Empowering farmers with natural farming techniques

Preserving soil quality, protecting biodiversity, and uplifting farmers of India. 

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Strategy

Training and hand-holding farmers in natural farming techniques

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Impact

High yield production at low cost

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Outreach

22 lakh+ farmers trained in natural farming techniques

Overview

Debt, crop failure, and social pressure plague the anna daata – the farmers of India. Farmers take loans from banks and moneylenders to buy expensive chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and seeds. If the rains fail, farmers lose their produce and are left with no way to repay the loans.

Sri Sri Natural Farming Project, initiated by The Art of Living, is promoting natural farming techniques across India, which promises low expenditure and improved productivity and profits for the farmers. 

The current widespread use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and hybrid seeds not only forces farmers to take out large loans to purchase them, but it also pollutes the water and depletes the soil of nutrients, damaging the ecosystem. The natural farming techniques promoted by The Art of Living are also environmental-friendly and sustainable in nature apart from having low investment cost. 

These techniques were predominantly used in early times when India’s economy was primarily agrarian. But the Green Revolution in the 60s prompted rampant fertilizer and hybrid seed usage that buried Indian farmers under heavy debts and negatively impacted the ecosystem. Current times call for another agriculture revolution that can help farmers, preserve soil quality, and save the ecosystem. 

Sri Sri Natural Farming Project has begun this revolution.

Strategy

Multipronged efforts by The Art of Living Yuvacharyas, agricultural trainers, and several government authorities are helping farmers across the nation. The Art of Living conducts training programs on natural farming in all states. 

Along with theoretical input on indigenous seeds, indigenous cows, natural fertilizers and pesticides, trainers also conduct practical demonstration. 

The program trains farms in the following:

  • Methods of preparing different organic fertilizers
  • Method of appropriately applying fertilizers in the field
  • Ways to maintain the field organically
  • Procedures to maintain / handle the post-harvest product naturally

After the completion of the training, the team put together by the Art of Living hand-holds the farmers in making a switch to natural farming. 

The Art of Living has further provided a platform called Kissan Manch to address farmers’ problems through collective effort. 

To ensure farmers get the best rates for their produce, we also provide them with a direct market.

3-day Training

Basics of natural farming

Mentorship

by providing personalized inputs based on region and season

Hand-holding

Yuvacharyas enable farmers to sustain natural farming

Kissan Manch

Farmers meet and discuss problems and ideas

Direct market

Eliminating the middle-man and ensuring farmers sell their produce at best rates

Agriculture is the backbone of human existence. For any civilization to prosper, agriculture has to be healthy and sustainable. We need to get our focus back on agriculture which is the primary industry.

- Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Join the revolution

With your support we can achieve a lot more. Help farmers produce high yield at low cost with environment-friendly methods.

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Impact

Sri Sri Natural Farming has primarily trained small and marginal farmers who own less than 5 acres of land. Their costs per acre have reduced to 1/5th of the cost to chemical farming and require less than one-fifth of the water they previously needed for cultivation.

Reduced input cost

More land can be cultivated with less water

Rejuvenated land

Increased yield

Biodiversity and environment protected

Subsidy on fertilizers saved