S-17 NATURAL FARMING FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND EFFICIENT WATER USE
D. M. RAIPURE DIRECTOR, CWC, NAGPUR 1
CHEMICAL FARMING -
Use of hybrid seeds Use of Chemical fertilizers Use of pesticides Needs more water for irrigation Food production increased Soil became ‘infertile’ Pollution increased Pesticides entered in food chain Human/ animal health deteriorated High input costs Dependency on external farm inputs Distress of farmers
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Sustainable Agriculture “It is management and conservation of the natural resource base, and the orientation of technological and institutional change in such a manner as to ensure the attainment and continued satisfaction of human needs for present and future generations. Such development, conserves land, water, plant and animal genetic resources and is environmentally non-degrading, technically appropriate, economically viable and socially acceptable." FAO (1995). 3
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NATURAL FARMING
Inspired from nature Only natural materials used Creates healthy eco-system Earthworms, Microbes, Trees, Birds etc are encouraged to grow Use of Bijamrit, Jivamrit, Mulching & Multi/ mix cropping practiced Local varieties are encouraged Low or no input cost 1 cow is sufficient for 30 acres Food is tasty and nutritious. 4 No pollution
BEEJAMRIT Water Desi Cow dung Desi cow urine Lime Handful of soil
: : : :
20 Litre 5 kg 5 Litre 50 gm
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JEEVAMRIT Water : 200 l Desi cow dung : 10 kg Desi cow urine : 10 kg Jaggery : 2 kg Pulse flour : 2 kg Handful of soil (Its application give rise to 6 earthworms, microbes, algae etc)
Neemastra Water Desi cow dung Desi cow urine Neem leaves
: 200 litre : 2 kg : 10 kg : 10 kg
Keep for 48 hrs in shade, stir well. 7
ROLE OF EARTHWORMS -
Friend of farmers Praised by Cleopatra, Aristotle, Charles Darwin etc Earthworms eat continuously Soils, organic wastes, crop residue etc is consumed Create casts of its own weight per day About 450 MT of cast per ha/year A numerous burrows are made About 1 million earthworms in a ha. This makes soil porous Higher infiltration of water Burrows reduce surface runoff Improves ground water table Dead bodies also release NPK More humus 8
HUMUS • More humus in Natural Farming • This is due to organic waste and activities of earthworm, fungi, algae, bacteria etc • It holds 4 times of water of its weight • It reduces percolation of water • No evaporation of water, no leaching out • It stores nutrients also • Yield improves • Tolerate moisture stress and pests 9 • Better nutritious quality
LESS WATER REQUIREMENT • • • • • • • • •
Promotes symbiotic association Reduces temperature Reduces wind speed Reduces evaporation (temp, wind, mulch) Earthworm dropping retain more water Porous soil, humus retain more water Runoff from farm land is reduced Ground water recharge improves It requires 30-50% less water 10
Is Natural Farming Sustainable? • • • • • • • • • • •
Low input cost, just 1 cow needed Easy to adopt Farmers become self reliant Yield is more Environmentally sustainable Food is nutritious Shelf life of produce is more Better price, more income Beneficial for consumers also Experiments on 12 Guntha farm Useful in mitigation of climate change
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Comparison of Yields Crop
System
Input cost (Rs.)
Yield (Q/ac)
Paddy
Conventional Natural Conventional Natural
2000 500 3000 300
16 30 15 20
Wheat
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12 Guntha Experiment Sr. No.
Crop
Conventi- Nature onal
% increase
1
Vegetable
160
300
188%
2
Fruit
170
325
191%
3
Spices
140
250
179%
4
Pulses
50
80
160%
5
Grains
60
80
133%
6
Oilseeds
40
75
187%
7
Sugarcane
1000
2000
200%
8
Root crops
400
800
200%
(Yield in gm/sq.ft.)
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CASE STUDY (Subhash Sharma, Yeotmal) • • • • •
Chemical farming during 1975-86 Production increased to 400 MT Then started declining ( 50 MT 1994) Switched to natural farming Production increased to 450 MT (2001) Less input cost and more profit Demand for produce increased 14
CONCLUSION • Natural Farming is essential to have sustainable development • It is sustainable environmentally and economically • It is sustainable to farmers • Yield is more and quality of produce is better • Water requirement for irrigation is reduced. • Need further encouragement by Govt./ Universities • Needs to create awareness among public too 15
THANK YOU 16