Within the rolling hills of Nainital, a person stands knee-deep within the soil, his palms weathered by years of toil. With each crop he nurtures, each seed he collects, and each downside he solves, Narendra Singh Mehra, 66, is pushed by a singular perception — that farmers deserve their due recognition, and the individuals of this nation should eat pure, wholesome meals. 

From growing a brand new number of wheat that thrives in several situations to regenerating natural sugarcane farming, Mehra has spent a long time experimenting, studying, and perfecting agricultural practices. Together with his ingenious strategies of farming, he has proven that it’s potential to develop meals that nourishes each the land and the individuals. 

“Whenever you ask a toddler to attract an image of a farmer, he’ll draw one which depicts the hardships of the farmer’s life. I hope to alter that so the picture of a farmer is that of a proud man,” he tells The Higher India. 

The seeds of change

Narendra Singh Mehra was born in 1959, within the village of Devla Malla, Nainital. Rising up in a household the place agriculture was the lifestyle, he was very connected to his land and the farming group. His household, nevertheless, needed him to get an training and settle in an enormous metropolis. 

“Individuals don’t need their youngsters to grow to be farmers. The situation of farmers is such that leaving your homeland, even whether it is ancestral and you’re connected to it, is the norm,” he says.

 

And so he did. By 1984, Mehra had studied on the DSB Campus in Nainital, the place he first accomplished his commencement in geography, adopted by a course in artwork and tourism. Although his educational {qualifications} weren’t straight linked to agriculture, his love for farming drove him again to his roots. 

Mehra took over his household’s agricultural land and insisted on ploughing the fields himself. For years, he caught to conventional farming strategies, utilizing pesticides, to maximise yield and revenue. 

Creating a brand new wheat selection

In 2008, Mehra observed a shift within the agricultural habits round him. He noticed increasingly more farmers had been transferring in the direction of rising money crops like soybeans and tomatoes, giving up on wheat or grain crops. “I assumed, if we proceed like this, if the nation continues like this, what are we going to eat?” he laughs. 

On the time, he was cultivating the RR21 wheat selection, which was “a very good crop”; however then one thing exceptional caught his eye. 

Whereas sowing his crops, he observed some crops that regarded totally different. That stalk of wheat regarded more healthy and fuller than the remainder. Curious, he marked it with a purple string. He was fascinated by its development, and despite the fact that his youngsters, who had been toddlers on the time, teased him, saying, “Papa is taking part in with grains like a toddler”, Mehra was undeterred. He fastidiously saved the seeds from this particular crop, considering it would supply one thing distinctive. 

 

Over the subsequent couple of years, he stored saving and replanting these seeds. He managed to assemble round 8-9 kg of those desi or non-hybrid grains and sowed them on a small part of his discipline. Sadly, it didn’t work out as anticipated, however Mehra didn’t hand over. He continued to gather and distribute the seeds, believing of their potential. 

In his quest to additional discover the potential of those seeds, Mehra reached out to native agricultural establishments just like the Krishi Vigyan Kendra and Pantnagar College. The director at GB Pant Agricultural College, Dr SN Tiwari, was sympathetic in the direction of farmers and supported Mehra’s efforts.

“I bought details about registering the seed with PPV & FRA (Safety of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Act) by way of Dr SN Tiwari. Dr Vijay Kumar Dohare helped me ship the seed to Pusa, whereas Dr JP Jaiswal, a wheat scientist at GB Pant College, guided me all through the method. Dr Uma Nauliya and Dr Anjali Agarwal helped me plant this wheat within the hilly areas,” he shares, cautious to credit score all people who helped him alongside the way in which. 

 

This wheat selection, which was named Narendra 09, and was initially grown within the mountains, proved to thrive in numerous situations. It was efficiently cultivated in locations just like the Brahmakumari Agriculture Unit in Mount Abu, in addition to in areas of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and different close by states. The optimistic outcomes from these trials bolstered the potential of this selection to develop nicely in several climates throughout the nation. 

“It thrives in all situations — mountainous, plains, and in every single place in between,” says Mehra. The person grain depend per stalk reached 50-80, far exceeding the traditional 20-25 grains in conventional varieties. 

Vinita Singh, a 60-year-old farmer from Uttarakhand, discovered concerning the new wheat selection after studying about Mehra within the native information circuit. She determined to offer it a attempt to discovered it to be extremely efficient for her personal farm as nicely. 

What makes Narendra 09 wheat particular?

She and her son farm the wheat on six acres of land. “The distinction within the number of wheat is that we see every acre producing 2,800 to 2,900 kgs with industrial farming practices, which is considerably greater than most crops grown within the area. We develop them organically as nicely, and there the standard of our produce is healthier than many others within the space,” she says.  

This new wheat selection required considerably much less water than conventional crops, making it particularly helpful in water-scarce areas. With yields reaching 1,800 to 2,000 kg per acre, and typically even 2,500 kg, it shortly turned a sought-after crop. 

As time handed, individuals who acquired these grains began to sow them, and after getting good outcomes, they began speaking about them. That’s how the story started, and Mehra determined to take his discovery critically.

However over time, he realised the hurt these chemical substances had been inflicting to the soil, crops, and meals. Mehra regularly learnt extra about sustainable farming practices and determined to make it part of his life.

(In Half 2, we’ll discover Narendra Singh Mehra’s shift to natural farming and the way he’s empowering sugarcane farmers.)

Edited by Arunava Banerjee; All photos courtesy Narendra Singh Mehra