Harvesting Hope

Way back in 1999, Jamka village of Junagadh district in Gujarat was facing major challenges due to drought.

Scanty rains and nonavailability of water resulted in crop losses. But the villagers decided not to take it lying down. They rallied around and raised funds to construct small dams and reservoirs to store rainwater. The 3000-odd residents built 55 small dams and five ponds. When it rained, the new reservoirs saved lakhs of litres of water and the groundwater tables rose from 500 feet to 50 feet. Since then, insufficient rainfall has never been a problem.

Purushottam Sidhpara, then 18, inherited the agricultural farm from his father. The yield varied from grains, pulses, spices, and vegetables to fruits. One of the first things the young man noticed was the rampant use of chemicals & pesticides. He wanted to change it and the seeds of organic farming were sown.

Jamka village was in the news everywhere.

After the switch, his input costs were reduced by almost 40%. The mulching & micro irrigation procedures introduced by Purushottam further cut down water usage by almost 20%. Today, his annual turnover stands at Rs 2 crore and he has customers across various countries, including the USA, UK, Norway, Germany, Dubai, and Ethiopia.

No big-budget marketing strategy, Purushottam believes in Athiti Devo Bhava. Visitors from India and abroad stay as guests. Food and accommodation are provided. The site visit uncovers the variety of products available. They just don’t go home with fond memories but place orders for chemical-free products.

News travels faster than lightning and the Gujarat government adopted his model which was replicated in other water-scarce regions. Experts, students, water activists, and media members have visited Jamka village for almost an entire year to study the results.

Our heroes live in the villages. Don't they?

Back row - Purushottam Sidhpara

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