Living The Organic Way

Man on a mission

As a young boy, Ketan would often hear conversations among the elders in his family about farming practices, potency of certain seed types and how the soil could be enriched to bear a healthy produce. He was also exposed to stories of people facing the negative consequences of unsustainable practices like excessive use of pesticides. However, it’s only after a few years down the line that the realization struck.

It’s one thing to hear stories about the growing use of pesticides, and quite another to actually see its harmful effect on the health of consumers and on the land itself. I saw a total shift in agriculture pattern; the remotest villages were also affected because of the use of harmful chemical pesticides.

He offered on ground training and gave assurance to farmers on the profitability of the initiative. Tie ups with housing societies for their weekly supply of vegetables helped provide the much needed assurance to the farmers.

The use of technology and re hashing the way farming is conducted was a crucial step in this journey.

The spark within him has ignited other villagers as well. Today, the Krishi Naturals has grown to be a 12 member team and has trained over 800 farmers in organic farming.

His team works relentlessly to educate farmers, procure and process farm produce, and open up more channels to reach customers. With this, farmers get 50-80 % higher market prices through Krishi Naturals and also get the opportunity to know who their consumers are as their produce is liked directly to the market without the involvement of middlemen.

Over 300 customers in Baroda receive toxic free organic vegetables. The added benefit is that the customers receive their weekly basket at home without having to step out or bargain at the market.

Ketan has scaled-up Krishi Naturals with the only marketing tool at his disposal — ‘word of mouth’.

The response thus far has been very encouraging and my aim is to reach 5000 farmers in the next 4 years and spread organic farming to other parts of the country

Ketan intrinsically understood the value of organic farming and believed that things could change, simply by changing agricultural practices.

We as farmers worship land. It’s disturbing to witness the constant deterioration of the soil quality due to the use of harmful pesticides. I knew something had to be done.

He followed the teaching from his elders and founded a social enterprise that promotes organic farming.

Ketan Parmer, founder of Krishi Naturals is a man on a mission. His venture not only promotes organic farming but also ensures that the marginal farmers lead a sustainable business by providing them with direct market linkages.

Inspiration from my grandfather’s lifelong adherence to organic farming strengthened my resolve to start up in this space.

For him the journey was just as rough and challenging as the terrain he tilts. He knew that farmers would be opposed to organic farming. He himself never took up farming, despite growing up in the community. After graduating in human resources (HR) he worked with a NGO and helped tribal women before his roots beckoned.

The farmers were resistant as they were comfortable in their zone, but when my team and I showed them the benefits of organic farming using audio visual aids, some started coming out of their comfort zone

Ketan believes that increasing awareness among the consumers of the health benefits of organic food, coupled with rising disposable incomes, is making organic vegetables and fruits the preferred choice across many Indian kitchens. Although health is the key reason for growing demand, other incidental benefits such as better taste and being environment friendly are also driving growth.

With help from DBS Bank, Ketan has expanded his enterprise to include two verticals - Haryali Topli for organic farming and Girij to improve the quality of indigenous cows.

While Ketan goes about his mission to spread awareness of organic farming, he is oblivious to the stories being told by elders in his village. Little does he know, this time the stories revolve around him and the movement he has started.