Organic Acre
Mrinal Dabas and Lakshay Dabas Though their roots originate from a traditional agricultural family, Mrinal is an engineer in electronics and communication. His brother Lakshay, has a Masters in Ecology and Environment Sciences. In spite of venturing out into different career streams, it’s difficult to keep a farmer gene dormant. This is reflected in the Organic Agro Farmer Certification by CFTRI and Bee Keeper Certification from KVIC that Mrinal has. Their family’s story dates back to the time when after the Green Revolution, most the farmers joined the race to maximize productivity. They kept relying on natural processes, trading off productivity with purity. According to Mrinal, ‘For generations, we have been growing high-quality organic produce for our friends and family, and subsequently wished to serve the community for the greater good by providing affordable organic produce.’ The genesis of Organic Acre was in a tragedy, though. Two close members of the family died of blood cancer. The brothers started searching for the core problem behind cancer. They explored almost the whole of India in search of answers. They stayed in farmers’ homes, Saw how lakes have been degraded, changing the ecology of the whole system. They came across extensive use of hazardous chemicals and pesticides in food, affecting the health of not only the one who eats but also the one who grows. These were some of the fundamental issues they came across. They also noticed that farmers got a meagre income for their produce, and no incentive for growing quality food. Hence was born the idea of Organic Acre. Mrinal says agriculture is a lifestyle. They never imagined themselves at a desk job, ethical farming was always in their blood. The brothers have also motivated and trained more than 50 farmers to become Organic Agropreneurs.
