Ways to farm
14 ways to farm — and who pays to help you start.
Natural, organic, under a polyhouse, with animals, fish or bees. Pick what fits your land, water and time.
Natural farming
No bought fertiliser or pesticide. Soil life is fed with cow dung and urine preparations like jeevamrit and beejamrit, with mulch and mixed crops.
SuitsFarmers with a cow or two who want to cut input costs.
- Join the natural-farming cluster in your block.
- Start on one part of the field; shift over three seasons.
Certified organic
Organic inputs only, with a certificate (PGS or third-party) that lets you sell at an organic price.
SuitsGroups of farmers near a city market or an exporter.
- Form or join a cluster — support is given per cluster.
- Keep records from day one; certification needs them.
Polyhouse & shade net
Crops grown under cover — capsicum, cucumber, tomato, flowers — with drip and fertigation, all year round.
SuitsFarmers with assured water, near a market, ready to learn.
- Visit a working polyhouse and take the training.
- Apply to the state horticulture department before building.
Drip & precision farming
Water and fertiliser go straight to the root through drip or sprinkler, saving water and labour.
SuitsAny farmer with a well or canal — especially orchards, sugarcane and vegetables.
- Register on the state micro-irrigation portal.
- Choose an empanelled company; it designs and installs.
Integrated farming system
Crops, animals, fish, trees and compost on one farm, each feeding the next — so no single failure sinks you.
SuitsSmall and rainfed farms that need income all year.
- Ask the KVK for an IFS model for your district.
- Add one unit a year — a pond, a cow, a row of trees.
Orchards & plantations
Fruit trees, coconut, oil palm, spices — slow to start, then decades of income.
SuitsFarmers who can wait three to five years for the first full harvest.
- Buy plants only from an accredited nursery.
- Grow vegetables between the young trees.
Dairy
Milch cows or buffaloes, sold to a cooperative or your own route. Free vaccination and a vet on 1962.
SuitsFamilies with fodder land and someone at home twice a day.
- Start with two good animals, not ten average ones.
- Grow green fodder before you buy the animals.
Goats, sheep, poultry & pigs
Small animals with quick returns. The livestock mission gives a capital subsidy on breeding units.
SuitsLandless and small farmers; herders and grazing communities.
- Train at the state animal-husbandry institute.
- Apply on the NLM portal with a bank-approved project.
Fish farming
Ponds, biofloc tanks, cages or RAS. Women and SC/ST farmers get a higher share under PMMSY.
SuitsLow-lying land, a farm pond, or reliable water.
- Register with the district fisheries office.
- Begin with a pond before a high-tech system.
Beekeeping
Bee boxes earn from honey and also lift the yield of nearby mustard, fruit and vegetables.
SuitsAny farmer near flowering crops; little land is needed.
- Take the free seven-day training.
- Start with a few colonies and move them with the bloom.
Mushroom growing
Grown indoors on straw or compost — oyster and button. Needs a room, not a field.
SuitsSmall and landless farmers, women and youth.
- Train at the KVK or the mushroom research centre.
- Start with oyster in one room before building a unit.
Sericulture (silk)
Mulberry, tasar, eri or muga leaves feed silkworms; cocoons sell to the state market.
SuitsFamilies with spare labour; tribal areas for tasar and eri.
- Contact the state sericulture office for saplings and a rearing shed.
Agroforestry & bamboo
Trees on field edges or in blocks — bamboo, timber, rubber — a savings account that grows.
SuitsFarmers with land they cannot crop every season.
- Plant on bunds first so crops are not shaded.
Biogas & residue
Cow dung to cooking gas and slurry fertiliser; straw managed by machine instead of burnt.
SuitsAny household with two or more cattle; rice–wheat farmers.
- Apply to the state nodal agency for a biogas plant.