Organic Processing Vo1.6 #1

Restoring Prana to the Land and the People

Amid all this tragedy, however, there is a burgeoning movement bringing hope, health, prosperity and dignity back to farming communities in India— and at the very foundation of this movement is organic agriculture. Leading this momentum is Organic India, creators of the first and only Tulsi tea, as well as herbal and fiber supplements and several bulk ingredients such as castor oil and chicory.

Since 1999, Organic India has worked with farmers to convert over 70,000 acres of farmland to biodynamic organic agriculture for their products alone and helped transition over 130,000 additional acres to organic by providing

“Farmers can now have
dignity in being farmers again.

Kailash Nath Singh

They’re no longer the slaves of

free educational resources on organic farming—including a 22-acre research farm. The company has also certified over 592,000 acres of forest as organic,

the chemical ind”ustry.”

preserving the biodynamic environment by employing native tribes to wild-har-vest herbs for its product lines. Most recently, the company started a joint venture to transition 600,000 acres of mango plantations to organic.

In all this, one of Organic India’s main goals is to provide opportunities for farmers in India. Through organic farming, the company has already dramatically changed the lives of over 100,000 small, marginal farmers throughout the country. From providing education and training to offering free health care and empowering women with equal rights and pay—Organic India is restoring harmony, and prana, to farming communities across India.

Starting an Organic Revolution

Organic India was formed in the ‘90s when the founders, Bhavani Lev and Bharat Mitra, had traveled from America to India to study with their spiritual teacher. After seeing the destruction and the chemically victimized farms in rural India, they knew they needed to do something to change the direction agriculture was headed. If they could teach the farmers of India how to nurture the land once again, the land would provide for them. In turn, the products the farmers grew would support the health of consumers around the world, and through each purchase, the consumer would be giving back to the farmers in India, creating a circle of healing that would continue to expand as the market share grew.

“I knew this could be the beginning of a revolution,” Mitra said. “If we can teach them how to grow organically and offer a sustainable income, we could create a modality that can truly inspire many other farmers across India to go back to what they know to be the right way of farming.”

the natural choice to lead this environmental, social and spiritual revolution. Mitra called a meeting to discuss the opportunity and more than 50 farmers showed up, eager for opportunity.

At the end of the presentation, however, not even one single farmer was interested.

They liked the idea of learning how to grow organically and earning higher premiums, but growing Tulsi didn’t seem like a practical plan. Tulsi had never been cultivated as a crop. And, while every Hindu home had a Tulsi bush, the idea of investing what little land they had to grow a crop that really had no market value yet was much too risky. “These farmers had been burned so many times by other companies that made promises and then failed to deliver,” Mitra explained. “They were scared that if in the end I decided not to buy the Tulsi, they would be stuck with it. At least with rice or another commodity they could sell it to someone else or eat it.”

But Mitra stayed with his plan and went to visit the farmers in the field practically every day, until one day one farmer, Kailash Nath Singh, finally said, “I trust you. I’ll join you.” All it took was one to commitment, and soon another eight farmers joined him.

The first year was successful. Other farmers heard about this success and the higher premiums, and the next year there were 30 farmers. After just four years, all the farmers in the five surrounding villages were working with Organic India. Today, farmers across India have joined in and Tulsi tea is sold throughout the world.

Finding the First Tulsi Farmer

Tulsi, India’s most sacred herb known for its healing properties, seemed like

Improving Quality of Life

The most amazing changes were not just in their income, though. “The improvement in wellness and lifestyle that occurred in these villages is nothing less than miraculous,” Mitra said.