’s own country’ for a reason. The state has been gifted with a beautiful landscape, quality soil, and good weather conditions. But for the past 20-30 years, we have lost most of these precious possessions. It will take more than a lifetime to bring everything back,” he tells The Better India.

In a bid to return to the green and thriving Kerala he had grown up with, he decided to buy a few acres of barren land and turn it into a forest. It took him 10 years of eagerly searching to find the land, he says. 

“Every property I visited was 30-40 km away from my native place. But I wanted it to be close to my home, so I could take care of the plants on a daily basis,” he says.

Finally in 2016, Musthafa was notified by a friend about a 5.5 acre former laterite mining land in Karipur. 

“When I visited the land, there was not even a single plant on the property. Mining activity had almost taken away the life of the land, but I was confident to put together my dream space here. This is because I visited the place during the extreme summer, yet, I could spot the presence of water there,” says the 52-year-old.

A ‘madness’

Musthafa spent a year studying about building an ecosystem in a space like this. He referred to books and videos, and spoke to people who have done similar projects before. 

“I travel to several countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and China as part of my business. These have many such private forest lands with vast varieties of flora and fauna. I took notes from there too,” he says.

He started by creating a big pond in the land and dividing them into streams. He says that water is the basis of all natural setup and in order to plant trees, availability of water had to be ensured.

“The idea was to recreate a running forest stream in which water is available all through the year. By interconnecting the main pond, I created six more inside the plot. Around the pond, I then planted saplings of trees as well as varieties of tropical plants I collected from different countries while travelling and trekking. I also purchased a few,” he explains.

The plot, named Green Ara (which means the best room in a house, usually where valuables are kept safe, in Malayalam), now has more than 2,000 trees, a bamboo forest, a Miyawaki forest, hundreds of fruit trees, thousands of tropical plants seen in evergreen rainforests, and other ornamental as well as medicinal plants, Musthafa says. 

The area has also attracted over 250 varieties of butterflies. The Miyawaki forest is among the most visited spots on the campus, he adds.

“The actual forests of Kerala are tropical in nature and all I tried was to create a piece of rainforest in the city,” notes Musthafa.

He also says he did all the work himself. 

“I didn’t take any external help because of two reasons. One, I had a clear picture of what to do with the land, every nook and corner of it. Two, not everyone can relate to this ‘madness’ of creating a forest inside a city where you can access an airport in 15 minutes,” he adds.

Restoring what was lost

A regular day — one that doesn’t involve travelling related to work — begins at 5 am. Musthafa spends the next six hours in Green Ara, touching each and every plant, making sure that water reaches everywhere, planting new crops, and swimming with the fishes in the large pond. 

“The growth of plants has been unbelievable. Although, this is the place I have always dreamt about, I never thought it would be in this shape within a time period of five years. I strongly believe nature stood with my passion,” shares the businessman, who has been running a gift manufacturing company in Malappuram for the past 20 years.

Despite the fact that Musthafa wants like-minded people to come and get the feel of Green Ara, the entry is restricted and is open only upon request. 

“In the beginning, the place was open for everyone to come and take a look or even bathe in the pond. But pollution became a problem. They started considering it the same as any regular tourist spot where they could dispose of plastic bottles and other items. Therefore, I limited the entry to those who really love such spaces or wish to create something similar on their own land,” says Musthafa.

He also adds that upon requests from several people who desire to create such spaces, he has started a consultancy called Green Ara Landscapers. “I have set up a team of a few members who have experience in this field, but we only take limited projects based on everyone’s availability.”

Musthafa is also a follower of a sustainable lifestyle. He lives with his family in a house made of wood and recycled materials. The house has a composter and rainwater harvesting system too. 

“Ever since I moved from my ancestral home, I have missed every part of it, especially the surroundings. Green Ara is an attempt to console my mind. It has been a dream to swim in freshwater, just like the fishes, every morning. Today, I am living the dream and I can’t ask for more. Yet, I urge everyone to stop destroying the gifted land, and try in your own ways to restore it,” he says.

Edited by Divya Sethu; Photo credits Musthafa Parammel Ambadi

“Even my mother-in-law had a beautiful garden, but after her death in 2013, the plants started dying, despite the fact that I was watering them everyday,” she tells The Better India.

Ruchi realised that the plants needed individual care, so she decided to take up gardening in her mother-in-law’s memory.

“I began watching videos and taking tips from my mom to sustain the garden. But it worked beyond my expectation and made me fall in love with the activity. I started buying more plants and thought of different ways to grow them in the front yard. In fact, I am addicted to this hobby now,” shares the homemaker. 

Ruchi now grows more than 1,000 ornamental and flowering plants in her lush garden. She also cultivates vegetables like radish, brinjal, tomato, coriander and carrot on the terrace.

Everyone who swings by the place is mesmerised, she says, not only because of the wide collection of plants, but also for the gardener’s creativity. Ruchi has incorporated her art skills by using several items from her household, which would otherwise be junk, to beautify her garden.

“I opened our store room — which had been left locked for years — during the lockdown period. I found multiple things that would be of no use otherwise and decided to upcycle them,” says the 33-year-old.

These items include her husband’s old scooter, her children’s abandoned bicycles, toys, bulbs, a wash basin, and wood particles left from construction.

She paints all the items herself.

“Now people come here to enquire where I purchase these decorative items from. Some find it hard to believe that I made them from scrap, including my family,” she gushes.

Today, Ruchi’s garden is not an ordinary one, but a thematic setup. To remember the names of plants, she has placed stones painted with the name of each herb and flower. “My kids also love gardening now, just like art. They help me do both with so much energy,” she adds.

“One time, my husband received a sansevieria plant as a gift. Instead of planting it on the ground, I decided to grow it in a tray and keep it indoors. I decorated this tray as well, and it began to resemble a terrarium. I made more of those. Now I gift these to loved ones on their special days. It’s a thoughtful and personalised gift, better than any market-bought ones,” she says.

There is also a pond inside the garden, in and around which she grows several aquatic plants including lotus. 

Ruchi also shares garden decor ideas on social media. Moreover, gardening enthusiasts and curious neighbours alike visit her home to take a look at her amazing work, she says.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dr. Ruchi Goel (@hariyali_by_ruchi)

“From a girl who never watered her mother’s garden to a ‘plant mommy’ with more than 1,000 plants, the change is so huge that even I am surprised. It’s all because gardening has the power to leave you happy, satisfied and calm. Nothing comes close to the feeling of saving a dying plant or seeing a fresh bud in a newly purchased plant,” she says.

Read this story in Hindi here.

Edited by Divya Sethu; Photo credits: Ruchi Goel

Even though the family has no background in farming, Nishad always showed interest in helping his mother in their tiny kitchen garden. Later, he got busy with his studies and career but always wanted to go back to gardening.

The law graduate worked for several companies for 15 years. After 2015 he wanted to try something new. It was around this time that he assisted his mother in renovating their kitchen garden. But a good chilli harvest was all he needed to push him toward farming.

“We only had a limited area around the house. So, I thought of taking a few acres for lease in the district but one of my friends who owned 1.5 acres of land asked me to make use of a barren space without any lease. So, in 2016, I sowed chilli seeds in the whole property, which brought a great harvest,” recalls Nishad.

Although the results were good, Nishad couldn’t earn a steady income as the price of chilli fluctuated. That was when experienced farmers suggested he plant more varieties of crops on the same land. He picked red spinach and papaya and decided to expand the farmland as well. 

“Watching my success and the authorities’ interest in expanding farmlands in Alappuzha, the panchayat and village secretary allotted me a few more barren lands in the district. In a few months, I took some more land for lease in Kozhinjampara, Palakkad. Today, there is a total of 13.5-acre land where I farm more than 14 varieties of vegetables and plants,” says the farmer.

But Nishad wasn’t ready to be an ordinary farmer who takes his produce to the shops and settles for a meagre income. Since vegetables and fruits of different qualities are available in the market, he decided to sell his produce under a brand so that people can identify better. Thus, in 2018, Marari Fresh was launched.

“I supply the harvest daily to top supermarkets of the state including the largest Lulu hypermarket in Kochi. On an average 500 kg of items are sold per day, which accounts for more than Rs 40 lakh as my yearly income,” says the agripreneur. “The major crops are brinjal, bitter gourd, cucumber, okra, chillies, spinach, papaya, butternut, pumpkin, peas and tomato.”

Since 2018, Nishad has been able to sell over 130 tonnes of produce every year. “Marari Fresh is one of the very few brands which didn’t stop production and sales during the lockdown period. We had a boom [harvest] that year. More people came to know about the brand as we did home delivery too,” says the 44-year-old farmer.

Nishad visits his farm in Palakkad two days a week. He has six permanent employees and on his other farm in Cherthala, managed by himself and two full-time workers, he grows spinach, papaya and chillies. 

Other than these activities, the agripreneur also introduced an app in the same brand name for selling the produce. Another app called Farmers First is under making which will help farmers to organise activities as per the production calendar and to find sellers around them.

“Customers can either order items through the app or our website other than procuring them directly from shops. We provide a home delivery facility too based on location,” shares Nishad.

For those who plan to enter into farming, Nishad suggests starting small. “Talk to the local vendors to understand what items are sold well and try growing those. Preferably, a 10-cent land is good enough for experimenting. Stick to organic methods, especially with pesticides. Once you gain confidence, expand the farmland. Employing technology is the only way to develop and promote farming. Traditional farmers should also shift to these methods for sustaining,” he suggests.

He plans to lease land in Munnar or Ooty to make seasonal veggies available all through the year.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

Photo credits: Nishad VR

So he pored over books about new farming techniques and crops which were suitable for Kerala’s climate. The mathematics graduate finally decided to go forward with aquaponics, a method that involves a combination of aquaculture, hydroponics and organic agriculture. The nutrients from fish excreta enrich the water which is then used for the plants.

“While working in Muscat I attended a few classes about hydroponics farming which is the method of farming without the use of soil. Aquaponics is similar but more organic with an added advantage of double income from fish as well,” says the 52-year-old to The Better India.

But what pushed him towards aquaponics was a particular incident in the 2012 monsoon. There was a big tree in Vijayakumar’s backyard which collapsed leaving a big hole in the land. It was filled with water because of the rains and he decided to use the pit as a tank.

Today, his fish tank consists of Nile tilapia, carp and giant gourami and even small ornamental fish. “I feed them natural on-farm inputs as supplementary feed such as Azolla, colocasia leaves, rice bran, and black soldier fly larvae, coconut and groundnut oil cake which are comparatively inexpensive and organic,” he says. 

In the surrounding area of the tank, Vijayakumar planted various types of vegetables like broccoli, lettuce, spinach, mint, tomato, okra, chillies, brinjal and more.

Ammonia from the fish waste contains nitrites and nitrates formed through bacterial action which is an ideal fertiliser for plants. Even the banana plants in Vijayakumar’s backyard are provided with nutrient-rich water to get good yields.

“The biggest advantage of aquaponics is that by spending for the feed of fish alone one can harvest good yields from both fish and vegetable farming. There were not many aquaponic farms in Kerala when I started. So, I also started an institution called Nanniode Aquaponics Research and Development Centre (NARDC) in my village. Here, I provide classes on aquaponics organic farming, integrated aquaculture, polyhouse/rain shelter horticulture (design, management, mentoring, operations), biological pest management, organic farming, commercial enterprise development assistance and more,” explains the agripreneur.

NARDC also conducts test production and yield trials of heirloom, hybrid and imported seed varieties in various Integrated Aquaponics System (IAS) settings. “We also produce and sell live fish, fresh greens and poison-less vegetables and fruits to local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscribers, sales of heirloom and hybrid plant seeds, fish seedlings and aquaponics apparatus. NARDC also works in partnership with governments, universities, NGOs, private sector organisations, individual farmers and franchisees to develop aquaponics systems,” he says.

So far, Vijayakumar has trained more than 5,000 farmers from several parts of the country, both online and offline, not just in aquaponics but in various other arenas of agriculture. He also initiates social franchising of aquaponic farms through his institution. “I have assisted in setting up farms in Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Wayanad, Goa, Telangana, Coimbatore, Madurai, Pondicherry, Bhopal, Kanyakumari, Chennai, and even Gulf countries,” he adds.

Less space, bigger result

“To put together an aquaponics farm, all you need is a 2-cent land (~less than 900 sq ft) out of which one cent is dedicated to the fish pond and the remaining for the crops. You can grow up to two tonnes of fish in such a tank. Tilapia is the best choice, especially for a beginner. Never get into this farming without taking proper classes about it as it is completely different from normal farming,” says the cultivator.

Vijayakumar adds that testing the pH value of water is a must before depositing the fish babies. Plants are to be grown on sheets of sand laid on the banks of a pond. The most suitable sand for cultivation is quartz silica, which has more organic elements than river sand. Two pumps are needed for blowing air into the pond and for pumping water on the sand biofilters where plants are grown. “All these can be bought under subsidies from the horticulture department,” he says.

Almost all types of vegetables can be grown this way, except tubers, says Vijayakumar. “Airborne pest attacks may happen but biopesticides can control this completely,” he assures.

“I earn up to Rs 4 lakh per year from this type of farming. The income will increase based on the area and investment,” adds the aquaponics consultant who has launched another aquaponics project – The Venus Project. “We aim to feed about 130 people (30 families) with clean, fresh and highly nutritious fish, vegetables and fruits year-round. We are hoping to provide the food locally through weekly packages based on subscriptions,” he claims. 

The passionate agripreneur adds that the Venus project supports 26 local households with weekly nutritious food, vegetables, fruits and fish.

To get in touch with Vijayakumar Narayanan, contact +91 81292 19282 or write to info.vkn@nardc.in.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

Photo credits: Vijayakumar Narayanan

“Even growing trees on land can lead to tangling of roots and thereby slow blooming. All the nutrients we provide at the beginning go directly to the roots. ‘Air pot gardening’ is a method to avoid this by planting saplings on pots full of holes, which can be placed anywhere,” says the owner of an exotic fruit farm ‘Miracle Farms’ in Idukki, Kerala.

Other than being a farmer, Bijumon also manufactures and sells his own air pots. He says that this method of farming is prevalent in foreign countries like Israel, China and Japan, and gives faster and better yields. “But due to the high price of such pots in India, most farmers don’t take up the technique here. One pot costs an average of Rs 650 on major e-commerce platforms,” he says.

Bijumon was a photographer by profession and used to run a studio near his home. Since he hails from a farming family, the 47-year-old had always engaged in agriculture as a secondary activity. But it’s been only five years since Bijumon completely turned his focus to agriculture.

“I started off as an integrated farmer, breeding goats, cows, black fowls, and fish, as well as growing several crops including cardamom and pepper. I constantly read and researched about new types of farming suitable for the climate of Kerala. Six years ago, I stumbled upon the idea of cultivating exotic fruits, of which certain varieties can withstand the heat and rain of the state,” the farmer says.

Today, Bijumon grows fruits like apple (25 varieties), orange, peach, pear, almond, walnut, and apricot at Miracle Farms. Their saplings, grown completely in air ports, are available for purchase on the farm and can also be couriered across the country.

What are air pots?

“Air pots are wide sheets made from flexible plastic with cone-shaped indents. The indents have small holes at the tip. The sheet comes with a few screw-like fasteners and a flat round-shaped piece made of plastic screen at the bottom,” says the farmer. 

“The pots can be assembled by wrapping the mat on the bottom piece. The advantage here is that more air passes through the available holes, thus benefiting the plants. Also, when the roots come out exposed to the atmosphere, they dehydrate and new roots are produced. Those will be fibrous roots that require less nutrients. Rest of the benefits of the soil go to the plant directly,” he explains.

Bijumon initiated this method after planning to get into apple farming. He purchased a few pots online and says the results were great. But he couldn’t make decent profits as the pots were quite expensive, which led him to manufacture his own pots.

With the help of a Coimbatore-based company, he now makes them in different sizes. In the beginning, people visiting his farm were left intrigued by the pots and asked him to get them a few. This eventually turned into a business and his pots are named ‘Miracle Pots’. 

“The price range of the pots is Rs 50 – Rs 1,000, and to grow an average tree, a pot of Rs 350 is more than enough. If purchasing wholesale, the price comes down. People usually come here and purchase directly. I also courier them to all parts of the world,” say the agripreneur.

Other than growing trees, the pots can also be used for composting. As the bacteria grows faster due greater presence of oxygen through the holes, composting takes fewer days if done in air pots, he assures.

Bijumon says that air pot gardening helps plants stay fresh and provides them with all their nutritional needs. It gives results within half of the prescribed time and requires less labour. Another notable advantage is that the trees grown this way can be commuted to any other spot easily, without damage. 

“All you have to do is purchase pots of required size, fill it with soil, and plant the saplings. Occasional watering and fertilising is enough. Everything else is similar to normal gardening,” he says.

He is all set to expand his production and make the pots available in local farm shops. Bijumon, who has studied till Class 8, is accompanied by his sons, who provided technological support by starting a website and YouTube channel to popularise this method of farming. 

The farmer has received the state government’s Karshakothama Award in 2019 and the Karshaka Tilak Award in 2020.

Interested in air pot gardening? Contact Bijumon 9048505848.

Edited by Divya Sethu

All photo credits: Bijumon Antony

Following this disheartening stint at using hydroponics, the farmer got to know about a three-day training programme that was being run in Coimbatore by a venture CityGreens. 

The year was 2019 and Ramakrishnan moved cities to attend the programme and eventually loved it so much that he decided to start his farming practice in Coimbatore itself. “I realised that hydroponics is a science and if you do it right it should work,” he adds. 

However, life got in the way for the farmer and it was only in 2021 that he finally started farming by integrating hydroponic measures in his farm, helped by CityGreens.  

The results that he observed were phenomenal. “The quarter acre farm’s harvest was more than open field farms. I started growing Indian greens here as advised by CityGreens experts, instead of lettuce which is a traditional hydroponics plant.” 

Ramakrishnan was only one of the 5,000 farmers helped by CityGreens, co-founded by, Gaurav Narang.

A mission for better food 

Narang, an alumnus of IIM Kolkata never imagined he would set up a venture that would one day provide Indian homes with good quality produce. 

Prior to this, he worked in the pharma sector wherein he was involved in the supply chain of medicines. “We would provide speciality medicine and care services to patients suffering from chronic and life-threatening diseases like cancer, auto-immune diseases, diabetes, etc,” he says.

The correlation between the quality of food that people in cities consume and the diseases they are inflicted with was precedent enough for CityGreens to start their research. 

“We realised there is a dearth of good quality vegetables on the production side, and low farm yields due to the traditional way of growing produce,” says Narang. 

So, in an attempt to solve this problem, Narang says he decided to set up a venture wherein they would procure produce from different farms and then sell it. But, it wasn’t as simple. 

“When I sat down to understand the market, I realised ‘organic’ doesn’t always mean ‘free of pesticides’. Simply trying to bring order to the chaos was not a solution, as the problem was of a larger scale,” he says. 

This was when he began reading up about how western countries managed to get good quality produce during harvest, and stumbled upon the idea of hydroponics. 

“Through further reading, I understood that this, though an attractive option, had once failed in India on its advent. I took it up as a challenge to start a venture that would ensure large-scale production of fresh, safe and healthy food for the masses, and do this through low-cost technology that we would share with farmers across the world,” he adds. 

Taking this ideology forward, in 2017, Narang quit the pharma sector to start CityGreens with his wife Shwaita. The couple was joined by Rahul Indorkar, another IIM Kolkata alumnus, as a co-founder in 2020. 

How does it work?

As Narang explains, the working of the venture is divided into a series of stages. 

Once a farmer approaches them saying he wants to farm using hydroponics, the team at CityGreens first understands the crop in focus. 

“We then conduct research and use our previous knowledge to see if the crop has a market and is viable. Many people are under the impression that hydroponics is limited only to leafy greens, but this is not true,” says Narang. 

Once the crop is decided upon, the location is assessed by CityGreens experts and then climate patterns are mapped. “This helps us understand if the farmhouse should be climate controlled or naturally ventilated.”

The planning stage takes around a month. Following this, the team either sets up a polyhouse or integrates hydroponics technology on the farm and continues visiting the farmer at different times throughout the weeks to assess the performance. 

“During these weeks, a dry run is conducted to check the technology, and then our agronomists visit the farmers to help them with transplantation of the vegetable saplings,” he adds. 

By integrating their automation into the farm, farmers can ensure that human errors are eliminated, and productivity is increased. 

Increasing efficiency of farms 

CityGreens has four farms in Ahmedabad, out of which three are hydroponic and one is indoor, and another is a hydroponic farm in Bengaluru. 

“The food we grow here gets supplied to companies like BigBasket. Milk Basket, Gabbar Farms, and retail stores, etc through which the food is sold to end consumers,” he says. 

The IoT technology suite that they have commercialised is being used in more than 20 farms across India, and their farm in Uttarakhand started in 2021 is the first fully automated farm in India for growing medical cannabis using aeroponic technology. 

Along with this, the team has also set up several indoor vertical and polyhouse hydroponic farms for farmers across India. These include cities such as Almora, Haridwar, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Selam, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and more. 

“We have set up more than 25 farms in the last couple of years,” says Narang. 

Something for everyone 

While their aim is to make every farm in India ‘smart’, CityGreens has ensured that through their offerings, everyone benefits. 

“We provide kits, nutrients, lights, and other inputs for hobby growers,” says Rahul, adding that these kits are developed and manufactured by them. “We have more than 600 cities in India using our products to grow food for their consumption,” he adds. 

He mentions that they help commercial growers in the setup of hydroponic and indoor vertical farms, including the concept, design, set-up, agronomy and sales support to the farmers for a period of 1-year post setup. 

But for the three co-founders, success tastes sweeter as they began by having no knowledge about agriculture. 

Working closely with farmers

“Coming from a successful entrepreneurial background and then trying to get our hands dirty by growing food ourselves was not something that was encouraged by many,” says Shwaita, adding that people did not think of farming as a respectable profession back then, especially for a woman.

However, this never stopped her or the other two founders from achieving what they had set out to. 

“Today, people are more aware of health, the prices and acceptance for hydroponic food which is quite good. This ensures good profitability and income for CityGreens and also for other farmers who are early movers and adopting these technologies,” says Narang. 

For their work, CityGreens was awarded a Rs 65 lakh grant from the Government for their venture. 

Last year the venture saw a turnover of Rs 8 crore and the trio could not have been happier. 

“Everyone is looking to work and make money to survive. But we are fortunate that we are able to do this while helping farmers and doing our bit of good in the world,” says Narang.   

Edited by Yoshita Rao

Thayumanavan grew up in Karaikal, Pondicherry. His father Kunapalan maintained a beautiful garden with flowering plants, vegetables and medicinal herbs. As a child, Thayumanavan assisted him in these activities and slowly developed an interest in the field.

He grew up to become an electrical engineering professor currently teaching at the University College of Engineering, Panruti. Till 2015, he was not able to pursue his passion for gardening due to space constraints in the rented apartment. But after shifting to his own house in Neyveli, Thayumanavan is growing everything under the sun.

“I have a 1300 square feet terrace and 5.5 cents of land behind my house, both of which are completely utilised for farming. Almost all vegetables except onion and garlic are cultivated here, organically,” says 39-year-old Thayumanavan.

With the help of his family, the urban gardener grows brinjal, okra, tomatoes, chillies, cucumber, beetroot, radish, sweet potato, drumstick, banana, and all types of creepers and gourds. All these are cultivated in 150-200 grow bags and pots spread over the terrace. He also collects old refrigerators for small amounts from scrap dealers and grows crops inside them. “At present, there are 20-25 refrigerators upon my terrace filled with soil and plants,” says the creative farmer.

In his early days of farming, Thayumanavan used to buy vermicompost from the market to get good yields. Now, from soil mixes to pesticides, everything is prepared by him. “I used to spend a lot of money on fertilisers. Once YouTube became popular, I began following some urban garden experts. The videos gave me the confidence to assemble homemade agricultural products,” he says.

Farming concoctions like jeevamritha are made by himself to enrich the plants. Natural pesticides like neem oil and mirchi/ ginger-garlic paste are also prepared. He adds, “I can collect around 20-25 grow bags full of cow dung from right outside my house.”

Thayumanavan named his farmland ‘Nilavanam’. “Nila is my daughter’s name and vanam means forest,” he says.

Unique soil mix

Unlike in conventional gardening, Thayumanavan doesn’t add cocopeat to his garden soil mix. He collects sugarcane waste (bagasse) from local vendors which are processed once again in a shredding machine he owns. This compost is mixed with soil and cow dung in equal proportion to which the seeds are sown, after 90 days.

“There is no need to waste money by purchasing coco peat, which is not a sustainable option. Its effect doesn’t last long unlike my mix which can be used for up to three years. Additionally, I have prepared a kitchen waste compost which is also added occasionally to the soil mix,” explains the gardener.

Thayumanavan says that the soil mix prepared this way is similar to forest soil, rich in organic matter. Employing these ideas, he can grow a surplus of vegetables. 

He adds, “Initially the produce were used by my four-member family alone. But now, I sell the excess items and make up to Rs 2,000 per month. Though my aim is not to earn money but growing non-poisonous food for more people. It’s not possible to provide the items for everyone but I give seeds as well as tips to anyone interested,” says the farmer.

He also adds it is important to recycle soil just like other products and using sugarcane bagasse is one method of doing so. “If you are using a new soil mix for each sowing period, then what is the use of organic farming?” he asks.

Thayumanavan is part of a WhatsApp group of 250 members in which he sells and buys organic produce as well as seeds. 

“Malabar spinach, both red and green, is the star item of my garden and grows abundantly. Many people, especially my colleagues, ask for radish too which is a pretty rare item in the market,” he gushes.

He started poultry farming with chicken and ducks, as the first step toward integrated farming and also plans to set up a biogas plant soon. His wife and two daughters are in full support of all his farming endeavours. 

“Next time when you find an excuse to get away from setting up a small terrace garden, remember that it costs your health. After all, my greatest motivation for all these activities is my family’s health,” he says.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

As part of the sales and marketing team of the VNR Seeds company for almost four years, he had the opportunity to interact with several farmers from different parts of the country, he says. Through them, he learnt the scope of agriculture and was motivated to take up farming. 

“Though I have a BSc in agriculture, I had no plans of taking up farming as a profession until I started working with VNR Seeds. I’d even done my MBA through distance education during that period. But as I dealt with the sale of seeds and saplings, I became more interested in agriculture, eventually wanting to try my hand at it,” he tells The Better India. 

Along the way, he also learned the scope of the Thai variety of guava. “I also interacted with farmers who cultivated them and guided them,” he adds.

Taking his interest forward, Rajeev quit his job in 2017 to grow Thai guavas on five acres of land he took on the lease in Panchkula, Haryana. He does this via a method known as ‘residue-free’ farming. 

Today, the 30-year-old agripreneur has expanded to 25 acres of land, on which he grows around 12,000 trees, earning him an average profit of around Rs 6 lakh per acre, he says. 

Taking the leap 

Rajeev says that while he had been wanting to take up farming for some time, he was unsure of quitting a stable job at the seeds company. But in 2017, a Thai guava farmer he had worked with offered him 5 acres of a guava orchard in Panchkula, as he was unable to take good care of it.

This turned out to be a turning point in Rajeev’s life — the same year, he quit his job and took on the role of a full-time farmer.

“The guava trees at his farm were three years old and bearing fruits. I took the land on lease and started nurturing the trees,” he says.

As the name suggests, Thai guava varieties are native to Thailand and have a high demand across India. These white fruits are larger than regular varieties, with an apple green skin. They’re only mildly sweet, with less fragrance. 

“The major highlight of the fruit is that it has a long shelf life, of up to 12 days, when kept at room temperature of 25 degrees Celsius,” says Rajeev.

He says he adopted a residue-free method because he felt it was viable for large-scale horticultural farming. 

“When I took over the farm, I realised the need for fertilisers as well as proper irrigation, which were essential for the growth of such fruit crops. I also wanted to make sure that my produce is safe and clean for consumption. Therefore, I adopted residue-free farming,” he explains.

What is residue-free farming? 

Residue-free farming involves organically-derived biocides and biofertilisers to protect crops and help them grow. They sometimes involve the usage of chemicals, but in an optimum amount that does not harm human health.

“Organic farming works well when you are farming in an area or a surrounding where chemical farming is not practised much. But if the farms around you are using chemicals, then it would become difficult to manage an organic farm, which would be more prone to pest attack,” Rajeev explains. “Organic or natural farming at large-scale is an expensive affair and labour intensive. Besides, the final yield will also be less.”

According to a report in The Business Line,  residue-free farming is economical and yields higher produce. Moreover, it leaves no chemical residue behind.

“Every pesticide has a specific pre-harvest interval (PHI), which is the gap between spraying and harvesting, or the minimum amount of time required for the pesticide residue to wear out before the crop can be harvested. I use only green-labelled pesticides that are less toxic and have less PHI, of around 3 to 5 days,” he elaborates, adding that he harvests his produce only after a gap of 15 days from the last application.

To understand more about residue-free farming, we spoke to Dr Amit Kumar Goswami, a horticultural scientist at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Delhi.

According to him, “There are different types of chemicals that have short-term residue and others with long-term residues. In residue-free farming, a very limited and safe amount of chemicals can be used that won’t leave residue on the outcome or on the produce. While using them, it is important to follow the pre-harvest interval (PHI) to ensure that the produce is free of any residue before consumption.”

“When it comes to natural farming, the basic components involve animals or livestock. But in their absence, it is difficult to make large-scale farming ventures economically viable. Therefore, certain dependency or minimal usage of such chemical components becomes necessary at some points,” he adds.

Rajeev says he uses water-soluble chemical fertilisers that help boost the yield at a very optimum level. 

“We also use microbe culture in the soil so that it helps in better absorption of nutrients,” he says, adding that he uses drip irrigation for the timely application of water-soluble fertilisers as well as to minimise water wastage.

A successful harvest

Another essential farming practice he follows is the three-layer bagging. 

“When the flowers turn to fruits, we immediately bag them to protect them from injuries and pest attacks. We first cover the fruit with a foam net, then an anti-fog polythene bag, and finally with a piece of newspaper. This three-layer packaging ensures uniform colour distribution and safe growth of the fruit till harvest,” he explains. 

After taking over the farm in 2017, he says that the first yield was harvested and sold in October and November. “That year, I earned a gross revenue of Rs 20 lakh. It gave me the confidence to expand my venture. So I took another piece of land (15 acres) near the Mohali airport and attempted residue-free vegetable farming. But it didn’t work out as I expected as I couldn’t market my produce well,” he says.

