Pura Vida is an annual gathering, jointly organized by Action for Social Advancement (ASA) and Ploughman Agro Private Limited (PAPL), where farmers, practitioners, experts, brands, and international organizations meet in the field to share experiences and shape more sustainable, resilient farming.
Season 4 · Registrations open
This December, be in the field.
Walk organic cotton farms with the farmers who grow them, then help shape what comes next for organic and regenerative agriculture.
Season 4 begins in
Dates
December 17–18, 2026Location
Indoreand nearby field locations, Madhya PradeshWhat is Pura Vida?
Pura Vida takes conversations about regenerative and organic agriculture out of conference rooms and into farmers’ fields.
Pura Vida means “pure life.” The initiative promotes dialogue, knowledge exchange, and practical action to strengthen organic and regenerative agriculture, sustainable farming systems, and farmer livelihoods. Over three seasons, it has become a space to share field experiences, showcase innovations, and explore pathways toward more resilient agricultural systems.
Each season begins on the farm. Participants walk organic cotton fields with the farmers who grow them, visit community spaces, and hear from Farmer Producer Organizations about procurement, payments, quality checks, and traceability. The next day, everyone comes together for workshops and panel discussions that turn what they saw into shared questions and practical next steps for the sector.
What you will experience
Farmers lead the visits and the conversations. You come to listen, ask, and exchange.
Meet cotton growers and hear their experience in their own words.
Visit farms and see the realities behind agricultural supply chains.
Explore the crops, soils, and geography that shape farming in the region.
Observe regenerative and organic practices in the field.
Connect with brands, donors, practitioners, and peers.
Experience local food, culture, and community life.
Pura Vida through the years
Each season has brought more of the value chain to the farm.
Participants visited villages to see how water access, organic practices, and years of community effort have changed farming. The next day, farmers, women leaders, scientists, breeders, ginners, and brands discussed how to secure clean, traceable, non-GMO seed for organic cotton.
Participants met organic cotton farmers in their fields and heard from FPOs about procurement, quality, traceability, and digitization. A workshop and panel discussions followed, along with traditional dance, archery, and a shared meal of Dal-Pania.
The first season brought textile brands, spinning mills, seed producers, NGOs, donors, and financial institutions to organic cotton farms to meet farmers and FPOs. A workshop and panel then explored how traceability can benefit farmers, brands, and consumers.
I had the good fortune to visit the field and see the transformation ignited by ASA and then taken over by the community, and now being led by women. From one crop to three crops a year, to a growing shift to organic cotton and other crops, the intergenerational transition is evident in significant economic gains, better access to education, and a diversified portfolio of employment within and outside the village for the young. I am still processing the change seen in the field area. I also participated in the dialogue session the following day, when women leaders, equaling or outnumbering scientists, breeders, ginners, brands, and others, had an open conversation on how to take organic and regenerative agriculture forward.
Why participate