we_india #2 / FARMER PREM
FARMER PREM / we_india #2
Farmer Prem by Ulrike Reinhard
Prem Singh is farmer from deep down in his heart. He was born in Badokhar Khurd, a small village close to Banda (Uttar Pradesh) and grew up in the Mahoba district in Utter Pradesh (UP). He was the first in his family who studied. All his forefathers have been farmers. And his father insisted that he would become a farmer as well. But he was the one to break the line, pushed by his wife who sold her necklace for ₹ 1,200 to finance his studies. Prem became a good student and as his educational journey went on, his father changed his mind and envisioned a career as a government officer for him. With a degree in philosophy from Allahabad University, Uttar Pradesh, he returned to Barokhar Khurd, Banda, UP, where his family was living. His decision to become a farmer was a tough one and very hard for his friends and family to under-stand and accept. A university degree meant basically a free ticket out of farming, it meant a different life as an officer and it certainly meant a career including an upgrade in society. His decision was against all odds and once again against his father’s conception. This time just the other way round. Prem started as a conventional farmer following his ancestors’ footsteps. After two years of learning, discovering and understanding he realized that most of his income was only there to pay off obligations. Bills for fertilizer, insecticides, pesticides, seeds, corruption, a bank loan for tractors – although the production was high and with the current status hard to increase, the profit was close to zero. This was the moment when he turned away from the government supported and initialized Green Revolution and started to think about alternative ways of farming. He was purely driven by the necessity to cut down costs.
Farmer Prem studied philosophy and then went back to his roots: farming. His ideas about farming are deeply rooted in the co-existence of mankind and nature. A philosophical approach.
104
Before / After The numbers you find throughout the text – seperated in before / after – indicate the changes Farmer Prem has realized in various areas in his own farm after starting Aavartansheel Farming. 105
we_india #2 / FARMER PREM
FARMER PREM / we_india #2
The cattle at Prem Singh's farm only eat what the farm provides.
GRAZING LAND FOR CATTLE Before: I spent ₹ 40,000 / year for the vet treating my 20 cows. After: Today my cows are healthy. I have 40 of them and no more vet is needed. Costs are down to zero. The first thing Prem decided to do was to plant trees. And he started with mango trees. This turned out to be a very efficient way to save labour and to increase income. One acre of mango trees is much more profitable than one acre of rice or any grain product. It’s actually 8-10 times more profitable! And it requires much less labour. The second decision he made was to get rid of all the chemical fertilizer. Almost 15% of his income by then went towards the chemical industry. He started to make his own fertilizer. And the third decision which turned out to be right was that he sold all the tractors he had, because of their expensive heavy diesel consump-
106
tion. Soon after he started his own production unit with pickles from the mangos, murabba from the Indian gooseberry and pooridge from the wheat. A new income source was created. And this was only possible because he generated this one big income come source at one time, the mango harvest. Prem’s risk management so to speak turned out to be successful. Within a few years he managed the turnover and he became profitable. He could pay off the loan, his farm was running and he was ready for the next step. Aavartansheel Kheti Farmer Prem was writing a diary during this transition phase and his notes allowed him to track his decisions and all the outcomes. Based on his notes he developed the concept of what he calls “Aavartansheel Kheti” which roughly translates as periodic proportionate farming. The important thing to remember though is not the name but the process it stands for which includes much more than farming. It’s rather a guide to a farmer’s lifestyle.
... coninue reading page 110
107
In honor of farmers
Abdul Kalam Azad, at that time the President of India, delivered a 45 minute lecture in front of farmers and during the Q&A session one student asked him why he encouraged students to become doctors, engineers, bureaucrats and NOT farmers? Why is being a farmer not a desirable job? There was dead silence. And the President didn’t have an answer. This made Prem think. He realized that farmers are hardly honored for their work and contribution to society. Intellectuals, politicians, tyrans, kings, all of them are cherished in museums – but not the farmers. In contrary farmers are rather seen as backward, foolish and dumb people. Why is this so? It’s rather surprising because without farming people cannot live a single day. People need doctors sometimes. They need advocates sometimes. They need engineers sometimes. But farmers they do need daily! Still no one is honouring them. To redefine at least India’s view on farmers Prem founded this museum. One half of the museum shows how our society has been divided into producers and nonproducers from the early days of humanity until today. The other half gives space for Aavartansheel Kheti. Prem’s farming method is explained as a solution to balance the consequences of of this division: climate chaos, cronycapitalism and the ever increasing gap between rich and poor. While giving a museum tour Prem argues that 2-300 years ago 24% of the entire world economy was fired by Indian farmers. They were playing a very vital role worldwide. But this has dramatically changed as the money and power was withdrawn from the producer into the non-producer class. The latter has become exceedingly powerful and doesn’t hesitate to use its power and money to remain where they are. Prem explains further during his tour that Aavartansheel Kheti is a way for the farmers to by-pass the dependency on the powerful and to achieve self-sufficiency and independence. And if enough farmers do practice hi sfarming method the pendulum would swing back towards the producers and empower and disenthrall them, climate chaos problem would be addressed and obviously a new balance between nature, animals and mankind would emerge.
