A G R I C U LT U R E
ISSN 2455- 8184
AGRICULTURE WO R LD
WORLD
VOLUME 5 ISSUE 09 SEPTEMBER 2019 ` 100
the pulse of global agriculture
SUSTAINABLE
FARMING www.krishijagran.com
FARMING
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Our Biodiversity Our Food Our Health
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the pulse of global agriculture
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VOLUME 5 ISSUE 09 SEPTEMBER 2019 ` 100 PAGES 84 Editor-in-Chief MC Dominic
Sr. Graphic Designer Atul Batham
Directors Shiny Dominic MG Vasan
Graphic Designer Nasim Ansari
Editor Dr. Lakshmi Unnithan Sr. Executive Editor Dr. KT Chandy Technical Editors Dr. Mahendra Pal (Vet. Sci) V. P. Intl. Business D D Nair (Russia & CIS Countries 6 Mikluho- Maklaya STR Moscow, Russia, 117198 Mob: 79037299830 Tel: 74995019910 Email: ddnair@krishijagran.com Gavrilova Maria
Circulation Head Abdus Samad Circulation Team Rahul Singh Prashant Sharma Furkan Qureshi Pappu Ray Manoj Kumar Neeraj Digital Media Head Nishant Kr. Taak Digital Media Team Vivek Chand Sujeet Pal Tarun Singh Avdhesh Yadav
Head Operations Sanjay Kumar
Accounts & Production Head Ashok Gupta
Head: PR & Communications Dr. Lakshmi Unnithan
Accountant Lakshmi Ratheesh
Sr. V.P Spcl. Initiative Chandra Mohan V. P. Strategic Alliance Ratnamanjari Sharan Sr. Manager Spcl. Initiative Harsh Kapoor Content Editor Abha Anjali Toppo Anitha Jegadeesan Sr. Correspondent Tooba Maher Correspondent Vivek Rai Manisha Sharma Kisan Agarwal Sakthi Priya Sippu Kumar Pronami Chetia President Marketing RK Teotia Deputy GM- Marketing K J Saranya Marketing Managers Megha Sharma Chunki Bhutia Afsana Malik Fareen Sheikh Jasmine Arshina Khan Khushi Arora Marketing Executive Saritha Reghu Shalini Madhavi Singh Priyanka Singh Head Pre-Press Yogesh Kumar
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Legal Advisors James P. Thomas H. S. Asmuddin Supporting Staff Devender Singh Pramod Singh Jagdish Jana Ravinder Jana Printed and Published by: M. C. Dominic 60/9, 3rd Floor, Yusuf Sarai Market, Near Green Park Metro Station, New Delhi 110016. Tel: 011-26511845, 26517923 Mobile: +91-9313301029, +91-9654193353 Web: www.krishijagran.com Printed at: Pushpak Press Pvt. Ltd. Shed No. 203, 204, DSIDC Complex Indl. Area Phase-I New Delhi- 110020 All rights reserved. Copyright @ Krishi Jagran Media Group. Agriculture World is published by Krishi Jagran Media Group. Editor in Chief: MC Dominic Content Disclaimer. Please note that the information in this magazine, does not make any claims. Agriculture World has made a constant care to make sure that the content is accurate. and the views expressed in the articles reflect the author(s) opinions. Images Courtesy https://unsplash.com/
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Sridhar Radhakrishnan
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Dr. GV Ramanjaneyulu
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Livestock Sector and Methane production Dr. Gayathri S. Lal
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Shizen Noho ~Do -Nothing Farming Dr. Lakshmi Unnithan
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Bhaskar Save Bharat Mansata
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Defusing Bomb Threats Rebuilding India’s Soils
The Vision of Natural Farming
Dr Lakshmi Unnithan with Bharat Mansata
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A programme of the Farmers, by the farmers, for the humanity
Rythu Sadhikara Samstha
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Food from the Forest
Arun T
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Kabir Cariappa & Anjali Rudra Raju
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Ravish Vasan
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Biodynamic Agriculture Permaculture
Organic Farming Initiatives in Dantewada Akash Badave
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ifferent pioneers practiced and propagated in India many methods of natural and agro-ecological farming systems way back in the 1950’s onwards. Stalwarts such as Bhaskar Save, and later experts like Nammalvar, Prakash Agarwal, Raju Titus, Shoorvir Singh, Dr Dabholkar, K V Dayal and many “returned to the roots” to rediscover the sustainable and ecological way of farming. Sridhar Radhakrishnan,Programme Director,Thanal,urges all the promoters of organic/natural farming groups including the farmers to work together for shifting India into a safe and healthy farming zone to ensure clean and healthy food for all.He urges us to think of the Real Life Bomb threats like badly