Tag: Polyhouse

Gangaram

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Gangaram: A Journey from Education to Sustainable Farming

In the serene village Kalakh of Jaipur, Rajasthan, nestled amidst the landscapes of India, Mr. Gangaram embarked on a remarkable journey of transformation, transitioning from a career in education to becoming a staunch advocate for sustainable farming practices. His story is a testament to his unwavering commitment to promoting organic farming and fostering a culture of agricultural research and innovation in his community.

Before dedicating himself entirely to farming, Mr. Gangaram owned a school in his village from 2000 until 2016. In 2018, he handed over the reins to his brother to pursue his lifelong passion for agriculture. Recognizing the importance of knowledge sharing, Gangaram actively encourages trainees from various universities to visit his farm, providing them with valuable insights into sustainable farming practices.

Gangaram’s journey into sustainable farming began with formal training at HITC Horticulture in Durgapur and attending Organic Kheti training programs. Inspired by his agricultural background, he established the Seport Organic Farm and Agro Research Centre in November 2017.
Today, Gangaram’s farm is a thriving testament to his dedication. He cultivates a diverse range of crops, including cucumber, melons, strawberries, broccoli, figs, and various types of lettuce. In addition to these crops, he also grows seven different types of green fodder.

Gangaram’s journey into organic farming was fueled by a pivotal moment in 2012 when he read an article about the hazardous chemicals sprayed on crops in Punjab, leading to health issues. This revelation ignited his determination to pursue organic farming and promote chemical-free agriculture. In 2016, a visit to Mini Israel in Jaipur further solidified his commitment to farming by witnessing the success of over 500 polyhouses.

On August 28, 2017, Gangaram commenced his journey into polyhouse farming, having received training and guidance from experts in the field. He conducted extensive research, consulting with his family, who shared his agricultural background, before venturing into farming. Continuously seeking to enhance his knowledge and expertise, Gangaram emphasizes, “I took various pieces of training and to date don’t miss a chance of learning about farming.”

Gangaram’s dedication to sustainable farming extends beyond the boundaries of his polyhouse. He also breeds fish, raises Avishan sheep (10 for meat), and maintains a dairy farm with three Gir cows and five Murrah buffaloes. Currently, his polyhouse spans three acres, with a fourth acre under development. Overall, he supervises 15 bighas of land shared with his two brothers. While all of his farming practices are organic, the polyhouse requires the occasional use of WSf and Biohouse chemicals.

One of Gangaram’s unique features is his direct interaction with consumers. He sells strawberries directly to visitors and offers a wide variety of vegetables at local markets. Additionally, he supplies his produce to Kissan Mela, ensuring that his fresh and organic products reach a broader audience.

Gangaram’s commitment to education is evident as he welcomes two batches of students from SKN Unit City who are pursuing B.Sc as part of the RAWE program. His farm serves as an experiential learning platform, offering hands-on exposure to sustainable farming practices.

Gangaram’s remarkable journey has not gone unnoticed, earning him a series of prestigious awards and recognitions. In 2019, he was honored with the JB Kheti Award at the state level. In 2021, he was recognized as an innovative farmer by IARI, Delhi. He continued to receive accolades, including the Pandit Din Dayal Upodaya Karsi Award in 2021 and the IARI Fellow Award on February 9, 2022.

Looking to the future, Mr. Gangaram envisions expanding his sheep production by exploring more breeds and implementing sustainable practices. His relentless pursuit of knowledge, coupled with his dedication to sustainable farming, makes him a true trailblazer in the field of agriculture. Gangaram’s story serves as an inspiring example for individuals seeking to make a meaningful impact in their communities through sustainable and organic farming practices.

In a world where sustainable agriculture is becoming increasingly important, Gangaram stands as a beacon of hope and a source of inspiration for those who wish to make a positive change. His dedication to organic farming and his commitment to sharing knowledge not only enrich his community but also contribute to a healthier and more sustainable future for all.

