Pesticide-free farming

Barabanki farmer Dheeraj Verma used hydroponics to grow 9,000 strawberries in 60 days, earning Rs 3 lakh — using just 3,500 sq ft and a DIY curd-copper spray.

Believing in the principle of ‘grow what you eat and eat what you grow,’ Jeevna Murlidharan transformed a space of 1,800 sq. ft. on the rooftop for homegrown produce.

Scores of cotton farmers in Haryana and Punjab are practicing pesticide-free farming and have managed to escape the wrath of gruesome pests like whitefly, bollworm and mealy bugs while producing great harvests.