They may well be hailed as a new breed of entrepreneurs who shuffled careers, fired by a mission to take farmers back to their organic roots. For a motley group of nature lovers from diverse professional backgrounds, it is all about ensuring that there is no more ecological damage by use of toxic nitrogenous fertilizers.

R Jagannathan, in his mid 30s, quit his job as business development manager of a company a year ago to explore organic farming. With the support of some friends and like-minded nature enthusiasts, he took on a lease of 5.5 acres at Thirunindravur near Avadi on an annual rent of 55,000 for what he describes as an experimental organic farm without a profit motive. He grows 20 varieties of cooking greens. So far, he has harvested 3,000 to 5,000 bundles per acre and hopes to break even after a month, on achieving productivity of 10,000 bundles per acre.