'Hitkari Kheti' literally means a way of farming that is beneficial for all the stakeholders involved, i.e., the farmer, the consumer, the nation and nature as a whole. On 16th April 2023, an awareness session apprising farmers of the need and benefits of Hitkari Kheti was conducted by DJJS in Manawala Kalan, Amritsar. About 300 farmers from the nearby villages took part in the event and benefited from it.
Today, chemical farming is widely practiced around the world and has become the dominant form of agriculture in many countries. However, its adverse impacts on the environment, soil fertility, and human health cannot be overlooked. Sooner or later, they will have negative consequences for farmers who rely on farming for their livelihoods. In contrast to this, the ancient agricultural practices of India worked on the core principle of welfare & prosperity for all. As a live example, the preacher disciples of Divya Guru Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji discussed the success of DJJS Hitkari Kheti [the Organic Farming initiative] & Madhu Vatika [the Organic way of Horticulture]. They addressed the queries of farmers and demystified myths around organic farming as an expensive, less productive, less profitable and an obsolescent model. They educated farmers on how Hitkari Kheti is a cost-effective model that involves the use of indigenous cow-based manures and soil enrichers, high-quality desi (Indian) seeds, less water and natural pest control methods and results in minimum wastage. Further, it employs methods like crop rotation, mix cropping and crop diversification to maintain soil health and restore the lost ecological balance of the agro-ecosystems. The program was well received by the farmers and some of them even expressed their interest in knowing more about the Hikari model.
DJJS has been conducting advocacy workshops for over a decade to educate farmers on the benefits of organic farming and sharing with them the methodologies to shift from chemical farming to nature-based farming with the aim of alleviating the agrarian crisis and bringing prosperity for all.
