Nature's Classroom

Babulal Gandhi, a 97-year-old farmer, has transformed 118 acres of dry land in Satara into a thriving forest through nature restoration learning camps, inspiring future generations in environmental stewardship

- ANIL SWARUP

Babulal Gandhi has presented a remarkable legacy in sustainable farming, agroforestry, climate change actions, and global warming. The 97-year-old farmer has spent more than 50 years of his life to transform his ancestral land in Vinchurni—8 kms from Phaltan, Satara. Once a dry, rocky grassland spread over 118 acres, is now a thriving forest. This land, named Maganlal Gandhi Smriti Van, is home to four water lakes, fruit orchards, grasslands, medicinal plants and rich wildlife. The temperature here is also a couple of degrees cooler because of the dense tree canopies.

Babulal Gandhi's journey began in the early 1950s when he took part in Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan movement that encouraged landowners to donate a portion of their land to the landless. Inspired, he took this work further towards land enrichment. He travelled across India, studying agroforestry and sustainable farming practices.

To practice what he had learnt, he came back to his land and started working extensively on water conservation and nature restoration. Collaborating with local engineers, Gandhi built lakes covering over 22 acres to store water and recharge groundwater. He also created 5 km of zero-contour water trenches to capture every drop of rain. The water work not just helped the farm, it increased the water table for the entire community. The water bodies attracted birds and bees, which helped propagate plants across the farm. Over time, the community adopted kurad-bandi—a no-axe policy—to protect the ecosystem, recognising the importance of every plant and root in preventing soil erosion.