Harned village embraces natural farming

Farmers in Harned village have shifted from chemical fertilisers to natural farming, fostering healthier crop production and setting an example for sustainable agriculture. Dr Nitin Kumar Sharma, Project Director of the ATMA project under the Agriculture Department, said 26 farmers were trained at Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Agriculture University, Palampur. Consequently, 59 families in Harned adopted natural farming, cultivating on 218 bighas of land under the ‘’Natural Farming, Khushhal Kisan Yojana.’’

Several farmers have received subsidies for purchasing indigenous breed cows, essential for producing natural fertilisers. Apart from traditional crops, some have diversified, planting multiple crops alongside major staples. The Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led state government has incentivised natural farming by offering subsidies on farming tools and livestock and has established a minimum support price (MSP) for naturally grown crops. This MSP is significantly higher than that of crops grown using chemical fertilisers, making natural farming more profitable and appealing.

Lalit Kalia, a progressive farmer from the village, was inspired by the ATMA project team to begin natural farming on two bighas of land. Encouraged by the results, he transitioned his entire land to natural practices, avoiding all chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Instead, he uses homemade natural sprays like Bijamrit, Jivamrit, Drekastra, and Agnistra. Like other farmers in Harned, he now grows diverse crops such as millets (Kodra, Mandhal, Kaungani), pulses (Kulth, Mash, Rangi), sesame, and tubers like Kachalu, Aarbi, ginger, and turmeric.

Due to natural farming methods, Harned’s maize crop from the kharif season sold at Rs 30 per kg, compared to Rs 18-20 per kg for maize grown with chemical fertilisers. Harned is emerging as a model village in natural farming, inspiring farmers from neighbouring villages to adopt similar practices, said Dr Sharma.