How To Start An Indian Farm (FULL GUIDE) | Dostcast w/ Peepal Baba

Summary

Peepal Baba describes growing interest in farm living as a response to crowded cities, poor air and water, and a desire for a healthier, more grounded life. He sees this as a gradual social shift—not a reason for everyone to abandon city jobs or become full-time farmers. Farming can be difficult and should not be treated as a quick way to make money.

How to Begin

• Start as a gardener before becoming a farmer. Grow edible plants in 20–50 pots, using local seeds or seeds saved from kitchen produce. Try vegetables and herbs such as tomatoes, okra, onions, coriander, mint, and green chillies—not just ornamental plants.
• Learn by visiting rural areas. Spend time in villages, talk with farmers, and ask what grows locally, where produce is sold, and what the land and water are like. Baba advises learning from farmers’ experience rather than relying only on property dealers.
• Get practical exposure before investing. Visit farms, agricultural fairs, and forestry or farming organizations. Consider an apprenticeship or volunteering with a farmer producer organization (FPO) or farm cooperative.
• Don’t rush to buy land as an investment. First understand its water supply, hydrology, irrigation, soil fertility, and local conditions. Keep your job or business while exploring farming as a hobby, and build knowledge gradually.
• Treat farming as a long-term practice. Be wary of claims that a small plot will quickly generate enormous profits. Success takes work, time, and learning.

Natural Farming and Land Restoration

Baba prefers the term natural farming to certified organic farming, arguing that certification can involve requirements beyond an individual plot. His basic principle is to avoid adding chemical inputs and to work with the land.

For degraded or barren land, he describes layering local organic material—such as dried cow dung and crop residue—and allowing it to decompose before planting. He recommends legumes such as mung beans, peas, and chickpeas to help improve soil, and says roots play an important role in soil restoration.

He advises using leaves, crop residue, and other plant material as compost or mulch rather than burning them. In this cycle, fallen leaves and other biomass return nutrients to the soil.

His organization’s restoration approach includes planting trees and creating habitats that support birds and other wildlife. He highlights peepal trees as ecological “keystone” species that can support many forms of life.

What Farm Living Can Look Like

Baba describes a simple routine that may start around 5 a.m., with birds waking residents. A day can include checking irrigation, tending vegetables and trees, and observing the land. Farm living need not exclude modern life: people can use phones and the internet when needed and balance time on the farm with city work.

He also describes cooking with a wood-fired stove and using fallen twigs and animal dung as fuel. One meal he recommends is dal and rice cooked over a fire, served with onion-tomato, green-chilli, or garlic chutney. He acknowledges that newcomers may need time to adjust to mosquitoes and other aspects of rural life.

The conversation connects time in nature with wellbeing: gardening and living on the land can offer a slower pace, time to reflect, and a break from constant screen use. Baba recommends going barefoot when conditions are safe, rather than treating it as a rule.

Cities and the Environment

Baba argues that urban residents can start by growing food at home and improving the air quality of their immediate surroundings. He also criticizes what he sees as poor urban planning and encroachment on footpaths and public spaces, particularly in Delhi. He says better maintenance and planning—and greater input from qualified planners, architects, engineers, and environmental experts—could improve city life.

People, Places, and Works Mentioned

• Speakers: Peepal Baba (Swami Prem Parivartan) and host Vinamre Kasana
• Organizations and ideas: Give Me Trees Trust; FPOs and farm cooperatives; natural farming and ecological restoration
• Locations discussed: Delhi NCR, Dehradun, Khatauli, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Chandigarh, Goa, and Singapore, among others
• Other mentions: A small Sonalika tractor; Peepal Baba’s book Ghosts on Peepal Trees