Vipin Kumar, THE WEEK’s Warrior of the Earth
I live near the Jwalamukhi Mata Temple in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. In 2006, while pursuing my graduation, I started farming. My idea was to try something different.
I began with vegetable farming and continued it for two years. But I faced significant losses. I was not getting good prices, and stray animals caused heavy damage. Then I decided to take a different approach. My goal was to make farming profitable, because many people around me were leaving agriculture and fields were being abandoned.
Alongside this, I turned to medicinal plant cultivation. I started with two or three crops and gradually expanded, studying the field through universities. I also connected with the National Medicinal Plants Board through the State Medicinal Plants Board, Shimla, and received financial assistance to start work.
We faced many challenges, especially related to the market and understanding how to cultivate these new crops. This was not traditional farming like what our fathers or grandfathers used to do; it was something completely different. I faced challenges in cultivation techniques and especially in marketing. In the first three to four years, I incurred losses because medicinal plants require timely harvesting and proper market linkage. However, by identifying and correcting these issues, I was able to improve.
For the past 8-10 years, I have been earning a good income. Today, I cultivate 8-10 types of medicinal plants across six acres. This success has also brought together 30-40 nearby farmers, forming a community that sells produce collectively and secures better prices.