Amar Singh Pathania, a retired officer became an inspiration through natural farming

Amar Singh Pathania, from Bari (Gujrehra) village in Palampur, has become an inspiration for society by adopting natural farming. After retiring from his position as an officer in an insurance company, he returned to his village and began farming. He received six days of training under the government’s Natural Farming Happy Farmer Scheme and chose to practice natural farming instead of chemical farming.

Amar Singh started natural farming on 8 kanals of his 15-kanal agricultural land, cultivating wheat, corn, peas, gram, eggplant, potatoes, and seasonal vegetables. He explains that while chemical farming cost him ₹15,000 with an income of ₹30,000, natural farming reduced his expenses to ₹8,000 and increased his income to nearly ₹50,000. He emphasizes that natural farming products are healthier and more nutritious, free from chemicals and pesticides. These products also have a longer shelf life and larger size due to the high productivity of natural farming.

Through the Agriculture Department’s Atma Project, Amar Singh gained comprehensive knowledge and training in natural farming methods and products. He now trains other farmers and gardeners in natural farming and inspires youth to pursue self-employment in this field.

The Himachal Government’s Natural Farming Happy Farmers Scheme aims to provide nutritious food and adapt to changing environmental conditions. The “Subhash Palekar Agriculture” method, adopted under this scheme, has received widespread support from farmers. In the culturally rich Kangra district, natural farming has taken a leading role in the scheme’s implementation.

Currently, 42,322 farmers are successfully cultivating fruits and vegetables on 4,292 hectares in the district using natural farming methods. Farmers in the district have achieved significant success, winning awards at both state and national levels. The trend of producing exotic vegetables has increased across the 16 development sections of the district. Farmers are enthusiastically adopting low-cost natural farming, moving away from chemicals towards a safer future.

The state government has developed a unique self-authentication system for certifying natural farming practices, issuing certificates to over 13,000 farmers in the district. In Vikaskhand Bhedu Mahadev, 2,625 out of 10,759 farmers are enhancing their livelihoods by practicing natural farming on 290.69 hectares of land.