Varinder Singh: Sarbat da Bhalla (Wellbeing for all)

Описание: The first cohort of Coexistence Champions brings together grassroots leaders, researchers, and community practitioners working across India’s diverse socio-ecological-cultural landscapes to advance conservation as an integrated human–nature system.

Meet Varinder Singh from our first cohort!

Varinder, a former software engineer, returned to his village in Punjab to start natural farming. Over five years, he has transformed his own land with micro food forests and integrated dairy, while mobilizing 300 farmers to adopt these practices. Collaborating with farmers, youth, and panchayats, he promotes rural development that ensures dignified livelihoods, land stewardship, and vibrant villages rooted in "Well-being for all".
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His project supports training farmers in natural farming and as conservation change-makers, as well as piloting micro food forests and mini jungles as ‘living labs’. His project collaborates with panchayats in reorienting narratives from "pest control" to ecological "pest management" that recognises and promotes the ecological roles of soil microbes, worms, and insects. Coexistence is framed as a changing attitude towards agricultural ecosystems, with farmers seeing snakes as pest controllers, birds as seed dispersers, and forests as water guardians. By fostering diverse habitats for plants, reptiles, soil microbes, and more, natural farming restores harmony between people, nature, and livelihoods. Engaging women, youth, and communities, coexistence becomes a lived practice, bolstering food security, cultural values, and everyday well-being without separating humans from nature.