**Background:** While the physical health benefits of organic food consumption are well-documented, there is limited evidence on its effects on cognitive and affective well-being. The authors note that farmers in the hill regions of Uttarakhand, India, practice subsistence agriculture on small landholdings (<1 hectare) and face economic hardship, debt, and pesticide exposure. Previous research has linked chronic pesticide exposure to neurobehavioural effects including dementia and Alzheimer's disease (Baldi et al., 2011). This study aims to fill the gap by examining whether organic food production and consumption can improve farmers' mental well-being, reduce family quarrels, and enhance interpersonal relationships.
**Methods:** The field study was conducted in two phases: March–May 2021 and March 2022 in Manj Gaon, a hill village in Uttarakhand, India. Thirty male and female organic farmers participated in qualitative interviews, focus group discussions, and open-ended questionnaires. Expert interviews were also conducted with two prominent Indian organic farming experts: Bharat Bhushan Tyagi (recipient of India's third-highest civilian award) and Dr. Anil Prakash Joshi (recipient of India's second- and third-highest civilian awards). Data were analyzed using NVivo software for content analysis (top 50 word frequency) and sentiment analysis. An emic and etic coding approach was applied: emic codes captured participants' own perspectives, while etic codes provided researcher-derived comparative categories. Deep thematic metaphor codes were also generated.
**Key Results:** Content analysis of the top 50 word frequencies showed "organic" (1.86%), "food" (0.73%), "farming" (0.50%), "farmers" (0.48%), and "agriculture" (0.45%) as the most frequent terms. Sentiment analysis across 35 coded sources revealed that 55.4% of responses were positive regarding the benefits of organic farming. Four thematic groups emerged from the emic/etic coding: (1) Physical well-being — farmers reported feeling better, more energetic, and having better immunity (including fewer COVID-19 cases in the village); an 85-year-old man was noted to have proper eyesight with no physical ailments. (2) Cognitive and affective well-being — farmers reported feeling fresh and happy, with fewer family quarrels and better interpersonal behaviour; the authors note that 99% of the village consumes organic food, which they associate with better social relations. (3) Economic and food security — organic farming enabled 2–4 types of food varieties per meal, higher education for children, and direct export opportunities (e.g., supplying organic produce to the Japanese embassy). (4) Policy gaps — farmers identified lack of warehouse/cold storage, transportation, organic seeds, separate marketplace, and marketing/promotion as key barriers. Farmers reported that organic farming reduced input costs by 10–300%, with farmers retaining 44–50% of the price premium. Women farmer Rita Ramola stated that organic farming "gradually improved the livelihood of the farmers." Farmer Bhagchand Ramola reported diversifying crops to include ladyfinger, pigeon pea, and Japanese rice in the same field.
**Clinical Implications:** The study suggests that organic food consumption may positively influence cognitive and affective well-being, potentially through reduced pesticide exposure and improved nutritional intake. The authors reference the French Agency for Food Safety (AFSSA) finding that organic foods contain higher proportions of dry components, iron, magnesium, and antioxidant micronutrients, and that organic dairy products have lower nitrate concentrations and higher polyunsaturated fatty acids. A meta-analysis by Barański et al. (2014) is cited showing organic foods have higher antioxidant concentrations and lower levels of pesticide residues and cadmium. The authors propose that reduced family quarrels and improved mood may be linked to better economic security, food security, and potentially neurochemical changes (e.g., dopamine), though they acknowledge this requires further biological study. The study aligns with multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13). Policy recommendations include establishing local seed banks, improving extension training, creating separate organic marketplaces, and ensuring proper policy implementation for hill farmers.