Facing losses with vegetables, Rajeev decided to stick to Thai guava farming by roping in three more investors this time. Thus in 2019, they took 55 acres of land on lease in Rupnagar, Punjab and planted guava trees. 

“We planted guava trees on 25 acres and I continued with the 5-acre plantation in Panchkula till 2021, when the owner decided to sell off the land. I also wanted to focus on the 25 acres, so I had to give up the first farm,” says Rajeev.

He says that guava trees start fruiting from the second to third year after planting, yielding around 10 kg per plant. The yield increases with time up to an average of 25 kg per plant.

“The average maximum potential of a single guava plant is 40 kg, which I wish to achieve in the coming years,” he adds.

Guava plants are harvested twice a year — once during the rainy season and then during the winter. “But we harvest only during the rainy season in order to avoid competition from other varieties and sellers. We let the plants rest after that ,” he says.

“We sell all our produce to the Delhi APMC market in 10 kg boxes and get paid within one week. The rate per kg ranges between Rs 40 to Rs 100, based on season and quality,” he says. “Currently, I have around 14 farm workers and we earn an average of Rs 6 lakh per acre.”

According to Rajeev, Thai guava farming is a risky business as the profit could fluctuate. 

“I might be getting a good yield right now, but it could be different next year. It could not be profitable all the time. But if we manage our farm very well and with some patience, we could eventually get a decent average profit every year,” he opines.

Edited by Divya Sethu

Source:

Prioritise residue-free farming over organic farming, by Thirukumaran Nagarajan; published by The Business Line on 15 May 2022.

The global dilemma of food insecurity is exacerbated by agriculture’s acute sensitivity to climate change, which is already having a detrimental impact, considering rising temperatures, increased weather unpredictability, shifting agroecosystem boundaries, invasive crops and pests, and more frequent extreme weather events. Climate change is affecting agricultural yields, the nutrition quality of main grains, and livestock output on farms. Significant adaptation expenditures have become necessary to sustain existing yields and enhance production and food quality to fulfil demand.

It has become imperative that Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA), i.e. sustainable agriculture, techniques be implemented. Agroforestry is one such promising solution for India’s agriculture. It is the practice of integrating trees and shrubs with crops and livestock.

It is a long-term agricultural strategy that can help farmers by boosting production, restoring soil balance, enhancing profitability, and giving other revenue streams. It can also assist in moderating climate change by regulating the microclimate, protecting natural variety, sequestering carbon, holding rainwater, and reducing soil erosion. Agroforestry is thought to efficiently fulfil 9 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) linked to poverty and hunger reduction, climate change, ecological balance, responsible consumption, and enhancement of agricultural productivity.

An example of the benefits of agroforestry can be seen in the state of Assam where Balipara Foundation has been running an agroforestry programme in Baligao Green Village, since 2020, with only two key requirements – 1 bigha clear land and water.

The organisation is teaching agroforestry to the villagers in their available household farmland.
In the agroforestry model, Balipara has taken up seven-layer crops with moringa tree in the first layer, then papaya, lemon and king chilli and between these crops in empty patches, turmeric, ginger and sweet potato.

Locals find the method of farming extremely beneficial as soil fertility is preserved, the effort is reduced, farming takes place throughout the year, the farmers don’t need to replant for 4-5 years after one plantation, and income also increases with the frequent agricultural yield. The concept maximises utility by properly utilising soil, water, and sunshine to thrive without human intervention, creating abundant food, and healthy growth, and contributing to a balanced environment.

Recognising the potential of agroforestry in addressing a variety of developmental and environmental goals, India established a National Agroforestry Policy in 2014 and later the Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF), under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) in 2016-17. The policy intends to fulfil the rising need for lumber, food, fuel, fodder, fertiliser, and fibre by expanding the area under agroforestry while also creating jobs and producing cash. Following this, several states began implementing agroforestry.

Karnataka promotes agroforestry through programmes such as Krishi Aranya Protsaha Yojana [KAPY], in which nearby departmental nurseries supply seedlings to farmers at reduced prices. Even dry and semi-arid regions in the state are slowly shifting toward agroforestry, particularly on big farms, due to the resistance of trees to climate unpredictability, cheap maintenance, increased revenue, and state support.

Similarly, Haryana is an example of how weak forest and natural resources, with about 3.5% of its land under forest and more than 80% under agriculture, can sustain the nation’s food and wood security through agroforestry. The Yamunanagar district became the country’s plywood capital by getting wood mostly from farmlands and giving farmers high productivity and short rotation of seedlings of Eucalyptus and Poplar. As a result, farmers’ income have been supplemented by farm wood-based production in addition to agricultural products, and the Indian plywood market reached Rs 195.8 billion in FY 2021-22.

Apart from Karnataka and Haryana, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have also been slowly scaling up their agroforestry practice.

However, there is a need for State intervention to further encourage farmers to adopt the practice.

Farmers find it difficult to adopt a new method that requires large resources, technical knowledge, and uncertain results. Furthermore, a lack of sufficient high-quality planting material, insufficient market facilities or infrastructure, and inadequate institutional support all pose challenges to agroforestry methods.

While the National Agroforestry Policy of 2014 was a good start, active state participation and effective institutional structures are more needed to incentivize farmers and teach them the efficient practice of agroforestry. NGOs and organisations such as Balipara, and Assam can play a vital role in assisting the government in this endeavour.

Written by Bhamini Rathore; Edited by Yoshita Rao

Sources:

IPCC

CSA Guide

Balipara Foundation

Agroforestry initiative in India could help farmers earn all year in a more eco-friendly way; Published by Mongabay on 20 September 2021

IMARC

That’s what Jagan Prahlad Bagade of Khaparwadi Budruk village in Akola district of Maharashtra did. He has raised a bio fence—entirely made of wildly grown cactus (locally known as nivdung)—which has now grown up to 12 ft and encircles his 30-acre farm.

Biofencing, also known as live fencing, is a line of trees or shrubs planted on farm or field boundaries. Less expensive and more useful than fences made of wood, barbed wire, or stone masonry, environmentalists consider them to be a biotic, environment-friendly method.

The cactus on the boundaries of Gagade’s fields is Euphorbia lactea, native to India, and an erect shrub of succulent branches with spiny ridges and short spines, which can grow up to 16ft in height. 

Bagade (43) recalls, “When I started planting cactus cuttings on the edges of my farm people laughed at me. They called me a fool. To veda jhala aahe (He is mad), they said.” Seven years later he encircled his farm with cactus. 

He is now known as the ‘cactus man’, often called upon by the local agricultural officers to address farmers’ meets on the merits and cost-effectiveness of bio fencing. 

Realising the merits of Bagade’s bio fence some 30-odd farmers have already planted cacti on the boundaries of their farms. And as the word spread through messaging apps, farmers from different parts of the State visited him to learn about bio fencing and leave with cactus cuttings.

A multi-purpose fence

Being the taluka president of Punjabrao Deshmukh Biological Mission, Bagade took the initiative to involve villagers in the production of biological pesticides, the use of modern implements and water conservation activities. Acres of wasteland lying fallow for ages have been readied for cultivation with the help of the local agricultural department. Farmers have been skilled in tasks like contour bunding, compartment bunding, horizontal sowing on slopes, etc. 

In May 2018, the villagers dug up 19 farm ponds, raising the total to 70; hollowed out 1km-long nullah, and completed contour bunding on 150 acres which have led to a rise in groundwater level to 10ft from the earlier 30 ft. 

Most remarkably the brackish water has changed into potable water. 

But ever since drinking water became more accessible in 2007 from the Wari Hanuman dam, a mere 35 km away, villagers feel that the population of wild animals has increased.

For years, farmers like Bagade had to contend with wild animals and often scared them off with firecrackers or air guns. This was until he came across a video on social media on growing cacti.

He explains, “I have kept a distance of one foot between the cuttings. With the thorny cactus in place, no wild animals have dared to enter the fields.”

Serving as a habitat for many birds and animals, the bio fences serves multiple purposes such as providing fodder, fertilizer and windbreakers, besides conserving biodiversity and absorbing climate-inducing gases such as carbon dioxide. 

Bio fences work as windbreakers too. “Also, the fallen leaves act as mulch, conserving soil moisture,” he says, adding, “They are ideal windbreakers and my farm doesn’t lose moisture.”

He adds, “Initially, I had erected barbed wire fence on an acre which cost me Rs 40, 000 but soon realised that if I wanted to fence my entire farmland I would have to sell parts of it.” 

Bagade attributes the bio fence to his success as a farmer and his record-breaking harvest. Last year he managed to harvest 33 quintals of horse gram (in one hectare), 8 quintals of soybean (one acre) and 12 quintals of cotton (one acre) — an achievement for which the district authorities felicitated him. “Over the years crop production has almost trebled,” says Bagade.

Cactus here grows wild on unclaimed land or common spaces. Bagade brought a tractor full and planted it around an acre. “I might have spent Rs 15,000 to plant the cacti, most of it was spent on labour,” he says.

Farmlands in Akot taluka are often at the mercy of wild pigs, nilgai, deer and monkeys raiding the farms and destroying standing crops. “The deer population has increased over the years. They are a big menace and raid the fields in groups, at times 25 to 30 of them,” says Bagade. “But now such incidents have become a thing of the past.”

About raising a cactus fence, Bagade advises that cuttings of a minimum of 2 ft height be planted and if fertilized properly in a year or two a height of 5 ft can be achieved.

Sushant Shinde, Akot taluka agriculture officer, says, “A progressive farmer who has taken the lead in activities like soil conservation and groundwater recharge and conservation, Bagade’s success with the bio fence has motivated other farmers in the taluka too.”

Bagade is pleased by the unintended benefit of a bio fence. He adds, “I can grow vegetables like bitter gourd, snake gourd and a variety of beans, thanks to the support offered by the cacti.” 

Edited by Yoshita Rao

Not one to sit idle, she decided to use the time she now had to explore farming and entrepreneurship together through a mushroom business.

“I had a lot of free time and wanted to beat the boredom, but productively. While looking for ideas, I read about the scope of mushroom cultivation in the newspaper. What attracted me the most was the convenience of growing them at home itself,” Rekha tells The Better India.

What started as a small endeavour with just Rs 1,000 in 2013 turned into a flourishing agricultural and entrepreneurial venture within a few years.

Today, her mushroom farming earns her a business of Rs 3 to 4 lakh a year. With her learnings about the profession over the years, Rekha has also trained thousands in mushroom farming, she says. 

‘Started with Rs 1,000 from my bedroom.’

In 2013, when Rekha discovered the potential of mushrooms, its nutritional qualities and the scope of growing it, she started studying more about the fungi on YouTube. 

“I also interacted with several others who were already cultivating mushrooms,” says the 51-year-old.

Rekha, who started her venture without proper training, says that she wouldn’t advise this, as she experienced several losses in the beginning due to lack of knowledge. She then took training from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Sipaya and Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University Pusa in Samastipur in 2018. 

“I was guided by Dr Sanjay Kumar, a scientist at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, and trained by Dr Dayaram Rao, who is my guru in this venture. It was only after the training that I started receiving positive results,” says the economics graduate.

Starting with just oyster mushrooms, she has now expanded her cultivation to five more varieties — button mushrooms, milky button mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, hericium mushrooms and paddy straw mushrooms.

The expanded cultivation now takes over six rooms in her own house. 

“After receiving proper training, there was no turning back. I became more confident to explore and expand the business further. Eventually, I also started making mushroom spawns on my own at home,” she says.

Marketing through value-addition

Rekha grows various seasonal mushroom varieties through the year under her registered venture Anand Jyoti Mushroom Utpadan Kendra. 

With guidance from the officials of Krishi Vigyan Kendra and the agricultural university, she experimented with selling value-added mushrooms products in order to stretch the shelf life of her produce. “Over the years, I learnt to make different value-added products like mushroom powder, pickles, biscuits, samosas, namkeen, ladoos, and so on,” she adds.

The products are sold through her centre and local shops. “The mushroom powder can be used as a health supplement by mixing it with milk or by adding it in different dishes like kheer, seva etc,” she explains.

Mushroom-based namkeen is priced at Rs 250 per kg, biscuits and laddoos at Rs 400 per kg, samosas at Rs 300 per kg. 

“In the initial years, I had to depend on my husband to invest in my business. But now I have been able to make a steady income and earn around Rs 3-4 lakh a year,” she says, adding that it was her husband Ashwini Kumar who encouraged her to pursue her dream to be an entrepreneur.

After reaping success, Rekha decided to train people in mushroom cultivation and value addition. “I felt that there are many people, especially women, who could benefit from mushroom cultivation. I was sure that just like it helped me, it would help many stand on their own feet,” she explains.

“Through my free online classes, I have been able to train people in different parts of the country like Madhya Pradesh, Kashmir, Andamans, Mumbai, and so on. Besides, I conduct paid training classes every month at home,” she says. “Since 2018, I have trained around 1,000 people online and offline, among which around 500 have been growing mushrooms actively.”

Sheela Devi, a resident of Andaman and Nicobar islands, took online training from Rekha and has been actively cultivating mushrooms. “I came to know about Rekha through YouTube and attended her free online training around three years ago. Ever since, I have been able to grow oyster mushrooms that usually don’t grow well in Andamans. I applied what she taught me in the training and it has been very beneficial.”

“I have been able to earn around Rs 45,000 on an average per month before expenses,” she adds.

Meanwhile, Rekha says, “Though it requires proper training and hard work, mushroom cultivation is something anyone can adopt and earn a good income from. This is especially true for unemployed women who are looking forward to starting something on their own at home.”

For more information, you can contact Rekha Kumari at 7667594296.

Edited by Divya Sethu

Even if you don’t have enough space, you can grow everyday herbs like lemongrass, rosemary, and mint right inside your kitchen.

How? Through a small hydroponic setup near the kitchen platform or window. 

This can help you grow fresh herbs that fulfil the requirements of one family, without any complications or even soil. 

Urban gardening expert Reshma Renjan, who lives in Bokaro, Jharkhand, shares a few simple steps you can do this in, with only a handful of containers and water. 

1. Lemon Grass

Collect a few strands of lemon grass from a friend’s garden or from the market. Make sure its roots are also included. Leave it in a glass or container full of water. Give it a little sunlight and leave it aside. You will spot new roots and leaves sprouting from the plant within 15 days. 

If you have space in the garden, you can also grow it in soil using the same steps. In fact, this will provide you faster results, in less than 10 days. 

Use your fresh lemongrass in a cup of steaming tea or for an additional flavour punch in a variety of curries. 

2. Rosemary

This aromatic herb is a must-have in most Italian dishes like pizzas, pastas and lasagnas, or even in flavoured rice.

Collect a six-inch cutting of rosemary from any garden or market. Pluck the leaves from the lower portion and place the cutting in water. Within 10 days, roots will emerge from the cuttings. After 20 – 25 days, you will be able to spot new branches and leaves. Remember to change the water once a week.

Did you know that besides being a delicious accompaniment to meals, rosemary can also help keep mosquitoes away? Check out how here. 

3. Mint

Mint is one of the easiest herbs to grow in a garden. Let’s try to grow this in water this time.

Gather three or four mint cuttings from the market. Take two containers — one small and one big. Make a few holes on the top of the small container. Remove the leaves from the bottom portion of the cuttings and place them in these holes. 

Now fill the other container with water and place the small box with the cuttings inside it. 

Place the container in an area that receives ample sunlight. Change the water once a week. The leaves will grow out within a few days and you will spot new white roots inside the small box.

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4. Indian borage/ Mexican mint

Considered a variety of celery because of its fragrance, Mexican mint has several medicinal properties. It can be added to tea or drinks to improve both flavour and smell. 

This mint can easily be grown in abundance on soil as well as water. As the plant gets dense fast, it is better to place it in a large-mouthed container. Use three or four cuttings of the plant and place it in a container filled with water. New roots will sprout within a week and leaves start developing in 10 days. Keep changing the water every alternate day for faster results.

This herb is ideal for flavouring meat dishes, soups, and stews. 

5. Italian Basil

Basil is another essential Italian herb and is very easy to grow. 

It grows upto three inches long with dark green leaves and has a spicy, fragrant taste. The herb is used extensively in salads, to flavour the crostini in bruschettas, and while cooking pesto or other sauces.

Like with mint leaves, take two containers in different sizes. Place two or three cuttings through the holes made in the smaller jar. Place this jar inside the bigger one filled with water. 

Within 10 days, you should see roots and new leaves. 

Here are some additional tips to be kept in mind while growing all these herbs:

• Change the water inside the containers frequently (preferably alternate days) till new roots and stems develop. Once the growth begins, change water once a week.
• To aid faster growth, add any hydroponic fertilisers to the water. You can also use seaweed fertiliser, which dissolves in water easily.
• Prune the roots once a month.
• In case of insect attacks, dilute neem oil and spray it once a week. 

Follow Reshma’s YouTube channel for more information on hydroponic gardening.

Read this story in Hindi here.

Edited by Divya Sethu; Photo credits: Reshma Renjan

It was those few seeds that later changed his life and made him more invested in agriculture.

Now his house at Amalapuram near Angamaly in Kerala is famed for growing an exotic and nutritious foreign fruit known as gac fruit. Scientifically known as Momordica cochinchinensis, this fruit is native to Vietnam and grows well in the warmer climate regions of Southeast Asia.

“Though my family was into agriculture for generations I wasn’t very keen about it until I discovered gac fruit and the scope of growing it. We have a few cash crops like rubber, areca nut, etc. on our land but gac turned out to be my most prized possession,” Jojo tells The Better India.

Today, he grows over 30 gac fruit plants on his house terrace, front yard and also in 60 cents of land around his house. He also sells the seeds of the exotic plant and earns around Rs 2 lakh per year.

Growing the ‘fruit of heaven’

In 2018 when Jojo planted the first seeds of the gac fruit, he recalls that he wasn’t aware of its taste or nutritional qualities. “It was just after the 2018 floods in August that the seeds kept in my house remained under water for one or two days as our area was also hit. After the calamity, I found the seeds and decided to plant them directly as they were soaked in water for a few days. I was very curious as I had no clue about how the plant would turn out,” says the 48-year-old.

Within a few months he realised that it grows exactly like passion fruit — by climbing vines — says Jojo who soon started digging for more information on the plant. “Within three to four months the plant started flowering and that’s when I started studying and researching about gac fruit online. I was surprised to realise that it was widely cultivated in countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, South China and North East Australia,” says Jojo, who also runs a branding company.

“But I was even more amazed to learn about its nutritional quality and the huge market for these fruits and its value-added products in those countries,” he adds.

Jojo says that among the six plants he planted, three of them were female and three were male, which he wasn’t aware of until they bore fruits. “In 2018 December, we got our first fruits and it was quite fascinating to see such vibrant coloured fruits hanging from the vines like bulbs. In its initial stages, the fruit will be in green colour, later it turns to yellow, then orange and then to a reddish-orange colour,” he explains.

The gac fruit, when cut open, has an orange-coloured edible fleshy interior with black-coloured seeds with a dark red pulpy covering. “A single fruit can weigh up to 1 kilogram and a single plant can bear up to 50 fruits in one season,” says Jojo, adding that he gets the yield twice a year now. “These plants start yielding fruits usually from December to March. Soon after the yielding period, it needs to be pruned for better yield next time,” he adds.

Also known as Chinese bitter cucumber or spiny gourd, these fruits are regarded as the ‘fruits of heaven’ due to their nutritional benefits. “Not just the fruit, even the seeds and leaves of this plant have several medicinal properties. It has been used in treating conditions related to skin, and eyes and the fruit is consumed widely for boosting immunity, heart health, good skin and so on. In fact, it is these numerous health benefits and qualities that earned them the name — the fruit of heaven,” Jojo points out.

According to several studies, these fruits are a good source of antioxidants (carotenoids), especially beta-carotene and lycopene. Other carotenoids like lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin have also been identified to be present at considerable levels in the fruit.

Research shows that the zeaxanthin content in gac fruit helps in protecting eye tissues from exposure to UV rays and also helps in reducing oxidation of eye tissues. The beta-carotene in Gac fruit helps to maintain good night vision and reduces the risk of blindness. Besides, the high content of beta-carotene makes it a good source of vitamin A which is essential for the immune system.

“Several companies in places like Vietnam have been selling gacs as supplements. They have also been included in face creams, etc due to its anti-ageing properties,” says Jojo, adding that after the first yield he started learning tips and tricks of growing gac fruits on a large scale from the Vietnamese and YouTube channels.

Exploring the potential of Gac fruit

After learning about the potential of the fruit, Jojo says that he gained enough confidence to expand its cultivation. “I didn’t sell the fruits, instead I started preserving the seeds and eventually expanded the cultivation. Last year, in 2021, I set up gac fruit cultivation on around 60 cents of land around my house after replacing all the rubber trees I had planted there. Currently, I have over 30 plants where each plant bears around 40-50 fruits per season,” he elaborates.

“The market price for 1 kg of gac fruit ranges between Rs 900 to Rs 1,200 but I haven’t started selling the fruits commercially. I was mostly focusing on preserving seeds for expanding cultivation and also for selling it,” says Jojo, who has been selling gac fruit seeds for Rs 300 per packet of seeds. “The seed packet contains six seeds as it is difficult to figure out male and female seeds. We can only identify the gender once it flowers.”

He adds, “I have earned around Rs 15,000 per month and an average of Rs 2 lakh per year from the seeds.”

Ramesan from Kannur, who bought seeds from Jojo says, “I visited Jojo and bought the seeds from him last year. Within three months it flowered and it has so far yielded around 200 fruits.”

Jojo says these fruits grow well in places with good sunlight and a slightly dry climate where irrigation is possible. Another important aspect to keep in mind while growing gac fruit trees is that it is essential to growing both male and female plants for pollination. “Though pollination could happen naturally, it is better to pollinate the flowers manually as it can guarantee around 90 per cent successful results. Natural pollination would result in only 40 per cent success. One male plant for five female plants is the perfect ratio,” says Jojo, who claims to only uses organic fertilisers like cow dung powder for the plants.

The fruit isn’t sweet or has any particular taste but can be consumed as a juice by adding other ingredients like sugar or honey. “We usually use the ripe fruit to make juice to which other fruit flavours or juices can be added. It is consumed mainly for its medicinal benefits, therefore, it can be incorporated into food and drinks easily,” says Jojo, who also uses the raw fruit as a vegetable to make thoran and add in curries. “It tastes a bit bitter when tasted raw,” he adds.

The red pulp covering the gac fruit seeds is a good colouring agent and the Vietnamese use the pulp for adding colour to a rice dish that’s usually served during auspicious events like weddings, festivals and so on.

Several other value-added products like skin creams, soaps, jams, oils and so on can be made using the products.

“But people in India are still not aware of the potential of this magical fruit, which is sad. So, I wanted to sell its seeds to those who are interested in cultivating. So far I have distributed seeds to over 3,000 people among which around 300 of them have already started harvesting the fruits,” says Jojo. 

For gac fruit seeds, you can contact Jojo at 8606856474.

Sources:

Gac fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng.): A rich source of bioactive compounds and its potential health benefits

Gac: Strange Name, Powerful Fruit

Efforts to develop commercial cultivation of gac fruit

Edited by Yoshita Rao

But the unavailability of land was a challenge for him to start large-scale farming. So, he decided to take it slow and picked vegetable cultivation on a terrace.

“There is a three-storeyed building we have rented out just opposite my house. It has a wide 3,500 square feet terrace where I chose to farm. I’m a perfectionist so everything was set up neatly, even though the garden was small at first,” says the 63-year-old gardener.

Punnoose initially planted vegetable seeds in a few grow bags. Tomato, chilli, brinjal, okra and cucumber were some of them. Within two years, the number of grow bags and vegetable varieties expanded. He installed a drip irrigation system so that the watering process became easier. All the grow bags are placed on iron stands of 1.5 feet in height. Clay roof tiles are placed below each bag so that extra moisture is sucked by them. 

Six years ago, Punnoose even put together a shed on the terrace which keeps the plants safe from extreme rain and sunlight. “The shed was set up after receiving a subsidy from the agricultural department,” he adds. 

Today the gardener grows vegetables like zucchini and cauliflower and sells them under a brand called ‘Mangalam Foods’ for a fixed price. “Every day, an average of 20-25 kg vegetables are harvested from my terrace. It is packed and taken to the nearest margin-free supermarket where they are sold out within hours,” gushes the gardener.

Pepper spray technique

Punnoose credits the use of organic fertilisers and pesticides for his success. “I use organic slurry and fish amino as the major fertilisers. The mix is added in a fixed quantity every week. I have prepared a chart for the same to not miss any day,” he shares.

The star of his farm is the pesticide made from ghost pepper, one of the spiciest chillies in the world. “Ghost pepper is mainly grown in Rajasthan. I have a few saplings of it, grown for pesticide purposes. After drying and powdering the chillies, it is diluted in water and sprayed on the leaves of the plants. Although pest attacks are less here, this method works instantly. But utmost care is to be taken while conducting the process,” he warns.

Apart from the crops on his terrace, Punnoose grows creeper vegetables like bottle gourds, bitter gourds and snake gourds in his home garden. “I sell them all items for a fixed price, no matter what the market price is. Since the veggies are grown organically, people don’t hesitate to buy either. For example, even if the market price of tomatoes is Rs 10 or Rs 100, one kilogram of my tomatoes is sold for Rs 90. Similarly, chillies are priced at Rs 120 and okra at Rs 70,” he explains.

A few varieties of fruits like mangosteen, chikoo and mango are also grown in his garden. 

Another speciality of Punnose’s garden is that he uses the same soil over and again. “As the garden is located on the third floor, it is not easy to carry soil all the time. After one cycle of harvest, I mix fertilisers in the soil and leave them in a corner to regain their nutrition. So only half of the total soil is utilised at a time. The other half is left for rest. This helps in the better growth of plants,” he says.

Recently, Punnoose received the Kerala government’s Best Terrace Farmer of the District award. “The award turned out to be my motivation to plant more vegetables. But more than the profits, I value the peace of mind and satisfaction I receive from farming. This hobby makes my retirement life calmer and happier,” he adds.

The gardener has now employed two staff to look after the plants and take care of the packaging. “I’m planning to add 100 more grow bags to the collection and bring in new exotic vegetable varieties which are in great demand in the market,” he shares.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

Photo credits: Punnoose Jacob

He started with a few seasonal vegetables and later expanded to fruits, flowers and other trees. Today, apart from a fully-fledged terrace garden, he also owns a garden store in Chennai which sells items for setting up a terrace garden. The store also has a wide collection of seeds, seedlings and organic fertilisers.

“All varieties are grown in grow bags, drums, pots and planter boxes. We upgrade the garden every year with a new stock of plants and pots,” says the owner of one of the finest terrace gardens in Chennai.

The store sells cow dung, various potting mixes, grow-bags, biofertilizers, neem oil, neem cake, cow-dung cake and other miscellaneous items that are useful for amateurs and seasoned terrace gardeners. 

“Some of my friends are also associated with gardening and we take care of it together. The harvest is shared among our families. The store is also run by all of us,” says Mythreyan who works in a multinational company.

He also shares that the first three years in farming were quite challenging. “Trial and error method works well in farming, at least for me. Don’t lose hope even if the initial harvest is little. It will increase in time.”

Several types of fruits are cultivated on the terrace, majorly inside drums. This includes chikoo, mulberry, raspberry, rambutan, lemon, papaya, mango and many more. “Out of all these, papaya was grown naturally. The seeds are possibly disposed of by birds and the trees grew so healthy. I planted the saplings in a drum and took good care of it. Now they bear big and sweet papayas, all through the year,” explains the 43-year-old gardener.

Papaya is a healthy tropical fruit loaded with antioxidants. The fruit contains lycopene which has anticancer properties. Papaya improves digestion and fights constipation and bloating.

“My family, especially the children, love this fruit. I also share the fruit with my friends and neighbours. Even though there is only one tree, it is enough to feed a family,” he shares.

Here are some tips from the gardener to grow healthy papaya trees on a terrace:

1. First and foremost, read about papaya gardening and find out which variety grows well given the local weather conditions. I would suggest red lady papaya which comes up fast and produces healthy fruits.
2. Take a container/ drum/ pot which is at least two feet tall for planting the sapling.
3. Fill it with a mix of soil, cocopeat, any organic fertiliser and wet sand, all in equal ratios.
4. Usually, papaya faces no major pest attack. In case it happens, spray natural insecticides made of neem cake.
5. Place the drum with the sapling in a non-windy area. Papaya trees can’t withstand wind and it will cause damage to their roots.
6. Place them in an area where sufficient sunlight is received.
7. Once a month provide two handfuls of any manure to the saplings. It can be vermicompost, cow dung or any other organic manure.

Additional tips:

• The leaves of papaya can be used as an insecticide. Soak neem cake and papaya leaves in cow urine for a month. Dilute it in water and spray it over the leaves.
• Watch out for ants and small pests on leaves. Take a close look at the plant once a week.
• Collect the saplings from experienced gardeners or garden nurseries.
• If possible, prepare your own compost at home using kitchen waste and dry leaves. This is excellent manure for all vegetables and fruits.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

All photo credits: Mythreyan N M

The trees were at least a hundred years old then but still delighted the family with their sweet mangosteen harvest every year during the months of April-May. After devouring the fruits, Merlin collected the seeds and planted them on his one-acre property. Today, the farmer owns a six-acre land with more than 1,000 mangosteen trees from which he harvests at least 28 tonnes of fruit every season.

“A 35-year-old tree can provide up to 350 kg of fruit per year. Since mangosteen is an expensive tropical fruit with several health benefits, it has a market all over the world. While it is sold for a price between Rs 200-450 in Kerala, it earns up to Rs 600 in other states and countries,” says Merlin, who got into farming soon after completing his studies.

The 64-year-old farmer is not carrying out the farming activities alone. He is accompanied by his sons Midhun and Manu Merlin who are the brains behind scaling up the business and selling the products abroad. While Midhun resigned from his accountant job to help his father and took up full-time farming, Manu is a fitness trainer who runs a gym but is engaged in farming-related activities during the harvest season.

Garden nursery and exports

“Kerala’s weather conditions are ideal for mangosteen cultivation. Due to this reason and because the market rates of the fruit are high, more farmers are growing it nowadays,” shares Merlin. 

Other than direct wholesale trade in the nearby stores and markets, the trio have tie-ups with third parties who export the fruit to gulf countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE. “In India, a lot of sales happen in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Indore and Bengaluru. The rates here are double what we receive in Kerala,” says Manu, who takes care of the marketing of the produce. 

