32-year-old mechanical engineer left his job to pursue organic farming in village; he now earns Rs 3 lakh profit per acre selling vegetables and pulses directly to customers

Jobandeep Singh had spent years studying engineering, but his career took an unexpected turn just four months into his first job. In 2015, he left employment and returned to his village in Punjab's Amritsar district, choosing to build a business on his family's agricultural land instead.

At 32, Singh cultivates organic crops on four acres, keeps livestock, practises poultry farming and beekeeping, and sells his produce directly to around 50 regular customers. His farm, Asees Natural Farm, reflects a different approach to agriculture in a state where wheat and paddy dominate much of the farming landscape.

His journey also raises a practical question for small farmers: can growing a wider variety of crops and building direct relationships with consumers make agriculture a sustainable business?

How a quarter-acre turmeric plot started the journey

Singh's family once owned 12 acres, but a division of the land left him with five acres. After returning from his studies and employment, he gradually brought land that had been leased out back under cultivation.

In 2017, he began growing turmeric on two kanals, equivalent to a quarter of an acre. He also cultivated traditional basmati rice and wheat. By 2019, he had expanded into vegetables, millets such as ragi and kangni, fodder crops and additional turmeric.

Today, four acres are under organic cultivation, with crops including mustard, fennel, flaxseed, black gram, chickpeas, lentils, peas, vegetables, wheat and basmati rice. The remaining land accommodates his home, cattle shed and animal fodder.

Rather than concentrating on the conventional wheat-paddy combination, Singh divides his fields into smaller plots and changes his crop selection according to the season.

Why direct sales became central to his business

Growing produce was only one part of Singh's plan. He also needed buyers.

Before developing his own farm, he had helped his brother-in-law deliver milk to households in Amritsar. Those connections proved useful when he began selling crops, as some of the same households became his customers.

He now sells produce directly to around 50 regular buyers and takes his products to the Sunday market at Company Bagh in Amritsar. This approach gives him a direct route to consumers rather than requiring him to depend entirely on intermediaries.

His farm also meets more than 90% of his household's daily needs, according to his account.

However, the model demands regular involvement in cultivation, livestock management, processing and selling. Direct marketing can help establish customer relationships, but it also adds work beyond growing crops.

How livestock supports organic farming

Singh's farm operates beyond crop cultivation. His dairy unit has five animals, including indigenous and crossbred cows and Murrah buffaloes. The milk supplies his household and his brothers' families, who use it to prepare curd, lassi, paneer and desi ghee. Any surplus is sold.

Animal manure goes back into the fields, while Singh also prepares jeevamrit, a fermented mixture made from cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, besan and water. He uses green manure, crop residues for mulching and manual weeding instead of chemical weedicides.

Poultry farming and beekeeping add further activities to the operation. Singh has also attended training programmes associated with Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Krishi Vigyan Kendra and Punjab Agro.

The challenge of making organic farming pay

Singh estimates that his model can generate net profits of up to Rs 3 lakh per acre under favourable conditions. This is his estimate, not a guaranteed return for other farmers.

Organic cultivation can produce lower yields than conventional farming, and higher selling prices do not automatically translate into better profits. Crop choices, weather, labour expenses and access to customers all influence the outcome.

Singh employs at least five people regularly for around six months each year, creating seasonal work despite the farm's relatively small size. His efforts have also earned him the Surjit Singh Dhillon Outstanding Small Farmer Award from PAU for his farming practices and use of eco-friendly agricultural technologies.

In an interview with The Tribune published in May 2026, Singh stressed that farmers need sufficient income to encourage younger generations to remain in agriculture.

His experience does not suggest that every farmer can replicate his returns. It demonstrates, instead, how crop diversity, livestock and direct marketing can form parts of a small agricultural enterprise.

For Singh, leaving engineering was not a retreat from business. It was a decision to build one around his own land, his customers and the possibilities he saw in farming.

(Inputs from TOI)