Natural Farming
Drought-hit Maratha village turns to natural farming
Kumbharwadi, a drought-prone village in Maharashtra, is set to rewrite its future as it undergoes a natural farming revolution. The lands are now laboratories for organic farming and natural practices as farmers apply what they learn at “school”.
Chhattisgarh farmer’s transformative “ATM model” of crop-growing
Like an ATM that dispenses money anytime, a Chhattisgarh farmer creates a process of cultivation where a field produces crops that can be consumed and sold anytime. He calls it his “ATM model” and it’s catching on.
Returning to roots – natural farming bears fruit in Telangana
After three decades of using chemicals to cultivate food, a Naikpod tribe farmer returns to the natural farming her mother used to practise. Now Kanthamma embraces year-round intensive cropping, which is bearing fruit for her in ways she never imagined.
She chose harsh farm life over a 6-figure American paycheck
Bhavani Akkina went from a high-flying corporate career in IT in the US to teaching sustainable living principles to farmers, children, police personnel and others at her native Chinatadepalli village in Andhra Pradesh. She tells Village Square about how and why she made the switch.
This Andhra man’s rhapsody revives natural farming
Music and manure don’t usually mix, except in the case of Janni Narshingh Naidu from Illayipuram village in Andhra Pradesh, who finds a novel way to inspire his fellow farmers to adopt natural crop-growing techniques.
Farmer and pulse pioneer shapes a water-efficient future
As we celebrate World Pulses Day today, meet Balchandra Ahirwar, a pioneering farmer from the Bundelkhand region, who is championing water efficiency through pulse cultivation.
Why natural farming stops Maha villagers migrating
Thanks to natural farming, the people of Kumbharwadi are embracing agriculture as a vocation, eschewing the tendency to migrate to cities for income.
Faith in the long game of natural farming
Battling climate change and financial woes, a tribal farmer puts his faith in organic, natural farming methods – betting that enriching his soil will reap rewards in the long run.
How integrated farming saved the day for Andhra farmer
Madhusudan Rao and his wife Karamma, from the Soura community in Andhra Pradesh, fought challenges like illiteracy to embrace progressive farming techniques. Their success has inspired others from the region.
Drought to abundance: water harvesting turns the tide for this Dewas village
Several measures adopted by the residents of the Magradeh village, in rural Madhya Pradesh, including building a check dam and switching to natural farming, are helping change the fortunes of its villagers.
This Maha farmer banks on rare seeds for a sustainable future
Despite challenges like illiteracy, Swati Dhamle pulls out all the stops to ensure the seed bank she heads in her Maharashtra village thrives. The seeds act as repositories of the region’s agricultural heritage.
How an Andhra woman inspired her village to adopt natural farming
When Janni Jyoti adopted natural farming techniques, she had no idea that her entire village would soon follow in her footsteps. Read about the trailblazer from Andhra Pradesh’s Rankini village.
From day-care to soil care – Chhattisgarh woman teaches natural farming
After excessive fertilising stripped nutrients from her village’s soil, an anganwadi teacher takes it upon herself to educate her community about the perils of chemical farming and how to cultivate agri-nutrition gardens.
When natural farming is more viable
Realising that pesticides and fertilisers made with local materials are more effective and cheaper, farmers in Rajasthan are switching to natural farming.
How a tribal woman farmer increases income with this new approach
Balmati Goud was your average struggling tribal farmer who worked as a daily wage worker – until she adopted the ‘50-cent (0.5 acres of land) model' of organic farming, transforming her life and becoming an inspiration for other women farmers.
A seed bombing eco-guerrilla wages war for green cover in rural Odisha
Growing up in a family of nature lovers, environmental degradation always upset journalist and docu-maker Subhransu Satpathy. Now the self-trained ecologist is on a mission to increase rural Odisha’s greenery with an ancient Japanese technique.
From the bladder of a cow
Natural farming based on the clever use of cow waste is transforming lives in Andhra Pradesh as Sanjiv Phansalkar of the VikasAnvesh Foundation discovered close up.
Lawyer-turned-farmer advocates for forest farming
Would you quit your professional job to be an organic farmer for the sake of healthier food? That’s what this Tamil farmer did – converting other farmers to his methods to boot.
Tribal women of Sundargarh make organic farming a life-changing economic activity
Tribal communities in Sundargarh district of Odisha have revived the traditional practice of growing food without the help of chemical fertilizers and made it viable economically by making pragmatic changes