Rajendra Desi Chasa Gabesana Kendra sits in the pristine lap of nature, amidst the agricultural fields of Balipatna block in the Khurda district. This center is being headed by an 87-year-old retired high school teacher who has been a brand ambassador of organic farming in the state and beyond. Mr. Natabar Sarangi sits in a room full of myriad books on agriculture and organic farming. The walls of his study are adored by strings of awards and recognition honoring his work in the field of organic farming.

Mr Sarangi has set out on a sail to collect native seeds post his retirement in 1992 when he felt that the agricultural practices that followed since the 1960s had a catastrophic impact on small farmers, and ecology in general. This move was triggered by one particular incident in his life, where he saw one of his associates in the field fainting while he was applying pesticides in the field. On a closer look, he realized, a lot of benefic fauna are floating dead in the irrigated water in the field. He describes this particular incident as a turning point in life, where he decided to provide a much-needed impetus in the field of organic agriculture.           

Mr. Sarangi says the seeds that are pest resilient, require less water and can survive in challenging weather conditions, and are fit for organic farming. Moreover, the varieties of paddy produced from indigenous seeds through organic farming demonstrate a special taste, aroma, and high nutritional value. Many of these seeds are also resistant to drought, flood, and saline water. The cost of farming can be brought down using such indigenous seeds for farming. 

The octogenarian, over a span of around two decades, has been able to collect and conserve more than 700 varieties of indigenous paddy seed, which otherwise were facing the dangers of extinction. He has been able to engage a plethora of academicians, professors, and intellectuals, and students in his endeavor. People like Natabar Sarangi and his ‘Farmers First’ policy have set a benchmark for all the players in this sector.