Jeeva Bhavana's Flagship Programme- Urvarasa, Aimed At Reclaiming India's Food System - Has Launched

28th September, 2021

Urvarasa seeks to empower farmers with sustainable and ethical farming practices, and to reward them for their efforts by making sure they are well compensated for the vital work they do. They strive for an equitable food system that ensures that all people in India have equal access to unadulterated, chemical-free, nutritional plant-based foods, grown by farmers who are doing the right thing for the environment and for human health, and for the ethical treatment of non-human animals. They seek to liberate farmers from staying trapped into the exploitative and economically risky practices of animal husbandry, and to empower them through not only economic autonomy, but also personal food sovereignty, so that they and their families enjoy the fruits of their labour by growing and eating their own production of nutritious food and reestablishing their dignity as purveyors of health and nutrition for the people of our country.

Urvarasa lead farmer Ramhari Kadam receives the first delivery of fruit-tree saplings.

Urvarasa partners those farmers who are voluntarily implementing and upholding a set of guidelines established by Jeeva Bhavana (checkout the guidelines here) to grow their crops with conscious consumers who are seeking fair-trade, sustainably-grown, cruelty-free, healthy food. By fair-trade, they mean that farmers are duly compensated for their know-how and their labour. By sustainably-grown, they mean that farmers take seriously their role as guardians of seeds and soil health by using neither chemical inputs nor any other type of input coming from outside their farm (in other words, by practicing “natural farming techniques”), as well as using minimum, or even better no heavy machinery. As well, crops must be adapted to the soil and climate of each farm, and low water-intensive and indigenous crops are privileged. By cruelty-free, they mean that if any animals live on the farm, they are not bred or exploited or sent to slaughter when they become old, but instead live alongside their human caretakers who ensure that their basic, species-specific needs are satisfied until their natural death. Natural farming techniques often make use of cow manure and urine as fertilizers; there is nothing amiss in making use of waste to maintain soil fertility as long as no animal is exploited. And by healthy food, they mean whole plant-based food that is as good for human health as it is for environmental health.

Urvarasa project advisor Pushkar Kulkarni discusses natural farming techniques and tree plantation with farmer Ramhari Kadam.

Consumer support of the Urvarasa model is the cornerstone of the farmers’ success; therefore, the consumer-farmer link is an integral element of the programme. Concretely, they are inviting consumers to support Urvarasa farmers by becoming the initial sponsors in the transformation of their farm by investing in the purchasing, planting and maintenance of fruit-tree saplings. Your investment will provide the foundation of an ethical, environmentally beneficial and perennial source of food and income for the farmer. If that weren’t enough, you will receive a “return on investment” in the form of the equivalent of your investment in the farmer’s nutritious produce at harvest time.   

Ramhari begins planting the wide variety of newly delivered tree saplings that are destined to become a food forest providing him and his family with a perennial source of nutrition and income.

Let’s reclaim our food system and participate directly in the well-being of farmers, animals and ourselves, and the health of our ecosystems and our natural resources. They’d be thrilled if you joined them in this transformative agricultural venture!

For more information and to invest, look here!

Contact them here!