The President of India, Droupadi Murmu conferred Padma Shri to Sanjay Anant Patil of Goa in the field of Agriculture during the Civil Investiture Ceremony in New Delhi today.
Brief citations about the life and work of the awardee is given below-
Sanjay Anant Patil (Padma Shri)
•Sanjay Anant Patil, locally known as Sanjay Kaka is an innovative farmer and a green revolutionary, known to many as the ‘one-many-army’ because he single-handedly transformed a ten-acre barren land into a lush green Kulagar (Plantation-Livestock based integrated farming system) wholly adopting the principles of Natural Farming and zero-energy micro-irrigation system.
•Born on 31 August, 1964, Patil has been practising natural farming since 1991 using Jeevamrut. He produces 5000 litres of Jeevamrut per month from the dung and urine of a single indigenous breed of cow. He has proven through his practice that a single indigenous cow is adequate for the cultivation of 10 acres of land without using a gram of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. He also designed and built an automatic Jeevamrut production plant to accelerate and enhance production. He observed a reduction in production cost by 60-70% and his crop yield increased by 25-30% with savings of Rs. 3 Lakhs per year by adopting natural farming practices.
• Patil overcame the major challenge of water shortage mainly after the monsoon by digging a 125 feet tunnel (surang) all alone on the hill of his farm. Further, he constructed several percolation trenches alone in the hills surrounding the farm for the collection of rainwater. He ensured that he received 15 lakh litres of water for irrigation throughout the year through his innovative zero-energy micro-irrigation and rainwater harvesting system.
•Patil, even though, has had formal school education up to the 11th class, he possesses the knowledge and skills of an engineer, when it comes to water conservation and natural farming practices. He is not only an innovator but also an early adopter of the technologies of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Goa and local Krishi Vigyan Kendra. He has been a model farmer and resource person for his fellow farmers and his farm has become a must-see model farmland and has over 300-500 visitors a year. His story has inspired his fellow farmers, especially in attracting the youth into agriculture.
•Patil has received coveted awards like the Krishiratna Award-2014 by Government of Goa and the IARI-Innovative Farmer Award-2023.
