In the rolling hills of Nainital, a man stands knee-deep in the soil, his hands weathered by years of toil. With every crop he nurtures, every seed he collects, and every problem he solves with nothing but ingenuity and dedication, Narendra Singh Mehra, 66, is driven by a singular belief — that farmers deserve their due recognition, and the people of this country deserve to eat pure, healthy food.

From developing a new variety of wheat that thrives in different conditions to regenerating organic sugarcane farming, Mehra has spent decades experimenting, learning, and perfecting agricultural practices. With his ingenious methods of farming, he has shown that it’s possible to grow food that nourishes both the land and the people.

“When you ask a child to draw a picture of a farmer, he will draw one that depicts the hardships of the farmer’s life. I hope to change that so the image of a farmer is that of a proud man,” he tells The Better India.

The seeds of change

Narendra Singh Mehra was born in 1959, in the village of Devla Malla, Nainital. Growing up in a family where agriculture was the way of life, he was very attached to his land and the farming community. His family, however, wanted him to get an education and settle in a big city.

“People do not want their children to become farmers. The condition of farmers is such that leaving your homeland, even if it is ancestral and you are attached to it, is the norm,” he says.

And so he did. By 1984, Mehra had studied at the DSB Campus in Nainital, where he........

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