8 July 2025
Around 30 km from the Mumbai-Goa National Highway, there lies a 40-acre paradise managed by a man named Ganesh Ashok Ranade.
Though having completed his commerce degree, Ganesh couldn’t ignore his true calling of being a farmer.
His dedication to the cause has reaped rich rewards and today, 2,000 mango trees stand on the land!
But while things are looking up now, Ganesh says the journey to get to this point has been a long-winded one.
In 2002, when he first ventured into organic farming, he experienced many difficulties like understanding the land, and boosting production without compromising on quality.
While Ganesh’s father had already planted 1,000 mango saplings on the land in 1978, Ganesh planted the other 1,000 later on. Today, guests come to pay a visit to the farm that is thriving with mangoes.
“We have many guests who want to observe how we are preparing our organic fertilisers from cow dung (we had 35 cows in our shed) and how we use neem to make our pesticides,” Ganesh points out.
He adds that the agro-tourism model was born later on in 2008. He wanted people to be able to vacation while also learning about organic farming.
To this end, Ganesh and his wife Varada also manage a mud homestay on the land where guests can come and experience true farm life. Currently, the homestay boasts five rooms, with one of them being an authentic mud room.
There’s always something to do on the farm, says Ganesh. “When people come in summer, we teach them how to identify ripe mangoes, climb trees, pluck mangoes, ripen them, and prepare chutneys and juice.”
He adds that in the monsoons, guests are treated to lessons in paddy cultivation. "I take them on tractor rides, let them drive the tractors, and show them our organic harvesting methods.”
Needless to say, mango features in almost every dish at the homestay, sometimes as a side dish, and as the hero ingredient at other times.
Ganesh adds, “The mango season lasts for two months. But the other 10 months go into the maintenance of the land, cleaning the gardens, spraying the trees, putting fertiliser, and watching the fruits start to flourish.”
The summer season is when the family reaps the rewards of this hard work.