Ramesh ‘dada’, as he is lovingly referred by everyone in the village, is a veritable changemaker. A resident of Thurat village in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh, he has gained recognition from outsiders and respect from farmers of his village. At the ripe age of 56, when most people think of retiring from active work life, Ramesh dada has inspired many by his progressive and conservation-oriented mindset.

He is a strong advocate of afforestation, and has over the last decade regenerated a small hillock near his village. He initiated the planting and protecting saplings on a small parcel of common land which was completely degraded. He faced a lot of resistance from community when he started but once the villagers saw the benefit of the regenerated forest, everyone supported the initiative. Goats of 4 nearby villages now graze the regenerated forest spread over 1800 acres.

In 2018, Ramesh dada got interested in trying out the Climate Smart Agriculture approach being promoted by BIWAL partners in Mahoba district. He wanted to reduce input costs of agriculture.

In rabi season, he experimented by cultivating wheat on 1 bigah (0.25 hectare) of land as per the Climate smart agriculture practices which are based on principles of regenerative organic agriculture. These include no tillage, minimum soil disturbance, use of organic fertilizers and bio pesticides, intercropping, crop diversification and rotation, and eliminating chemical inputs and fertilizers.

Dada cultivated wheat on his demo plot with a lot of dedication, producing organic manures and biopesticides, and doing all what was advised by the team. He was however, apprehensive of the production levels. Contrary to his expectation, the demo plot did remarkably well. He got the same produce as he got from conventional practices but the input cost was markedly lower.

So happy was Ramesh dada with the results that he determined to undertake Climate smart agriculture on his entire land holdings of 36 bigah (9 hectares). As Ramesh dada owned 30 odd cattle, he decided to produce all the organic fertilizer and bio pesticides himself.

When he set out to execute his plans, he realized that it was an uphill task to collect cow urine, a key ingredient in organic manure making process. He approached the organization for support. The BIWAL partner decided to promote Ramesh Dada as a lead farmer to leverage his image as popular leader due to his conservation efforts.

He was provisioned with material, equipment and infrastructure support to set up a Prakritik Krishi Kendra (Natural Manure and Pesticide Management Unit).

Prakritik Krishi Kendras are promoted by SRIJAN at gram panchayat level to encourage farmers for adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture. The aim is knowledge transfer, field-level demonstrations, and preparation of bio-pesticides etc. It can be thought of as a living laboratory where farmers learn from each other through experimentation, and shared experiences.

The cattle shed of Ramesh dada was provided with concrete flooring and proper drainage, along with a sturdy shed roof, and proper ventilation. Fodder and watering containers, green fodder seeds were provided, along with drums and plastics for storing the natural fertilizers. Ramesh dada initiated work with great dedication and within a short time produced a good supply of Jivamrit (organic manure), Dhruvamrit (liquid organic manure) and Neemastra (a bio pesticide).

He distributed these to the farmers of his village free of cost to get them interested in Climate Smart Agriculture. He also maintains a one-acre demonstration plot for field experiments of new crop varietals. The organisation provides knowledge about best practices to farmers through monthly meetings at his farm.

He is emerging as a role model in his village for low-input chemical free Climate smart agriculture. 15 farmers of his village have turned to Climate Smart Agriculture due to his efforts. He has been interviewed by local and district-level media for his dedication towards the cause. Ramesh Dada proves that, change can be brought at any stage of life and that there is no retirement age for people with a vision and steadfast determination.

In 2018, Ramesh dada got interested in trying out the Climate Smart Agriculture approach being promoted by BIWAL partners in Mahoba district. He wanted to reduce input costs of agriculture.

Ramesh dada initiated work with great dedication and within a short time produced a good supply of Jivamrit (organic manure), Dhruvamrit (liquid organic manure) and Neemastra (a bio pesticide).