Soreng: Where Growth Is Green

SORENG'S FARMS SHOWCASE ORGANIC CULTIVATION, CONNECTING TRAVELLERS WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES, TRADITIONAL PRACTICES, AND THE RHYTHMS OF RURAL MOUNTAIN LIFE

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The climb from Soreng, around 100 km away from Gangtok, to Upper Singling is short but slow.

The road curls through bamboo groves and orange trees before opening into a plateau of green terraces at nearly 2,087 m. Clouds drift low enough to touch; the air smells faintly of rain and manure. It's peaceful here. Only the distant bells of cattle and the rhythm of spades striking soil.

I stopped at Gumba Dara Organic Farm, where Pem Dorjee Sherpa, 32, has been farming for two decades. His fields stretch in neat squares of radish, carrot, peas, and beans. He called organic farming “the pure form,” explaining how they use only compost and manure from their cattle. “Chemicals make the soil weak,” he said, crouching to scoop a handful of dark, crumbly earth. “We feed the soil naturally so it keeps feeding us.”