Santosh Kumar Ojha, a former daily labourer, has become a beacon of inspiration in promoting organic agriculture in Odisha.

Through sheer dedication, Santosh has become an agriculturist and entrepreneur. He and other farmers have pointed out that farming can be profitable and self-sustaining without the need to depend on jobs.

They stressed that agricultural activities can also help local unemployment issues.

The inspiring stories of these farmers emerge at a time when farmers are committing suicide due to crop loss caused by unseasonal rainfall.

The Odisha government on Friday declared the crop loss due to unseasonal rain a natural disaster. The farmers will be compensated from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi felicitated Ojha and several other farmers on Friday during the inauguration of the three-day Krushi Odisha-2025 event. The summit concluded here on Sunday.

Santosh, 44, who hails from Tarava village of Hatadiha block of Keonjhar district, told The Telegraph: “We had to depend on others for our sustenance. I even worked in others’ fields as a daily labourer. But things changed after I contacted the local agriculture department.”

Santosh, who has studied up to Plus Two, said, “When people asked me to take up organic farming, I resisted. However, after attending a conference at the block level, I decided to opt for organic farming.”

He added: “I found the demand for organic vegetables is higher in the market, and they are being sold at a higher price. Now, I have taken up farming on eight acres of land. My earning now touches up to nearly ₹7 lakh per annum from agricultural activities.”

“Once my economic condition improved, I started rearing goats, and now I have nearly 75 goats. Every year I earn around ₹2 lakh by selling goats in the market. I no longer work as a labourer. Rather, I am generating employment for others,” he further said.

Santosh explained that for organic farming, he used urine and dung from cows, neem leaves, and earthworms. “We make compost out of it and use it in our fields. The organic vegetables look fresh,” he said.

Following his footsteps, nearly 30 farmers in his area have started organic farming. Santosh’s only complaint was that of that people are yet to understand the importance of climatic changes.

“We, the farmers, are victims of climatic changes. Sometimes, our entire effort goes fruitless. People need to understand it, and try to preserve a good climate instead of engaging in indiscriminate tree cutting.”

The Odisha government also felicitated another farmer, Birendra Meher, 55, from Bagalabandha block of Patnagarh block in Bolangir district.

“If you work rather than depending on others, it can make farming profitable. I manage to look after the educational expenses of my son and daughter. My son is pursuing his MBBS in the SCB Medical College, Cuttack, and my daughter just finished her degree from Punjab University. The agricultural activities give me money to sustain my livelihood,”Birendra said.

Sarojkanta Sethi, a postgraduate who quit his job at a company, shared how he has become a succcessful and proud farmer. However, he lamented that sometimes they must bear the consequences of nature’s whims.

Deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo, who holds the agriculture portfolio, said: “Our focus will always be on how to augment the farmers’ income, that is why we are now giving ₹3100 as MSP per quintal of paddy.’

Principal secretary, agriculture and farmers empowerment, Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee said: “Our field staff are visiting and giving the required inputs to farmers to apply technology in farming.”