Khushi Ram

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A man eager to learn knows no bounds

Khushi Ram hails from Tehri, Uttarakhand, here we present his journey of becoming a progressive farmer.

The start

His parents used to practice farming using traditional farming and then he added scientific techniques to their old age experience which he acquired from KVK, Ranichauri. Until 2002 he didn’t plan to take up farming as an occupation but due to his parent’s health issues and being the eldest of five siblings he had to take up the responsibility. He later started to like farming and became fond of nature and started experimenting in his field by growing different crops.

Crop production and technology

He owns a total land of 4 acres, in this land, he cultivates a variety of fruits, vegetables and pulses which include tomato, capsicum, cucumber, eggplant, mushroom, wheat, Rajma, Strawberry and Kiwi. He has constructed 5 polyhouse, in two of the polyhouse he grows tomatoes, in one of the polyhouse he has planted a nursery and in the remaining two he cultivates cucumbers and capsicums respectively.
He also grows broccoli and a Japanese variety of Kale, Parsley and Mizuna. other than this he has grown 350 plants of the fruit peach on his land. In addition to this, he practices aquaculture and poultry farming on a small scale. He generally practices organic farming where he uses the excreta of the three cattle present on his farm and biofertilizers such as Trichoderma and Pseudomonas but sometimes he also uses insecticides as an integrated pest management technique as per the need.
 Khushi Ram lives in an area where there is shortage of water. However, to battle this problem he adopted improved production technologies including rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, plastic mulching and micro-irrigation.
He never stopped learning and kept experimenting with the new knowledge that he learned in the vast field of agriculture. His main purpose was to increase his income and that is how he initially started with poultry farming which couldn’t be successful and later shifted to mushroom cultivation which gave him profit.

Setting an example

His success became an example for others and motivated others to work hard and succeed. When the workload increases generally in harvesting season he takes help from the ladies of his village. Khushi Ram generates employment for the ladies and makes them independent to work and earn on their own. The women who worked in the previous season are not available in the next season as they don’t get time from their work rather a new group comes and he trains and guides them in the same way.

Supporting Pillars

He is grateful for the government and all the schemes that it introduces and helps the farmers to increase their standard of living. All the five polyhouses and farming machinery are under 80% subsidy and had to pay 24000 ₹/- per polyhouse. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ranichauri has helped him from the beginning in better understanding schemes and agriculture advancements. With the help of the horticulture department, he has planted 500 high-density plants of apples on his farm. As the level of snow is decreasing for a few years in his village he has planted M9 and M26 rootstocks of apple, he being the first farmer to grow them in his area is excited to see the yield in the coming season.

Challenges

First of all, productivity is affected by the destruction caused by wild animals. There has to be a person inspecting the field from monkeys during the day and pigs at the night. Another challenge that he faces is the market linkage as it is smaller and ranges only to Chamba, Rishikesh and Dehradun, the profit earned is less than what is expected. The annual profit goes upto ₹ 7 Lakhs per annum but due to climatic disturbances like flood, cloud burst etc. there is more loss than what is earned in most of the seasons.

Achievements

  • Recognised as Innovative farmer award by ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi in 2022
  • Appreciated for continuous efforts in the field of mushroom farming by Lt Gen Gurmit Singh, Governor of Uttarakhand in 2022
  • Awarded with ISHRD Dev Bhumi Bagwani Puraskar (2014-2018) in 2019.

Message to the farmers

He advises farmers to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers which has led to so many harmful diseases in humans. If a farmer uses it in lesser quantity or switches completely to organic farming, the lifespan of humans can be increased.

 Future Plans

His main motive will be of increasing the market. And following the Integrated Farmer System to increase his income.

