The Chief Minister's Office of Gujarat shared on Saturday, 18 July 2026 that Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel held an informal grassroots dialogue with villagers of Mahundra, sitting on a traditional khatlo (cot) among residents to discuss natural farming and water conservation.

Context

Addressing villagers in a setting deliberately stripped of formality, CM Patel argued that prakrutik kheti (natural farming) is the only credible answer to the serious diseases afflicting human beings and soil health caused by excessive chemical fertiliser use. Progressive farmers who have already adopted chemical-free cultivation shared their personal experiences at the event, encouraging peers to make the transition.

Agricultural scientists and state government officials present at the dialogue were acknowledged by participating farmers for their continuous guidance on natural farming practices.

Policy Backdrop

The Chief Minister cited two nationally prominent water-conservation drives — Amrit Sarovar and Khet Talavadi — both inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as permanent solutions to water scarcity and irregular rainfall. The Amrit Sarovar mission was launched nationally in April 2022 with a target of constructing or rejuvenating 75,000 ponds across India.

On the state front, CM Patel announced an expansion under the Sujalam Sufalam scheme: the permissible distance for filling lakes has been increased from 3 kilometres to 7 kilometres, widening the reach of water recharge infrastructure to more villages. The Sujalam Sufalam Abhiyan has been active in Gujarat since 2018, focusing on large-scale desilting and water-body rejuvenation.

Gujarat's push toward natural farming builds on organic and reduced-chemical-input policy initiatives that the state has pursued since the mid-2010s, making it one of the early movers on institutionalising prakrutik kheti at scale.

Stakeholders and Impact

Small and marginal farmers in rain-dependent districts stand to benefit most directly from expanded lake-filling coverage under Sujalam Sufalam, as a wider operational radius means more farm ponds and village tanks can be recharged in a single season. Reduced dependence on chemical fertilisers, if adopted broadly, could lower input costs and decrease documented incidences of soil degradation across Gujarat's agricultural belt.

Rural communities also heard a direct appeal from CM Patel to incorporate environment-friendly changes into everyday lifestyles — signalling that the outreach extends beyond agriculture to broader behavioural shifts toward sustainability.

What's Next

The progress of Amrit Sarovar and Khet Talavadi pond works across Gujarat's districts will be closely watched during the ongoing monsoon season, when water harvesting interventions yield the most measurable results. State budget allocations for natural farming training programmes and any further expansion of the Sujalam Sufalam operational limits will indicate how quickly the policy commitments made at the village dialogue translate into on-ground action.