He adds that the fruit is sent to other countries via AirCargo and usually, the total fixed amount is received in advance before the produce is exported. “For the sales within India, distributors directly come and procure the fruits and sometimes we send it to them.”

During the season, which starts in April, many people visit the farm. “While some of them are farmers who plan to start similar cultivation, others are digital content creators who give us free promotions,” shares Manu. “We have social media handles too where we give out some content to bring in more distributors and customers. It is great how these platforms are helping traditional farmers expand their sales and reach all over the world.”

“I’m glad that my sons joined the field. It is after their entry that we scaled up. Without their marketing techniques on these platforms, my income would be meagre and I would have been just another conventional farmer restricted to the local markets of the district. While I think about how to produce quality fruits, they come up with ideas for selling them,” says Merlin with joy. 

Apart from mangosteen, the trio also grow rambutan and nutmeg on their farm. The saplings of all three trees are sold via their garden nursery named Merlin Nursery, located near the house. “Farmers in and out of Kerala are our major customers. We also take bulk orders from them. While the fruits are available only during the season, saplings are sold all through the year,” gushes Merlin. 

The farmer also adds that the life span of a ripe mangosteen fruit is seven days. The tropical fruit originated in Southeast Asia and is a rich source of Vitamins B1, B2, B9, C, minerals and antioxidants. Intake of the fruit daily is said to contribute to weight loss, healthy skin and a better immune system. The white flesh of this juicy fruit can be eaten raw or can be added to smoothies and salads.

The mangosteen farm of Merlin has trees which are aged between 7-140. “In the case of this fruit, the older the trees, the greater the harvest,” adds Merlin. 

“The number of customers is growing every year. We are planning to reach more countries and expand the business. We also hope more farmers start growing this fruit,” says Merlin. 

Interested in their produce? Contact +91 9446689478.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

All photo credits: Manu Merlin

India produces 320.48 million tonnes of vegetables and fruits, an amount greater than its food grain production. However, this is also a field where not many experiments were made earlier.

For example, until the first few years of this century, winter crops like cabbage and cauliflower were not grown in Kerala, under the assumption that the region has an unsuitable climate, says Dr C Narayanan Kutty, former professor and research director of Kerala Agricultural University. 

“Even though cabbage thoran is an irreplaceable item in the state’s cuisine, and varieties of cauliflower dishes are served in all restaurants, our farmers were reluctant to try growing them,” he notes. 

Dr Narayanan Kutty was among the first few to grow vegetables by grafting in his university and the results were phenomenal, he says. He harvested cabbage and cauliflower weighing 1-1.5 kg each. Soon, the crops were extensively cultivated in the state. 

“One reason why farmers were hesitant to grow them was because these crops are developed from saplings, not seeds. Most farmers, especially in Kerala, have the habit of cultivating vegetables from seeds only. This is because of the fear of a disease called bacterial wilt. The only way to let go of it was to graft a local variety of vegetable sapling with another one, which can withstand the bacterial attack,” explains the 61-year-old agriculturist.

Dr Narayanan Kutty learned more about grafting by attending a training session in Israel, a country where millions of saplings are produced every day through this method. He understood that it can save many days of work for farmers and can give greater yield as compared to regular seed farming. Also, the success rate is almost 30 per cent higher, he notes. 

“I started with cabbage and cauliflower, and later tomato, brinjal, and chillies. I went ahead to standardise them by planting the seedlings in trays with 100 holes. Following this, we received many orders from garden nurseries and individual farmers. Several agricultural officers visited the university to study the growth too and they confirmed it to be effective,” he says.

Soon major garden nurseries and farmers took up this method of farming. From 2011 onwards, the State Horticulture Mission started distributing grow bags to every family to make the state self-sufficient in horticulture production. Along with the bags, they also provided vegetable seedlings grown in trays using the grafting method. This continues even today. 

How to do grafting?

“This is a skilled work and requires special training. Presently, Kerala Agricultural University provides classes to those who wish to do vegetable farming on a commercial basis,” shares Dr Narayanan Kutty. 

“Apart from the university, there are certain garden nurseries like Kavungal Agro Tech in Thrissur which provide these seedlings. More nurseries and individual farmers should take up this method, which is more effective and faster than normal vegetable farming,” suggests the former professor, who now works as a freelance agricultural consultant.

The seedlings can be directly planted to the grow bag or on prepared land. As they can be grown beforehand, farmers can save up to 20 days, which equals the time required for a seed to sprout from ground. 

“While the average success rate of usual farming seed sowing method is 60 per cent, in this method, it is upto 90 per cent,” adds Dr Narayanan Kutty, recipient of the 2014 Krishi Vigyan Award.

He also shares that if done efficiently, an average of 1,000 plants can be grafted within a day. Each plant costs Rs 4 on an average, providing one with a daily income of Rs 4,000. 

“If you are unable to graft, try procuring such seedlings from nurseries and cultivate them,” he advises. “The method is widely used by farmers in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka. Kerala is slowly joining the team.”

Dr Narayanan Kutty shares some steps to follow if you want to grow vegetables through grafting: 

• Collect good quality seeds that can withstand diseases and plant them. At the same time, plant the local varieties separately. 
• Cut both plants just above cotyledons by leaving two leaves on the top. Graft within a few minutes of cutting to prevent cut surfaces from drying out.
• Grafting is a process that requires patience and skill. Attend classes by experts and practise it well before doing it commercially.

• Keep the plant in the grafting tray, each of which should have about 100 holes.
• Water rootstock and scion 24 hours before grafting and water gently, immediately after grafting.
• Leave the plants in a room and maintain a temperature between 26 – 29 degrees Celsius.
• Do not disturb them for two days. Water them gently on the third day and fifth day with less than an hour of exposure to the outdoor temperature.
• If the sapling wilts within two days, the grafting has failed.
• While you can replant on the seventh day, waiting for a few more days tll the sapling has healed would be a good choice.
• Once planted, occasionally prune for good growth.
• The plants produced using grafting method are fast growers and give better yield. 

Edited by Divya Sethu

Sources:

“Kerala farmers learn to grow winter vegetables”, published by The Civil Society on 1 March 2018.

Horticulture and it’s Role in the Indian Economy – GeeksforGeeks, published by GeeksforGeeks on 23 June 2022. 

Surat’s Anupama Desai, who organises home gardening and terrace gardening workshops, explains why August is the magic month to plant these seeds. 

“August onwards, the weather generally starts becoming humid and temperatures fall. These are the perfect conditions for several flowering and vegetable plants. Since different places have different temperatures, the seeds need to be planted accordingly,” she tells The Better India.

She says that while she has taken a short course about home gardening, gardening is mainly a process of trial and error. “You don’t really learn until you try it on your own. It’s through my own experience that I learnt which plant to grow when,” she says in an interview.

So what plants can you grow this month, and how? Anupama shares: 

Beet

1. Take a small pot or a cut plastic bottle. 
2. Fill in the potting mix, which can include soil with cocopeat, sand, and compost. 
3. Plant the seeds at a little distance from each other. 
4. Add some more soil on top so the seeds are covered. Sprinkle some water on top. 
5. Place the pot in a shaded area. Too much exposure to sunlight isn’t good for the plant. 
6. Two to three weeks later, the plant will start sprouting. Regularly water the plant to ensure the soil isn’t drying out. 
7. It should now be ready for transplantation to a bigger pot. 
8. Keep watering the plant and keep it in shade for two to three days. 
9. After this, it’s ready to be moved to a sunnier area. 
10. After about a month, start fertilising the plant with mustard cake, neemkhali, or some other natural solution
11. The beets will be ready to be harvested in about three months. 

Cauliflower

Cauliflower and broccoli are planted in similar ways. For these, one must buy seeds from the market. If you already own seeds, prepare them by adding Trichoderma powder or turmeric water.

1. Plant the seeds in a medium sized pot or a sapling tray.
2. As soon as a few leaves start to emerge, transfer the plant to a larger pot.
3. Add potting mix, which can be a mix of 50 per cent normal soil and 50 per cent cocopeat and compost.
4. Water regularly and you should see results in about a month. 
5. In about 45 days, the plant should start flowering, 
6. Add manure so that the plant starts producing vegetables soon, at roughly the 2.5 month mark. 
7. To prevent pest attacks, regularly spray organic insecticides like neem cake or cow’s milk. 

Carrots

Since carrots are a root crop, it’s important that the pot or grow bag you’re using is deep and has a good drainage system. 

1. Ready the pot by adding the potting mix. 
2. Use your fingers to make pits in the soil that are equidistant.  
3. Add the seeds to these pits and cover them up with soil. Make sure not to plant too many seeds in one pot, ensuring that each has ample space to grow. 
4. Regularly spray water. 
5. In about two weeks, the plant should start sprouting. 
6. At about the three week mark, start spraying liquid fertiliser on them. 
7. Make sure the plant is getting adequate sunlight. 
8. In about 2.5 months, the plant should be ready to harvest. 

Tomatoes

It’s easy to source tomato seeds from your kitchen, which will need to be dried. 

Tomatoes can be planted in small containers or bottles. But follow these steps if you want bigger plants with greater yields. 

1. Prepare a spacious pot or grow bag by filling soil in it. 
2. Add the seed and cover it up by adding more soil on top. 
3. Keep sprinkling water every day. 
4. In about 10 days, the seed should start sprouting. 
5. When the plant reaches about one inch in height, plant it in another pot, making sure there’s only one plant per pot for maximum production. 
6. Your tomatoes should be ready soon. 

Cabbage

Cabbage can be grown from seeds or stems, which you can probably find in your kitchen. If the stem has a bud or a sprout, it can be used to grow new plants.

1. Cut the stem without damaging the sprout. 
2. Prepare a wide and deep pot or container with potting mix, making sure it has a good drainage system. 
3. Add the sprout part to the soil and cover it up with more soil. 
4. Regularly sprinkle water and make sure the plant is getting plenty of sunlight. 
5. In about two weeks, the plant should start growing. 
6. At the one month mark, add organic fertiliser like banana peel water or onion peel water. 
7. The cabbage should be ready in about 2.5 to three months. 

So go ahead and prepare your home gardens for the oncoming winter by growing these plants. Happy gardening!

Read the story in Hindi here. 

Edited by Divya Sethu

Such is the description of ‘Mooti Pazham’, a rare and wild fruit that grew in abundance in the forests, Baby Abraham from Thodupuzha in the Idukki, Kerala, recalls.

The fruit from the tree Baccourea courtallensis, widely consumed by tribal communities, fascinated him and his elder brother while growing up near the forests of Idukki.

“It was always a beautiful sight to watch the tree that bore fruits at the bottom of its trunk. We couldn’t resist and plucked and relished them whenever we got a chance. It wasn’t seen anywhere else except in the forests. We were also not aware of its nutritious value back then,” says Baby Abraham in conversation with The Better India.

These fruits, with their alluring colours and sweet-sour taste, are also eaten by animals. He adds, “In the forests, these fruits are never left on the tree if animals like elephants, squirrels, or monkeys are around. But when the forests were razed for development or settlements, the trees disappeared and were nowhere to be found.”

The 69-year-old, who later pursued agriculture, says that it was his brother Joy who first bought three saplings of Mooti Pazham from a tribal man and planted it on his land around 30 years ago.

Today, Baby grows around 250 trees of Mooti Pazham in his one acre of land around his house. Besides, he also grows its saplings and propagates them using techniques like budding and grafting, and earns around Rs 1 lakh annually from his sale of saplings.

Nurturing a wild fruit tree

The Mooti trees are mostly seen in the mountains of the Western Ghats. The name ‘Mooti’ literally translates to ‘below’ or ‘at the bottom’ and ‘Pazham’ means ‘fruit’. 

They are mostly spotted in the forest districts of Kerala such as Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Thrissur, Kannur, and Kasaragod. Besides, they are also spotted in neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka as well.

The round-shaped fruit the size of a medium-sized gooseberry has a hard covering and pulpy content inside similar to a rambutan and three seeds inside.

Though the common variety of the fruit is red, there are also a few more varieties based on the colour and taste of the fruit. “The red coloured fruit is usually on the sweeter side, the rose coloured one is a bitter variety and the yellow variety is a mix of sweet and sour,” says Baby.

He recalls that one of the saplings brought by his brother bore fruits within four years after they were planted. “Thereafter it started bearing fruits every year. But back then I never had the thought of expanding it as a farming venture,” he says, adding, “Eventually, I started making a few saplings out of its seeds every year and distributed it to others who were interested.”

The practice, which continued for years, took a turn in 2018 when Baby propagated around 300 saplings. “I thought maybe I could sell it to some nurseries but unfortunately, it had very few takers that year. So, I decided to plant around 150 of them in my own land and that’s how it all began,” he points out.

The Mooti trees were planted across his one acres of land, where he also grows crops such as rubber, cacao, tapioca, turmeric, arrowroot, and several other fruit trees like mangosteen, lemon, rambutan and so on.

He says, “These trees would grow well in normal climatic conditions. It does not require too much sunlight or a lot of space to grow. Also, a fully grown tree would yield up to 50 kg of fruits.”

January and February are the flowering seasons of these trees that bear fruits usually in June and July.

For mooti trees to bear fruits, he says that it is important to have a male tree near the female tree, which would help with pollination. “If there is no male tree around, the female tree would still bear fruits but there will be no pulp inside the fruits,” says Baby, who sells the saplings as a packet that includes male and female saplings for Rs 250.

“I have been doing it for several years and now I can identify the gender of the tree just by observing its seeds,” he adds.

“The best part about these fruits is that they last for more than a month, even after plucking them. Although the pulp inside would shrink accordingly, you will be left with something to relish on, Even the husk or the hardcover can also be pickled,” he adds.

These fruits that are either consumed raw or as pickled, are also believed to have several health benefits. “There is ongoing research and studies for measuring its nutritional value and to understand its health benefits. There were a few preliminary studies that said that the fruits help in reducing cholesterol and blood pressure,” he explains.

Baby, who has been practising organic farming for years, says that he only applies organic manure for the trees, that too just twice a year. “It is also important to irrigate the trees frequently after they flower. So, in summers we make sure that we water them once in two or three days,” he adds.

Currently, he nurtures around 250 Mooti trees between the age group of two to 30 years and sells around 1,000 saplings a year. “Though there are a lot of inquiries for fruits, I haven’t started selling fruits commercially as I need to wait for a few more years to get the majority of the trees to bear fruits,” says Baby who now focuses on propagating quality saplings in his nursery.

For saplings, you can contact Baby Abraham at 8075910944

Edited by Yoshita Rao

An areca nut and mango farmer, 55-year-old Rajendra developed an interest in collecting rare and exotic fruits some 20 years back following a chance meeting with Electronics Engineering professor Satyanarain Bhat. With encouragement from fellow farmer Anil Balanja and plant collector Majjigesara Subramanya, he has gathered an envious collection of fruits and medicinal plants, most of which are largely unheard of and not seen in this part of the world.

“The sale of areca nut, mango pickles, spices like cloves and cardamom, jackfruit chips, etc. fuels my passion for growing exotic fruits sourced from countries like Vietnam, Australia, Malaysia, Brazil, Thailand, Japan, Hawaii by middlemen and also from nurseries in Kerala and West Bengal,” says Rajendra, a Commerce graduate. “It is a very costly passion. For instance, I paid Rs 6,000 for a blueberry plant from Brazil.”

The newly arrived seedlings or seeds are grown in a polyhouse and observed for several months or a couple of seasons before being planted in the open field. “Many times despite my best efforts the plants have died but I persisted and learnt the agronomic practices to be followed,” he says.

Rajendra’s passion for collecting exotic fruits has worn off on his twin daughters, Megha and Gagana, both software engineers.

They maintain a database of the plants growing on the farm with details like botanical names, local names, habitats, flowering and fruiting season, their medicinal properties, peculiarities, etc.

Pointing to a climber, which is locally known as Halage Hannu, Megha (25), says, “Its botanical name is Elaeagnus Conferta. Its fruit becomes orange when ripe and is edible and somewhat acidic in taste. It has anti-diabetic properties and is used for the treatment of pulmonary complaints. It is rich in antioxidants.”

Rajendra is proud of his most extensive collection of Appemidi, a mango pickle variety endemic to the Malnad region. He has 60 varieties of Appemidi and the family makes around 150kg of pickles. “Unlike the others, here the entire fruit is pickled which has a shelf life of six years,” he informs.

According to Rajendra, the months between June to August, when it pours in Sagar, lead to problems like nematodes and fungus affecting the plants. And when the fruit matures one has to battle the fruit flies beside the stem borer insects.

At his farm, you’re likely to come across Banana Sugarcane, a tall perennial plant which produces multiple stems and trunks whose yield is almost triple compared to other available varieties. Other plants include Popoulu banana, native to the  Polynesian islands in the Pacific region; Uduru Bakke Jack, a self-harvesting jackfruit whose fruits automatically fall off from the branches once ripe; and Anangi (Oroxylum Indicum) whose large leaf stalks wither and fall off the tree and collect near the base of the trunk, appearing to look like a pile of broken limb bones. Its leaves, seeds and fruits are used as food and in traditional dishes.

The diversity witnessed here, what one could call a food forest and herb garden, is evident in the varieties one comes across: mango (65), banana (40), custard apple (30), jackfruit (150), cashew nut, citrus(30), sapota (20), cherry (20), rambutan (15), avocado (18), water apple (23), pineapple (4), coffee (4), bamboo (20), nutmeg (5), a few guava plants and others.

However, it’s the commercial crops like coffee, cacao, cinnamon, vanilla, pepper, ginger, clove, turmeric and nutmeg etc, which bring in the moolah. Recognised by the State for its vast collection, the farm is home to rare and medicinal herbs of the Western Ghats.

Managing a farm in the midst of  Sahyadris can be challenging as most farmers here have to contend with the wild animals like Monkeys, Malabar squirrel, Gaur, Hornbill, Porcupine, Wild pigs, etc. “We lose close to 25 per cent of our crops to the wild animals but have learnt to live with them,” informs Rajendra, crediting his success as a farmer to the 15 bee boxes dotting his farm–colonised by the stingless bees.  

Like other plant collector enthusiasts, he is of the opinion that quarantine procedures be made more liberal and waived off on those plant varieties which have already been introduced in the country or naturalised. He curiously asks, “Did you know that if you wanted to bring Catimon Mango scions or plants from Thailand one has to go through Customs and undergo quarantine?”

For those interested in growing new varieties of fruits he suggests Mangosteen and Rambutan, which can be grown from seedlings and grafted plants. 

With so many fruits on the dining table, there is never a dull day in the Hindumane household. As Gagana puts it, “Ours is a fruit lover’s paradise.”

Edited by Yoshita Rao; All photo credits to Rajendra Hindumane

Through their NGO Anisha, the couple has been working relentlessly to improve the livelihoods of the farming community in the drought-prone Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka by promoting organic farming.

The NGO was started in 1994 by Valliammal, Rajan, and their friend Srinivasan, while they were pursuing their LLB in Bengaluru.

Anisha, which translates to “from darkness to light”, then worked to engage street children in Bengaluru in educational activities.

“Working with those children gave me initial insight into the issue of migration from villages. Their parents had given up farming due to declining productivity and migrated to the cities looking for greener pastures,” Valliammal tells The Better India.

The issue resonated with her on a different level, as her parents themselves had migrated to the city long ago from their villages.

In 2004, when she was visiting her husband’s village in Nallur, Chamarajanagar district, she noticed that most villagers there had either switched to chemical-based agriculture or abandoned farming and migrated to different places.

“The villages of Chamarajanagar depend mostly on farming, but the issue of low productivity has been weighing them down for years. The region is a rainfed area and depends highly on monsoons, as irrigation has always been difficult. But monsoons have not been very kind to them either. I saw vast patches of land that were abandoned there,” says Valliammal, who holds an MA in Sociology and an LLB.

Meanwhile, Rajan, who grew up in the fields of Nallur village, recalls that the region had extensive cultivation but has changed tremendously over the years. “Long ago, during the time of my grandparents, people used to practice only organic or natural farming. Over the years, they shifted to chemical farming for higher benefits and profitability, which affected the soil fertility and productivity,” he notes.

Motivated to understand the issue and find a solution, in 2006, the couple shifted their focus to rural development by promoting organic farming and ensuring food security in these villages. They shifted their NGO to Martalli in Kollegal Taluk of Chamarajanagar.

So far, they have been able to train over 2,000 farmers in organic farming and have helped set up over 400 kitchen gardens in and around 20 villages across the Martalli region.

An effort to reinstate organic farming

As an initial step, Valliammal interacted with different farmers in the area. She found that the older generation still endorses natural methods of farming and doesn’t support the idea of using chemicals. “They say if bhoomi thayi (mother earth) hasn’t given any yield this year, then she would definitely provide it next year. Then what’s the point of spoiling the fertility of the soil by infusing such chemicals?” says the 51-year-old.

Soon, Valli and her friend Srinivasan started visiting different villages across the Martalli region and conducting orientation classes for farmers to create awareness about the disadvantages of chemical farming.

“It wasn’t easy to convince them, as they had many apprehensions about switching to organic farming. So we took it as a challenge and asked them to give us a small piece of land to show them how to do it successfully,” she says, 

The farmers allotted them land next to their chemically laden farm. “We helped them ready the given land for organic farming and adopt natural methods for cultivation. All this was done while they were simultaneously involved in chemical farming on the other side. From the results, we proved to them that organic farming is possible and more cost-efficient than chemical farming,” she adds.

Valli says that their aim was to make the farmers self-sufficient in their ventures.

“We taught them how to set up their soil for organic cultivation, to use native seeds instead of hybrid seeds from the shops, and prepare their own organic fertilisers or pesticides at home. This helped them cut down expenses and increase the value of their produce. We provided them with A to Z guidance,” she explains.

“Since 2006, we have been able to train over 2,000 farmers in and around 20 villages. Among them, around 400 are currently practicing organic farming,” she adds.

John Joseph, a farmer from Martalli, has been organic farming for the past six years after receiving training from Anisha. He says that switching from chemical farming has been more profitable. 

“They trained us in making different fertilisers and pesticides using organic inputs like cow dung, urine, compost, etc. This helped me reduce the expense of buying chemical fertilisers. This has also been giving me a very good yield. I started earning more than I used to earn before, as the organic produce has more value in the local market,” says John, who grows several fruit trees like sapota, bilimbi, and mangoes, as well as vegetables like spinach, coriander, and so on.

Sowing seeds of hope and conservation

While embarking on a mission to promote organic farming among villagers, Anisha also tried to set up a seed bank for the native seeds. 

“As we were propagating organic methods it was important to provide people with native seeds and healthy varieties. Therefore, we set up a seed bank by sourcing native seeds from different parts of the country and systematically testing and documenting how it would grow in the Martalli region. Later, we would distribute it to farmers for free,” explains Valiammal, adding that the NGO has a research centre and a 9-acre working farm for the testing of seeds and fertilisers before reaching it to the villagers.

She says that farmers, after multiplying the seeds, are taught to save native seeds for the next year. They are also requested to return at least double the number of seeds to the bank after the harvest. “Currently we have more than 300 varieties of vegetables, millets, oil seeds, and more,” Valli says.

The NGO also helped landless labourers who only have limited spaces around their homes to grow their own vegetables. This initiative was aimed at helping these households to reduce expenses and also provide their family healthy nutrition.

“Men in these families either work in rock quarries or in another state, living away from home. But the women have a chance at cultivating at least a few vegetables in their available space at home. So we started distributing vegetable seeds and providing them training in how to set up kitchen gardens,” explains Valli. “Currently, we have helped to set up around 410 kitchen gardens in 20 villages.”

In 2016, Anisha expanded the work to students by helping them set up organic school gardens in their schools.

“We worked with 23 schools in three panchayats, with around 1,500 students between 2016 and 2020. With permission from the education department, we have conducted training and orientation classes in organic farming and provided them with seeds required for the initiative,” says Rajan. 

“We also teach them to save the seeds and request them to return them to the bank if possible. Several students have taken up farming at their own houses,” he adds.

John Britto, a teacher at Government Lower Primary School in Godest Nagar near Martalli, says, “Anisha came to our school in 2016, and ever since, we have been cultivating our own vegetables in our school compound. They trained our students and provided them with seeds and tools to set up the vegetable garden.”

“Teachers and students have been equally involved in the farming efforts. Now we grow tomatoes, radish, brinjal, chilli, moringa, etc and have been including all the produce in our mid-day meal. We are glad that we could provide more nutritious food to our students, thanks to the training and continuous guidance from Anisha,” he says.

Anisha provides schools with whatever they need to help these vegetable gardens flourish. “Currently we are working with 30 more schools in the Hanur taluk,” says Rajan.

Edited by Divya Sethu

He noticed a small sticker on the fruit which said it was imported from a company in Ecuador. He went ahead to search the name on the internet and read up about the fruit too.

The septuagenarian was fascinated to know that the fruit required minimal care and gave good results within a few years. 

He even wrote to the company in Ecuador that agreed to send Joseph a few stems. He also collected a few other varieties from the US with the help of his family. Joseph returned to his homeland with not just the dragon fruit stems, but with a decision to put together a nursery exclusively for the fruit.

Fast forward to 2022, Joseph is the owner of Karackadu Orchards, which sells 88 varieties of dragon fruits collected from multiple countries including Taiwan, Brazil, the Philippines, Australia, Ecuador and the US.  

“I don’t have any prior experience in the field of agriculture. I used to run a machine tools industry in Hyderabad for many years. Wishing to settle back in Kerala, I replanted the industry here but unlike before, it was a failure. I even tried my luck in the electric vehicle industry later but found no hope. Anyway, I was never ready to retire and live with my children’s money which is what brought me here,” says the former industrial technician. 

All three of Joseph’s children are settled abroad and it is majorly with their support that the 72-year-old set up the nursery, which is located in the 65-cent area near his house. Most of Joseph’s dragon fruit stem couriers reach the US first and are then brought to India. Since it is a desert plant and requires very little watering, the stems survive the journey.

“I was intrigued by the fact that dragon fruit grows quite easily anywhere, no matter what the climate or soil type is. Yes, it is an exotic fruit but you won’t believe what all it can withstand. Even if you leave a stem in the farm, it will grow roots and find its grip easily within a few days,” he gushes.

Joseph claims that he even went ahead to develop some varieties of the fruit of his own. Out of the 10, two have successfully completed its growth in the nursery. They have been named ‘Red Chilli’ and ‘Wonder Boy’. “It takes at least five years to develop a new type of fruit and get it approved,” shares the gardener.

His major customers are farmers from around the country. He gets bulk orders from Gujarat and Maharashtra and he prepares new plants based on orders. “Since the plant grows fast and wide, I don’t replant many of them unless there’s a big order. It takes up a lot of space,” he says.

Cuttings of 12-16 inches are placed in wide pots to make saplings. Before planting each stem on a commercial basis Joseph verifies the taste of its fruit. As there are hundreds of varieties of the fruit, many of which are not so tasty, this step is important. The price of a stem is based on the taste and variety of the fruit. It ranges from Rs 100 to Rs 1,200. For those who ask for a courier, extra charges are also added.

Red jaina, country roads, sugar dragon, Frankies red and Columbian yellow, Armando, American beauty, delight, Israel yellow, isis gold, palora, natural mystic, lemon orange, venus, orejona and valdivia roja are some of the types of dragon fruits sold by Joseph. Each fruit is expected to weigh between 250 g to 400 g. 

A minimum of 6,000 stems of different types of fruit are sold every month. He says, “Since I do this on a commercial basis, manuring and prospering watering are done. But the truth is, the plant does not need any of these. You can grow them just like that within a couple of years,” he assures.

Joseph is busy developing new varieties of the fruit and getting them approved. He also has plans to sell the fruits in the market. 

Interested in the fruits? Contact +91 94472 94236.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

At Faridabad-based Milan Sharma’s Revnar Farms one of the cows had been in distress for almost eight hours, and no local veterinarians were available then. She got on a video call with a vet associated with the Animal Husbandry Department of Haryana, which she’s been in touch with for a while, who guided her over the phone.

“For the first time in my life I’ve put my hand inside a cow and felt the cervix,” she recalls in an interview with The Better India. With his support, she carried out an internal examination, checking the dilation of the cervix and confirming where the calf’s head was. He then guided her on how to soothe the cow till the birth. 

This, Milan recalls, was a breakthrough for her as she earlier used to gather her clothes around her and walk cautiously, making sure no animal on her family farm touched her. 

The former German language teacher co-founded Revnar Farms with her husband Chetan Sharma and has implemented a sustainable, organic farming model.

Today, the farm has 50 adult cows and 70 calves. “They are lovely, adorable beings and we enjoy being around the animals,” says Chetan. 

Twelve acres of the land are used for fodder cultivation and 21 acres for grains, pulses and seeds. These products are sold through direct orders and their website, clocking an annual revenue of Rs 70 lakh on average.

Farm calling

After completing her Masters in Biochemistry, Milan got married and was a homemaker for several years. Once her sons were all grown up, she started learning German as a hobby. This turned into a profession where she spent several years teaching the language at Amity International School. She was also a member of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) syllabus committee, co-authoring several German language textbooks. 

In January 2017, after her father-in-law, who owned four cows and a farmland, passed away, things changed for Milan. In memory of his father, Chetan bought two more cows. Over the months, they purchased more cows, and by early 2018 they had 35 cows on their land. But around April, they lost five of the animals. “That was a jolt, that they aren’t machines that have stopped working. They’re living beings and somebody has to be there to look after them,” recalls the 52-year-old. 

This prompted her to quit her job and focus on the farm full-time. Under Dr AK Singh at Karnal’s National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), she undertook two one-month courses on commercial dairy farming and value addition to milk products. In August 2018, she took over the farm. “From cutting crops to hand milking the cattle and understanding what amount of concentrate to feed each animal, I became involved in everything,” she says. Over the first two years of business, the family invested Rs 1.5 crore to get the business up and running.

Given the abundance of cattle, they’d started with dairy farming, using the milk at home and then sending the excess to friends and family. As word spread, the business took off, as more and more customers started buying their milk. But Milan soon realised that selling milk alone wouldn’t sustain the business. 

Today, they also sell grains, oils, and other products. The farm has grains like wheat, jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl millet), pulses like arhar (pigeon pea), moong (mung bean), and urhad (vigna mungo), and seeds like sesame and mustard, among others. 

Revnar Farm’s products are sold online through their website and they also sell the farm’s byproducts. One kg paneer is sold at Rs 675, 850 ml mustard oil is sold at Rs 299, and one kg of dried and powdered khad (slurry) is sold for Rs 70 and more.

