Success Story: Know how a 68-year-old woman converted one acre of land into a disease-resistant farm

Success Story: Sarla Garg in Faridabad has filled her terrace and an acre of land with greenery. Here, only jivamrit, cow dung, mulch and the rhythm of nature are visible; no chemicals. Rocket leaves and rosemary, which are expensive in the market, grow in abundance. Brinjal, strawberries and turmeric all flourish under the same roof; kale leaves rattle in the breeze and cherry-sized tomatoes shine in red and purple.

“It is the soil nourished with jivamrit that kills germs and helps pollination,” says 68-year-old Sarla Garg as she walks barefoot among the lush green trees. “Every five days I water it. The rest is watered by earthworms. The butterflies nearby are chased by her grandchildren. “There is no cold, cough, blood pressure or blood sugar in the family,” she says proudly as she peels ridge gourd for lunch.

A turning point: From misery to greenery

The change began twenty years ago. Her husband had fallen unconscious. Her family’s auto component company was also in trouble. But working with the earth made her feel better. She studied bio-enzyme making at the Art of Living Ashram in 2004. The seed was just that. She returned a few years later to study natural farming.

She started a community farm by combining her own money with that of eleven people. “Five kilos of radishes came out of the torn, barren land,” she remembers. Farmers from neighboring villages came to watch. “I didn’t offer guidance,” she says with a laugh. “I just gave them a bottle of Jeevamrit.”

Disillusionment set in. Their shared field was soon regained. Sarla Garg was determined to win this fierce struggle, so she turned an acre of field and her personal terrace into a demo farm. She produced 125 kg of rice with multi-layered planting on only 20% of the area. Greens, papaya, strawberries and eggplant all grow together. Also, I never used any chemicals.

Her fence is transparent. “Let people see the difference,” she replies. They see it too. “Didi, no chemicals?” guests ask incredulously. She hands over the plants and smiles.

An active learning environment for the coming generation

Her hands move purposefully as she lights the agnihotra fire every morning. As smoke rises along with the light, she whispers, “I live the agnihotra.” “The agnihotra ashes are put in seedboxes to prevent them from spoiling,” Sarala shares her experience.

Once unsure, her child is now tending to the land next to hers following her instruction. Sarala’s efforts are supported by four volunteers trained by her, who extend her reach and level of care. Children from the neighborhood are excited to learn about composting and bring banana peels. She warns them that “failures will come,” quoting Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. “However, something is always there within you.”

She plants avocados not for today but for memories, saying, “My grandchildren will one day say, ‘Grandma grows the best.'”

Sarla is not alone. Under Gurudev’s leadership, the Art of Living Natural Farming movement has trained 2,267 instructors to teach more than 3 million farmers in 23 states. At the Bangalore ashram, more than 15,000 people have learned about soil management, bio-inputs and chemical-free gardening as ways to live a healthy lifestyle.

It’s more than farming. It’s getting better. Of the land. Of the body. Of yourself.

With bare feet, bare hands and a piece of land, Sarala shows how it begins.