With an aim to promote soil health and ensure its conservation, on March 22, a collaborative effort between Krishi Tantra, a Hyderabad-based social impact start-up, and Gaon Connection, India’s biggest rural media platform, was recently organised in Santalpur— 205 kilometers from Gujarat capital Gandhinagar.

In the event which was organised in Santalpur’s Koyda village, Taluka Magistrate MG Parmar motivated the participating farmers to avail the benefits of soil testing in order to have a better yield. He explained that by testing their soil samples, they would be better equipped with information that will enable them to use apt fertiliser for their field. 

Also Read: How soil testing can benefit coffee and cardamom farmers in Karnataka’s Coorg

At least 150 farmers participated in a cycle rally after the conclusion of the event in a bid to raise awareness amongst the farmers of the nearby villages. 

As part of the program, hundreds of farmers were also facilitated with t-shirts and bags. 

Sandeep Kondaji, CEO of Krishi Tantra, has developed a device that can test 12 nutrients in a soil sample in 50 minutes. Previously available techniques detected only three nutrients and it took days for the result. 

The farmers’ cycle rally in Gujarat is part of the country-wide campaign being jointly organised by Krishi Tantra and Gaon Connection.The cycle rally was inaugurated from the premises of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology in Jammu on March 3 and will culminate in Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. 

Flagging off the rally in Jammu, Kondaji had said: “We should conserve the soil as a gift from our ancestors. But we have polluted the soil, water and air. If the soil could speak, it would protest against the injustice and exploitation being meted out to it. Even then, future generations will have to suffer the consequences of what is being done now.”

The cycle rally will cover a distance of almost 3,500 kms and pass through 11 states in its journey that is expected to be 40-day long.