Harish's 1.5-acre farm is built around ragi. He’s been farming organically for 12 years - judging the quality of his crop by the plant itself. A healthy stem should produce around nine branches — and that’s usually what he gets.
Harish’s journey has been centred on patience - and the time it takes to grow ragi organically. The switch to organic isn't immediate. A field takes up to three years to fully convert, as the soil is restored before it can be called organic again. For ragi, the process from seed to harvest takes about 100 days, close to four months. Once harvested, the grain is dried before it's ready to use. It’s the time that Harish invests that shows through his successful crop.
<Remove castor oil, include video of the ragi branches>
He has been an inspiration to other farmers in the area, encouraging them to make the switch to organic and see the effects for themselves.
Ragi, or finger millet, has been grown across parts of India for generations, long before "millets" became a nutrition buzzword. It's naturally gluten-free, rich in calcium, and slow to digest, which means it keeps you full longer. In fact, it is one of the richest natural sources of calcium among commonly eaten cereal grains. It contains about 344 mg of calcium per 100 grams, which is around 10 times more than rice or wheat. It’s one reason it's traditionally been a staple for people doing physically demanding work, something Harish himself recommends. It shows up on the plate in different forms depending on the meal: ragi roti, mudde, or ganji. And if you’ve ever wondered why it’s called finger millet, it's because the seed heads grow in long spikes, spreading out like the fingers of a hand.