regulated sphere of toxins in the form of pesticides and its improper techniques of application. Dr G.V.Ramanjaneyulu, Agricultural Scientist with Centre for Sustainable Agriculture,in his article requests not to debate about whether natural farming is right or organic farming is right,whther this shift would feed the world but to make clear plan to rebuild India’s Soils. Dr Gayatri reviews in her article Livestock Sector and Methane production the two interlinked phenomenon which is been of great concern among the scientists all over the world since it causes Global waming and Green house effect. Dr Lakshmi Unnithan, Editor, AW reads into depth and understands its easy and at the same time really hard to understand Masanobu Fukuoka’s philosophy. She explains the no-till, no-herbicide, the particular method Fukuoka created commonly referred to as “shizen noho” or“do-nothing farming”. Bharat Mansata,Author-Editor,Ecological Regeneration Activist and Co-Founder of Earthcare books writes on the acclaimed Bhaskar Save “Gandhi of Natural Farming “ who has inspired and mentored 3 generations of organic farmers. In a one to one Interaction with the Editor, Agriculture World and Bharat Mansata, the Co-founder of Earth Care Books, Dr Lakshmi discussed on his unique and fascinating journey with agriculture, natural farming, Bhaskar Save and Vanvadi. Rhythu Sadhikara Samstha details on the climate resilent technique adapted by the Government of AndraPradesh ,ZBNF scaling to cover 6 million farmers by 2024. Arun, Kerala Correspondent ,Agriculture World details on the conversation with Sri. K.V Dayal eminent environmentalist and ecologist from Kerala who has been in his ways educating farmers to approach sustainable agricultural practices for farming. Kabir Cariappa and Anjali Rudra Raju from Yarroway farm, Karnataka explains on biodynamic agriculture that is practiced on farms around the world, on various scales, and in variety of climates and cultures. Ravish Vasan details on the art of growing food in the Permaculture way that resonated with his inner mind concepts and he focusses on how it helped to move him move towards a healthy environment ,a healthy culture and healthy people within their region. Akash Badave of Pradan puts into words about the Organic farming initiatives in Dantewada. As we flip through the pages of the September issue, Agriculture World ,reading and recognizing about the strong stalwarts involved in the Sustainable sector of Farming, we can’t help but feel very optimistic about the sustainable future of farming.
MC Dominic Editor-in-Chief www.krishijagran.com
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From the Editors Desk
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HE UNITED NATION’S Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change annual report is released at the right time when Countries around the world are facing the significant impacts of changing climatic patterns that have resulted in Unsystematic rainfall patterns and drought. A new Study reveals that the fingerprints of human-caused climate change have made it to Antarctica too. Tropical cyclones, typhoons, flooding and landslides are impacts of the above mentioned. Changes in monsoon started from 1960 onwards and we reached the threshold value in 2018, explains Venu.G.Nair of IMD. As we analyse the rainfall patterns, we see a change in trend of excess rain and its associated fatalities in almost all coastal and mountainous states like Uttarakhand, Himachal, coastal regions of Maharashtra, Ratnagiri, Konkan, regions close to the Western Ghat region of Karnataka and Kerala. Solving the above said situations will require serious thoughts on the footprints caused by humans and about how we interconnect with our land systems. Modern agriculture raises risk on Earth’s food, energy and water systems ultimately generate higher risks globally for everyone. Strategies needed to be devised that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from land use, food production and agriculture, and generate economic and social benefits. Its time we concentrated more on different agro ecological practices and strategies that makes agriculture more climate-friendly and the potential to save energy and water by making the soil healthier. The challenge is to find ways to shift current farming and land use practices toward these more sustainable approaches. Join Agriculture World and its journey in creating sustainable footprints globally and also in the dissemination of knowledge to save Mother earth from destruction and over exploitation.
