Updated:5 hours, 34 mins ago

A silent agricultural revolution is taking place in the heart of Gujarat. Farmers who once depended on chemical-heavy farming are turning to natural and innovative agricultural solutions and are benefiting immensely from diversification. Ratilal Sethiya, a conventional farmer from Bhachau in Gujarat’s Kutch, used to grow groundnuts, cotton, cumin and vegetables in the traditional way. But realising the harmful effect of chemicals, he started organic farming in 2009. He says that adopting the Subhash Palekar Natural Farming (SPNF) method and multi-crop farming system, also known as the ‘jungle model’, gave him the edge. In 2017, he started organic date farming and today his farm is a testament to the power of nature. Another example of innovation taking hold in Kutch is the farm of Haresh Thacker, who has transformed his land into a dragon fruit paradise, along with a number of other crops. He says a visit to Vietnam in 2012 inspired him to start growing dragon fruit and innovative ideas like drip irrigation he learnt in Israel and the ‘jungle model’ worked wonders for him. Government support, especially subsidies, changed everything. A senior horticulture official said Kutch has huge potential as around 59,000 hectares are already under fruit cultivation. He said the government is committed to supporting farmers who adopt sustainable practices along with innovation.