Kaithal Farmer Transforms Lives Through Natural Farming

Kaithal: Having lost his father to cancer, Johnny Rana’s outlook towards food grown with the help of chemicals underwent a change, and he took to natural farming. Since then, this 39-year-old man from Bata village of Kaithal in Haryana has been involved in promoting natural farming while aiming to transform the lives of the people.

Through his vision, hard work and innovative farming methods, Johnny has not only transformed his own life but has also brought a new light to the lives of numerous farmers in the areas surrounding his village.

Rana showing a farming technique (ETV Bharat)

He told ETV Bharat, "My father died of cancer in 2015. His death changed my life’s direction. I was pursuing a BA at that time. My father was a vegetarian, yet he was afflicted with a serious illness. Experts told me that food containing chemicals is the root cause of many serious diseases. I vowed to do chemical-free farming. If the crop is good for health, the future generation will also be strong."

He underwent training for natural farming in Kurukshetra. In 2016, he started doing natural farming on 10 acres of his land. “I cultivated paddy by the direct seeding method along with wheat in 8 acres, while growing pulses and fodder on the remaining two acres. I also have 12 buffaloes, four cows and a Nukri breed mare, which are an integral part of my agricultural model," he disclosed.

He has been using a self-made indigenous pesticide in his fields that is made from neem leaves, garlic, onion, aak leaves, cow dung, cow urine and certain other herbs. All these ingredients are inexpensive and protect the crops without harming the soil.

Johnny believes that today's farming practices focus solely on quantity while quality is being neglected. According to him, farmers need to return to quality-based farming. Johnny doesn't just consider farming only a source of income but also a vehicle for public awareness. He periodically educates farmers on natural farming and shares his experiences.

For Johnny, natural farming is not just limited to his earnings. He has formed a group named 'Shri Hari Kheti Pathshala' where he has trained more than 1,000 farmers in this method of agriculture. He plans to expand his natural farming on 35 acres of land in the coming days.

Johnny related, “I earn around Rs 16 lakh annually by cultivating paddy, wheat and pulses on eight acres of land. Natural farming produces 10 to 12 quintals of paddy and 10 to 13 quintals of wheat per acre. The market price of paddy is Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000, and that of wheat is Rs 7,000 to Rs 9,000 per quintal. As compared to chemical farming, the prices of my produce are almost double, while the production cost is less than half."

He has been recognized and awarded on numerous occasions for his outstanding work in natural farming, innovation and creating history in agriculture with self-made fertilizers. In 2023, he received the Lakhpati Farmer Award at the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) at Pusa in New Delhi. He subsequently received the Best Farmer Award on Farmers Day at the state level for two consecutive years. In 2024, he received the Resource Person Award at Gujarat Natural Farming Science University (GNFSU). In August, he became a Community Resource Person at the block level.

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