While many of his engineering classmates chose to settle abroad, 32-year-old Jobandeep Singh chose a different path. A BTech graduate in mechanical engineering, he quit his first job after just four months in 2015 and returned to his land in Mala Khedi village of Amritsar district, determined to turn farming into a business. Today, he cultivates a diverse range of crops, combining agriculture with dairy farming, poultry, beekeeping and direct marketing to build a diversified rural enterprise.“Today, four of my five acres are under organic cultivation. Instead of concentrating on the wheat-paddy cycle that dominates Punjab agriculture, I have divided my fields into small plots, growing a range of crops, including fennel, flaxseed, black gram, white chickpeas, lentils, mustard, peas, vegetables and basmati,” he said.Jobandeep estimates that his model can generate a net profit of up to Rs 3 lakh per acre, provided the farm is managed well and weather conditions remain favourable. The remaining acre of his holding accommodates his house, a cattle shed and fodder for his animals. He says his farm also meets more than 90 per cent of his household’s daily needs, with only a few essentials bought from the market.“I always wanted to do business and started directly with organic farming instead of sowing MSP crops,” he said.His family owned 12 acres before the land was divided, leaving him with five acres. Much of the family’s land had been leased out, which he gradually brought back under cultivation after completing his studies. He began on a small scale in 2017, growing turmeric on two kanals, or a quarter of an acre. That year, he also cultivated traditional basmati on one acre during the kharif season and wheat in the rabi season.Encouraged by the response to his organic produce, he expanded cultivation by 2019, introducing vegetables, millets such as ragi and kangni, fodder and more turmeric alongside basmati. Over time, he developed a diversified cropping plan, growing fennel, flaxseed, mustard, lentils, black gram, white chickpeas and peas alongside organic wheat and fodder during rabi. In kharif, he grows basmati varieties 1121 and 1509.For Jobandeep, diversification was only one part of the business. Finding customers and building a reliable market were equally important. After graduating, he worked for a few months at his brother-in-law’s dairy, helping supply milk to households in Amritsar and establishing relationships with customers.Story continues below this ad“When I started growing crops, several of those households began buying my products. That encouraged me because I already had customers before developing my farming model,” he said.“Unlike conventional wheat-paddy farming, my model requires daily involvement, from tending crops and managing livestock to processing and selling produce,” he says. He now sells at the Sunday market in Company Bagh, Amritsar, and markets his Punjab Agro-certified produce under the brand Asees Natural Farm. He has around 50 regular customers, including people from lower-income groups, and says their trust in the quality and purity of his produce has helped him build a market.His five-animal dairy unit, comprising indigenous and crossbred cows and Murrah buffaloes, supports both the farm and his household. Milk is sold when there is a surplus; otherwise, it is used by his family and his brothers’ families to make curd, lassi, paneer and desi ghee. The animals also supply manure for the fields.Jobandeep relies on farmyard manure and prepares jeevamrit using cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, besan and water. The mixture is fermented for four to five days in summer and up to 15 days in winter before being applied through spraying or irrigation. He also grows green manure, uses crop residues sourced from neighbouring fields for mulching and relies on manual weeding instead of weedicides.Story continues below this adThese practices, he says, help him avoid expenditure on chemical fertilisers and pesticides. He has attended training sessions and programmes associated with Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Krishi Vigyan Kendra and Punjab Agro.While organically grown crops may yield less, Jobandeep says the higher prices they command can make the enterprise profitable. Despite operating on a small holding, he employs at least five people regularly for around six months each year.He also urges consumers to support genuine organic farmers, arguing that stronger demand can help improve the food chain and make organically grown produce more accessible at competitive prices.His efforts have earned him the Surjit Singh Dhillon Outstanding Small Farmer Award from PAU, Ludhiana, for his work in organic farming and crop diversification.