LEARNING CENTER Before: Zero After: Humaine Agrarian Center and Kisan Vidyapeeth. Our doors are always open for the farmers.
we_india #2 / FARMER PREM
FARMER PREM / we_india #2
Mango garden at Prem Singh's farm
1
“A success story in parched Bundelkhand” by Omar Rashid, The Hindu, April 26, 2016 http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/otherstates/a-success-story-in-parched-bundelkhand/ article8524731.ece
2
“In UP’s parched Bundelkhand, one farmer scripts a success story, sets example” by Eram Agha, May 1, 2016 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/ In-UPs-parched-Bundelkhand-one-farmer-scriptsa-success-story-sets-example/articleshow/ 52066720.cms
3
Video Aavartanshell Kheti as published by The Hindu, April 27, 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI7Lt729LSA
110
Biogas system
Prem’s main premise is that farming is not possible individually. Farming should be the subject of an entire family, of a community. He says, “we need a farmer community in a village just like we need a Julaha community or a smith community – we all need to work together hand in hand on a daily basis.” If you are not in touch with your neighbour farmers you can never do good farming – and if you do so farming becomes a festival! “Everyday we have a festival here at my farm”, he says. “Every day we sit at least one or two hours with our neighbor farmers and we talk a lot about our society, our nation our family problems. We sort out our problems with each other. We eat together. For me, society farming is the heart of Aavarthansheel Kheti.” Farmers are the biggest society in India. 60-70% of all Indians are farmers! And the small and marginal farmers bring close to 80% of all the food and vegetables into the markets. So if Prem Singh’s Aavarthansheel Farming will drive change in this community the change all over India will be visible and tangible. And there is hope. Because he is successful, many farmers come and listen. Just recently a very good article in The Hindu,(1) followed by a much weaker one in the Times of India,(2) and a video (3) increased his outreach and spread his remarkable success story to a broader audience. His farm is green, he has enough water and his cattle is happy and healthy – and all this in parched Bundelkhand where many farmers commit suicide because they cannot make a living any more.
FOREST / GARDEN Before: No garden, only farmland. After: 1/3 of farmland converted into garden. Income from this 1 acre multiplied by 8-10 with significantly lesser costs. In addition to that I have dry wood, better manure and Ayurvedic medicine.
MACHINES & DIESEL Before: One tractor (₹ 7,00.000 one time investment + ₹ 2,00.000 / year for interest and depreciation) After: One small power triller (max. ₹1,00.000 one time investment + ₹ 28.000 / year for interest and depreciation). Savings: more than ₹ 5,00.000 + 1.5 l (= ₹ 100) diesel / hour 111
we_india #2 / FARMER PREM
FARMER PREM / we_india #2
And on top of that the farmer enriches the soil when he starts planting trees. “Every tree acts like a mineral pump”, he explains. It takes the minerals out of the soil, enriches it and gives it back for example with the falling leaves. The leaves can be used and mixed with cow dung to make natural fertilizer and give it back to the soil. It’s a complete circle which nature has created and which we have destroyed with our conventional methods of farming. We need to re-invent nature and learn from natural cycles and adapt our methods.” The farmer can get good quality manure in his own land without any additional costs if he considers to plant differently. Same will work out if a farmer would plant several Ayurvedic medicinal plants and when he adds grazing land for the cattle. In Uttar Pradesh, where he is living, he and his team have succeeded and it became a government scheme that famers who convert 30% of their land into a garden receive financial support over a period of three years. Promising results you can already see in his village: 22% of the land has been converted. 22% of the whole village land! This are almost 1000 acres. And pretty proud he adds: “I think this year we will reach the 30% because all my neighbours have planted trees. So I think this village will find a very good natural balance.”
FERTILIZER Before: 15% of income was spent on fertilizer. After: Today 0 % of income is spent on fertilizer. I produce my own manure at no cost. Within this frame set of society farming Prem Singh’s first advice is that the farmer must convert one-third of his land into a garden. Let it be fruit trees or a forest, let it be grazing areas for the cattle or growing medicinal plants – one-third should be converted into a garden. The result will be a much higher output with much lesser input than any kind of crop would achieve. For example: If a farmer plants mango trees in one acre of his land, these will be 50 mango trees, the minimum production of these trees will be half a ton per tree. The harvest of one acre land will be at least 20 tons – this you will never ever gain from any crop or rice! Grain would be most likely the highest in the Bundelkhand area with an output of 2.5 tons per acre. And the price which can be achieved by mangos is much higher than the price of grain or rice! So this is easy maths!