Santvir Singh Bajwa

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Advocate Turned Farmer Making Agriculture a Success Venture with Poly-house Farming of Flowers

Today just inheriting land is not the only solution to get rid of the loaded debt and the vicious circle of chemical farming which are making farmers handicapped day by day. Farmer is supposed to be a person who has to do the hard work by keeping in mind all the future outcomes and should also be prepared with the alternatives if anyone of the future outcomes fails. And only those farmer who understand this right way of farming by not letting get them shattered from the increasing pressure, with the help of modern technologies, ideal marketing strategies and of course hard work, let their next generation adopt the same profession happily.
This is the story of a Hoshiarpur based advocate Santvir Singh Bajwa who turned into a successful young farmer after seeing the success of his father Jatinder Singh Lally Bajwa in the field of horticulture. Alike his father he chose to do floriculture in poly-house and also made that venture a success.

Santvir Singh Bajwa while sharing his views – “Well, if we observe the trend in present youth, then you can track a clear record of youngsters either going abroad or opting an alternative career option other than farming. And the main reasons behind this is, there is no fixed income in farming and there is a fear of loss. Moreover, weather and government scheme also not accompanies the farmer in a better way which can give assurance of better backup plan.”

Gifted with the same skills as his father who successfully implemented diversification three decades back and established beautiful fruit orchard in the village of Mehlanwali, Santvir too established his own flower poly-house, where he started Gerbera cultivation. Being aware of the market demand for ornamental flowers, Santvir also started farming roses and carnations, which generated good profit to him.

“From my experience of poly-house farming, I want to share an important information with other farmers that farming in poly-house needs the extreme care of the crops and proper farming practices then only you can achieve a good yield. I personally consult the floriculture experts and progressive farmers and also take help from internet to give my best. – Santvir Singh Bajwa”

Even now Santvir Singh is also helping his father with new marketing strategies and is making good profit from fruit farming too.
Message
Farming in poly-house is a very profitable venture if the farmers are properly aware of the agriculture practices. Young farmers must try farming in poly-house as their future career it has great scopes and they can make big out of it.

Avtar Singh Ratol

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53 Old Year Farmer Scaling New Heights and Harvesting Double Profit in the Field Of Horticulture

Agriculture is not just cows and plows…its more than that!

Today agriculture field has many new things to do, about which normal city people are not aware of. From planting improved variety of seeds to implementing new enhanced farming techniques and implements, farming is not less than any rocket science. And very few farmers are there who understands that changing farming practices with the changing time can help them alleviate the future risks. One such a farmer from Sarod village of Sangrur district who understood the fact of changing with the time very well is S. Avtar Singh Ratol.

32 is a great number of experience for a farmer, and S. Avtar Singh Ratol has used it well in shaping his horticulture career in the right direction. He started cultivating vegetables in 50 acres in the beginning and slowly expanded his farming reach to a greater area. For better irrigation he implanted underground pipeline in 47 acres which benefited him a lot in the future.

To boost up his farming productivity, he took training from Agriculture Science Centre and Farm Advisory Service Centre in Sangrur. From the knowledge that he gained during his training, he built two high-tech poly-houses in 4000 square feet and started cultivating cucumber and gerbera flower in it. Currently, his annual income from the cultivation of cucumber and gerbera is around 7.5 lakh rupees which are more than enough to manage his farming inputs.

Horticulture became S. Avtar Singh Ratol’s full-time passion and to give a kick to his arousing interest he went abroad to learn advance horticulture techniques. Abroad visit had positive results on the farm productivity and S. Avtar Singh Ratol achieved huge success in the crop cultivation of potatoes, pepper, melon, capsicum, wheat, etc. Besides this, he also started preparing the vegetable nursery and selling it to other farmers.

Counting on his achievements…

Adopting drip irrigation to save water, developing a small Trans-Planter to plant the vegetable sapling and perform many other tasks and using low tunnel technique, are some of his achievements which helped him doing successful cultivation of capsicum and many other vegetables. He faced no difficulty in implementing all these modern farming techniques at his farm, which encouraged him to progress more.

Awards
• Awarded with “S Dalip Singh Dhaliwal Memorial Award”.
• Awarded by “Chief Minister Award” for his success in horticulture.
Message
“Horticulture is a profitable field with lots of new farming methods and cost-effective techniques that farmer must try to give a great boost to his income.”