Sustainable, natural and organic farming

On their farm, the couple practises organic, cow-based farming, using sustainable methods. They eliminate all pesticides and harmful chemicals from the agricultural process to offer natural, healthy products.

To understand how to go about setting up the farm and putting these practices in place, Milan has been engaged in continuous research. She learns about new ideas and perspectives through consistently visiting nearby universities and speaking with faculty there. She regularly visits the CCS Haryana Agricultural University and Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences in Hisar, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary & Animal Sciences University in Ludhiana, and Uttar Pradesh Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Vishwavidyalaya Evam Go-Anusandhan Sansthan (DUVASU) in Mathura, among others. “I was pleasantly surprised that every professor, everywhere, gives all their time and information. It has been a wonderful experience.”

Among their sustainable practices are intercropping, so even if one crop doesn’t give enough yield they have others to rely on; adding furrows and ridges along the field, making it easier to supply gobar slurry and making the weeding process more efficient; the use of sprinklers instead of flooding the field which conserves water and saves on the electricity a pump would use. And Chetan says, “The farm has an eight-kilowatt off-grid solar system which we installed ourselves.” 

Milan started making jeevamrut (a natural liquid fertiliser) and beejamrut (a solution with microbes that are beneficial to plants) and following Indian agriculturalist Subhash Palekar’s books and his zero-budget farming model. “I combined this with prakritik kheti (natural farming).”

For instance, the soil and crop are nourished using a mixture of cow dung, cow urine, tree leaves, jaggery, and besan (gram flour). Instead of pesticides, plants are kept pest-free through a concoction of cow urine, neem, garlic, green chillies, and fermented buttermilk. Moringa is used to provide minerals to plants instead of purchasing a packaged mineral mixture from the market – being organic and saving money at the same time. The farm also has an 80 cubic metre gobar gas plant where all the cooking for the farm is carried out, and which offers ample slurry that’s used as manure. “Nothing artificial is used in my fields,” she says. “This also saves on the expense of anything chemical or sprays,” she adds.

The animals are also treated using natural practices, following the booklets on ethnoveterinary medication published by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the state’s Animal Husbandry Department. “These medicines are sourced from plants and trees like chuimui (shame plant), peppermint leaves, aloe vera, and more.” She explains that she prefers these to antibiotics for several reasons. One, those medicines come with a 72-hour milk withdrawal period, meaning the milk produced by the animal during this time should not be consumed by humans. Two, the antibiotics cause stress to the animal. And three, they are often more expensive than natural methods.

While using natural, sustainable methods reduces costs for the business, Milan says they are also committed to providing the highest quality products to market. “The first lesson I’d learnt at NDRI was that value addition always adds to your products’ price and gives better profits,” she recalls. Revnar Farm thus offers processed oil instead of just seeds, dried and powdered manure, havan sticks made of cow dung, and dals that are cleaned and processed. They also offer processed dairy products like butter, paneer, chaas (buttermilk), and more.

As they continue to grow their business, the couple’s love and fondness for the animals also increases manifold. Milan slowly realised that they recognise love and care and respond to it in kind and they have come to recognise her. “My voice and presence are soothing for them, and their presence for me,” she says.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

In 1980, Haji Mohammad Shafi Sheikh, a contractor in a forest corporation, was on a routine visit to Kashmir. He was scheduled to meet his younger brother Abdul Rashid Sheikh and cousin Ghulam Nabi, who was pursuing a degree in Engineering at Srinagar’s Engineering College.

The trio decided to explore a few of the tourist destinations. They started their journey with Nishat, a picturesque area of Srinagar, which houses the famed Mughal Garden, home to mighty Chinars.

A road on the outskirts took them to a beautiful garden of green pears, where Shafi and the others spent hours relishing and enquiring about the fruit. 

Their interest in the garden grew to the extent that Shafi embarked on a mission to grow a similar orchard in his native village Bharova in Bhaderwah.

Bharova was still oblivious to the existence of these fruits, given its topography and the fact that locals only cultivated maize and fodder to feed their animals. 

“The entire area of Bahrova is hilly and maize was the only crop being grown by farmers because of the drought-prone conditions. People were not financially stable due to which they couldn’t explore other options over maize to earn a livelihood,” Shafi says.

In the same year, he took a few saplings of pears and walnuts home and sowed them adjacent to his house to track their growth. 

“Surprisingly, plants grew normally and within a few years started bearing fruits. It was very much encouraging for me and my interest grew to sow more plants to give an idea to the people about the scope of horticulture in my area,” Shafi says.

The 74-year-old now annually harvests 3,000 boxes of exotic red pears enough to fetch him more than Rs 25 lakh. “The maize which I grew in my fields would fetch me only Rs 4,000 per annum. Often we suffered crop failures and farmers were becoming poorer. But now, farmers of my area are financially stable,” he says.

Apart from pears and apples, Shafi also harvests 15-20 quintals of walnuts annually.

Horticulture Sheikh of Bhaderwah

The journey of growing pears on land which was confined to just fodder and maize a few decades before was not easy for Shafi. It was indeed a work of patience and determination for him, who would take the help of experts to have disease-free produce.

“In 1993 when I saw my pears growing, I left my job immediately and devoted my entire time to horticulture. I always had a hope that my efforts will change the fate of the people of my village,” he says.

After reaping benefits from his efforts, Shafi finally decided to completely abandon the custom of growing maize in 2002 and shifted to horticulture, despite opposition from his neighbours and family. “It was a very difficult decision for me and people would often question me for giving up maize cultivation. The initial years were full of hardships as plants needed years to bear fruits,” he says.

Growing native pears and walnuts didn’t satisfy his appetite and Shafi finally sought help from Sher-i- Kashmir University of Agriculture Science and Technology Jammu to grow exotic red pears, which he only had heard about till then.

“Seeing my commitment and desire to expand my orchard scientifically during a routine visit by a team of scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, one of the scientists, Dr Vikas Tandon, who is a professor at SKUAST Jammu handed me a few Italian pear seedlings, which was a significant turning point in my path,” he says.

After successfully growing red pears, he grafted green pears plants with red pear fruits to grow high-quality fruits in his orchard. “Now I have some 250 red pear trees and apart from them, I grow green pears, apples and other variety of fruits. For research, I visited Himachal Pradesh and other states to learn technicalities growing exotic fruits in my orchard,” he says.

He is hoping his production increases in the coming years as scores of his plants are ready to bear fruits. “I keep on experimenting with my orchards. From spraying quality pesticides to timely de-weeding, my production will increase in coming years,” he says.

A ray of hope for Bhaderwah farmers

Seeing Shafi’s hard work bearing fruits, his younger brother Abdul Rashid too has shifted to horticulture and has over 2,500 trees of pears in his orchards. His cousin Ghulam Nabi too followed his path and grew pears on his land to get better returns.

“I feel happy that my village is gradually progressing. I can now see a lot of growers, who are dedicated to growing pears and other fruits in our village,” he says.

Not just Bharova, adjacent villages like Khalo and Shanatra too are gaining recognition for growing exotic Italian red pears. These three villages grow nearly 1.5 metric tonnes of red pears annually.

Many farmers are getting inspired by his efforts and taking of horticulture in the hilly district of Bhaderwah. “Our district was only known for its breathtaking landscape a few decades before. Now, with the efforts of Shafi Sahab, we are growing quality exotic pears, which are very unique and have a huge demand in the market,” says Abdul Sattar, a framer.

Today, 165 households from the villages of Bharova, Khalo, and Shanatra have shifted to cultivating fruits, particularly Italian pears, taking their cue from Shafi. 

Horticulture, an employment generator

Ever since Shafi took this initiative, the fate of the village has changed. Horticulture has been the employment provider to the village as more youth associate themselves with the growing pears.

During the season he employs almost 25 people in his orchards, who look after spraying, pruning and harvesting of pears. “Initially I had four boys who would look after my orchards. Now almost 25 boys remain associated with me during harvest season,” he says.

Fifty-year-old Krishan Lal, a resident of village  Khalu in Bahderwah has been working for over 15 years with Shafi as a packer. He has been earning a decent livelihood and says, “I was working as a farmer before and my earnings were not enough. Now I earn some Rs 30,000 during the season at Shafi sahab’s garden.”

Shashi, a 35-year-old man too has been associated with the trade of red pears. “Horticulture has a great scope in Bhaderwah and scores of the youth are getting employed in this sector,” he says.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

“Gardening was not a hobby, but more like a habit I had inculcated from my childhood. Everyone in the family used to take care of the garden. We referred to periodicals for tips, as the internet wasn’t available then,” he recalls. 

At the age of 15, Lenus was introduced to bonsais after reading about them in a magazine. “Later in life, I travelled to several Asan countries as part of my work. I had the chance to study more about different plant varieties and how to source them. During vacations, I spent most of my time in bonsai gardens,” the 59-year-old tells The Better India.

Today, Lenus has over 200 varieties of bonsai from across the world. He says he learned a lot about them from countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China, where bonsai cultivation is popular. He also buys varieties from North and Northeast India. 

“It is said that Buddhist monks in China and Japan started growing bonsai as they owned no land of their own. This is why bonsai gardening is popular in Asia,” he shares.

The very first set of Lenus’s bonsai collection included the common ficus, which is a variant of the banyan tree. Slowly, he expanded the repository by adding juniper, elephant tree, tropical boxwood, jade, black pine, and more. The star item in his garden, he says, is the juniper variety, which is grown in different shapes. 

“While visiting other countries, I clearly understood how careful bonsai gardening is done. In some places, they gift their precious bonsai garden to children, similar to how we deal with properties. It makes so much sense, because the effort and time invested in the garden is tremendous. It is like having a pet or even raising a baby,” Lenus gushes.

His activities are supported by his wife and two children, who are also interested in gardening. The garden is spread across 4.5 cents of land around his house, and some bonsais occupy the terrace as well. The garden also has a pond surrounded by mini trees. “It actually gives the feel of a miniature hill station, with the small waterfall, plants and ferns,” he adds. 

“It takes at least 10 years to witness the proper growth of a bonsai tree. For me, shape is very important for each of them. I spend hours doing corrections to attain the perfect shape. Otherwise it will grow casually, which won’t be so aesthetically pleasing,” shares the urban gardener.

Lenus is the president of Kochi Bonsai Club and conducts exhibitions at many places. The gardener also holds classes for newbies in the field and for botany departments of several colleges in Ernakulam.

In order to share his methods of gardening, he launched a YouTube channel a year ago. “A lot of people contact me on a daily basis for doubts, and it becomes impossible to explain each point to them. Thus, I thought of putting together a channel, where I have made videos covering all areas — from cultivating a seedling to displaying a bonsai. The channel is named Lenus Bonsai Destination and everything is explained in Malayalam,” he says.

Despite owning over 700 bonsai, Lenus is not ready to sell any of them. “I gift one or two small plants to passionate gardeners, but otherwise, this is not a source of income for me. Over the years, I have developed an intimacy with each plant, the same feeling we have towards a pet,” he says. “I have been offered Rs 5 lakh for a bonsai tree that has been in my garden for the past 35 years. But how can money substitute my love for the plant?”

To gardeners who are new to this field, Lenus suggests starting with local bonsai varieties. This gives faster results and encourages them to plant more. He also advises speaking to an experienced gardener prior to beginning. “Happiness is guaranteed,” he assures. 

Edited by Divya Sethu

Five years ago, the youngster decided to follow in his father’s footsteps. He planted different types of exotic fruits on his farm which are rarely grown in the country. This includes avocados, santol from Malaysia, Kepel from Indonesia and many more.

Today, Anil’s farm, located in the Dakshina-Kannada district, is rife with over 700 exotic fruit varieties collected from 40 countries. He sources the seeds of each fruit from his friends abroad and nurseries. 

He also keeps a detailed record of each fruit, favourable temperature to grow, soil type, scientific names and even medicinal values. He now runs a nursery of his own to propagate the fruits he gathered.

The farmer also grows seedless variants of mango, jackfruit, lemon, guava and jamun on his 30-acre farm. His tropical fruit collection is from Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Brazil, Thailand and more. The farming was begun by planting Biriba from Brazil.

Here’s a look into Anil’s amazing fruit farm:

Edited by Yoshita Rao

Despite receiving a good yield and earnings from his sprawling 1.5 acres of rubber plantation, he decided to transform his land into an organic farm, nurturing a wide range of crops.

“It was easy to maintain rubber, but I was never satisfied with it. Besides, I am a botany graduate and always aspired to do something that let me be in the soil and more close to nature. That’s why I decided to put the land to better use,” Vinod tells The Better India.

With two partners in 2019, Vinod, who also works as a regional manager of a medical devices company, replaced rubber trees with tapioca on his land.

His courage and efforts turned out to be fruitful. Within eight months, they were able to harvest more than 11,000 kilos (11 tonnes) of tapioca in a single harvest from his land at Malayam in Thiruvananthapuram.

A fruitful decision

When Vinod decided to transform the rubber plantation, he says that many questioned and criticised him for removing a perennial and highly beneficial cash crop. “People including my relatives advised me not to do it. But I was sure about what I was doing and went ahead with my plan,” says the 46-year-old.

In November 2019, after clearing the land, he decided to step into organic farming by partnering with Anu Joseph and Philip Chacko — two farming enthusiasts from Thiruvananthapuram. “While searching for ideal partners, I posted on Where in Trivandrum (WiT), a Trivandrum-based Facebook page, inviting interested people to start a joint farm venture,” he explains.

“I wasn’t looking for partners to invest money in. I wanted those who were ready to dedicate their time and put in real efforts to make it happen. Finally, after meeting several people, I decided to partner up with Anu and Philip, who had farming backgrounds and were equally enthusiastic about the venture,” he adds.

In December, they started their venture Farm in Trivandrum (FiT) by planting over 2,000 stems of tapioca, bought from the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI) in Thiruvananthapuram.

Vinod says that after removing the rubber trees, he didn’t have to prepare the soil specially for planting short-term crops. “It was a fertile land and had rich red soil. I was confident that anything would grow here,” he notes.

In 2020, the trio harvested over 11,000 kg of tapioca. “We planned to grow a few more crops on the land, but it didn’t happen due to unavailability of seeds during the lockdown,” he says.

“The first harvest was in September 2020. We didn’t want any middlemen, so we sold our produce directly to street vendors, small shop owners, hotels, etc, and the rest were distributed among our friends and family,” he adds.

Later, Vinod and his partners decided to venture into mixed farming and started cultivating a wide range of crops including short-term like turmeric, ginger, different types of yam, etc, along with long-term ones such as coconut trees, pepper, areca nut trees, cashew trees, drumstick trees, curry leaf trees, agathi cheera (Hummingbird tree), and so on.

“Short-term crops like yams, turmeric, and ginger were aimed at making fast revenue, which in turn has been used to invest back into the same venture,” he says, adding that currently, they sell a certain amount of their yield to their friends or family, and store rest of it as quality seeds for the next season.

“Therefore, revenue-wise we haven’t reached break-even yet,” he says adding, that it might take two to three years to hit the point.

According to him, they chose crops that don’t require daily supervision or maintenance. “With a full-time job, it wasn’t practically possible to supervise 1.5 acres of land on a daily basis. So, we decided to hire a few labourers from nearby areas who have been helping us in managing the farm,” he elaborates, adding that he visits the farm on weekends.

The trio has also planted Malaysian citric lemon, a rare and seedless variety of lemon on their land. “We have planted around 50 of them. It is a juicier and very unique variety of lemon, which is rare in Thiruvananthapuram. So, we decided to try it out here,” he says, adding that the saplings were sourced from Thodupuzha in the Idukki district.

Vinod says that he mostly uses cow dung as manure for all his crops. “We also use chicken manure and earthworm compost. We have been very particular about cultivating everything organically, so we don’t use any kind of chemicals or pesticides,” he points out.

Suku Thomas, a regular customer at Vinod’s farm, says, “Their produce is totally organic and we can eat it worry-free. Whenever there is a harvest, I make sure that I buy from them. At a time when we find it difficult to find organic and chemical-free farm produce, Vinod’s initiative is a blessing.”

Vinod and his team have now started marigold flower cultivation on 50 cents of land as part of an initiative by Krishi Bhavan for Onam.

“We also have plans to make value-added products out of our produce in the future under our farm and brand name ‘Farm in Trivandrum’ (FiT),” Vinod says.

Edited by Divya Sethu

The 82-year-old horticulturist recalls planting his first mango tree when he was in class 7. He then used the grafting method to create seven varieties of fruit from a single tree. 

Today, there is a 120-year-old mango tree on his farm which has 30 varieties of mangoes with different taste, colour, texture and smell. 

Interestingly, this octogenarian has named some of the varieties after eminent personalities, including cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Khan was awarded Padma Shri in 2008 because of his contributions to the field of horticulture as well as his contribution to preserving and expanding the varieties of mangoes.

“For me, the act of growing fruit as beloved as mango is very sacred. The sheer joy I see every time a person eats a ripe and sweet mango is unparalleled. My goal is to spread a bit of happiness and sweetness in the world and what better way to do so than with mangoes,” he said.

Watch the gritty story of the mango man of India:

Edited by Yoshita Rao 

The next time you travel, you can live those memories too. Whether you’re heading to the south or the east, or anywhere in between, there are several destinations where you can stop to not only take in the picturesque view of vast fruit orchards but also pluck some harvest to keep (and eat!) as a remembrance.

From the fresh kinnows of Punjab to the delectable strawberries of Meghalaya, the juicy lychees of Bihar, and the sweet mangoes of Ratnagiri, here are 10 of our favourite fruit picking destinations in India:

1. Chikoos and mangoes in Maharashtra

The coastal towns of Gholvad and Dahanu are famous for their ripe repositories of sapodilla, known to Indians as chikoo. There are many versions of the tale of how these fruits arrived at the shores of these regions, among them being the story of how Seth Dinshaw Petit, a textile magnate, was the first to plant a chikoo sapling he brought from Central America. Today, thousands of Parsi families carry on the plantation of these fruits on their ancestral lands, selling their produce far and wide across the country.

Dahanu’s Bordi beach also sees an annual Chikoo festival around January and February, where visitors can help boost the local economy by engaging in farming activities, trying out the local cuisine, and more.

Season: December to March

Meanwhile, Maharashtra is also home to delicious Alphonso mangoes, grown abundantly in Ratnagiri and Palshet — the former being a major exporter of the fruit to other Indian destinations. In fact, the entire Konkan belt is teeming with thousands of mango plantations — try, for example, the Farm of Happiness, an agro-tourism farm stay where alongside trekking, bird watching, stargazing and fishing, visitors can try their hands at organic farming and learn how the lucrative mango moves from farm to fork.

Season: May to August

2. Strawberries in Meghalaya

The tiny village of Sohliya, located in the Ri Bhoi district, is famous for its rich strawberry cultivation, where almost all houses grow the fruit on their own lands. In fact, this village is credited with catapulting the strawberry revolution in the state.

You might even find the perfect way to mark your next Valentine’s Day — every year, the villages of Sohliya and Umsning hold a strawberry festival on February 14, where people can pluck and enjoy the delicious harvest, as well as sample strawberry wine, ice-cream, and more. The people of Meghalaya consider the fruit a symbol of love.

Season: January to March

3. Pineapples in Manipur

Manipur, which leads India in the cultivation of pineapples, is sought-after for its lush farms and pineapple festivals. The state also organises a Pineapple Festival in late August or the first week of September in Churachandpur district — the largest producer of pineapple in the state. In particular, you will find the village of Thayong teeming with lush pineapple farms.

Season: March to September

4. ‘Kinnow’ in Punjab

In districts like Abohar, Fazilka, Hoshiarpur, Muktsar and Bathinda, one will find thousands of hectares of lush kinnow orchards. This is a high-yield variety of the mandarin fruit, and one tree can yield around 1,000 fruits. You can use this fruit to make warm winter drinks, squashes, cakes, and more.

You can also head to farms like Citrus County in Hoshiarpur to experience kinnow picking.

Season: Late October to February

5. Plums, Peaches and Apricots in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand’s Ramgarh, also known as the ‘Fruit Bowl of Kumaon’, has endless plum, peach, apricot, pear, and apple orchards to pick from. A popular destination especially for those living in and around Delhi, it has a vast variety of orchards and homestays where you can not only while away your summer but also enjoy the fresh harvest, ripe for the plucking.

Meanwhile, you’ll also find immense beauty and fresh produce in Mukteshwar, Nainital, Almorah and Bageshwar regions. Other than peaches and apricots, regional fruits like Ghingaru, Kilmode and Dadim are also cultivated here.

Mukteshwar’s Sitla is a serene place to stay in the midst of these orchards.

Season: May to August

6. Apples in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh

The story goes that Samuel Stokes, who also went by the name Satyananda, arrived in India on a spiritual journey, and fell so in love with the country that he made it a permanent home. He dedicated his energy to farming and is credited with giving Himachal Pradesh a new American variety of apples, which catapulted the state’s apple revolution.

Today, we know the mountainous region to be home to a vast variety of fresh apples. In fact, over 1.75 lakh families depend on the fruit today.

So if you’re heading to Kinnaur, Shimla, Mandi or Kullu, you will find several orchards that map the expanse of these regions. In fact, Shimla is particularly popular for apple orchards, including the Banjara Orchard Retreat, Thanedar.

You’ll also find a plethora of orchards to choose from if you head to Jammu & Kashmir — the state is famous for its sweet apples across the globe. You’ll find an abundance in districts like Srinagar, Ganderbal, Budgam, Baramulla, Anantnag, and Shopian. Particularly famous is the Sopore town in Baramulla, also known as the Apple Town of Kashmir, which has Asia’s second largest fruit mandi.

Season: June to September

7. Lychees in Bihar

Muzaffarpur, the ‘Lychee Kingdom’ of India, is known for aromatic and delicious Shahi Lychees, which are known to have the highest amount of pulp, and are exported all across the country. Head to Vaishali, Samastipur, Champaran, and Begusarai districts to find an abundance of farms and orchards where you can pick these delicious fruits from.

Use your harvest in a fresh sorbet, add it to phirni, or even pair it with meats like prawns and pork!

Season: May to June

8. Grapes in Maharashtra

First brought to India by Persian invaders, grapes are found in abundance in Maharashtra, predominantly in Nashik — the ‘Wine Capital of India’ — alongside Sangli, Satara, and Ahmednagar.

Head to the vineyards in Nashik to have your pick of the freshest grapes — whether in their fruit form or as exquisite wine. The district, alongside Satara, Beed, and Latur, is among the major locations chosen by top winemakers like Sula, York, and Zampa. Every February, Nashik celebrates the Grape Harvest Festival to mark the grape-crushing season, which lasts until April.

Popular farms in Nashik include the Sula and Vallonne vineyards. And in most areas, you can not only enjoy plucking the fruit but also participate in grape stomping for an extra dose of fun.

Season: January to May

9. Strawberries in Karnataka

Strawberry cultivation is quite new for the farmers of Karnataka. But it has gained traction over time due to massive demand. Areas like Chikkaballapur and Rajanukunte near the city of Bengaluru, while usually known for grape cultivation, grains, and silkworms, have also started growing strawberries.

If you’re in or around Bengaluru, you can drive down to Wholesome Farms, a 20-acre farm in Marathi Palya, for strawberry picking.

Season: November to March

10. Apricots in Ladakh

Known as chulli in Ladakhi, apricots have been cultivated widely in the area for the last 100 years or so. Here, you’ll also find the “world’s sweetest apricot”, Raktsey Karpo, which is mostly always grown organically. Other varieties include the Halman, Safaida, Lakste-karpo and Khanteh. You can use it in mutton dishes to enhance the flavour, alongside in jams, pickles, and more.

Pick the ripest apricots at the Apricot Village Homestay in Tsogsti.

Season: July to September

Sources:

Harvesting Happiness : India’s Best Orchards for Fruit Picking Holidays, published by The Better India on 14 June 2016.

This Summer, Go Fruit-Picking Across Orchards in India, published by NatGeo Traveller on 26 February 2016.

Holidays In India | Fruit, Picking Vacations Across India, published by Times of India on 26 November 2015.

12 Apple Orchard Holiday Destinations In India For A Family Vacation, published by Tour my India on 4 December 2018.

The grit, fun, and madness behind the chikoo farms of Indian Parsis, published by QZ India on 5 February 2018.

Mangoes – Ratnagiri Tourism

Maharashtrian Beach Town To Promote Sustainable Tourism, published by Outlook Traveller on 10 March 2022.

Economics of Kinnow fruit Production, published by Krishi Sewa on 4 July 2019.

Fruits of Uttarakhand – 8 Popular Garhwal and Kumaon Local Fruits, published by Namaste India Trip.

Meet Samuel Stokes, The Man Who Introduced Apple Cultivation In Himachal Pradesh, published by Homegrown on 29 July 2021.

Grape – DOT-Maharashtra Tourism

Edited by Divya Sethu

In 2014, he started his dairy farm with around 10 cows. He also explored the possibility of using cow urine and dung as organic manure like jeevamrut (organic fertiliser from cow urine and dung) and selling it in biodegradable plastic pouches. This unique venture turned out to be a huge success.

Sanjay’s next aim was to come up with an innovation for farming enthusiasts with limited time and space. He launched his enterprise Green Kairaly in 2016 and came up with the idea of a portable stand for plants, with a self-watering facility that would not consume too much space.

“I believe that there is a farmer in everyone. People who are passionate about farming, especially those living in urban areas, often don’t have enough space or time to venture into it,” Sanjay opines in conversation with The Better India.

Sanjay’s current models have five variations. These setups are all portable and detachable, and come with a built-in drip irrigation system, with an optional rain shelter and a WiFi timer.

‘Moving ahead with the times’

“While different fields are being modernised, innovation happens at a very slow pace in the agricultural sector. People always say we should go back to traditional methods since they are more effective. But I think instead, we should move ahead with the times, by coming up with such practical solutions,” says the 46-year-old.

Sanjay’s second iteration of the model, which he developed in 2020, was an improvement from the first device — this version was portable, detachable, and could hold up to 40 grow bags within a space of 30 sq-ft.

“The first model had several shortcomings. Though it was small and portable, it wasn’t detachable or easy to carry around. and had a capacity of just 10 grow bags. So, an upgraded model was inevitable,” says the automobile engineer, adding that the second model was in a pyramid shape with a rain shelter, and had a special setup for fertilisation.

The fertilisation setup is nothing but a small storage tank attached to the stand, where one can keep organic manures like cow dung or urine mix. “There is a hose that extends from the tank that can be used to spray fertilisers on the plants without the usual hassle,” he elaborates.

In 2021, he launched his third model by linking it to a mobile app that helps one operate the drip irrigation system even when they are not at home. “People often worry about watering their plants while they are out of station. So this model is a leap towards solving that issue,” says Sanjay.

For this system to work, one requires power and a WiFi connection. “A WiFi timer device is attached to the drip irrigation system. After pairing it, it can be linked to a mobile app. Through the app, we can set the exact time we want to switch on the irrigation system and when to stop. This can be operated through the mobile phone, no matter where the person is,” he explains.

Sanjay has also launched different versions of his portable stands for people who wish to grow plants on terraces and balconies. These stands have a capacity of up to 80 and 60 grow bags respectively.

He also launched a portable stand setup that can be mounted on compound walls to grow plants in just 28 sq-ft. This turned out to be one of the best models among his products, he says.

“This vertical stand can be easily attached to the compound walls without drilling or nailing. It doesn’t even create a load on the wall. These stands also come with a fertiliser tank and drip irrigation system that can be connected to the WiFi timer if required,” Sanjay explains, adding that each of these stands can hold 24 grow bags.

“The same compound wall stand can even be used normally if you detach it from the wall,” he says.

Kurien Jacob, a farmer from Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta, had purchased the wall garden model for setting up his vegetable garden, he says, “I bought one first to test the waters and it turned out to be a success. Within a small space, I was able to keep around 22 grow bags. The drip irrigation method with the WiFi timer is very convenient, especially when you are not at home.”

“Later, I bought two more stands and filled them with more grow bags. Currently, I grow different types of chillies, brinjal, ponnanganni cheera (a type of spinach) and bush pepper plants,” says the 56-year-old, who left his job in a Gulf country to take up agriculture.

Sanjay says that the wall garden model and the balcony model, with a capacity of up to 13 grow bags (available on Amazon), can be sent to customers anywhere, as they are detachable and can be easily assembled. “The others are bigger versions. While they are detachable, it won’t be easy for the customer to assemble them on their own. So, we have to send someone to help them with the assembling,” he elaborates, adding that rain shelter is optional.

Sanjay says that he has invested Rs 40 lakh so far, along with his friend and partner Tony Thomas.

These intelligent and portable garden stands are patented, he says, adding that currently, they have over 200 customers across the country. All their products are priced between Rs 5,000 to Rs 35,000.

“We are now looking forward to finding channel partners and distributors, who can help us in reaching these products to more people,” he says.

For more information and enquiries, you can visit their website.

(Edited by Divya Sethu)

As a fitness enthusiast, he made it a point to include the super food in his diet on a frequent basis. “Whenever I’d come back to India for summer vacations, I would notice that you don’t get good quality avocados here, especially in Bhopal,” he tells The Better India.

Back in the UK, he chanced upon the avocado packaging, which informed him that these were sourced from Israel. “It struck me that if Israel can grow avocados in such hot climate, we can do it in India too.” So in 2017, during the last semester of his BBA, Harshit had made up his mind to take up agriculture.

The result is a lush 5-acre farm where he grows about 1,800 avocados plants, as well as a nursery where he grows an additional 4,000 saplings. With these plants, he intends to create an orchard, and will sell the fruits three years from now. Meanwhile, he adds, the saplings in his nursery will be exported across India by next year.

The student gets a crash course

When Harshit entered the field of agriculture, he was on a mission to learn everything about avocado farming in Israel.

He started by sending cold emails to the Israeli avocado industry, asking if he could visit and learn from them. Soon, one farmer, Benny Weiss from Kibbutz Maagan, invited him to his farm. Today, Benny is still Harshit’s mentor.

During one of his summer breaks, Harshit visited Israel for a month on a tourist visa. Although this meant he couldn’t work, every morning between 5 am and 10 am he went to the farm, and took rigorous notes about the things they were doing. These included the varieties of avocado they planted, how the plants were laid out on the fields, the things you needed to keep in mind before cultivating avocados, how Israel is doing things differently from South America where the fruit is originally from, and more.

