Supported by the Amrita Bhoomi Agroecology Centre, young farmers are experimenting with natural farming methods, while saving money and lives in the process.

India may be famous for its food, but the way in which it grows its ingredients is notoriously bad. Stories of the nation's chemical spills, soil contamination, groundwater depletion, and lost biodiversity are depressing, not to mention the high rates of farmer suicides, triggered by suffocating debt.

Amid all this personal and environmental suffering, there is a strong beacon of hope in the form of Amrita Bhoomi, an agroecology training centre located in the southwestern state of Karnataka. Amrita Bhoomi is a refuge of sorts, a place where young farmers, mainly peasants, can go to learn, experiment, and share agricultural knowledge. It takes the pressure off young farmers who cannot afford to take risks on their own land, or may not even have land on which to try different growing methods or seed varieties. The centre is openly anti-castist, as well, employing an untouchable cook, which is still seen as highly radical.

Read the whole story here: https://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-agriculture/new-generation-indian-farmers-rejects-industrial-methods.html