Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari organized an Orientation-cum-Training Programme on Natural Farming under the aegis of “Aapnu Gaam Prakrutik Gaam” on October 06, 2026, with the objective of promoting and strengthening natural farming in south Gujarat. The programme was presided over by the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Dr. R. M. Naik.

 The programme was attended by Dr. H. R. Sharma, Director of Extension Education; Prof. J. R. Naik, Director of Students’ Welfare; Dr. P. B. Patel, Principal & Dean; and Dr. Lalit Mahatma, Nodal Officer, Natural Farming. District Nodal Officers for Natural Farming, Senior Scientists & Heads of KVKs, nominated scientists/faculty members and students also participated in the training programme.

 Addressing the participants, the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor Dr. R. M. Naik emphasized the importance of natural farming as a sustainable approach to agriculture and called upon the participants to move beyond training and awareness activities towards effective implementation and measurable outcomes at farmers’ field level.

 He directed the scientists and students to visit model farms in each selected village, assess the extent of adoption of natural farming, and identify the key factors responsible for both adoption and non-adoption. He further emphasized identifying farmers who have been successfully practising natural farming for a substantially longer period and systematically documenting their experiences as credible, farmer-led success stories. Such success stories, he stated, should be shared with fellow farmers to build confidence, demonstrate practical benefits and encourage wider adoption.

 The Hon’ble Vice Chancellor also stressed the active involvement of NAU students in natural farming activities, enabling them to gain first-hand exposure to ground realities, practical challenges and outcomes at farmers’ fields. He emphasized that such field-based learning would enable students and scientists to critically observe and scientifically evaluate natural farming practices, including their productivity and performance in comparison with conventional chemical-based farming.

 He conveyed his best wishes to all Nodal Officers, scientists and students involved in the implementation of Phase-I of the programme. Expressing confidence in their collective efforts, he stated that concerted action across the 64 selected villages in different talukas would generate meaningful outcomes at the farmers’ field level and contribute significantly towards strengthening natural farming among farming communities.

 On the occasion, the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor also released the user-friendly vernacular Pocket Book, “Prakrutik Kheti: Saral Margdarshika”, published as a simple and practical guide to help farmers understand and adopt natural farming practices.

 The programme marked another important step by Navsari Agricultural University towards taking natural farming from awareness to field-level implementation, evidence-based assessment and farmer-led adoption.