Soil, Stories & Small Farms: Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)-Integrated Agriculture in Delhi, India

Abstract

This project examines how traditional ecological knowledge (TEK)–based agricultural practices are used in small-scale farming in semi-arid Delhi, India. Using Saraf Farms (a four-acre, family-run farm) as the primary case study, this paper documents a biologically driven farming system grounded in organic inputs such as microbial amendments (including a fourteen-culture inoculant), cow-dung-based inputs, intercropping, and bio-stimulants such as Jeevamrit (a fermented mixture of cow urine, cow dung, chickpea flour, and jaggery). Strawberries are the primary crop cultivated at Saraf Farms, and the first section of the paper examines how these natural amendments interact with strawberry production in a semi-arid, peri-urban context. To contextualize this within the broader landscape, I conducted semi-structured interviews with farmers in the same geographical region (South Delhi). Findings highlight a shared philosophical commitment to soil regeneration and chemical-free growing through natural amendments, even when farmers used different terminology. Farmers valued TEK for improving soil, reducing chemical dependency, and meeting rising urban demand for nutritious produce, but they also identified major constraints: labor intensity, high labor costs in peri-urban zones, groundwater depletion, and climate volatility. India’s agricultural traditions, particularly the use of natural fermented inputs, microbial cultures, and cow-dung-based soil amendments, contribute a unique knowledge system to global regenerative agriculture conversations by demonstrating how low-cost, locally derived practices can rebuild soil health in smallholder and semi-arid contexts.