After 10 am, Benny would take him to speak with different avocado experts of Israel, from farmers to marketing professionals and irrigation experts. They would discuss how avocados are doing in Israel and the scope of the superfood in India.

He then returned to the UK to complete his degree. Now back in India, Harshit continues educating himself by interviewing avocado experts from all over the world, including Mexico, Australia, Columbia, and more. “I have a YouTube channel and a video podcast where I show these videos. I’m documenting my entire journey.”

The life of a farmer

Now back in India and armed with the necessary knowledge, five acres of family land in Bhopal, and his family’s full support, he was ready to grow avocados. To prepare the land, he invited his mentor and a supplier to India. “They both looked at multiple locations of my farm, and then decided upon one farm land.”

They conducted a soil texture test which determined that the land was equipped to grow avocados — however, the soil had to be raised. “You elevate the portion of the farm where you will plant the tree, because it’s black cotton soil and it absorbs a lot of water. And during the monsoon, raised soil ensures the plant won’t be waterlogged.” Most of the water will instead flow sideways from the ridges and away from the land, preventing water accumulation, he adds.

After the test, he now had to source avocado plants from Israel, with the aim of further growing them himself. But in 2019, he couldn’t get it imported. “The procedure is very hard for first timers. You have to figure out different licences and permits.” In 2020, COVID had put both countries in lockdown, and once again, he couldn’t source his plants. After more delays, he finally got his consignment of 1,800 plants in July 2021.

“These plants are all imported from Israel, and are specific varieties that were developed there.”

With the advice of his mentor, he decided to grow five different varieties of avocado across the five acres. These include the Hass, which is the dominant variety and most in demand by markets and Pinkerton, a variety suitable for higher temperatures than Hass grows in.

Through his experiments Harshit aims to figure out which variety grows best in India. “Because we don’t have actual data of what works in India, we can only judge by what has worked across the world on different continents. For instance, South America, the largest producer of avocados in the world, mostly grows Hass. Their weather conditions are naturally very ideal so they don’t even need to put in a lot of work. They plant a tree and it grows well.”

In India, the growing practices can’t be modelled exactly like any Western countries, he notes. “They have very machine focused and equipment heavy practices, because labour is expensive and it’s more feasible for them to use machines.” India can instead follow the models of Kenya, Uganda, or Tanzania, he opines. “They have cheap labour, similar to India.” So while he’s borrowing some practices from Israel, he’s relying mostly on the model of Kenya.

Documenting the entire journey online has led to several enquiries about the plant and its cultivation. On 19 June, he imported another consignment of 4,000 plants of the same five varieties, that he is now growing himself.

These have to be irrigated throughout the year, even during the monsoon season. “We have to use fertilisers. You can’t just fertilise the plants once every couple of months and leave it. You have to fertilise them with each irrigation cycle, which is every alternate day or every month.” This ensures better height and maximum yield, he adds.

While delivery of these saplings is scheduled for next year, he has sold out all orders, he says. His buyers are from all over the country, including Kodaikanal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Nagaland, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and more.

Harshit explains that the plants have to be quarantined for a year. “When you import plants, the government makes sure you don’t accidentally import any disease, pest, or fungus along with it. So my nursery is actually a quarantine facility.” He adds that the facility is frequently inspected by the government, which makes sure nothing unwanted has entered the country.

“I need that one year anyway because the plants I import are quite young. They’re not ready for transplanting onto the field yet,” he says. After planting, these will take three years to bear fruit. Harshit has invested about Rs 50 lakh, taken from his family, for the entire setup.

“Locations like North East India and the coffee estates of South India are more suitable for Hass, because the temperature here doesn’t go above 35 degrees celsius. For green-skinned avocados, which can tolerate temperatures up to 42 or 43 degrees, we have states like Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, where temperatures are high but not extremely high.”

“Sometimes it feels challenging, because it’s a new field, it’s uncharted territory,” he says. “But I’m still learning what will and won’t work, especially since climatic conditions differ all over the country.”

Above all, Harshit is excited about the work he’s doing. “I’m developing a new niche in the agricultural industry in India,” he opines.

Learn more about his work through his website.

Read this story in Hindi here.

Edited by Divya Sethu

Called multilayer farming, it allows for more crops to be grown on lesser land. Spearheading this movement is the pioneer Akash Chaurasia. With over 20 national awards to his name, the 32-year-old has given practical training to about 80,000 farmers and educated around 12 lakh others about multilayer farming.

Born to a family of beetle nut farmers in Sagar, a small town in Bundelkhand, Madhya Pradesh, he grew up nurturing the dream of becoming a doctor. “But I thought about how illnesses, doctors, and the number of hospitals are all increasing,” he tells The Better India. “I realised that the root of all illnesses is what we eat and drink. And I decided to deal with the root of the problem through farming.”

Discovering multi-layer farming

Once he committed to farming, Akash spoke to several farmers and started thinking about all the different problems they face today, from water and fertiliser-related issues to climate change and insect attacks to marketing and sales. So in 2014, as a solution to all of these problems, he came up with the idea of planting multiple crops on the same piece of land.

He started with two layers of crops, one underground and the other on the surface. His first crops were tomatoes and bitter gourd, and he experimented with other combinations as well.

Akash soon ran into his first challenge – grass and weeds. “The seeds lead to a lot of grass, which weakens the crop. And removing them is costly.” To combat this, he introduced leafy crops like the ones to be planted on the surface — spinach, coriander, fenugreek and others. By planting leafy crops, which grow fast, there’s automatically lesser space for grass. “Within this model, the grass is about 80 per cent controlled.”

His next challenge was a lack of space. “Earlier, I didn’t have land myself so I knew its value, and how tough it can be.” Besides, most farmers today only have marginal farms, meaning “a land holding of two to five acres”. One generation later, as that land will get divided, each farmer will have even lesser. So he pushed himself to think of a way of growing more on lesser land.

The inspiration came from the city’s multi-storey buildings. “I liked the idea that in less space they arrange for more people to stay.” His multilayer model also relies on vertical space. At a height of 6.5 feet, he built a structure out of bamboo and put a jaali on top, so the structure was partly exposed to sunlight and partly shaded. On this he grew creepers, introducing a third crop to the space.

There’s also a fourth crop, which includes seasonal fruit trees like mango, papaya, or sapota (chikoo), the tallest component of the multilayer farm.

The many benefits of multilayer farming

The several layers of crops prevent water from evaporating. “About 80 per cent of the water is saved, compared to an open field.” He adds that while an open field uses 100 litres of water for one crop, a multilayer farm uses only 30 per cent of that water for four crops. “So each crop grows with about seven per cent water. And compared to an open field fair, about 93 litres of water is saved,” he explains.

With the four varieties of crops, the farmer is also earning a parallel income from each. For instance, from March to July the leafy green vegetables, in this case, spinach, offer income to the farmer. From April to November, the creepers, like scarlet gourds, are fruiting. In August, the underground crop like ginger matures and makes itself available for selling. And from December to January, the papaya tree gives its fruits. “There isn’t a single week in which our income isn’t being generated,” he adds, talking about how this model makes farmers more economically independent. Akash himself has an annual income of Rs 30 lakh, he shares.

This is also a more sustainable model since the bamboo or sticks the farmer uses are bio disposable, for which the farmer also doesn’t have to go to the market or spend money. Compared to a polyhouse which uses carbon dioxide, can’t be disposed of properly, and hurts the environment, the farmer, and offers society harmful food, this method is eco-friendly, more profitable for farmers, and offers up good, chemical-free food.

“Good food is everyone’s right. So this work gives me hope and energises me. More farmers are doing this means chemical-free food reaches more plates. It feels good when people eat well,” he says.

Besides educating people in person, Akash also has a YouTube channel through which he spreads awareness about his work. He has made literature readily available so anyone can practice multilayer farming. “From readying the bed to preparing medicine, all the way till cultivation, I make farmers do all the processes by hand and teach them,” he says, adding that farmers don’t have to go through the hassle of buying the model from some company of subsidy.

And the model is spreading far and wide. For instance, Sorav Patra, from the Nadiya district in Kalyani, Kolkata, has been practising multilayer farming for three months. “Before I could grow only one crop. Now, I can grow more crops at once. By keeping the height [of the structure] at 6.5 feet, I can even grow another crop inside. Even in three months, I am noticing a strong quality crop. Before I had to wait the whole year for the yield. Now it’s already happening,” he says.

Akash hopes that as awareness spreads, more people adopt this model. “Normal farming is easy. Take tractors and sow seeds. In multilayer farming, planning the structure requires a lot of engineering.”

And while he continues spreading the word, he’s also working on other innovations, in the fields of water, biodiversity, food processing, and more, thinking about the complete agricultural process and how it can be developed.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

For five and a half years he served the country in this way, until one day he thought that while he was still young, he should do something else — something that helped people and improved their condition.

So in 2019, the 36-year-old took to farming. “I’ve been part of the disciplined uniform services which have taught me how to work hard and stay honest. So I came back to the village and started farming,” he tells The Better India in a phone interview. Returning to his village Bhadauna, in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, he started studying sustainable farming and soon struck upon agroforestry as the ideal model for him.

Today, on his farm called Marcelone Agrofarms – named after the French word for defence – one will find unique crops like white sandalwood, black turmeric, black salt (kalanamak) rice, and Kasturi rice, among others. “Since the word has spread, several people have come to see our model and learn from us.” It’s all organic, sustainable farming that uses natural manure. “We have certification about our farm being entirely organic,” says Utkrisht.

Besides his farm, he also has a nursery with about 50,000 saplings of white sandalwood. “We offer farmers free consultation about how to plant and care for it.”

He also has his own cowshed comprising two Sahiwal cows from whom he collects cow urine and cow dung, using the latter as manure. “For our nursery and farm, we also purchase cow dung from the villagers, so they can be assured that there’s someone on the local level they can sell to.”

He adds that he enjoys farming because it makes him happy and satisfied with the life he’s chosen. “I get to work closely with nature, which I enjoy. Also, when people come to learn about sandalwood farming and I have the opportunity to improve their lives on a personal level, I feel content.”

Helping villagers, especially farmers, become self-reliant is a big part of his work, and one of the larger reasons for starting his farm.

‘I want to help and inspire.’

While many young people see government jobs as their ultimate goal, Utkrisht thinks it’s important to have a ‘Plan B’, too. He says, “You can live a good life by staying in your village and connecting with your land.”

Through his venture, he is also employing the villagers, especially the women, since the lockdowns had led to several migrant labourers losing their livelihoods. “I was thinking of ways to empower the lives of women at a local level,” he says, adding that he provides his workers with a ‘safe environment’ where they can also bring their kids to play in the area while the parents work.

Around 10 labourers work on his farm earning a daily minimum wage. Besides this, he also assists and consults with their kids, offering tips about education and providing career guidance.

“It’s beautiful here,” says Sant Lal, one of the labourers on the farm. “It’s lush with greenery, just like they show in films,” he adds.

Besides setting an example, Utkrisht is also ready to offer advice and hopes that more people in neighbouring villages imitate his model. “My goal is to see reverse migration because people run toward cities. I’m not saying cities aren’t important. But villages are equally important. If we want development, then villages need to be self-sufficient,” he says.

And in terms of making farmers self-reliant and financially secure, Utkrisht is a huge proponent of white sandalwood.

Sandalwood: A scented secret

It all started when he went to Bengaluru’s Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST), renowned for its research about sandalwood, and learnt that it can be grown anywhere as long as the soil’s pH is between 6 to 8.5. So he started growing sandalwood saplings on his farm.

“These are now around 10 to 15 feet long. I have roughly 400 plants,” he says. And since it’s “a root parasite plant” and can’t grow alone, needing other supporting plants, “it’s best for agroforestry,” he adds.

Noticing the scarcity of sandalwood, he points out that these are a great investment opportunity for farmers. “After 15 years, one sandalwood plant sells for over Rs 1 lakh,” he says, explaining why it should be planted by more farmers. “About 15 kg of hardwood is acquired from one plant, which also gives sandalwood oil. The hardwood costs Rs 10,000 per kg,” he explains, adding that he earns Rs 8 lakh annually from the farm, and when the sandalwood is ready, he expects about Rs 60 lakhs.

If more farmers adopt the practice of planting sandalwood, then, in the long run, Utkrisht envisions a sandalwood industry at the village level. This can include products that are made of sandalwood, like soap, agarbattis, paste, and more.

He adds that one doesn’t need a sprawling space to start a sandalwood farm. The area around one’s home is enough to plant at least eight to 10 sandalwood plants. “This can be a good additional income for a smallscale farmer.”

To learn more about the farm see the website or contact Utkrisht Pandey at +919580250135

Edited by Yoshita Rao

Years passed by and the Ariyalur native got married and had children. When they started attending school, it gave her more time at hand to tend to her home garden, replete with different flowers and vegetables. In 2019, she followed the same methods employed by her father to put together a vermicompost for nourishing her home garden.

Vermicomposting is a scientific process to make compost using earthworms. These earthworms feed on organic waste material, like kitchen waste, and excrete ‘vermicasts’, which are rich in nitrates and minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. These work as excellent organic fertilisers and enhance soil quality.

When Azhaku tried implementing the process in her garden, she found that the harvest was faster and better.She felt that the vermicompost had the potential to be turned into a business.

However, the farmers in Ariyalur were not too familiar with vermicomposting, she recalls. Even when they visited her three-bed vermicompost farm and inquired about the fertiliser, no one bought it, even on a trial basis. “They’d ask, ‘Nee enna pandre? (What are you doing?)’, and when I’d explain the idea to them, they’d leave with a simple ‘Appadiya (I see)’.”

Azhaku was disheartened, but the interest and support she received from the nearest Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) made her pursue the venture anyway. “Through the KVK, the horticulture department came to know about my enterprise and they offered to collect the compost for sales,” the 36-year-old agripreneur tells The Better India.

Online sales changed the game

“During the first COVID-19 lockdown, we started using e-commerce platforms for purchasing things. One day, I casually searched for ‘vermicompost’ and several options appeared. Later, with external help, I listed myself as a seller, did the packaging, a photoshoot, and every other procedure mentioned on the website,” explains the MSc Chemistry graduate.

She kept her hopes high, but not even a single order was received for ‘Soil Spirit’, the brand under which she was selling her vermicompost. “This was because of the high competition on the platform,” she notes. Her first order, which was received in a month, was successfully delivered to Chennai. She ensured to provide the best compost, which resulted in the customer posting a great review on Amazon.

From then, sales surged and she started getting repeat orders from terrace gardeners across Bengaluru, Chennai, and parts of Kerala. “During the same period, some other seller used my product images and details to sell low quality items, which brought down the sales a little. This incident made me attain a trademark, but the process was tiring. I didn’t get one under the same name, and it was changed to ‘Aerboreal’,” she says.

Today, more than the sales that take place on Amazon, Azhaku has built a collection of personal contacts, so the orders arrive via WhatsApp. “The only challenge in the latter is the parcelling process. I need to travel 20 km from the village to reach the nearest parcel service. I always hire two or three people to transport the produce. The items will be delivered within 10 days, maximum. I have now got help in packaging too,” says the agripreneur, who sells around 210 kg of vermicompost a month.

The price of 5 kg of compost is Rs 120. Azhaku also sells coco peat and potting mix under the same label for the same price. “During the peak period of my business, I earned Rs 4 lakh a year. This is a huge number for someone who started from scratch using Rs 1 lakh investment,” shares Azhaku with happiness.

Right now, she has taken a break from sales through Amazon as the produce sent to them often ends up being wasted. On the other hand, she says, WhatsApp sales are increasing day-by-day, and she is able to earn more profit out of them.

Here are some tips from Azhaku if you are planning to make vermicompost at home:

• Picking healthy worms is a significant step. Do it with the help of nearby farmers or experts.
• The next step is to take care of them and save them from animals like hens and dogs. Prepare the bed in an area away from their reach.
• Maintaining room temperature (25 – 27 degrees Celsius) is vital. Keeps the worms away from direct sunlight. It’s always better to cover them or keep them in shade.
• The feed can be anything organic, from kitchen waste to store bought feed.
• It takes 60-90 days for vermicompost to be ready.
• Use it in your own garden and share it with neighbours/ friends.

In order to order vermicompost and potting mix prepared by Azhaku, contact +91 95853 40007.

Edited by Divya Sethu

One startup playing a pivotal role in harnessing this partnership is the Noida-based Arya.ag founded by Prasanna Rao, Anand Chandra, and Chattanathan Devarajan in 2013. Valued at USD 300 million after raising USD 60 million in Series C funding earlier this year, Arya.ag is today ‘India’s largest grain commerce platform with a physical presence in 21 states across 425 districts’, says Prasanna Rao, co-founder and managing director.

“The process here is really driven by this idea of creating a partnership between the wisdom that is available with our farmers, and the professionalism and technology that we bring on to the table. We are not here to redeem farmers of their problems, but to leverage on their wisdom to create sustainable and highly scalable models,” says Prasanna, speaking to The Better India.

With a niche focus on offering integrated post-harvest services, Arya is leveraging technology to bridge the last mile by building a strong agritech and fintech platform.

“Being the only agritech startup that has been profitable since inception, the entire lending business of Arya.ag has also been NPA (non-performing asset) free,” he adds.

What does Arya.ag Do?

In a conversation with The Better India, Prasanna claims that their digital platform provides visibility to over USD 2 billion worth of stored grains across 10,000 commodity storage points with a footprint of over 100 million square feet. Arya’s revenues are built on the four pillars of the agChain – Aggregation, Storage Solutions, Financing Solutions and Market Linkages.

“As farmers harvest their grain, Arya.ag assists them and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in aggregating the produce, bringing in homogeneity and transparency. Arya’s Aggregation Services deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to establish grain quality right at the farmgate. Each aggregated grain bag gets converted into an electronic balance visible to its producer. Without storage solutions, farmers are forced to sell in distress immediately after harvest when prices are at their lowest,” explains Prasanna.

Arya digitises warehouses and enables farmers to select and book a warehouse closest to them at the click of a button. Upon booking, the electronic grain balance is held by the farmer on Arya’s digital platform. For rural locations that do not have warehouses, Arya offers IOT enabled on-demand ready to install hermetic storage (10,000 MT).

“With produce stored, addressing the farmer’s immediate cash flow needs is imperative. With the third pillar of the agChain – financing solutions – Arya facilitates adequate and timely finance to farmers through its own balance sheet and in partnerships with banks. An ‘automated decision engine’ offers finance against the electronic balance on its fintech platform,” he explains.

And finally, they offer farmers and FPOs market linkages – Arya facilitates listing of the farmers’ electronic balance to a large ecosystem of buyers across the country.

“This enables the farmer to realise her rightful returns and part of the sale proceeds go towards closing the loan freeing her from blocking her cash flows. The complete visibility of quality and assurance provided by Arya.ag guarantees peace of mind for the buyer,” he adds.

Motivation Behind Arya.ag

Prior to establishing Arya, Prasanna worked extensively in roles encompassing cooperative marketing and FMCG sales with large companies like the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul) and Coca-Cola. Following his stints at companies like Amul and Coca-Cola, Prasanna went on to work for eight years in ICICI Bank, where he headed the Agri-commodity finance business and managed a peak portfolio of USD 500 million for the bank.

“Having worked in Amul, Coca-Cola and ICICI, I understood how to think from the producer and the consumer’s perspective. I also realised how most formal institutions have been working in the peri-urban tertiary markets and the closer you go to the farm gates where the production really happens, there is a white space in terms of formal services. I had the opportunity to understand the power of farmer collectives in transforming value chains and our work at Arya reflects this learning and our business model sustains this ecosystem-focused approach,” he recalls.

Alongside Anand Chandra and Chattanathan Devarajan, Prasanna’s primary motivation behind the creation of Arya was to create value and formal connections for the smallest stakeholder in the value chain. “As you go closer to the farm gate, you find that the smallholder farmers are completely insulated from the changes and formalisation happening in the ecosystem. The realisation dawned upon us that organisations like ours could make a real difference if we could develop a model which was embedded in their reality,” he recalls.

Having said that, building this model did come with its challenges. “I think the biggest challenge was to translate our faith into our stakeholders, be it our shareholders, employees, investors, clients and customers that there indeed existed a highly scalable and profitable business closer to the farm gate. We had to gain their trust that we were building something viable, profitable and impactful, that too in a market that had not seen success earlier,” he adds.

Maximising Value Creation for Farmers

Arya.ag, integrates warehouse discovery, financing and market linkages to create an integrated digital platform that is accessible across the value chain from small-hold farmers to large corporations. Leveraging its technology stack, Arya.ag has been able to optimize its processes to provide users with a “seamless experience from storage to commerce”, claims Prasanna.

“Be it finding and booking a warehouse for their agri commodity, viewing their commodity realtime using Arya’s AI-enabled ‘Remote Warehouse Vision’, buying and selling a commodity or a range of finance options through Arya’s credit wallet such as ‘buy now, pay later’; a safe escrow mechanism and ‘Arya Pay Safe’ guarantees – are all available at a click of a button. Our ‘Marketplace Search’ engine connects sellers to buyers across the country with complete assurance on quantity, quality and payments and with our embedded logistics service, users can now seamlessly reach buyers in no time,” he explains.

Today, according to Prasanna, Arya.ag impacts over 6.5 lakh farmers across 500 FPOs and ensures growth of 15-25% in their value realisation.

“More than 8000 agricultural enterprises use our platform. Currently, commodities worth about Rs 15,000 crore flow through Arya.ag and we facilitate over USD 700 million of finance annually to maximise value for both sellers and buyers. Close to 40% of our clients are first-time borrowers accessing finance from a formal channel, of which close to 10% are women giving them larger access to working capital. Through our platform’s Price Intelligence mechanism and visibility to stocks–loaned and otherwise–we help farmers and FPOs make prompt and informed decisions on commodity sales. These sale proceeds then go to close the loan without impacting a farmer’s cash flows,” he claims. These are indeed staggering numbers.

Standing Out

According to Prasanna, there are two points that differentiate Arya.ag from other players in India’s thriving agtech sector. One is that they are not a principal in the trade but a platform. “In other words, we are not competing with the buyer or the seller and this allays any concerns around trust and reliability. We bring in complete assurance and transparency in your trade against a nominal fee and ensure that both the buyers and sellers get the best value,” he claims.

The second differentiator, he notes, is that their services are designed to solve problems keeping with the reality of the user, the resources available to them and their challenges. “One of the reasons why we have scaled extensively while being profitable is through layering services. At Arya.ag we believe in the old adage that the whole is much greater than the sum of parts. The platform generates revenues by layering multiple services to the same customer as her goods are aggregated, stored, financed, sold and transported,” he says.

He goes on to add, “We have been able to integrate services to create efficiency for each of these small parts while creating value and utility for our customers in a holistic integrated manner. For any service we offer, we do it at a much larger scale while being the cheapest for our customer. And though the rates we offer our customers are still the lowest, if you look at the overall profit and loss, we are probably earning more than any other player in the ecosystem of the competitors,” explains Prasanna.

(Edited by Vinayak Hegde)

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“In India, the post-harvest loss of fruits and vegetables is close to 60 million tonnes,” he says.

He explains how his technology does not simply help extend the shelf life of products but does so without adding chemicals and preservatives. He says that so far, it has been installed in 1,200 sites across the country, as well as overseas.

With a vision to feed 9 billion people by 2050, Vaibhav is on his way to building more sustainable solutions.

To understand how this technology works, check out the video:

Farmer's Son Builds Solar Dryer; Now Used in 8 Countries

A farmer’s son from Maharashtra, Vaibhav Tidke has developed a solar dryer that is used in 8+ countries. #Innovation #Inspiration pic.twitter.com/b40J4rhToF

— The Better India (@thebetterindia) May 9, 2022

As a child, he would spend much of his time with his grandfather on the field, helping him plant trees, or just playing in the soil. It was his favourite hobby, and the home became close to his heart, he says. He later moved to cities including Kolkata and Chennai, and never got a chance to build a home like that one, the way his heart desired.

So in 2012, when he was finally transferred to Patna, he was able to make his dream come true.

“My grandfather’s house was in Phulwadi, which is where my family and I live now as well. In his house, there was a large garden of about 7,000 sq ft. My uncle and father used to practice traditional farming there, but that stopped when they found other jobs,” Rajesh recalls.

Inspired by these memories of his childhood, the 31-year-old has built his own home with a lush garden, which is nothing short of a paradise in a concrete jungle.

‘In loving memory of my grandfather’

When Rajesh returned to Patna, he found that everything was different. Gone were the vast farms of greenery and beauty. So he decided that his own garden would be reminiscent of the Patna he remembered.

He started off by planting saplings of mango, litchi, guava, amla, neem, coconut, orange, banana and much more. “My aim was to make a small farm. But I ended up planting two-three varieties of each plant,” he gushes. There is a living area in the garden where small get-togethers can be conducted. It is his favourite spot in the farm area, he says.

Apart from fruits, Rajesh grows 20-25 varieties of seasonal vegetables. After harvesting, they are distributed to neighbours and family members.

In addition to these, there is a pond in the midst of the garden. Rajesh says he got this idea while living in Kolkata. “Every Bengal house had a pond, which I took note of and implemented here,” he says.

He engaged in fish farming in this pond. Last year, he got 150 kg of fish from it, which he also distributed among friends and relatives. This year, he is thinking of selling the harvested fish. He has also reared cows, chickens, rabbits and dogs in the farmhouse.

Rajesh’s interest in farming is now shared by his four-year-old daughter Shivi. She provides full support to her father and engages in watering the plants or plucking vegetables every day.

“Transferring the memories I had during my childhood to my daughter was also the purpose of this farm. I am happy that she enjoys it,” he smiles. “Everyone should keep that connection with nature intact because it helps us lead a life full of health and happiness. Doing something similar for the children is the least we can do. They will thank you later just how I thank my grandfather now”

Read this story in Hindi here.

Edited by Divya Sethu

Veena Lal, founder of the NGO, says that each child here has a story to tell. “All these children have either experienced some kind of trauma or pain, or suffer from mental disabilities. Some have behavioural issues like violence and aggression, while others suffer from depression or other psychological issues. A few are malnourished, while some have never been to school. They recieve education here, and are trained and prepared for adult life.”

At Karm Marg, located on the outskirts of Faridabad, around 54 children, with no parents or relatives to look after them, live in harmony with one another. These boys and girls are aged between six and 18 years of age.

Veena says that they were all rescued from public places such as railway stations, bus stations, and others, by the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), and handed over to the NGO to take care of them.

Karm Marg, established in 1997, stands out in multiple ways in functioning, and its approach to treat hundreds of mentally disabled children.

Upbringing with a difference

“I always wanted to work for a social cause and joined an organisation that worked with children soon after graduating. I was there for about eight years, but soon realised that the children required better treatment,” the 55-year-old says.

Veena says she wanted to bring a friendlier and homely approach to taking care of children.

“The NGO I worked with separated girls and boys in the institution. I strongly felt that children could live like other children at home with their parents, rather than living a prison-like life. I wanted to give them the freedom and opportunities they would receive in a family,” she says.

Veena adds, “Living in a co-ed format enables children to become more sensitive and understanding towards another gender. They should be able to understand the importance of equal rights and opportunities. Moreover, asking boys and girls to live separately did not make sense, as in the real world, they have to co-exist together.”

In an attempt to establish a better place, Veena quit her job and set up Karm Marg. “I started with 25 children in a small flat. But the place was congested, and within a year, we moved to a bigger place,” she says.

Given the limited space she worked in, Veena knew she had to provide better living conditions to the children to fulfil her vision. So in 2000, she used her savings to purchase two acres of land on the outskirts of Faridabad. “Luckily, I could use my savings to buy the land,” she says.

“We decided to build an eco-friendly mud house with eight rooms, allowing adequate space for children to live comfortably. The children, some of whom were students of architecture, collectively planned the design,” she says.

In 2003, the NGO officially moved to their new premises. Today, the house has a kitchen, a classroom, a training room, and a residence for the children. “Children who can manage to access conventional educational methods are admitted to schools. Others who require special attention are provided homeschooling at the NGO with the help of expert faculty. The classes start around 9.30 am. The children finish school in the afternoon, after which we engage them in arts and crafts. They rest in the afternoon, and play sports in the evening. At times, they visit the hospital if needed, come back and study, and then eat dinner,” she adds.

The children stay with the NGO until they reach adulthood, and are later aided in finding jobs, Veena says. Since 1997, over1,500 children have lived with the NGO, and Veena has helped them live a dignified life.

Shabila, one of the residents at the NGO who has since moved out, says, “I learned about Karm Marg in 2006, when I was studying in class 6. One of my teachers told me that the organisation was helping poor children with education. Since my father is a daily wager and could not afford quality education, I approached the NGO.”

Shabila says that she is now independent, thanks to a job with the NGO. She is able to support her family in every aspect, she notes.

Preparing for the world outside

Karm Marg home sits in the midst of a vast number of indigenous trees, and half an acre of organic farm, which she adds is enough to sustain their family.

“Around 2010-11, the media created a lot of awareness about harmful effects of chemicals in vegetables. So I thought of experimenting on the barren land and started planting native trees including fruit varieties such as guava, chikoo, ber (Indian jujube), banana and others,” she says.

Veena adds, “The idea was also to bring children closer to nature.”

Eventually, she started experimenting with organic farming on barren land. By 2015, Veena and the children had mastered agricultural skills and nurtured a flourishing farm. The farm grows all seasonal vegetables, she says.

“We have enough supply for nine months, but we depend on the market during the remaining months. The change of seasons makes it difficult for us to continue farming through the year,” Veena says.

She adds that growing chemical-free food has helped reduce their expenses and hospital trips for children. “Children no longer complain of a vitamin deficiency, a lack of haemoglobin, or an upset stomach, as their immunity has developed. The cases of cold and cough have considerably reduced. Children mostly make trips to the doctor in case of physical injuries these days,” she adds.

The other tangible benefits of the initiative are that the children know how to identify fruit varieties, learn about their health benefits, and gain hands-on knowledge on growing organic food. “Such life skills would not have been possible living in an urban setup. Besides, these children learn to treat kitchen waste and turn it into organic compost, recycle used water through organic methods, and use it for gardening and other domestic purposes,” she says.

Veena says the children also obtain skills in converting waste into usable items. “These craft skills help them start a business and become financially independent once they move out of the campus,” she notes.

However, Veena explains that the children face multiple challenges once they step out of the premises and experience the practicality of life. “For years, they have lived in a safe and protected environment. Occasionally, they face difficulty in dealing with societal pressure and often find themselves in vulnerable situations. These children receive transitional training to cope with the real world,” she says.

