The Sharma household at Chaina village in Faridkot is buzzing with activity. Charanjeet Kaur is busy ensuring that she does not run out of gram flour, jaggery, green chillies, garlic and neem leaves. No she is not preparing for a lavish lunch. This is a "magic potion' for her two-hectare (ha) farm.

Magic potion? For two years, the Sharmas have been sprinkling a concoction of these ingredients over their crops to keep away pests (See box: Homemade pesticides). That's zero-budget natural farming for you or