A young farmer from Saras village in Olpad taluka of Surat district has transformed his life and farming practices after a personal tragedy, emerging as a notable advocate of natural farming in Gujarat.

Kalpesh Patel, who works as a chemical operator in a private company in Surat, shifted to natural farming in 2019 following the death of his father, Ramanbhai Patel, who succumbed to cancer. The incident became a turning point in his life, prompting him to abandon chemical fertilisers and pesticides on his farmland.

Since then, Mr. Patel has been practising natural farming on his inherited eight bigha land, of which he cultivates bananas on about three and a half bigha. He now grows more than 50 varieties of bananas, including Puvan, Rasthali, Red Banana, Blue Java, Basrai, Mahalaxmi and Elaichi varieties.

His farm has drawn attention from farmers and agricultural scientists across the country, who regularly visit Saras village to study his methods. Patel has also challenged the perception that natural farming reduces yield, recording banana bunches weighing up to 73 kg, compared to an average of around 20 kg.

Explaining his journey, Patel says his decision was deeply influenced by his father’s illness. “After my father was diagnosed with cancer, I realised the harmful impact of chemical fertilisers. After his death, I decided to completely switch to natural farming,” he said.

Patel underwent training under the Gujarat government’s agriculture department and adopted practices such as Jeevamrut preparation and the forest model of farming. According to him, natural farming has helped reduce input costs by ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 per bigha annually while improving soil health and productivity.

“I have been practicing natural farming for the last seven years. I have also adopted the forest model. I do value addition to my farm produce and follow the principle of ‘my product, my price.’ Due to natural farming, I save ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 per bigha land annually on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. As soil health improved, banana production increased significantly. From three and a half bigha, I earn ₹10 to ₹12 lakh annually,” he adds.

Patel also undertakes value addition by processing unsold bananas into products such as wafers, powder, and dried banana figs, helping him increase earnings.

The Gujarat government has been promoting natural farming through various schemes, while Governor Acharya Devvrat has also actively encouraged farmers to adopt chemical-free practices through field visits and outreach.

Patel sells his produce at the agricultural market in Vesu, Surat, and his work has gained wider recognition, including appreciation from Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who highlighted his success on social media.