Edited by Divya Sethu

Pravin pursued his graduation in commerce, spending weekends on the farm. “From irrigating the farms to riding bullocks for ploughing, I have done it all,” he tells The Better India.

So when he received employment with a private telecom company, the work did not give him much satisfaction, he says. He has since quit his job, and what he is doing instead has proved successful for not just him, but also thousands of farmers in Gujarat.

Grooming progressive farmers

“I worked between 2007 and 2011 as a senior accountant with the firm, but the thought of agriculture remained at the back of my mind,” he recalls.

Pravin says that he kept thinking of ideas on how he could bring improvement in the agriculture field. “The traditional farmer is under constant pressure to produce more output from minimum resources. The weather and increasing production costs make agriculture a risky occupation,” he explains.

He then tried to run a series of businesses related to agriculture. “I tried multiple businesses related to polyhouse and others for about two years. But they failed to take off,” Pravin says.

With the hopes of success diminishing, he came across the concept of hydroponics farming through the internet. “I explored the concept and learned that the technique of soilless farming was lucrative and offered high returns. Moreover, it reduced risks posed by erratic weather and reduced the labour work to grow vegetables,” he says.

Pravin adds, “The concept is innovative as it has many cost and health benefits. Farmers do not need to use toxic chemical fertilisers and insecticides to grow food, which reduces production costs while benefiting the environment as well as the end consumer. I found that it could be a game-changer in the agriculture field. It was a more controlled farming method.”

He says, “Farming is a laborious job and not as attractive as other white-collar professions. But such innovative practices offer opportunities to farmers to evolve as an agripreneur and help multiply returns.”

Pravin experimented with the farming technique on his 0.25-acre land. “Every positive feature of this method that experts had talked about online turned out to be true. So I decided to scale up,” he adds.

In 2014, he formed a farmer producer company Brio Hydroponics to grow food using hydroponics, and decided to help farmers do the same.

“Hydroponic farming is financially demanding, and very few farmers have the capacity to invest huge sums for the setup, find a market for their farm produce, and allow the turnaround time to churn profits,” he says.

Pravin says his focus has been to introduce workable and economically viable innovative solutions. “Such methods can only disrupt the agriculture sector and bring the required positive impact on farmer livelihood in India,” he says.

He adds, “We derived high-tech patented technologies such as rain protection, wire rope type and a triple layer net house, conceived by collaborating with Pic-Plant Ltd, Israel. It enables high yield with superior quality produce across all seasons.”

Pravin eventually started reaching out to farmers and conducting workshops and training programmes on hydroponics. He also roped in his brother-in-law for the venture.

“The training is conducted at multiple levels, which range from one day to week-long workshops. The cost differs accordingly,” he says.

“By 2017, I convinced significant farmers to take up hydroponics farming commercially. I helped them arrange funds and loans from the financial institutions,” he says.

Pravin says that so far, he has trained and helped 16,000 farmers take up hydroponics farming, bearing them positive results.

Bhavik Patel, one of the farmers from Gujarat, says, “I had come across the concept of aquaponics during my trip to the USA a few years ago. But it did not have a widespread presence in my region. So I continued practising traditional agriculture, growing wheat, corn and gram.”

So when Bhavik learned about Pravin’s hydroponic startup, he rushed to adopt the technique. “I underwent a week-long training to understand and learn the concepts of hydroponics. I started from a small plot by investing Rs 50 lakh growing lettuce, romaine, basil and other types of exotic vegetables which have helped me recover the investments and increase profits up to 35 per cent,” he adds.

Bhavik says, like any other venture, he faced hurdles in completing the administrative process, seeking government permissions, and streamlining the infrastructure and other formalities. “However, the business is working smoothly, as all of my products are highly demanded by five-star hotels, traders, and commercial markets,” he adds.

Collectively, the FPO rakes an annual revenue of Rs 10 crore, he notes. The company has also set up mass scale projects for giants such as Adani, Dainik Bhaskar, and others.

“We also conduct agro-tourism during monsoon months, which helps increase the revenue,” Pravin says.

The company plans to introduce blueberry farming through hydroponics for the first time in India, making this exotic fruit more accessible in the Indian market at 50 per cent less cost. “The project has already started, and the blueberries will be available by the end of this harvest season,” he says.

Edited by Divya Sethu

“I used to read a lot regarding mushroom farming and when I went online my research became much easier,” says the 31-year-old farmer. “Today, amma (mother) and I manage a 5,000 square feet farm space and a lab area near our house in Piravom where 80-100 kg of mushroom is produced every day. Our daily earning is Rs 35,000-40,000.”

Leena’s Mushroom Farm was incorporated four years back and Jithu says that employing scientific methods made them successful within a short span of time. The duo’s farm overcame two floods and the pandemic without a major downfall in sales because of proper planning.

“Mushrooms need a controlled climate to grow where the temperature shouldn’t fall under 30 degrees celsius. Installation of a proper cooling system is therefore significant. We have designed the room and its settings in such a way that around 20,000 beds can be positioned in a space where usually only 5,000 beds are placed,” explains Jithu.

Mushroom or nothing

Jithu completed his graduation in Physics and post-graduation in Social Work. For some years after course completion, he worked for an NGO as a social entrepreneur. During all these years, mushroom farming was just a side business. When he realised the potential of this cultivation and its demand in the local market, he turned into a full-time farmer.

“I have always encouraged his interest in farming and now looks after the whole space as well as staff. Incorporating new techniques and disaster management are his area of expertise,” says 55-year-old Leena.

Jithu has attended a one-day workshop conducted by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kumarakom. Except that, no other formal training was received. “Even though mushroom farming is widespread in the country, it is more popular in foreign lands where a cooler climate prevails. So while performing it in our weather conditions, customisation is very much necessary,” says Jithu, adding, “I’ve designed the farm myself.”

There are 11 staff at Leena’s, all of whom are women from the neighbourhood. The produce is made into packets of 200 g and distributed among local vegetable shops, supermarkets and bakeries within a 30 km radius. The price of one packet is Rs 80. It must be used within two days if placed in the open air and can last up to five days if refrigerated. The duo share that their produce is never wasted as there is a stable market for mushrooms in Kerala.

“There are many advantages to mushroom farming including its less growing period. But that doesn’t mean it is an easy task. The crop is fragile and extremely sensitive. A minute change in temperature or the advent of pests can ruin the crop completely,” warns the farmer.

In addition to mushrooms, their seeds are also sold to other farmers. Jithu also provides short-term training to newcomers in the field for government institutions. “At least 1,000 people have attended my classes so far but I am not sure how many took up farming later,” he adds.

Jithu shares some tips on starting a mushroom farm at home:

• Picking good quality seeds is the first and most important step. You can either purchase directly from experienced growers or try the ones available on e-commerce sites.
• Oyster mushrooms are the best, to begin with. It gives quick results and a reasonable quantity.
• Always begin on a small scale basis. Pick your house’s corridor or balcony as the location.
• Consider the first six months as the trial period. Level up only after that when you feel it’s manageable and profitable.
• Watch YouTube videos regarding mushroom farming. Also, try to attend a daily/weekly workshop/training arranged by nearby government institutions.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

Here are some of Amazon’s best-rated potting soil mixes which can be used to kickstart your gardening hobby.

1. Kokosflora Organic Potting Soil Mix

A plant needs many nutrients from the soil to grow healthily. This potting mix contains cocopeat, vermicompost and red soil which supply all the essential nutrients. Cocopeat is significant to retain moisture in the soil. It is ideal for seed germination and helps in bettering aeration to roots by preventing compaction of the soil. Red soil which is high in iron, lime and aluminium, fastens the growth of plants. The pack contains 10 kg of the mix, which is perfect for indoor plants.

Buy it here.

2. IFFCO Urban Gardens Magic Soil

This ready-to-use potting mix is suitable for both indoor and outdoor plants. It is made up of cocopeat and organic fertilisers. It provides increased water retention and adequate aeration for root penetration. It can directly be added to a pot before planting. The pack contains a 5 kg export quality soil mix.

Buy it here.

3. Ugaoo Organic Garden Soil Mix

This soil mix is ideal for indoor plants, outdoor plants, flowering plants, cactus and succulents. Consisting of rich red soil and cow manure, this organic mix is ready-to-use. Fill 3/4th of the pot with the mix and place the plant in it. Lightly cover it with some more mix and sprinkle water. The process is simple and gives out great results within a few days. The pack contains 5 kg of potting mix.

Buy it here.

4. TrustBasket Succulent and Cactus Potting Soil Mix

Succulents and cacti require very little attention. These plants are fleshy and store water in their leaves/stems. Thus they need a certain type of potting soil that is appropriate for the growth. This potting mix contains well-drained, porous soil with good aeration, necessary for the healthy growth of succulents. It doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals and is completely organic. The pack comes with 5 kg of the mix.

Buy it here.

5. Bloombuddy Potting Mixture

Suitable for growing all kinds of flowering/ fruit plants, greens, vegetables, indoor and ornamental plants in pots, this mix can be directly added to a pot. It comes with cocopeat, vermicompost, beneficial microorganisms and selected organic nutrients. The mix enables active, free and anchored sprout of seeds or growth of seedlings. It also promotes aeration of the roots. The pack contains two bags of mix with 5 kg each.

Buy it here.

In addition to these picks, here are some tips from gardening experts on how to choose the best potting mix for your plants.

1. Check the quantity of each ingredient:

Proportion is very important in potting. SS Radhakrishnan, a 74-year-old Chennai-based home gardener, says, “20% of the soilless potting mix has to be vermicompost or any other kind of organic manure.” He adds that 10% of your potting mix has to be an organic insecticide.

2. Customise it in your way:

Even though the potting mix is a complete package, giving your own twist will increase the produce. Neela Panchpor, a Pune-based urban gardener says that she adds a layer of dry leaves to the surface of her plant, which increases the water retention capacity. Radhakrishnan adds, “Add powdered neem cake powder to avoid insects and pests.”

3. Decide what to grow first:

Before purchasing the potting mix, decide what kind of plants are to be grown. Thereby, you can buy the mix accordingly. There are different types of soil mixes available based on the type of plants. Opting for exclusive ones will help in greater productivity.

4. Purchase based on the area available

The quantity of potting mix required is solely based on the number of pots you have/ the area you plan to convert into a garden. One-pot requires less than 500 g of potting mix. Buy accordingly to avoid wastage.

The Better India is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.in.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

Chillies, also known as ‘Mirchi’ in several Indian languages, is in fact a South American fruit, first believed to be cultivated in Mexico around 3500 BC. It was said to be one of the many things that eventually travelled to the rest of the world, post-America’s colonisation in 1493.

India along with several countries in this subcontinent got its first taste of chilli around 400 years ago through Portuguese traders. Before that, the native black pepper was used in Indian dishes. Vasco Da Gama’s visit to India in the 16th Century through the shores of Goa led to the introduction of chillies to this region and subsequently to the rest of South India. Northern India took more time to incorporate it into their food and did so after Maratha King Shivaji’s army moved north to challenge the Mughals.

Today, this accidental marriage of chillies with Indian cuisine is more like a match made in heaven. In addition to adding a punch of flavour to dishes, chillies are also known for their medicinal properties aiding in improving digestion, promoting weight loss and heart health, preventing allergies and relieving joint pains and migraine and much more.

An ingredient without which Indian food is truly incomplete, here are six varieties of chillies used in Indian cuisine that you definitely must try:

Bhut Jolokia

The ghost pepper, locally known as Bhut Jolokia in Assam, this chilli pepper widely cultivated and used in Northeast India, is a definite winner in the heat department. Named as the world’s hottest chilli pepper by the Guinness World Records in 2007, it is considered to be 170 times hotter than Tobasco sauce. The Scoville Heat Units (SHU) is a measure of heat in chilli peppers and bhut jolokia is rated at more than one million SHUs!

A popular use of bhut jolokia is with dried or fermented fish and pork. One of my personal favourites is to use it in a serving of a common cocktail called Bloody Mary, which adds the extra punch of surprise.

Khola Chilli

This is probably where it all started with the Portuguese coming to the shores of Goa with a promise of flavourful culinary integration. Grown in the hilly slopes of Canacona, Goa, this chilli is a bright red variety known for its taste and ability to lend colour to the food.

Not only is it consumed in almost every traditional Goan dish but it is especially known to be a key ingredient in homemade condiments like mango pickles and red chilli sauce. One of the most famous uses includes using Khola chilli to make the famous recheado paste that is used as a stuffing in fish.

Guntur Chilli

Andhra cuisine’s pride and joy, Guntur chilli is yet another variety known for its spice and flavour. Although it is predominantly cultivated in Guntur, varieties of this chilli have also found prominence in Madhya Pradesh. But the widespread use of Guntur chilli is undisputed in Andhra cuisines, known to induce tears of joy aided by the heightened spice.

One of the most popular varieties of chilli in India, this accounts for roughly 30 per cent of the country’s total chilli exports.

Byadagi Chilli

Yet another South Indian cuisine gem, Byadagi chilli grown in Karnataka is a must-try if you are one to prefer colour over spice when it comes to chillies. Named after the town of Bydagi, in the Haveri district of Karnataka, it is an integral part of Udupi cuisine.

Known for its colour and pungent flavour, this crinkly chilli is quite similar to Paprika and the best chilli to complement, the Guntur chilli when preparing the sinful Mangalorean dish called Chicken Ghee Roast.

Bird’s Eye Chilli

Grown in parts of Northeast India, this tiny variety of chillies packs a substantial spicey punch, making it one of the few spiciest chilli varieties in India. Also known as Thai chillies in other parts of Southeast Asia, this chilli is not only used in cooking but also to prepare sinful pickles and chutneys.

A word of caution when trying any chutney or pickle that is made with this chilli is to take only half a spoon of serving. This is one to be savoured in tiny portions, especially for those who are yet to master their tolerance for spice.

India’s love for spice has spread across the world, making it one of the largest producers and exporters of dried, raw and powdered chillies. Today, India contributes to 25 per cent of the world’s total production of chillies with Andhra Pradesh being the largest supplier followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

Featured image Source

Edited by Yoshita Rao

But he has gained this knowledge through rough experiences and an immense passion for farming.

The 30-year-old says that a few years ago, his 65-acre land was nowhere close to growing crops. But his learnings from graduating in the Science field helped him succeed.

A blend of organic and scientific methods

“In 2006, when I started farming, my land had saline soil with Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) [inorganic salts and small amounts of organic matter] present between 2,000 and 3,000. The calcium percentage was 21, and the pH value was 8.6. Also, the organic carbon content was low at 0.4. The soil quality was poor to the extent that its water-retaining capacity was 35 per cent. The high alkaline levels and extreme salinity made it difficult and made farming unfeasible,” he tells The Better India.

Rahul says the soil composition was naturally saline in the region, and years of using chemical fertilisers worsened it. Moreover, the groundwater he used for irrigation was also of poor quality with high amounts of minerals and salts.

But today, Rahul has transformed the situation entirely and grows residue-free crops for exports, earning him lakhs of rupees.

He has succeeded by setting up a Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant on his farm to treat the water and implemented a blend of scientific and organic techniques to improve the yield.

“I learned that for best results, any pesticide or insecticide should be mixed with distilled water before use. And considering the soil health, I needed to reduce the use of heavy chemicals in my soil,” Rahul says.

Rahul explains that RO water does not have salinity and thereby prevents its possibility. “I require about 6,000 litres of water a day, and setting up the water treatment plant costs me Rs 20 paise per litre,” he says.

Moreover, he used organic matter and fertilisers to improve the soil quality. “I purchased 10 cows to use their cow dung on the farm. I used cow urine mixed with organic farm residue to improve the soil health,” he says.

Rahul also sprayed fermented buttermilk to prevent pest infestation and improve microbial activity. Further, the farmer set up a biogas system to generate aerobic slurry. “I pumped the slurry from biogas in an aerated tank. The process helped oxygenate the slurry with 5 per cent more oxygen, which was fed to the fields every week. The interventions helped increase the organic carbon to 1.8,” he says.

The TDS levels dropped to 20, and pH levels reduced between 6.5 and 6.8, making the conditions ideal for farming.

Rahul later devised a new method to irrigate his farms. “I chose a smaller nozzle for drip irrigation and spraying pesticides that ensured well spreading of the liquid molecules on crops. I irrigated the farm at 8 pm to reduce evaporation losses, ensure the soil retained moisture for long hours and maintain the farm humidity at 35 per cent,” he says.

At present, Rahul grows grapes of the crimson seedless variety on 15 acres, while he cultivates pomegranates and onions on another 15 acres each. “I have also planted cucumber, brinjal and papaya on the remaining 13 acres,” he says.

The total harvest earns him a profit of Rs 4 lakh per acre. “I export all the products as they are residue-free and meet the quality standards of European countries and the United Kingdom,” he adds.

But Rahul has not entirely given up on pesticides and insecticides. “I have a private weather station installed on the farm. If it predicts unseasonal rain or extreme weather such as hailstorms, I spray chemicals on the crops as a preventive measure. But the application is done only once instead of the conventional three sprays for a crop. So, my farm produce has no chemical residue by the time it reaches harvest,” he notes.

He says that using a blend of scientific and organic techniques has helped him reduce his production cost by 40 per cent. “In India, the percentage of farmers pursuing progressive farming is low, and I want more of my community members to invest and adopt such techniques,” he says.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

“Roses have made us lakhpatis,” says Kunlik Kumhar, one farmer from the village.

Solapur, which falls in a rain shadow region, faces severe rain shortages. As Kundlik explains, farming here is rife with challenges, and often, residents have to travel for miles to fetch water. Bachelors suffer because brides refuse to migrate to the water-scarce region. “Moreover, a majority of farmers would grow sugarcane, which is a water-intensive crop. Farming was tough as profits dwindled, and the number of crops was limited,” he tells The Better India.

But over the years, the tide has turned. For each acre of their rose farm, these farmers earn lakhs, and their products are sold far and wide across India. Kundlik narrates how the village farmers banded together to make this happen.

The fragrance of success

The severe water crisis in their village forced Kundlik and other farmers to think of a different approach to farming. Around 20 farmers approached an official of the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA), a state government scheme that aims to assist farmers in progressive agriculture.

“We brainstormed over the number of alternative crops that could be adopted. During one of the discussions, a farmer shared a case study of another farmer pursuing rose farming,” Kundlik says.

He adds, “In 1989, a farmer from a neighbouring village, Pinjarwadi, brought a grafted rose plant. He used the sapling to propagate and gradually create a rose farm. He was not successful as expected, but could sustain the farm with less water.”

This inspired the farmers in Wadji to follow suit. “It seemed like a practical alternative as rose plants do not require much maintenance. The water requirement is considerably low,” he says.

Moreover, Solapur and its neighbouring districts are pilgrim destinations, which see a footfall of hundreds of thousands of devotees throughout the year. Anticipating lucrative market opportunities, the farmers began rose cultivation.

“I started on 0.25-acre land using chemical methods of farming, which earned me a price of Rs 4 per kilo. On religious occasions, the prices scaled up to Rs 15 a kilo,” he says.

Alongside Kundlik, other farmers who adopted floriculture began seeing a boom in business, which allowed them to scale up farming, he says. With this, rose farms across Wadji increased to spread over 100 acres. “Apart from local markets, we targeted buyers in Mumbai, Telangana and Bengaluru. We put roses in ice packs for preservation and sent the packages by trains,” he says.

In 2012-2013, the farmers approached the Pune market. “We faced heavy resistance from traders and middlemen, as our rose quality was superior and received significant demand from buyers. They feared that we could create a monopoly in the market and shut their businesses. Moreover, the middlemen started demanding more commissions,” he notes.

The farmers opposed the dominance of traders, and on occasions, the heated arguments took a violent turn. Eventually, these rose farmers were cut loose from the Pune market.

By then, the area in which farmers were cultivating roses had increased to 350 acres. “Production was happening on a large scale, and we needed reliable markets to sell our produce. Hence, we again approached ATMA officials for guidance,” he says.

Kundlik says the official suggested they process the flowers into rose water, gulkand, essence and other products. The officer also promised to train the farmers with marketing skills.

The farmers approached distillers in the area to learn the process. “The mechanism for distilling rose water is similar to the process of making alcohol. We also tried other raw methods such as using a pressure cooker and procuring used alcohol making units. But all experiments failed. The pressure cooker blew up when rose petals choked the whistle, while the alcohol making units used to distil rosewater added alcohol essence to our products,” he says, adding, “We travelled to Uttar Pradesh to learn the technique from attar makers. We returned with an iron vessel with a capacity to distil 500 litres a day.”

However, the iron vessel turned rusty, and the farmers realised they had been cheated.

“We had spent a significant amount of money and almost a year exploring opportunities. We eventually put our ventures on pause due to lack of money and skills. We almost went broke in the process,” Kundlik says.

The relentless farmers then knocked on the doors of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, which suggested they form a Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO).

In April 2015, about 25 farmers came together to start the FPO, which today has 382 members. “We obtained necessary certifications and set up Sri Khandoba Agro Producer Company Ltd, which enabled us to cut off the middlemen and directly sell to customers. Besides roses, we also started growing and selling seasonal vegetables such as bitter gourd, bottle gourd, tomato and others using funds from a World Bank project,” he says.

Towards an organic life

Parmeshwar, a biotechnology postgraduate and chairman of the FPO, says, “The farmers started earning considerable profits by 2017 and collectively decided to install a rosewater making unit. By now, we could afford to buy an industrial machine worth Rs 3 lakh.”

“The farmers harvest the roses early in the morning and sell them in the market during the season. During the off-season, the profits reduce, and farmers store the roses, dry the petals and sell them to companies that make pan masala, incense sticks and other such products in UP and Gujarat,” he says.

Today, the collective enterprise earns farmers profits of Rs 2 to 3 lakh per acre, selling a quintal of rose every day.

Kundlik says their success has attracted many visitors, students and farmers from across the country. “We feel proud when people visit us to take lessons from our struggle. Once I visited my school to deliver a lecture on farming, which was quite overwhelming. We also enjoy media attention when they publish our success story,” he says.

Meanwhile, Parmeshwar says, a few farmers have also moved to organic rose farming. “A cluster of 50 farmers is now part of the initiative. They sell organic roses in weekly markets, and aim to create awareness about organic farming. Eventually, we all plan to move towards toxin-free farming,” he adds.

He says the farmers are now planning to buy solar drying machines to reduce the expenses incurred from electrical usage. “Solar-dried vegetable and rose petals have increasing demand in the food market, and we wish to tap the opportunity,” he adds.

Edited by Divya Sethu

They left their jobs when they realised that their agricultural land was laden with chemicals by the farmer who had leased it. At the time, Himanshu, a mechanical engineer, was working as a senior manager at the JSW power plant. Tanvi was a school teacher.

In 2019, the duo began their organic farming journey. While looking for alternatives to harmful pesticides, beekeeping popped up during one of their internet searches.

“If the crops and vegetables receive enough pollination, the growth can be faster. We first experimented on our own and then got training in beekeeping from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK),” Tanvi tells The Better India.

This knowledge has been incorporated into their homegrown honey brand Svadya, which today has a presence across the country. They began with just one or two wooden crates of honey, gradually increasing to 100, and then 500.

The duo shares how they not only developed their venture of selling raw honey, but also helped farmers from the neighbouring farm shift to organic cultivation.

The set up

Bees can die instantly if they inhale chemicals within a radius of 3-4 kilometres. When the ones in Tanvi and Himanshu’s experimental crates died after inhaling chemicals from the neighbouring farm, the couple lost close to Rs 3,60,000, they say.

So by the next season — between October and April — they migrated the boxes to the other end of the farm. They requested the neighbouring farmer to give up chemical farming on 3 bighas (1 bigha is 0.275 acre) of his land.

They purchased beehives from beekeepers, and in each wooden crate, harvested eight beehives, which contained a total of 30,000 bees.

“We purchased beehives for Rs 4,000 during the season, otherwise it can cost up to Rs 17,000. We got the crates from KVK and began harvesting the bees, which can take up to 12 days. The maintenance per year costs around Rs 1,50,000, including their food, labour charges and migration charges if the position is to be changed,” says Himanshu.

The duo has to dedicate two hours daily to maintain the boxes, and on the day of harvest, it takes them upto 12 hours to attend all the boxes. “We transfer the honeycomb in an empty box and remove the honey from the surface. We use a honey extractor machine to do this without harming the eggs. While removing, we wear all the safety gear and stay calm throughout the process, so as to not scare the bees. The maintenance is not much, but in the off-season, we have to give them sugar syrup, fruit juices and jaggery water to maintain their health,” explains Tanvi.

Tanvi and Himanshu say they do not process the honey, and package it raw under their FSSAI-certified brand. They sell around 300 kilos of honey every month, and get an average profit of Rs 9 lakh to Rs 12 lakh.

When asked what marketing strategies the duo adopted to get orders from across India, Tanvi says it was all word of mouth. Several of Himanshu’s former colleagues at the JSW plant in Barmer, Rajasthan, purchased the honey and shared it with their relatives. The duo also used social media to spread the word.

Their total farm production increased by 1.5 times, thanks to pollination, the duo says. Seeing this, neighbouring farmers also borrowed the crates for the same.

“I borrowed three crates from Tanvi for my last cycle of fennel cultivation on my 3 bigha land. My production increased by 50% and I did not use any chemicals or pesticides. It was completely organic. I was pleasantly surprised to see the impact of beehives on my farm. I hope to get beehives of my own soon,” Pakaji Thakor, Tanvi’s neighbouring farmer, says.

You can connect with Svadya here.

Edited by Divya Sethu 

One platform that can assist in this regard is the Krishi Network, founded by IIT-Kharagpur alumni Ashish Mishra and Siddhant Bhomia. This platform seeks to ease accessibility of critical information for farmers, which enables them to generate higher profits.

Providing a mix of online and offline support, the platform, which is run by their Delhi-based venture Cultino Agrotech Pvt Ltd, has also on-boarded agri-brands, agri-input merchants, and other stakeholders in the agricultural supply chain. Facilitating all this work online is the Krishi Network app, currently available in Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, and English.

“We help farmers by reliably connecting them to experts and other agri-businesses beyond their local area, providing them information and accessibility to such technology. Since Krishi Network is a complete technology driven agri-supply chain, it’s also helping farmers connect with input brands, merchants, buyers of produce, and lenders,” Ashish Mishra tells The Better India.

The platform is currently connected to 30 lakh farmers. With a presence in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra, it provides technical advisory for “making critical farm decisions via experienced and trusted farmers”. The company offers ‘15-minute answers’ for questions around any agricultural service, which is made possible through more than 8,000 experts registered on their platform.

Small town aspirations

Born in a small town called Shikohabad near Agra, Ashish grew up in a household where his father was in government service while his mother took care of affairs at home. Graduating from IIT-Kharagpur in computer science engineering in 2009, he would go on to gain extensive experience in software development in companies like Shiksha.com. After his stint there, he worked in various marketing and product roles at MyGola and Healthians.

Meanwhile, Siddharth was born and raised in Gwalior and graduated from IIT-Kharagpur in 2010. Before launching Krishi Network in 2019, he spent nine years working in a variety of roles across ventures like Fractal Analytics, PwC India and Innovaccer. “In 2017 when rural internet penetration started taking off, we saw a major opportunity to inspire, educate, and enable farmers to adopt change of practices to increase income,” says Ashish.

Why does Krishi Network stand out?

“Unlike other startups that fall into the category of input selling, output selling, or providing capital, we provide instant and accurate answers to all kinds of agri-related technical questions a farmer might have. Our expert farmers actively contribute on the platform and help fellow farmers. This expert-led advisory, and delivery of answers within 15 minutes, are what separates us from other agritech startups,” Ashish explains.

Experts are identified from the app, progressive farmers’ list in Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), and other government sites. These are farmers who have done “exceptionally well” in some specific domains of agriculture, and are now looking to help others.

“Expert farmers earn respect from the community by contributing on the platform. Krishi Network helps them build their brand and increase sales for their training or input businesses. These experts mostly interact with the farmers through the app. We are also planning to launch this platform in more languages soon,” he adds.

Kashi Prasad Vishwakarma, a farmer from Madhya Pradesh, says, “The Krishi Network mobile application is very useful. The information helps us reduce loss by controlling pests. Support with fertilisers, harvest, and other components of farming has given us productive results and higher yields.”

Once the farmer is on-boarded, they go through a journey of accumulating points and collecting badges by contributing to the community. Based on their contributions, experts are identified and put through a separate process of onboarding and activation.

“On the business side, we work with innovators and brands who want to showcase their products and services to the Krishi Network community. We are working with more than 30 brands who have been onboarded on the Android app. The advisory we deliver has directly helped farmers save their crop and increase their yield. Our interventions related to seed selection and plant protection help farmers improve their income by more than 15% in general. Our efforts have helped generate solid organic support from stakeholders due to the opportunity to connect with farmers. It also benefits the whole agri-ecosystem and leads to frictionless two-way communication access to farmers,” claims Ashish.

Questions from farmers generally centre around the kind of pesticides to be used, variety of crops that can be sown, etc. Farmers can also access questions that have already been answered. If it’s a new question, they can speak to the experts directly on the platform.

Sharwan Kumar, a Haryana-based farmer, explains how Krishi Network assisted him. “Last year, there was a serious termite outbreak on the cotton crop I was cultivating. The fields were burning and I had no hope left. It was then that the experts at Krishi Network helped me with the right information. I was on the verge of losing my entire crop, but the information available on the platform guided me through the crisis, and I am grateful to them.”

While Krishi Network has received funding, they haven’t been willing to disclose any figures so far. “Few key angels that have invested in our company include Sanjiv Rangrass (ITC), Sunil Khairnar (Indigram labs), Venkat Tadanki (Anvaya ventures), Rushank Vora (ICICI ventures), Aneesh Reddy (Capillary), Abhishek Goyal (Tracxn), Suraj Saharan (Delhivery), Rohit Razdan (ClearTax), and Kanav Hasija (Innovaccer), amongst others,” he adds.

Also, earlier this year, Krishi Network brought on board Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi as its brand ambassador. Reports on other publications also suggest that he has also backed the platform for an undisclosed amount of capital.

“Coming from a farmer background, I have always believed in supporting initiatives that help farmers with access to information to grow their business. Back in my days as a farmer, genuine and correct information always used to be a concern,” Tripathi said.

Additional Source:

‘Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi invests in agritech startup Krishi Network’ (VCCiRCLE, 22 February 2022)

(Edited by Divya Sethu)

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These achievements are all thanks to ‘Green and Grains’, a ‘Farm-to-Fork’ business model in which partner farmers are trained to manage production on their land, and their organic produce is delivered to customers’ doorstep.

