Moving beyond traditional farming, 40-year-old farmer Mukesh Kumar of Chhatrian village in Baragudha block has adopted crop diversification and modern farming techniques to improve returns from his land.
Mukesh, who holds BA and BEd degrees, initially planted a kinnow orchard on around 10 acres. During a visit to Pushkar and Jaipur, he came across a hybrid variety of marigold that caught his attention. After learning about the Horticulture Department’s schemes, he decided to try the crop on his own farm.
He started the marigold cultivation on one acre. After getting encouraging results, he gradually expanded the area. He now grows hybrid marigold on 3-4 acres and supplies the flowers not only to local markets but also to Hisar, Bathinda, Sangrur and Ludhiana.
According to Mukesh, his farm produces around 70-90 quintals of marigold per acre, depending on the crop and conditions. Mukesh has also adopted a rotation-based approach to make better use of his land. After harvesting marigold, he uses the same fields to grow vine vegetables such as bottle gourd, ridge gourd and pointed gourd. This allows him to generate income from the same land through different crops during different seasons.
Water management is another key part of his farming model. Mukesh has installed drip irrigation across his farm, including the kinnow orchard, vegetable fields and flower crops. He said he also availed government assistance for installing the system. He has also developed proper drainage arrangements, which help prevent waterlogging even during heavy rainfall.
Now, farming on leased land
Encouraged by the results, Mukesh is now cultivating additional land on lease along with his own farmland. He believes the farmers can improve their income by moving beyond conventional crops and considering market demand, scientific farming methods and crop diversification. Mukesh urged the farmers to explore horticulture, flowers and vegetables along with traditional crops and adopt technologies such as drip irrigation. According to him, such practices can help save water while improving crop quality and productivity.
