His Royal Highness, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, graced Navdanya Biodiversity Conservation farm a center for excellence in Organic farming in village Ramgarh in Doon Valley, India by his visit on 07th November 2013. HRH and Dr. Shiva have worked closely to promote organic farming and Dr. Shiva is part of the High Grove Group that HRH has created to spread sustainable and healthy food and agriculture systems across the world. HRH himself is an Organic Farmer. Navdanya a movement for Biodiversity Conservation and promotion of Organic Farming and fair trade was started by Dr. Vandana Shiva the known environmentalist from Doon Valley in the year 1987 as a project of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology also founded by Dr. Vandana Shiva in 1982. Later on in the year 1991 Navdanya was registered as a separate Not for profit  trust. For last 26 years Navdanya has worked with local communities and organizations serving many men and women farmers across the world. Navdanya's efforts have resulted in conservation of more than 4000 rice varieties from all over the country and have established 120 seed banks in 17 states across the country. More than 750,000 farmers are primary members of Navdanya.

Navdanya is also helping the Govt. of Bhutan in its endeavor to go organic. Navdanya has trained more than 1000 farmers and about 60 Agriculture extension officers of Government of Bhutan both in Bhutan as well as Navdanya Biodiversity Conservation farm in Dehradun.

HRH during his visit was received by Dr. Vandana Shiva along with Ms. Maya Goburdhun Trustee of Navdanya and Director of Bija Vidyapeeth, Wg. Cdr. Kuldip Shiva, Honorary Director of Navdanya, Dr. Vinod Bhatt, Director of Navdanya, Mr. Darwan Singh Negi National Training coordinator of Navdanya and Mr. J.P. Khali, Manager of Bija Vidyapeeth.

He was taken on a conducted tour by Dr. Vandana Shiva Managing Trustee of Navdanya along with Dr. Vinod Bhatt and D.S. Negi. He visited Seed Bank and saw the diversity of seeds of 2500 crops including 700 rice varieties, 195 wheat varieties 150 of Kidney bean varieties and many more of forgotten foods like millets, oilseeds, pulses etc. During the farm visit HRH was shown the diverse crops grown together and how they help each other while growing together and also enrich the soil. Mix cropping, mulching, crop rotation, companion cropping and agroforestry plants were also shown to HRH. HRH was also told by Dr. Shiva how the once baron land that was under eucalyptus cultivation followed by the monoculture of Sugarcane was converted into the Biodiversity Sanctuary by Organic farming. He was also told by Dr. Shiva that how more than 70 different birds have made this farm their home in last 16 years. Bija Devi and Sheela, Navdanya's Seedkeepers at the Community seed bank showed HRH the diversity of seeds being conserved at the Seed Bank. At the Cowshed Mr. Pooran showed him how the cow urine is being collected outside the cowshed in a tank which is being used for various purposes from seed treatment to composting and pest management. Different composting techniques including Vermicompost Unit, NADEP, heap method, and vermiwash were shown to HRH by Anand and Gaffar. Sagar Rai showed them the grain cleaning processing, that goes to the market to help the farmers fetch fair price.

HRH also sowed seeds of indigenous Barley (Jau) on his way to Herbal garden. Herbal garden where 54 varieties of different herbs are being grown was shown by Dr. R.S. Rawat along with Jeetpal Singh.  He also visited the Soil Ecology Lab where he was shown the different tests conducted by the Navdanya's Scientists that includes the comparative study of the soil organisms who are the real source of soil fertility in organic farm soils with the soils from the chemical farms where these organisms die due to excessive use of chemicals) by Dr. M.P. Singh. HRH was also shown the friendly and pest insects by Dr. Seema Chaudhari collected for training the farmers students and visitors.

HRH briefly interacted with 50 volunteers / Interns at Navdanya / Bija Vidyapeeth who have come from across the globe for training in Organic Farming and the Rights of Nature. HRH planted the Rudraksh tree at Navdanya campus. He was helped by Mr. Pramod Kimothi, Gireesh Chandra and Babloo. He interacted with other Navdanya staff, volunteers and interns during the tea time.

Dr. Shiva and her team at Navdanya and Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology successfully challenged the biopiracy of Neem, Basmati and Wheat.

Navdanya means nine crops that represent India's collective source of food security. The main aim of the Navdanya biodiversity conservation programme is to support local farmers, rescue and conserve crops and plants that are being pushed to extinction and make them available through direct marketing. Navdanya has so far successfully conserved more than 5000 crop varieties including 3000 of rice, 195 of wheat, 150 of kidney beans (rajma), 15 of millets and several varieties of pulses, vegetable, medicinal plants etc.

Bija Vidyapeeth, an educational part of Navdanya, was founded by leading environmental activists Mr. Satish Kumar, the then Director of Schumacher College, U.K. and Dr. Vandana Shiva after the 2001, 9/11 attacks in New York. The school promotes a vision of holistic solutions rooted in deep ecology and democracy as an alternative to the current world order that is characterized by blind policies guided by greed, destruction and war.

The courses offered at Bija Vidyapeeth allow participants both literally and figuratively dig into the tenets of sustainability and deep democracy through interaction with the foremost intellectuals of our times, dedicated participants from all backgrounds and the surrounding biodiverse setting. The transformative courses and the enchanting ambience reinvigorate our vital link with nature and will cultivate contemplation, enquiry and dynamic action that will inspire participants for a lifetime.

Navdanya in the past also helped the disaster victims of Tsunami, Odisha Super Cyclone by providing them with the seeds. Recently during the Uttarakhand disaster. After disaster in Kedar Valley in the month of June 2013 Navdanya for immediate relief work run the community kitchen for the stranded pilgrims as well as disaster victims at Nandpur in Kedar valley. Other than relief work Navdanya also did a survey of the actual damage and organized meetings in Dehradun. Navdanya also decided to do long term rehabilitation work in few villages of the valley including Chandrapuri, Sauri, Ginwala, Nandpur-Amotha, Jhatgarh and Chaka on both the banks of the river Mandakini. Navdanya was able to reach 557 families of 29 villages in Kedar valley. Navdanya built midterm houses for the 14 relief victim families and built a ropeway for river crossing at Vijay Nagar connecting 36 villages of the valley. Navdanya is now building school in Kedar valley.

The Royal visitor had tea and brief interaction with Navdanya members. Before departure, HRH Prince Charles planted the sacred Rudraksh sapling in Navdanya Farm.