However, the journey was not easy for the banker-turned-farmer couple, Prateeksha and Prateek Sharma.

Seeds of Goodwill

It all began in 1983 in a small village called Dolariya in the Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh. Prateek’s father, Praveen Sharma, a postgraduate in English, somehow collected foreign literature on modern farming methods for years and began selling farming equipment.

Praveen always pushed for the development of the farming community as a whole during his dealings, and that’s where the seed of ‘collective good’ was sown in Prateek’s mind. ‘I still have the books on Australian and European farming methods gathered by my father. I don’t know how he managed to get these staying in a remote village,’ said Prateek.

The Rat Race

Things changed in 2003 when Prateek lost his father. Prateek had just graduated at the time, and instead of continuing his father’s business, he decided to pursue an MBA and take up a job in the banking sector.

Prateeksha, on the other hand, is an IAS officer’s daughter and always wanted to make a difference in others’ lives. But farming was never on her mind. ‘Being from a service class family, I always thought farming was not the job of the educated, just like most people in cities think,’ said Prateeksha.

But a spark for social service remained in them both, buried under their ever-growing banking career at Kotak Mahindra. This spark burst into a flame when their daughter Mihika was born. They researched good food habits and realized how difficult it was to find the right food in a world where chemically enhanced farming is the norm. The search took Prateek back to his village. The couple took a transfer to Bhopal, and Prateek became a weekend farmer in his village, where he built a polyhouse.

‘Yes, it was tiring. I was looking after four states then and had to travel for my job frequently. Still, I would drive down to my village every weekend and work on my farm,’ said Prateek.

Every Mistake Is a Lesson

Building a polyhouse, using all their savings, was their biggest mistake, according to this couple. The first year was a disaster. But it also made them understand the major issues of farmers.

1. A communication gap between policymakers and farmers who did not speak the same language.

2. An expensive cycle of buying seeds, fertilizers and pesticides to make chemically enhanced farming work.

3. No hold over the marketing of their own produce.

Prateek believed he could overcome the first issue by becoming the farmers’ voice to the authorities. He dealt with the second one by farming organically and gathering as much knowledge about it as he could. To do this, he began by visiting and learning from the best organic farmers in the country. He also started learning the science behind farming. He quickly realised that there wasn’t a standard method that worked for every farm, soil, and farmer. So Prateek eventually came up with his own methods to fit his surroundings.

‘Marketing’ could only be tackled if Prateek could completely ditch middlemen, remove the dependency on ‘mandis’, and build a farm-to-fork system.

This was not possible for a single farmer. Hence, in 2015, apart from growing vegetables on his own 5.5-acre organic farm, he partnered with an FPO, the Kalpavalli Greens Producer Company Ltd., with twelve more farmers. By 2016, Prateek had learned enough to quit his job and become a full-time farmer. However, Prateeksha kept working as a banker to support him financially.

Prateek now began to guide farmers on how to develop their soil, what to grow and when to grow. Then, he would pick up the produce from the farms, get them to Bhopal, grade, clean and pack them and deliver them to the customers’ doorsteps in his car. Initially, he had a few customers in his own building society and Prateeksha’s parents’ building society. But word spread, and Prateek was soon a ‘family farmer’ to fifty families.

But delivering only veggies was not enough. There were at least 50 items that a family needed, and the model would become successful only if the basket had all of these. But for this, bigger infrastructure and capital was required. The couple had no idea where they would get that.

The Turning Point

‘Quitting my job was not easy. We all know that farming is a totally unglamorous field, and leaving a lucrative banking career for it was almost seen as madness for many. But our corporate friends always supported us. They would tell us how they are proud of us for doing something they wish to do but did not have the courage to do,’ said Prateeksha.

One of these friends, Amit Jambulkar, wrote to The Better India about Prateek.

‘It was August 2017 when I got a call from Manabi from The Better India. I was thrilled as it was my first media interaction. She asked me for a good time to speak. But I just parked my car then and there and spoke to her for the next 45 minutes,’ said Prateek.

The article was read by the Start-up Incubation Centre at IIM Calcutta (IIM Calcutta Innovation Park; IIMCIP), and they contacted Prateek. They went through the selection process, got funding, and this helped them set up their startup company, Vishalya Foods and Farms Pvt Ltd. Then, they launched their products under the brand name – Green and Grains.

IIM Calcutta also mentored, trained, helped in capacity building, exposure visits and also the very critical ‘Seed Funding’ under the INVENT program of the Government of India. Thus, Green and Grains became a registered start-up under the Start-up India program and Start-up Program for the state of Madhya Pradesh.

‘Under this program, we were looking for passionate people who could build a sustainable social enterprise. Prateek and Prateeksha’s model was a perfect fit for this criteria. The best thing about them was the kind of resilience and dedication they had towards this cause. They were working straight from their heart, which was evident from their customer engagement,’ said Gaurav Kapoor, chief business officer, IIM Calcutta Innovation Park.

Next Level, Next Challenge, More Farmers

With the seed fund from IIM Calcutta, Green and Grains could buy their first truck and a bigger warehouse. The next step was to add all the items needed by a household every week in their basket.

Thus, Prateek gathered more farmers who produced grains, spices and fruits too. In addition, they were personally trained by Green and Grains to grow good quality organic products.

‘Living the “start-up life” is like being on a roller coaster ride. It is emotionally and physically draining at times. But we sailed through our highs and lows with unconditional support from my mom and dad, not only emotionally but in operations as well. For example, mom would make a variety of pickles, sauces, chai masala, garam masala for us, using the surplus stock we had so that there was no wastage and our customers just loved these,’ added Prateeksha.

‘It is so much more convenient for us farmers. We just have to look after production, which is also supported by Prateek bhai. The rest of the tension is taken by Green and Grains. Before this, we had to take our produce to the mandis ourselves. There was no fixed price and no guarantee of sales. Here, the Green and Grains team comes to our farm to pick up our produce. They give us fixed prices and manage our farm waste too. What else do we need? We can’t even think of going back to the old cycle again,’ said Rakesh Gour, a farmer from Dharamkundi who has been associated with Green and Grains for the past two years.

This growth also allowed Prateeksha to quit her job as well. She had gained experience in operations and customer handling from her banking career of ten years. Prateek completely took care of the production, and Prateeksha looked after the post-production part, right from segregation, grading to delivery.

With strong support from their mentor, Gaurav and their loyal customers, they kept going. But by February 2020, they were almost broke due to the high working capital involved in the business. The couple took on the losses themselves and never let the farmers or the customers suffer.

The End or The Beginning?

On 12 February 2020, Prateek put out a post on Facebook that he would start a farm training program. Many thought it was just another side hustle. But this was Prateek’s last attempt to save Green and Grains. ‘That was the toughest day of our life. This was our last hope. If this did not work, we had no way out other than to quit farming. It was not just about us. We could have gone back to our corporate lives again. But what about the farmers associated with us? We knew their life was getting better, and we could make this difference in so many other lives, only if we had money,’ said the couple.

Prateek and Prateeksha may not have made it work. But suddenly, a nationwide lockdown was announced during the first wave of COVID back in March 2020. Green and Grains was exactly the model that was required during the lockdown.

People were more health-conscious, hence preferred organic food. However, they couldn’t go out, so they needed doorstep delivery. And everyone was looking for options where there was a minimum contact of people. ‘Orders kept coming like crazy. The volume was five times more than usual. So Prateeksha would stay up all night and prepare the orders for us. And I would leave early in the morning to pick up the vegetables from the farms and come back only by 11-11:30 pm after delivering all the orders,’ said Prateek.

This boost gave them the capital they needed to run the business at this scale. And for the first time, Green and Grains made profits. Last year they raised revenues of Rs 60 Lakh. Prateek deployed this money to build technology that could help them in the long run.

Today, Green and Grain aggregates products from farmers from six states and serves more than 2000 families in Madhya Pradesh. They plan to take it to 20,000 families in the next twelve months. They now serve more than 250 products to their customers through home deliveries.

Soon they are planning to serve exotic fruits and spices from the north-eastern states of India, and they envisage taking Green and Grains Pan India in the next three years. ‘This journey was a growth journey not only for Green and Grains but for us as well. We have gone through ups and downs like never before, worked on the field, did home deliveries with no staff during the pandemic, went through the highest to our lowest points in life. But that’s what made us who we are today. We are so clear in our life right now,’ said Prateek and Prateeksha Sharma.

“In 2013, I completed my graduation in electronic engineering from Bhilai. I joined a software company in Bengaluru, but three months later, realised that I could not give this job my best. I was not satisfied with what I was doing,” he recalls in conversation with The Better India.

Deenanath says he had always wanted to stay connected with people at the grassroots and help better their lives. “I belong to an agricultural family and lived in Bastar, a tribal area. I had always felt the need to do something for the community,” he says.

Helping farmers earn double their income

So the 31-year-old quit his job and joined an NGO which was working to implement government schemes in villages. Deenanath also pursued a postgraduate degree in rural development and social work, while preparing for civil services. However, he could not qualify for the civil services examination.

“The NGO assigned me as a karmachari, a volunteer for the Swachh Bharat Mission, in Mungeli district. For my efforts, I received the Best Karmachari award in 2018,” he recalls.

During his stint with the NGO, Deenanath learned about how tribal communities were struggling to sell their farm produce. “I observed that they are facing difficulty in producing quality harvests due to a lack of scientific method implementations. They are unaware of food processing from a marketing perspective. Also, the traders often cheat them by offering a low price for their produce,” he says.

Deenanath then decided to form a Farmer Producer Company (FPO) to assist the community. “I established Bhumgadi FPO in 2018, starting with 337 tribal women, with the aim to help them sell and market their produce,” he says.

The engineer-turned-social worker says he taught members of the community efficient farming methods, how to use adequate amounts of fertilisers, understand weather, and made them abreast with government schemes for farmers.

Today, his initiative has stretched over three districts, Bastar, Kanker and Narayanpur, benefitting over 6,100 farmers. “All the farmers are shareholders in the company and receive 25 to 30 per cent profits,” he says.

The FPO offers fruits such as papaya, guava, and banana, as well as farm produce including finger millets, fox millets, wheat, maize, black gram and others. They also sell tamarind sauce, dry mango powder, and other items made via food processing. All products find customers in local markets of Chhattisgarh and other parts of the country such as Delhi, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Raipur, Deenanath says.

Sukhdai Maurya, a farmer from Murkuchi village in Bastar, says that she once struggled to feed her family of three children with the income she earned from farming. But becoming a part of FPO has doubled her earnings. “I implemented what I had learned during one of Bhumgadi’s workshops, and started growing wheat, maize, gram, mustard and other grains. I also learned to weigh food grains efficiently, which saved me from not getting cheated by the buyers,” she says.

Sukhdai says the overall results have helped increase her income from Rs 4,000 a month to Rs 10,000. “I no longer have to wait for weeks for payments and see immediate cash in my bank account via online payments. This is all thanks to Deenanath’s initiative,” she says.

A better life

Deenanath says that initially, the farmers were hesitant if his approach would bring them success. “They were reluctant and wanted to stick to traditional farming techniques. It took almost a year for them to see the difference and feel confident. Moreover, they did not believe in online transactions, which posed another challenge in tapping into major retailers like Slow Bazaar and Reliance,” he adds.

Deenanath says his initiative has brought much needed social impact. “The increase in profits has helped farmers improve their lifestyle. They are more confident to bargain in the market with quality products and freely express their needs to government officials,” he says.

For now, he aims to expand the benefits of his initiative to other parts of the state, and hopes that farmers of the region can compete with major brands with premium products.

Edited by Divya Sethu

This article has been sponsored by RSPO.

In one form or another, most of us have come across the proverbial saying, ‘You are what you eat’, which aims to emphasise the importance of eating healthy. But this saying applies to a much wider scope, whereby consumption of any kind reflects the person you are or want to become.

Be it a choice of cereal or shampoo, all your consumption choices are directly linked to you. And you are linked with the environment around you.

Hence, the world is indeed a delicate web of interlinked consequences that are influenced by our choices. Philosophy aside, the classic example of this phenomenon can be found at your nearest grocery store. Every time you decide to buy a certain brand of toothpaste or a pack of chips, you are making a choice that will have a larger influence. In this specific case, the impact could be on the rainforests of Indonesia or the future of endangered species like Sumatran tiger, Orangutan or Rhinoceros and even human rights violation of plantation workers.

Seems like a stretch? Let us explain why it is not.

A sustainable global solution

Mass consumption products like toothpaste, soap, biscuits, bread, chocolate, etc. have a common primary ingredient called palm oil, which has been historically critiqued for causing deforestation, pollution, human rights violation and endangerment of wildlife species. Yet, it is the most widely used edible oil across the world.

Shedding more light on the actual effects of palm oil cultivation, a report in ‘The Conversation’ explains that while agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, oil palm plantations account for only 8% of it. According to the study, deforestation caused by oil palm accounts for only 2.3 % out of the total 239 million hectares of forests lost between 1990 and 2008. Additionally, no other oil crop manages even a third of the yield per acre as oil palms.

Hence, boycotting it entirely is not a feasible solution. At the end of the day, the oil palm crop is just a plant, growing which ideally should not have such grave consequences. And yet it does, thanks to unsustainable and exploitative production practices of palm oil.

In 2004, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was formed in response to the urgent and pressing global call for sustainably produced palm oil. The RSPO unites stakeholders from the seven sectors of the palm oil industry – oil palm producers, palm oil processors and traders, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, banks and investors, environmental or nature conservation non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and social or developmental NGOs – to develop and implement global standards for sustainable palm oil production.

RSPO’s stringent standards ensure oil palm agriculture coexists harmoniously with the welfare of local communities as well as the environment. Additionally, the advantage of growing sustainable palm oil is that it requires up to 10 times less land than any other vegetable oil crop. With high production efficiency and cost-effectiveness, sustainable palm oil farming is a reliable and sustainable source of income for millions of smallholder farmers.

Being equipped with this information not only empowers you as a consumer but also helps you make the right decisions. For this, RSPO along with The Better India has launched the #KnowYourPalm initiative that encourages businesses, consumers and other stakeholders to make a conscious decision to shift towards products that use Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO).

One of the ways of doing so is by recognising the use of palm oil by checking the product’s ingredients list. Known through various derivatives, palm oil is often referred to as Palm Kernel Olein (PKO) or Palm Kernel Stearin (PKS), PKO (Palm Kernel Oil), Palmate, OPKO (Organic Palm Kernel Oil), Sodium Laureth Sulphate, Palmitate (Vitamin A or Ascorbyl Palmitate) and Sodium Lauryl Sulphates.

Once you find one of these ingredients, the next step is to inquire if the brand uses palm oil that has been produced and sourced sustainably. This includes creating environmentally conscious policies, production strategies and product releases. Some brands have also begun to label their products that contain CSPO and use the RSPO trademark on their products to help consumers identify the use of sustainable palm oil.

So far more than 5,000 stakeholder organisations including multinational companies from 101 countries are working towards this global solution, and you too can be a part of this. Do your bit and take the pledge to demand RSPO certified sustainable palm oil products and spread the word.

Picture Credits: Jonathan Perugia

This article has been sponsored by Bayer.

Almost 30 years ago when Rajesh Singh, an electronics engineer got a job in Noida, his family and relatives were elated. For the past three generations, members of this family had primarily embraced farming as their sole livelihood and Rajesh was out to do something different. Or so they thought.

But a few months into the job, Rajesh realised his calling lay elsewhere, closer to his roots. The idea that farming is a backward occupation was not something he was ready to accept. At a time when mainstream agriculture and technology were yet to be acquainted, he began to look for ways to approach farming from a scientific perspective. For him, doing something different was not by getting a job in the city but by changing the outlook towards agriculture.

Quitting his job after six months of joining, he moved back to his native village, Sharifpur, Handia tehsil, near Prayagraj (Allahabad), UP. Back home he started with banana cultivation which was beneficial at first, but with time, lack of resources and access to knowledge began to curb his progress.

“I live in a large joint family and was the only one who decided to continue the family legacy of agriculture. While I was employing different techniques and ways to my cultivation practices, I needed more guidance. On the other hand, there were mounting responsibilities of my family as well. I had three kids who deserved the best opportunities but there were limitations to what I could afford to provide them. I wanted to overcome all of it whilst staying true to my original goal of embracing technology and science-backed farming techniques,” shares the 52-year-old.

Help finally arrived in a few years when a multinational life sciences company, Bayer decided to open the Bayer Learning Center (BLC) nearby. To provide growers with the much-needed guidance, training and support in sustainable agricultural practices and embracing several innovative products, BLC has impacted thousands of farmers.

Bayer Learning Center

BLC’s primary goal is to meet farmer expectations and provide the right product and crop solutions that empower the growers in every way. Through its digitally enabled support, farmers are not only able to access the information physically but remotely as well.

Delivering consistent and high-quality information, the centre strives to showcase different crop system interventions, basics of agronomy, product performance, etc. to all the stakeholders, which include farmers as well as traders.
BLC, which is established across rural parts of India, strives to enhance product and crop knowledge of all the stakeholders in the agricultural sector and develop their capabilities through knowledge transfer.

“The idea is to provide the right solution at the right time. One example of this is our work in Odisha with a pest called brown planthopper. In the last few years, it has proved to be a menace damaging a lot of rice that was about to be harvested. Farmers do not have the required knowledge about new solutions or resources to tackle situations like this and we bridge that gap by guiding them to do so, through our physical as well as virtual information-sharing platform,” says Srinivasa Karavadi, Head of Market Development for India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Be it educating about hybrid seeds, training to employ new practices in crop cultivation or providing sustainable ways of tackling pests, BLC has helped Rajesh and hundreds of farmers in the region to increase both their yield and income. Currently with more than 65 centres across India, Bayer has transformed the lives of over 50,000 farmers across geographies.

Talking about the impact generated by BLC’s guidance, Rajesh shares, “The techniques taught at the centre have helped us increase our crop yield by manifolds, in a lesser budget. Thanks to them, my rice yield with Bayer’s tailored solution has increased by 20-25 per cent and now I earn almost 10 times more than before.”

Today, Rajesh’s elder son is a mechanical engineer, while his younger son is pursuing MSc in agricultural engineering and his daughter MSc in Botany. The fact that all three of them can pursue higher education is a dream come true for him, one that was made possible through the increase in income aided by Bayer’s guidance.

“I am forever grateful to Bayer for helping me realise my dream of doing agriculture differently. My children and the entire family, as well as the families of countless farmers now have a different outlook towards agriculture thanks to them,” he concludes.

This is perhaps because tubers like tapioca, elephant foot yam, colocasia, yam and sweet potato are an essential part of Kerala’s food and culture. They have been extensively cultivated on large scale across the state.

But several studies have shown a decline in their cultivation in the recent past, thereby pointing out the need for conserving them.
Realising the same, Shaji NM from Wayanad district has been working relentlessly for conserving different varieties of tubers across the state for almost two decades.

“In the olden times, when poverty and famine were common, our ancestors used to depend on tuber crops to sate their hunger. Eating rice was a luxury back then. So, different types of tubers became their staple food. Other than being a staple, they also helped them maintain good health and have a long life,” Shaji tells The Better India.

“But now, the increase in the cultivation of cash crops like pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, etc. has resulted in the decline of cultivation of tuber crops. So, I realised the need for conserving the valuable species of tubers and this is my humble attempt at it,” says Shaji, who has been growing over 200 varieties of tubers with farmers across the state for the past several years.

Of Conservation and Food Security

Growing up in a family of farmers, Shaji had to experience poverty and hunger at different points of his life. He says that a major part of his family’s diet was nothing but different types of tubers that they cultivated. “My life experiences also motivated me to go ahead with my conservation efforts. Also, as part of my efforts at popularising them, I have distributed seeds to over 12,000 farmers across the state to encourage tuber cultivation,” says the 43-year-old farmer.

Also, he strongly believes that it is the food choices that lead to different lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart diseases, cancer, etc. “These tubers were an essential part of the diet in olden times. Hence those generations lived a healthy, long life and I wanted to popularise them so that our future generations would benefit,” he opines.

He also points out, “Tubers are also considered the future food security crop due to its ability to sustain under changing climate conditions, especially during a drought.”

So to collect the tuber varieties, Shaji has been travelling across the state and even to interior forests to meet tribal communities. “I source wild tubers from them as such varieties are at the verge of extinction. I grow them on my land and then give the seeds back to the tribal colonies and encourage them to cultivate more on their land and to include them in their diet,” he says.

Greater yam, lesser yam, elephant foot yam, arrowroot, colocasia, sweet potato, tapioca, Chinese potato are a few among the 200 varieties of tubers he grows in his one acre of land.

Apart from growing tubers, he also cultivates several indigenous and traditional rice varieties in a few acres of land that he took for lease. “Just like tubers, there are different rice varieties that face extinction. As an attempt to conserve them, I have been growing those varieties. Altogether I currently grow around 52 varieties of rice. I also give out these rice varieties to people who want to cultivate them,” he explains.

While giving out any variety of crops, Shaji says he has a strict condition for the buyer. “Whether it’s a particular variety of tuber or rice, if somebody wants the seeds from me then they can take it for free but only with a promise of returning the same amount of seeds once they harvest it. This way I make sure that they cultivate it properly at least to pay it back to me,” he says with a smile.

According to Shaji, farmers need to contribute to maintaining biodiversity by growing different varieties of crops organically.

Shaji’s farm, Kedaram, also grows 17 varieties of medicinal plants and around 100 varieties of vegetables and fruits. “I also rear a few cows, goats, honey bees and maintain a small fish farm as well,” he adds.

A role model for several farmers in the country, he also trains farmers and conducts a seed festival at his farm every year. He uses Facebook and WhatsApp groups as a medium to connect to farmers and also to collect and distribute different varieties of crops. He has also received several accolades like the Plant Genome Savior Farmer Award in 2014, the Indian Biodiversity Award in 2021 and several other state and national level awards for his efforts at conserving and popularising a wide array of tuber varieties.

Source:
Problems and Prospects of Tuber crops in Kerala (ICAR)

Edited by Yoshita Rao

In recent years, many urban gardeners have started adding this lucrative crop to their repository, given that it’s easy to grow and can reap big rewards. Are you looking to try your hands at growing mushrooms yourself? Here are some links you can find easily on Amazon:

1. ‘Mushroom out of the box’ grow kit

This is a cardboard box filled with coco peat and mushroom seeds (spawn) sown in it. As per the instructions, all you have to do is keep the box in a cool place with plenty of fresh air and no direct sunlight, and your mushrooms are ripe for the plucking in 15 days!

You must keep in mind to water the crop 3-4 times a day during the cycle. One box can sustain a small family for about half a month. It can also be refilled by purchasing spawn alone after the harvest. And the best part? Even your kid could grow delicious mushrooms using this DIY kit.

Buy the product here.

2. Rich pink oyster for indoor

Though a treat for the eyes as well as your health, pink oyster mushrooms are not as easily available in the market. But what if you could grow them right at home in just three steps?

All you need to do is cut open the box, spray water at least thrice a day, and harvest the mushrooms within a week. One bag can be used for two to three cycles, and provides about 180-225 grams each. Oyster mushrooms contain essential amino acids, protein, non starchy carbohydrates, dietary fibre, minerals, and Vitamin D.

Buy the product here.

3. Mini farm organic mushroom

Urban farming just got more fun and productive with this DIY mushroom kit, which takes only 10 days to grow. The kit contains plant-based soil and oyster mushroom spores. These can be grown inside the box or taken out and placed in an external pot. This easy-to-use kit can give upto four rounds of harvest.

Buy the product here.

4. Oyster mushrooms grow kit

This kit includes ready-to-use mushroom spawn and polypropylene bags. Buyers would need to purchase a straw substrate before they start farming. Boil the substrate in water for one hour and quickly dry it. Break the spawn packet into fine grains to mix it with the substrate in a ratio of 10 per cent and fill the mixture in the PP bag. Start spraying water after 15 days and a high yield is assured within a month.

Buy the product here.

5. Milky mushroom spawn

This kit contains 400 grams of spawns, which are to be sown in the existing or newly made mixture of soil. Milky mushrooms are different from oysters, and are known to be better in taste as well as nutritional value. It takes more than 15 days to get the first yield, and the kit can be used for about two or three rounds.

Buy the product here.

6. Button mushroom spawn

These ready-to-use spawns are sown in the prepared compost and placed at the required temperature. Compost can be made out of wheat/paddy straw, along with other nutrients. This is then filled in wooden trays. Button mushrooms take 30-35 days to grow, and this set can last upto 10 months.

Buy the product here.

Now that you’ve bought the ideal kit to start your mushroom journey, what are some things to keep in mind? Here’s what experts say:

1. In your first attempt at mushroom cultivation, go for oyster mushrooms. Closed spaces are the best for its growth.

Monika Chowdry, who runs The Mushroom Hub in Delhi, says, “Oyster mushrooms require very less space, whereas the others require more area and specific environmental conditions.”

2. If you plan to grow mushrooms from scratch, understand the sterilisation process of straws well. Soak the material in water that has a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius for one or two hours. “Once it is soaked, the straw will have to be dried under a fan or shade (no sunlight) for 6-7 hours. This process can also be done overnight,” says Monika.

3. Get in touch with horticulture centres, nurseries, or an experienced farmer to understand the ratio and other necessary details regarding cultivation.

4. Watering is the most vital part of growing mushrooms. Spray water at least 3-4 times everyday to prevent the mushrooms from drying up.

5. Check the temperature of the room at definite intervals, especially during the attack of pests. Inappropriate room temperatures could contribute to rotting. To avoid pests in the crop, use organic products like neem oil.

(Edited by Divya Sethu)

At 22, Babita Rawat from Uttarakhand’s Umeral village, was faced with a similar question.

For her, the only motive to start farming was to care for her father. She had to start working by the time she turned 19 due to his ill health. With nine members to care for in the house, the financial responsibility fell on her shoulders.

“Due to my father’s heart issues, I had to learn the basics of farming and juggle my studies. I didn’t want my family to go under huge debt, so I decided to introduce new crops besides wheat and pulses on our 17 naali (an acre) of land,” she tells The Better India.

Resilience and determination are Babita’s strengths. Not only has she eradicated myths around oyster mushrooms in her village, but has also trained 500 more women to grow the fungi themselves.

“I approached the markets run by local governments and told them about my produce, which I had packaged properly. I spoke to customers directly and answered all their questions. This worked and soon the demand for mushrooms increased,” Babita, now 25, tells The Better India. Her first sale brought her a profit of Rs 1,000.

Juggling studies & farming

From learning to plough and sow on her own to attending training programmes conducted by the Agriculture Department, Babita prepared herself in many ways to introduce new techniques on her land. Alongside, she began dairy farming.

Her days started with ploughing the field, after which she would walk nearly 5 kilometres to attend college. On her way, she would sell milk. After returning home, she would visit her farm once again, or attend a training workshop. Evenings and nights were reserved for studying.

With the money she gathered from these, she decided to take the risk of adding more vegetables to her land — peas, okra, capsicum, brinjal, cabbage, onion, garlic, mustard, spinach, radish, and more.

With help from her father, brothers, and sisters, she also introduced organic fertilisers to eliminate use of chemicals, she says.

“We make vermicompost from cow dung and use it as manure for soil. We spray either neem oil or neem paste for nutrients and to keep pests away. Finally, jeevamrutha, a mixture of cow dung and cow urine, helps in strengthening the roots. It was only a simple switch, but it gave us great returns. Additionally, we saw changes in our health,” says Babita.

Next came a tiny polyhouse where she started growing tomatoes. In just one cycle, she harvested 1 quintal, which she says was almost twice of what the conventional way would give. The polyhouse maintains the required temperature throughout the year, so it is easy to have more than one cycle, she notes.

However, the best selling product became mushrooms, which interestingly, did not require high investments. Babita adopted an easy method to use stubble or agro-waste and soybean waste to grow one of the most healthy, albeit expensive foods in the Indian market. She began with an investment of Rs 500.

“I first soak the straw in water for a few hours to soften and remove dirt. After sterilising and drying it, I mix it with the seeds and deposit them in a polybag. After 2-3 weeks, the mushrooms start sprouting. My income from the crop alone is close to Rs 20,000 every cycle,” she says.

After experimenting in a small room of her house, she moved to an abandoned house in her village, where she conducts mushroom workshops from this house.

Rajni, a farmer in the village, underwent training under Babita last year, and was able to yield 12 kilos of mushroom in her first cycle. Each kilo fetched her around Rs 300, she says.

“Mushrooms are easier to grow when compared to vegetables and fruits. The investment is also less. Babita helped me get seeds and polybags and even gave me market linkages to sell my produce,” she says.

Babita’s training soon gained popularity in her district, and even in the neighbouring district of Chamoli, she says. As demand for organic seeds and plants from farmers, especially women, increased, she started her own nursery.

For her organic farming methods, the state government felicitated her with the prestigious Tilu Rauteli Award last year.

Over the years, Babita has inspired farmers in her village to shift their practices from single cropping to multi cropping while eliminating the use of chemicals. This includes Rajni, who is happy she does not have to spend money on purchasing fertilisers from outside.

Edited by Divya Sethu 

She is the first woman entrepreneur of her village to become a pioneer in organic products. Moreover, the 63-year-old helped empower hundreds of women across Karnataka.

A native of Arablache in Bhadravati taluk, she says. “I am the second born among three daughters and I never studied beyond Class 10.”

She moved to Nittur village after marrying Nagendrappa in 1979. Her husband’s family owned 25 acres of farmland, but eventually, the family separated, and her husband became an owner of a smaller distributed piece of land.

To earn an additional income to make ends meet, Nagendrappa joined a coir factory in the village.

“The factory made mattresses, ropes and other products by converting coconut waste into coir. So, I decided to set up a small unit at home and start a business,” she says.

Taking some money on loan from family and using her savings, Saroja set up the unit to make coir mats, brushes and other items. Some months later, she also procured cows to set up a small dairy farm.

“The products had a great demand in the market, and the business started well. But poor infrastructure and erratic power supply did not help me earn expected profits. Eventually, the operations had to be shut down as the business started running into losses,” Saroja says.

It was then that Saroja thought of switching over to selling organic food and products. “I was always interested in cooking using millets and other traditional food grains. My husband grew organic vegetables and foodgrains like jowar, ragi, paddy and millets. So, I decided to sell the [harmful] chemical-free produce and traditional recipes using our farm fresh harvest,” she says.