112
Animals are a basic need for every farm. Therefore Prem’s second advise is to keep a sufficient amount of cattle. Ideally one third of the farmland should be used for grazing. On his farm the cows and buffalos have their own guest house and they welcome every day 20 cows and buffalos from the neighbors. They graze in the mango garden, rest in the mud in their feeding ground and are completely integrated into the farm life. The cattle not only provides cow dung for the homemade manure, it’s also good for ploughing and last but not least for producing milk. The milk will be processed into ghee and then sold. To process the raw material so to speak into a product is Prem’s third advice for the farmers. His mango tree garden enabled Prem Singh to start his own processing unit. Today he manufactures 20-25 products, has his own brand (GAON = Village) which sells all over India. All products are produced according to his farming philosophy. They include hand milled daal, urad dhal, moong daal, pooridge from wheat, besan, several types of pickles – you name it. And he could sell much more than he produces. Another reason why he is eager to convert many more farmers into Aavarthansheel farmers. Already 100 farmers bring their harvest to his factory where they receive 20-25% more money than the conventional market has to offer. And if they even start to process in their own farm, Prem even pays them more. It’s a win-win-situation for everyone.
GAON (Processing Unit) Before: Selling raw material at fixed market price – e.g. Indian gooseberry ₹ 5 / kg. After: Selling my own GAON products at my own price – e.g. gooseberry jelly for ₹ 100 / kg at ₹ 65 costs. 113
we_india #2 / FARMER PREM
FARMER PREM / we_india #2
POND WATER Before: Underground water. After: 50% less energy costs. Far better water quality which results in 30% more productivity.
Pond at Prem Singh’s farm
114
Singh’s concept of Aavartansheel Farming is embedded in the deep understanding that in nature a model of co-existence and collaboration is at work. Darwin’s theory of the Survival of the Fittest has no place in his thinking. For him there is no profit and no loss in nature. There is only prosperity for all. And he argues that our actions should not depend on loss. There is always qualitative growth. Look at soil for example: soil is very rich and all the plants withdraw what ever they need from it. And in a circle nature has created the plants give back to the soil and always much more than they’ve taken. Plants qualitatively improve the soil. So the soil becomes richer and is therefore able to be fruitful for the plants again. Same holds true for animals. What ever animals take from the plants, they’ll enrich it and give it back – cow dung is an example for that. It contains a lot of microbes which increase the fertility of the soil for the best of plants and animals. And all of this is happening in proper balance and proportion. And this is what farmers should cherish! If they perceive that there is coexistence in nature their perception for farming will change.
SOLAR ENERGY Before: Monthly electricity costs: ₹ 25.000 + ₹ 20.000 back-up / repair due to electricity cuts. After: ₹1,00.000 investment. Yearly electricity costs: ₹ 7.200
Prem’s model would be incomplete without the demand that education, justice and health should be free for all of society. They should be either provided by the government or they should be under self-governance of the citizens. He argues that they are fundamental for citizens in general and for the farmer’s survival in specific. In the existing government structures there is too much corruption – and at the end of the day the consequences of this corruption cost the Indian government and economy much more than these free services would ever require.
115
we_india #2 / FARMER PREM
FARMER PREM / we_india #2
Outcome and Outlook It has been quite a journey for Farmer Prem. 20+ years ago he started the transformation process on his own farm around which he then developed the Aavartansheel Kheti concept.
The concept of Aavartansheel Farming
Prem’s farm is running without him being actively involved in the daily procedures, his processing unit is selling Aavartansheel Kheti products (GOAN) and his Learning Center (Humaine Agrarian Center) is attracting more and more students. No wonder he is up to new endevours. His thoughts are all on how to scale the concept and get many more farmers involved. His next steps are already very much defined. He will establish a famer producer organization (FPO) which will tie the bonds between the member farmers closer and make them stronger as a community, he is thinking about a farmer incubator for which he will raise funds to support single famers to start their own transformation processes and he has already established a Kisan School. In September 2016 the first Aavartansheel Kheti management course will be held. It encourages young people to become farmers and give them the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to tackle the future challenges of agriculture. During the three week course the students will learn the basic principles of Avartansheel Kheti. It aims to train (young) people to become successful farmers – no matter if they work on their own farm or on someone else’s. Furthermore the school provides contacts to land owners who are looking for farmers to run their farms and connects the students with them if necessary. All selected land owners are committed to Avaratansheel Kheti and they will pay a fair salary to those who run their farm. The three week course is split into three parts. During the first week the students will learn and discuss the theory of Avaratansheel Kheti. In the second week they have to translate the theory into action on a farm. This includes the collection of topography data of the farm area, weather, local transportation, social and other available infrastructure in the area. During the third week the students will design a Avartansheel Kheti model farm guided by agriculture, water, soil and energy experts and based on the data they’ve collected. The journey continues. No doubt. His will continue to fight the Green Revolution and other policies which played a big role in dismantling the traditional structure of farming and pushed the farmers to the mercy of unsustainable methods. And he will re-vitalise the devastated morale of the Bundelkhand farmers and guide them into a prosperous future.
The numbers we’ve given throughout the text in the Before / After blocks show how significant and successfull the outcome of Aavartansheel Kheti is. Today Prem Singh is a rockstar famer and has a voice in Uttar Pradesh’s agriculture eco-system. Together with his neighbour farmers he celebrates farming every day. At the so to speak “reception area” of his farm house you will see them sitting, eating, discussing and laughing – especially during the early morning and early evening hours. Under the shadows of an Amla tree farming has become a festival. There is a constant flow of visitors from all over India – they want to see and feel his farm and learn from the transformation he went through. His doors are always open.
116
117