Goa’s Innovative Farmer Sanjay Patil Gets Padma Shri

PANAJI, (IANS) – Living in the pristine village of Savoi Verem in Ponda taluka of Goa, Sanjay Anant Patil (59) is known as an innovative farmer in the coastal state and has been conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri Award 2024 for his remarkable contributions to natural farming and zero-energy micro-irrigation systems.

He converted a barren plot of land, measuring 10 acres, into a lush green natural farm and areca nut plantation in his village. During his childhood at his uncle’s place (his mother’s brother) in Shiroda—a short distance away from his village where he attended school—he learned farming activities from his uncle.

Having studied up to the eleventh grade, Patil was employed at the Goa Bagayatdar Society, where he worked for four years before resigning to pursue his goal of engaging in natural farming. He traveled to Gujarat to learn the natural farming process and returned to Goa to raise awareness about it.

Patil produces areca nuts, coconuts, cashews, and local pineapples on his 10-acre land through natural farming.