Saroja started the business informally. But it was only after her products were appreciated and received a better value in the market that many farmers approached her. “I started teaching women and men alike to effectively use available farm resources for organic pest management, increasing soil quality and yield,” she adds.

Her work was recognised by the agriculture department officials who approached her to promote organic farming. She then joined the officials travelling around 20 villages near Harihar and other parts of the state, guiding farmers. “I became a better teacher, but also learned new techniques to grow crops from other farmers,” she says, adding, “The learning and earnings from agriculture helped me improve my family’s financial condition.”

Saroja then felt the need to scale up and promote the goodness of organic food to a larger audience.

Starting Tadhvanam

In 2014, she registered her business under the brand Tadhvanam, offering a range of products such as her famous banana flour, papad made from ragi, rice, jowar and pearl millets. Other unique products included vermicelli made from rice-wheat, ragi and other items.

She also offers a Rava idli mix, Navane Bisi bele bath mix, Ragi maldi — a mixture of ragi powder with spices, jaggery and native herbs. She also sells a wide range of chutneys.

Saroja says that one Eshwar Theerta, an organic food grower, taught her how to package and market the products. Eshwar adds, “Saroja has progressed far beyond where I taught her and feel proud of her achievements.”

The gritty entrepreneur has promoted her organic products at various exhibitions across cities, like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Chennai and Karnataka. “I earned more confidence in my products when on one occasion, ISKCON approached me to place an order for rice papad as per their requirements. I felt proud about delivering and customising products according to customers,” she says.

Her banana flour, too, became an instant hit. “The product is made by drying bananas and making a powder through processing. It is a healthy replacement for maida or other types of flour. The daily use product was unique during those days and received a significant demand. I also shared 15 healthy recipes, including cake and spicy items like thakali (tomato rice), which customers liked,” she adds.

Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle

Eventually, Saroja started forming women self-help groups and taking them on her exhibition tours. So far, she has trained over 500 women across Nittur, Hospet, Chitradurga, Harihur, Bellary, Gadag, Dharwad and Hubli, helping them establish a business.

Many started their product manufacturing or entered organic farming, which helped them become financially independent.

Mamatha, a farmer from neighbouring Harihar village, says she became acquainted with Saroja about four years ago. She says, “I learned organic farming techniques from Saroja to grow paddy and seasonal vegetables on my farm. My husband passed away due to an illness. But organic farming has helped me sustain and become financially independent.”

While empowering women, Saroja helped them overcome and avoid hardships she faced as an entrepreneur. “I faced many challenges in convincing customers and farmers to opt for organic farming. To encourage buyers, I gave away samples in small mud pots. I requested them to try consuming [harmful] chemical-free food. They loved it and returned for more. Even today, the majority of my customers repeat,” she adds.

She says arranging finances also made her entrepreneurial journey difficult. “Unlike urban entrepreneurs, the government and private banks do not offer loans to rural women fearing losses and lack of confidence. I had to make arrangements with my family. Moreover, I did not know effective marketing techniques and social media did not exist during my early years. I had to build trust by interacting personally with customers,” Saroja shares.

The entrepreneur adds, “Today, I help women procure finances through reliable entities and share experiences in marketing and promoting their products.”

However, Saroja says the villagers welcomed her decision of becoming an entrepreneur, which helped her gain confidence and establish her business.

Today, Saroja earns a monthly business of Rs 50,000 and is content with her achievements. “I have employed 20 women working part-time as per their convenience. I aim to promote organic food. Many products available in the market are adulterated and I want to encourage people to choose healthier food,” she says.

She adds, “I want the concept of organic farming to reach every corner of the globe. City dwellers should practise organic farming and grow their vegetables to avoid consuming chemical-laden food. Every human should eat and live healthily.”

Edited by Yoshita Rao

Having always worked on a farm, Bhausaheb wondered if grapes could grow in urban spaces as well. His query was answered in 2013, when he went on a Europe tour with fellow farmers. “The tour was organised by the state Agriculture Department to familiarise farmers with agricultural practices implemented in different parts of the world,” he says.

Bhausaheb travelled to the Netherlands, Germany, Frankfurt and Holland. “Many farmers in Holland plant grapevines in their backyard. The vines grow long and canopied across their roof. This helped me realise that it was possible to grow grapes at home,” he says.

With the knowledge he had gained from this visit, Bhausaheb decided to incorporate a vineyard in his home. The opportunity arrived in 2014, when he was building a new house in Uruli Kanchan, wherein he decided to grow grapes on the terrace.

Today, his experiment has become a success, with grapevines covering his roof and providing much-required respite during summer days.

“I procured Bangalore Purple, a black variety of grapes from the National Grape Research Institute, and planted the saplings along the boundary wall. For my three-story house, I needed the vines to grow at least 50 to 60 feet long for them to reach the top and extend on the roof of the 1,100 square feet terrace,” the 58-year-old explains.

As he was not implementing the plantation commercially, Bhausaheb decided to use organic methods to grow the grapevines. “I used an abundant amount of cow dung, compost, organic matter and cow urine to provide natural nutrition. The vines grew strong, up to 32 feet,” he adds.

Eventually, the vines bore branches, and Bhausaheb carefully crafted them to spread them evenly across his terrace.

“In 2018, when the vines matured, I got 108 branches. The next year, about a hundred more grew. By 2020, the branches will increase to 300 and grow to over 550 in 2022,” Bhausaheb says, adding the growth has been impressive, and the vineyard collectively bears 250 kilos of grapes.

He opines that the harvest will increase by over 50 per cent by next year.

Bhausaheb says he maintained the vines by pruning them occasionally. “I did not require any pesticides or chemical fertilisers, as the methods were organic and vines grow on compost without the use of soil,” he adds.

“Weather is crucial for growing grapes, which require a combination of hot and humid conditions. If the weather suits the geographical region, anyone can grow grapes in their backyard or terrace,” Bhausaheb says.

Today, his terrace attracts visitors from Pune and other parts of the state as well, he says. “I inspired and guided around 80 people on social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and even attended some queries from abroad,” he adds.

“I do not sell any grapes, but distribute them among friends and families. I want to inspire others by demonstrating that one can grow a vineyard or farm in urban spaces amidst concrete jungle,” he says.

Bhausaheb hopes more urban dwellers are inspired by his demonstration. For more information, he can be called on 9404998960.

Edited by Divya Sethu

Celebrating his incredible achievement, the Indian government posthumously awarded him the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour, earlier this month.

Back in 2001, the Government of India had awarded him the Padma Shri.

According to the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), his varieties of wheat are grown on some 58 million hectares worldwide and have prevented starvation in different parts of the world.

Rajaram was just 29 when he took over CIMMYT’s wheat breeding program after Nobel Laureate Dr Norman Borlaug in 1972. He served the organisation for 33 years, including seven as Director of the Global Wheat Program, before joining the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). He would formally retire from his official duties in 2008.

What stands out about the 480 varieties of wheat he developed is their “increased yield potential and stability, along with wide adaptation and resistance to important diseases and stresses”.

“These varieties include the spring and winter wheat cross Veery, which was released in 36 countries; new approaches to disease resistance, for instance, ‘slow-rusting’ wheat varieties; and largely reduced foliar blight susceptibility in semi-dwarf wheat…One of his wheats, PBW 343, is India’s most popular wheat variety. His varieties have increased the yield potential of wheat by 20 to 25 per cent,” according to this tribute by CIMMYT.

Rajaram also won the World Food Prize in 2014 for the “crossing of winter and spring wheat varieties, which were distinct gene pools that had been isolated from one another for hundreds of years”. This, the jury argued, “led to his development of plants that have higher yields and dependability under a wide range of environments around the world”.

Making a Mark in Agriculture

Born in 1943, Rajaram grew up in a modest household near a small farming village of Raipur in Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh. His family made a living off their 5-hectare farm growing wheat, maize and rice. Rajaram, meanwhile, went to a village school about 5 km from his home, where he completed his primary and secondary school education. A bright student, he won a scholarship to attend high school, following which he went to the University of Gorakhpur where he obtained a BSc in agriculture. Following graduation, he obtained his master’s degree from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi, where he studied genetics and plant breeding under Dr MS Swaminathan, renowned for his leading role in India’s Green Revolution.

Following his master’s degree, he went to Australia to complete his PhD in plant breeding at the University of Sydney on a scholarship. There he met with Dr IA Watson, who had studied alongside Dr Norman Barlaug as a graduate student at the University of Minnesota. It was Dr Watson, who would recommend Rajaram to Barlau at the CIMMYT in Mexico. This introduction would play a pivotal role in what would become a distinguished scientific career. Given his family background in farming, Rajaram knew his future lay in agricultural science where he could make a significant difference in food production and institute long term positive change.

Innovator Extraordinaire

Rajaram began his tenure at CIMMYT in 1969 working alongside Borlaug in experimental fields of Ciudad Obregón, Toluca and El Batán in Mexico. With their base of operations in El Batán, southern central Mexico, CIMMYT is a “non-profit international agricultural research and training organisation focusing on two of the world’s most important cereal grains: maize and wheat, and related cropping systems and livelihoods,” notes their website.

Established in 1943 as a joint venture between the Rockefeller Foundation and the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture, it began as a pilot program to facilitate food security in Mexico and abroad “through selective plant breeding and crop improvement” with the initial objective of breeding rust-resistant (wheat leaf rust is a fungal disease) and higher-yielding wheat.

The programme was initially headed by Borlaug, who would not only go on to develop game-changing varieties of wheat but also far-reaching approaches to plant breeding.

His most significant contribution to the discourse around plant breeding was the development of high volume ‘shuttle breeding’. According to this paper published in 1989, “Shuttle breeding uses diverse ecological environments to develop improved varieties with higher adaptability.” Borlaug would also lead efforts at breeding improved varieties of wheat in India as well, and become the scientist who helped engineer the country’s Green Revolution as well. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1970 for his efforts in saving millions from starvation.

From 1969 to 1972, Rajaram would conduct his research and fieldwork under the supervision of Borlaug before succeeding him to lead the wheat breeding team at CIMMYT.

According to the World Food Prize citation, “Like Borlaug, Rajaram had the extraordinary ability to visually identify and select for crossbreeding the plant varieties possessing a range of desired characteristics, an ability that was essential to wheat breeding in the 1980s and ’90s.”

His new varieties of wheat would find their way in places where they were struggling for better yields like the remote corners of China, Pakistan and even Brazil where he developed an aluminium-tolerant variety that successfully grew on acidic soil. Going further, he could foresee some of the diseases that could threaten this staple crop. Working alongside his team at CIMMYT, they would enhance the resistance to these diseases in their varieties of wheat.

“Rajaram also developed wheat cultivars with durable resistance to rusts—the most damaging disease to wheat worldwide—through his concept of ‘slow rusting’. He used multiple genes with minor effects that slow down disease development, thereby minimizing the impact on yield without challenging the rust pathogen to mutate and overcome resistance. The varieties produced using this technique have been grown on millions of hectares worldwide. His method proved a cost-effective and environmentally sound way to control plant disease,” notes the citation he received after winning the World Food Prize in 2014.

Going beyond his innovation, Rajaram was also a man who emphasised the importance of sharing his knowledge and findings with the rest of the world. Training and mentoring over 700 scientists from the developing world, his knowledge and skill-set were passed onto others who would themselves go on to accelerate the development of high-yield varieties of wheat.

Despite taking up Mexican citizenship, Rajaram never lost track of India and remained active in promoting wheat breeding, genetic engineering and precision agriculture here. His legacy, however, extends to the work he did for the world, and that’s something we should celebrate.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

When Insha Rasool was faced with this question while doing her PhD, she decided to give herself six months. She told her professor that if she did not succeed in organic farming, she would return to the university in South Korea, where she was pursuing Molecular Signalling.

And so she packed her bags and returned to her hometown Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir in 2018.

All she had at the time was her ancestral land of 3.5 acres, on which her family used to grow crops and vegetables for self-consumption. She reached out to farmers in the neighbourhood, purchased seeds and manure, and hired labourers to do the sowing, tilling and other such work.

Being a scientist by profession, she knew doing research was not enough to grow a crop. She spent months experimenting with different varieties of seeds in different seasons.

“I failed more than I succeeded. Sometimes the crop did not sprout, or the manure did not work, sometimes I put in extra water, or planted the seed in the wrong season. These experiments lasted beyond my deadline of six months. Eventually, I chose to stay in farming, and this decision turned out to be life changing,” Insha tells The Better India.

This catapulted the launch of Homegreens, a ‘farm-to-fork’ brand that Insha has built with her hard work over the last two years.

She attributes her decision to continue farming despite losses to the articles she read on The Better India (TBI), of individuals trying organic farming for the first time. “Back then, when I had no guidance, I would read TBI stories and follow the tips or hacks they entailed. I have tried so many of them on my farm, and most of them have worked,” she adds.

Now on the other side of the table, Insha excitedly shares her failures and experiments, which she says can hopefully help others in the future.

In pursuit of a healthy lifestyle

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, Insha has lived in many places with greenery and lower temperatures. After living in Kashmir, Delhi and Bengaluru, she moved to South Korea, where the weather was more pleasant.

Although her family had been in farming, she took interest in the profession only after a visit to a strawberry farm during her child’s school activity.

“I was blown away by the incredible technology they used to grow fresh, colourful strawberries. I casually told my husband how great it would be if someone in Kashmir did the same. He said why wait for someone else when we have land. The decision to leave everything was after six months of rigorous planning and research,” she recalls.

Insha says only a handful of people were selling exotic vegetables and veggies grown with heirloom seeds in her region. So she chose the exotic veggies for her farm.

She invested her money in accumulating lesser-known seed varieties from local and international seed banks, as well as her maternal grandmother’s own collection.

Not all these seeds would turn into crops. Weed infestation was a major problem that she tackled by manual removal, till she found a permanent solution in weed-repellant plants.

“I even tried the seedling process in trays, as some heirloom seeds needed more nutrition. It took me almost five months to get the right soil and water ratio for germination. The weather was another issue. I was so happy when my farm yielded lettuce in the summer, but it turned out to be bitter. Finally, by the end of 2019, healthy cherry tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, chillies and bell peppers were growing,” says Insha.

She says she adopted the ‘succession farming’ method.

“I divided every acre into four parts. This ensures that instead of a single crop in one cycle, I get multiple crops in multiple cycles. We sow seeds in one part, and after a month, use the second part, and so on. Along with slow-growing crops, I put in fast-growing ones like coriander, spring onions, herbs, fenugreek, collard greens, etc so that no part of the land is sitting idle,” she explains.

She also adopted the intercropping technique, mostly to keep pests away. She grows pest controlling plants like garlic, common nettle and artemisia in between veggies.

In case of insect invasion, she uses a fermented mixture of artemisia, neem oil, chilli, onions and garlic.

Insha sells her crops on her Instagram and Facebook page. She claims that the majority of the produce is sold within 24 hours of uploading a post.

“I earned close to Rs 8 lakh in last November and December. We have been growing steadily. Our profits are also generated via frozen varieties of french beans and peas, as well as blanched sweet corn and tomatoes. We are able to sell throughout the year,” she adds.

Under the brand, Insha has also collaborated with local farmers to sell exotic vegetables and value-added products like pickles across India, she says. The 32-year-old groups with an average of 15-20 farmers every month and offers them prices higher than the market rates, she adds.

“Insha is a very dedicated and innovative farmer. She not only helps farmers get a fair price but also trains them to learn the latest farming methods. Earlier, our farmers were selling broccoli at Rs 30 per kilo. Now they are getting Rs 100,” Shamas Sul Hassan Mir, Nodal Officer (Marketing Linkage), state Agricultural Department, tells The Better India. For the last couple of months, Shamas has been helping farmers connect with Insha.

Seeing the success of her brand, Insha hopes to soon launch a poultry section and purchase more land for cropping.

Edited by Divya Sethu 

Bhuvaneshwari requested her family to give her 1.5 acres of unused area on their 10-acre farm to cultivate crops naturally. No one, including the farm labourers, had any hope from her. 

But from her experience of kitchen gardening, she believed that if the right methods are executed, it is possible to shift from chemical to organic farming. She first began experimenting in 2013, and today, almost eight years later, the entire 10-acre farm is free of harmful chemicals and pesticides. 

While discontinuing the use of chemicals is a noble thought and the right step towards a healthy lifestyle, it is no easy feat to achieve by any means. 

“If the land and crops, which are so used to chemicals, stop receiving them suddenly, the reaction is going to be unfavourable. The yield will be affected or even damaged. It is thanks to my upbringing, habits and knowledge accumulated over the years that we were able to ensure a smooth transition,” Bhuvaneshwari tells The Better India. 

The 54-year-old was born into a family of farmers in Kalyanaodai village in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district. She grew up in the lap of nature with the Kaveri River flowing close to her house.

“Since my childhood, I had easy access to a variety of fruits and vegetables grown on our farm and village. Mother nature was kind enough to provide us with materials that made our quality of life easier and better. If I craved blueberries, I could go and harvest some from the blueberry plants growing nearby. If mosquitoes created a nuisance, we used to pluck ‘nochi’ leaves and scatter them around us at night to sleep peacefully. It is this intimacy that I had with mother nature that piqued my interest in farming, coupled with the thirst and eagerness to learn. As years progressed, I continued observing the farming activities carried out by my family, and that very expertise came handy,” she says. 

After marriage, she moved to Pudukottai Karuppayurani village in Madurai, and pursued farming by growing flowers in a tank-like structure filled with soil called thotti, located in the backyard of their house. Within six months, the backyard was blooming with roses, hibiscus and jasmine. 

When Bhuvaneshwari decided to get into full-time farming, she had two issues to resolve on priority — stop using chemicals, and bring back native rice varieties. 

‘Steps I took make my land organic and highly fertile’

Before Bhuvaneshwari took over, the farm was growing hybrid paddy that was water intensive and prone to pest attacks. Thus, the land needed excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides as pest repellents.

“The green pigmentation of the crops had started fading, thereby turning the crops white. During the summer and drought season, our crops would suffer badly,” says Bhuvaneshwari. 

She wanted a foolproof plan to grow vegetables, paddy and fruits organically. For this, she approached Vanagam Nammalvar Ecological Foundation in Karur and learnt organic farming steps in detail. 

After success on 1.5 acres, Bhuvaneshwari expanded to the rest of the land. 

Here’s what she uses to make her land fertile, increase yield, and keep the insects at bay: 

• She sprayed a mixture of ginger, garlic, green chillies and buttermilk on the plants which had lost their colouration. This mixture was a result of various trial and error techniques she experimented with. This natural solution reversed the white colouration and made the crops revert to their pristine and green state. The results gave her the confidence to do more experiments. 
• Bhuvaneshwari stirred cow dung until it attained a batter-like consistency, and then allowed it to ferment overnight. Then, she spread the mix on the field, either by pouring or by spraying the concoction. She used cow urine as a natural disinfectant, storing it in tanks and spraying them regularly. 
• The third mix she uses is Panchakavyam. It comprises ghee, cow urine, cow dung, curd and milk. Water is introduced to this mixture and the solution is stirred well with a dense stick. This is stored overnight for five days and covered tightly to prevent mosquitoes and flies. This also prevents egg-laying activity, which can attract worms and spoil the solution. This mixture is the most effective solution, she says. Other elements such as bananas, sugarcane, and yeast can also be added. 
• To prevent the crop from getting sour or emitting a stench, she mixes leaves derived from around 25 types of plants such as nochi (white-chaste tree), spinach, vilvam, tulsi, etc with cow dung. She ferments this for six days and adds 10-15 litres of water. 

Reviving native rice varieties

After seeing the result of hybrid varieties, Bhuvaneshwari wanted to bring back the native rice varieties such as kichili samba, thulasi seeraga samba, vadan samba, sigappu kavuni (red rice) and karunkuruvai. 

She began with two varieties by borrowing seeds from a farmer from Ariyalur. She used the aforementioned organic fertilisers and sugarcane mulch to rejuvenate the field and cultivate the crops. 

Alongside paddy, she sowed leguminous plants to restore nitrogen. This hack worked as the field yielded around 25 kilos of both the rice varieties. 

“Initially, the crops suffered, and people told me to use chemicals. But I did not give in, and continued spraying my homemade mixtures. It took some time but eventually gave good results,” says Bhuvaneshwari.  

She also implemented the intercropping method to grow crops such as tomato, eggplant, green chillies, and snake gourd, along with leguminous crops like moong dal, urad dal. 

In between tomatoes and eggplant, which require a lot of nutrients, she planted spinach. “Spinach utilises optimum sunlight to grow well and thereby helps plants around it grow as well. Leguminous crops help other crops grow as well, due to nitrogen fixation properties,” she adds. 

A good yield is reflected in the family’s revenue growth. 

“Per cycle of the ‘karuppu kowni’ rice, the yield produced amounts to around 72 kilos and revenue per kilo is anywhere between Rs 180 to Rs 200. I sell it at Rs 200 against the market rate of Rs 350,” she says. 

To assure people of the quality before they purchase, she hosts students, farmers and customers on her farm. She gives them a tour and demonstrates her organic methods, alongside offering cooked food such as kozhukattai, kanji, halwa, paniyaram, puliogare, lemon rice and more, which she prepares using rice varieties from her field. 

“I have eaten Bhuvaneswari’s karuppu kowni rice. Within three months, my sugar levels have reduced from 400 to 150. There are innumerable benefits about which I can go on and on. I feel more energetic, and the best part is that the rice tastes really nice,” says Nikumba, one of Bhuvaneshwari’s customers. 

A humble Bhuvaneshwari does not shy away from sharing the failures as well. According to her, these will assure people when they face similar challenges. 

She says that when she tried digging small pits and channels to harvest rainwater, they didn’t prove to be effective for her farm. 

“These water saving practices are dependent on a lot of factors, and they vary with every area and terrain. Hence, many water conservation methods might prove to be ineffective. I do intend on exploring other options in the future,” she says.  

‘Advice and hacks that I swear by’ 

• “Change your mindset first in order to get rid of chemicals. Chemicals are not the only solution to aid farming. Adopt parampariya (traditional) methods which have been proven to be the most effective methods.” 
• “Make maximum use of cow dung and sugarcane mulch. You can also use any local material such as neem oil or plants that repel pests. Nature has all the answers.” 
• “If you are interested in venturing into the world of farming, stop worrying about the size of your land. Put your heart and soul into the practice, and even a small patch of land can produce crops which can sustain you for ages.”

Sources:

NDTV

Healthline

With inputs from Sai Sudharshan

Edited by Divya Sethu 

Over the past couple of decades though, rural residents have been consistently moving base to metropolitan cities in search of non-farming occupations to better their standard of living. As many as 78 million Indians migrated from rural to urban areas, as per data from the 2011 Census.

Despite these figures, it is a rarity for a majority of these residents to find economically viable employment opportunities, and they may often end up settling for substandard living conditions. It was this troubling reality that propelled Bihar-based Abhishek Kumar (35) to leave his well-paying job as a management professional in 2011 and take up farming in his village instead.

A native of Barauli village in Bihar’s Aurangabad district, Abhishek now cultivates a host of aromatic and medicinal plants such as tulsi, lemongrass, turmeric, tuberose, giloy, gerbera, moringa and marigold on his ancestral land spanning 20 acres. He also grows the traditional crops of paddy, wheat and maize, generating an annual income of Rs 15 lakh.

“I come from a farming family but moved to Pune to work at a private bank and another banking consulting firm. I noticed that most people working as security guards here are from Bihar, even though they usually have enough land back in their villages to make a living by farming. Most of them do not end up making enough money to afford good accommodation and hygienic food. They leave their families behind to lead extremely painful lives,” Abhishek tells The Better India.

“Moreover, crops in Bihar are not grown as per the land’s production capacity. With this in mind, I decided to quit my job and take up farming. I wanted to create a profitable agricultural model that could be replicated by such people and help a little in stopping the migration from Bihar,” he adds.

On his return, Abhishek says, he wanted to pursue farming on his own rather than just advising people. “This helped them establish their faith in me and perhaps, is one of the reasons that lakhs of Indian farmers are associated with me today,” he says, adding that he’s involved with as many as 95 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in the country.

Since 2011, Abhishek has mentored and provided marketing assistance to more than 2 lakh farmers from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka, among other states.

Bringing horticulture to Bihar

A few months after Abhishek had moved to Bihar from Pune, he met with a road accident that left him in a critical condition. Even as he gradually recovered and mustered the strength to pursue his newfound ambition, he says he faced a fair share of resistance from both his family and community.

“My relatives and neighbours were convinced that I was not making the right decision. They had the perception that I had spent several years away but didn’t have anything to show for it. But I explained to my father that I wanted to adapt to modern, sustainable farming techniques on our family land and was fortunate enough to receive his support,” he recalls.

While Abhishek began experimenting with soil testing, micronutrients, polyhouse farming and foliar application of urea on traditional crops, he decided to pursue horticulture that enabled him to earn Rs 6 lakh in his first year of farming.

“I was the first person in Bihar to cultivate Gerbera,” he claims. “I sourced the saplings from Bengaluru and Pune and used tissue culture techniques to plant them. Eventually, I began cultivating other flowering species such as lilium, orchid and hortensia. Their production cycles last for two months and enable farmers to generate profits in a shorter period.”

Presently, a quarter of Abhishek’s land is used only for the cultivation of medicinal plants. “Once planted, a farmer doesn’t have to worry much about medicinal crops for the next couple of years. Their leaves can survive heavy rains and hailstorms, and the plants are capable of thriving even if they are watered once every 20-25 days,” he notes. “A lot of farmers also face crop damage because of animal attacks, especially by Nilgai, but they do not eat medicinal plants and this helps curb the nuisance.”

One of Abhishek’s most notable products is Teatar green tea, which he started cultivating in 2018. It is effective in treating blood pressure, boosting immunity and treating tumours, he claims.

Abhishek explains that the green tea is made by processing medicinal leaves of tulsi, lemongrass, moringa, by machines used to cut cattle fodder, and then dried using solar dryers at a processing unit in Barauli village.

“I made this product following regulations set by the Food and Drug Administration. Today, we have customers across India to whom we courier our products through online retail merchants,” he says.

Abhishek’s Teatar green tea is branded under Aurangabad Kadambini Farmer Producer Company, an FPO he founded in 2018, with nearly 500 farmer members from Barauli and nearby villages.

Getting farmers their dues

For the past two months, Abhishek has been working as the business development lead for Kissanpro, a Bengaluru-based agritech startup that provides linkage and marketing support to thousands of farmers across the country.

“In most rural parts of India, farmers are not capable of selling their produce by themselves. Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) are meant to help with the local procurement of their crops, but not all of them function on the right track. It takes a long time for farmers to receive their dues and even then, middlemen end up eating most of their profits,” notes Abhishek.

He says that agritech startups that function as umbrella organisations for both individual farmers and FPOs are the need of the hour. “Kissanpro, too, works on a cluster-lead model, enabling farmers to connect with vegetable stores and grocery outlets to sell their produce both within the country and internationally. We might not always be able to get them MSP (Minimum Support Price), but they are paid in cash and at the right time,” he explains.

Presently, as many as 40,000 farmers from Jharkhand, Bihar and Karnataka are associated with Kissanpro. They are also provided real-time data-based guidance concerning weather phenomena, sustainable methods of production and tentative sales, says Abhishek.

Abhishek received the Best Farmer Award from Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur district in 2014. He was also conferred the Bhartiya Krishi Ratna Award by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016 for his significant contributions in the field of agriculture.

“If one spends some 10 years in agricultural work, it’s but natural that they would like to see the returns. We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to increase our network to lakhs of farmers in the next few years and help them get the price they deserve,” he says.

You can read this article in Hindi here. For further information, you can contact Abhishek Kumar here.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

“The vegetables I bought from the market were not as fresh as the ones in my village. Moreover, they were chemical-laden and had less nutritional value. I missed the fresh food grown in the village,” Nandlal tells The Better India.

Moreover, the waste generated from his kitchen in the village was decomposed on his farm. But in an urban set-up, Nandlal found difficulty segregating and putting it in a bin, unaware of its fate.

So, Nandlal decided to use his 1,000-square-foot terrace to grow vegetables. Today, his terrace is a lush green paradise filled with an abundance of chemical-free vegetables basking in the sun of 200 pots. More importantly, the kitchen waste from his house goes into a compost unit that enriches the nutritional value of his plants.

Sharing his journey about kitchen gardening, Nandlal says, “Initially, I grew flowering and other gardening plants. However, my curiosity crept on to explore if I could grow vegetables on my terrace. So, I began experimenting,” the 43-year-old says.

Nandlal, a social worker with an NGO, began growing leafy vegetables. “They were simpler to grow and gave me the confidence to grow other varieties,” he says. Later on, he began growing brinjal, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, cauliflower, okra, garlic, cucumber, tomato and other seasonal vegetables.

To treat the kitchen waste, he created a 30-feet bed for composting waste and creating organic manure. “I used compost to provide nutrients to the plants, which reduced my dependency on sourcing the manure externally. I made organic pest control solutions conceived out of neem, cow urine and other natural farm products,” he says, adding, “My farming experience from the village and a workshop attended on zero budget natural farming helped in identifying solutions.”

To improve the nutrient content in his pots, he rotates the crop varieties besides adding the compost.

The overall solutions help him grow 100 kilos of vegetables a week. “I grow seasonal vegetables and use about eight pots for each variety. Recently, I harvested about 70 kilos of cauliflower, 3 kilos of brinjal, and about 12 kilos of gourds. I also received a kilo of okra per day,” he shares.

Nandlal says his surplus harvest is more than enough to meet the vegetable demands for his wife Ranju and him.

“We started giving away the fresh produce to neighbours. They appreciated the quality of food. Some were also impressed with the pictures I shared on WhatsApp and Facebook,” he says.

Nandlal started receiving inquiries from people and has guided 20 families to grow organic vegetables.

Lal Bahadur, one of the neighbours inspired by Nandlal, says, “Like Nandlal, I was also concerned about the quality of vegetable produce available in the market. Initially, I was sceptical about growing vegetables on the terrace but I requested him to help me through the process.”

He adds that today he grows seven types of vegetables slowly, extending his terrace garden. “I aim to become as independent as Nandlal in terms of vegetable needs in future,” he adds.

Nandlal feels glad to have inspired his neighbourhood to take a step towards a chemical-free lifestyle. “My terrace farm also serves as a mini garden that provides respite and relief from the toxic air pollution,” he adds.

He hopes to inspire many more and increase his reach via social media.

For more gardening tips, call Nandlal on 9415300520.

Edited by Yoshita Rao