Dharmendra Yadav, once a dedicated school teacher, made a life-changing decision to return to his roots in Village Limbadit, District Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. Driven by a deep passion for agriculture and a desire to contribute to healthier communities, he left behind his teaching career to take up farming full-time on his ancestral land.

However, this journey was not without its challenges. Like many farmers in his region, Dharmendra faced water scarcity, weed infestation, pest attacks, and unpredictable weather, all of which made farming a difficult venture. The instability of market prices and limited access to reliable farming knowledge added to his burden.

With support from the Good Farming-Good Food-Good Health programme, Dharmendra began to adopt a range of sustainable and efficient agricultural practices that transformed both his land and his livelihood. Through farmer-centric training sessions and demonstrations held at the village level, Dharmendra was introduced to climate-resilient farming methods focused on water efficiency, soil health, and safe pest control.

The beginning of transformation through water-efficient techniques

Under this programme, Dharmendra implemented drip irrigation and mulching—two critical interventions that significantly enhanced his farm's productivity.

• Drip irrigation allowed Dharmendra to deliver water directly to the roots of his plants, minimizing evaporation and water wastage. This precise approach improved water use efficiency, ensured healthy plant growth, and reduced the risk of water-borne diseases.
• Mulching created a protective layer around his crops, reducing soil moisture loss, controlling weeds, preventing soil erosion, and improving soil temperature and structure. Over time, the decomposed organic mulch enriched the soil, enhancing fertility and promoting microbial activity.

Impressed by the positive impact, Dharmendra is now preparing for organic mulching, taking another step toward eco-friendly agriculture.

A season of success: Tomato cultivation

In August 2023, Dharmendra cultivated tomatoes on half an acre of land using mulching and drip irrigation. The results were remarkable. We started harvesting tomatoes every alternate day just 20 days after planting, he shared. By December, we had already sold 14 crates worth ₹10,000, and we earned an additional ₹30,000 by April 2024. The quality of our produce is high, and that’s bringing us better prices in the market.

Low-cost, eco-friendly pest management

Instead of relying on chemical pesticides, Dharmendra adopted natural pest control methods, including the use of trap crops such as French marigold and bhindi (okra), which helped deter pests and reduce pesticide costs by over 60%. He also implemented string training techniques for tomato plants, lifting them off the ground to prevent pest and fungal infections while ensuring better air circulation and plant health.

Informed decisions through weather awareness

Dharmendra also credits weather advisories shared through the programme for helping him avoid losses. In November, I was about to irrigate my wheat and masoor (lentil) crops. But thanks to the advance alerts about unseasonal rain, I delayed irrigation and avoided crop damage. I also saved 15 days worth of water usage, he said.

Besides being a lead farmer, Dharmendra is also a member of the Board of Directors in Sadbhawna Kisan Farmer Producer Company (in Makdon block), a group of more than 300 farmers registered in February 2021, who are involved in the production and sale of mustard seeds. Arjun, Dharmen s brother, states, The goal is to spread knowledge of regenerative farming among the 350 farmers in the cluster. Right now, 50 farmers are practicing it, with many more visiting our farm daily to see and learn about things they wouldn’t have otherwise known. In fact, many of them are now growing crops they had never before grown in their lives.