Dr. Lakshmi Unnithan www.krishijagran.com
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Corporate News
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Northern India’s 1st Farm Zone Inaugurated: Full-Service Outlet for Farm/Agriculture Tyres in Kapurthala
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lobal tyre major, Apollo Tyres, has inaugurated northern India’s 1st full-service farm/agriculture tyre outlet, in Kapurthala, Punjab. While similar service outlets does exist for passenger vehicle and commercial vehicle tyres, farm tyres have not received adequate attention in terms of stateof-the-art service centres, trained personnel and a pleasing service environment. The Apollo Farm Zone is equipped with an automatic tyre changer, a proper tyre display, and an Agronomist to guide the farmers in the tyre selection process, they can sit and relax, while their tyres get changed/ serviced. The Farm Zone is equipped with an automatic tyre inflator to measure the right amount of inflation pressure. Also available would be the professional repair kits for best repair of the punctures or any other damages to the tyres. Commenting on the inauguration, Dominic Martin, Head Marketing , CV & OHT , Apollo Tyres Ltd said “All our customers are equally important for us. Our thought was, if passenger car and commercial vehicle drivers deserve a service mentality and modern retail facilities in our Apollo Zones and Apollo CV Zones, so do the farmers. We are looking to build a network of Apollo Farm Zones across the country with almost all states having atleast one such outlet to service the farmers.” The company is a leading supplier to the OEMs in this segment with its technologically advanced products. For this Apollo Farm Zone, Kapurthala was chosen as it is a prominent agriculture location with the Farmers in this region being extremely progressive and high on mechanization, with world-class potato seeds being grown and exported. Apollo Tyres has many firsts to its credit in the farm segment in India. It was the first company in India to launch farm radials under the ‘Farm King’ brand, which is still India’s #1 radial tractor tyre having double the life of a normal bias tyre. The company was the first to introduce a 23-lug farm tyre, ‘VIRAT 23’ for hard soil application with longest tyre life, strongest traction and best puncture resistance.
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Apollo Advt.
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International News
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ANVISA amending Agrochemical RRegulation in Brazil
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razil was the third-biggest seller of beans to India in 2017. India imported 34 million beans from Brazil. Anvisa, their national health surveillance agency, has approved a framework amending the regulation of agrochemicals in the country, which said pesticides in Brazil would be categorised as ‘extremely toxic’ only if they carry a ‘risk of death’. Brazil’s dilution of rules for pesticides could spell a health crisis in India.
Global Decline of Pollinators
Brazilian farmers use pesticides in growing all of the country’s major export crops. Among these, soya beans is a major crop that is laden with pesticides and its use has risen three-times faster. Brazil is likely to go ahead with its agenda on revising and weakening pesticide rules with support of President Jair Bolsonaro, the global consumers. Brazil’s dilution of rules for pesticides such as glyphosate could lead to a health crisis in India, which consumes its beans granting import clearances to products from Brazil.
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ollination by honeybees and wild bees on an average increase the yield quantity of crops up to 62 per cent, while exclusion of pollinators causes a yield gap of 37 per cent in cotton and 59 per cent in Sesame. However, there is a lack of wild pollinator data and protecting pollinators will be important for addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The goals relevant to pollinators are SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 15 (life on land), SDG 3 (good health and well-being) through access to sufficient nutritious food (highly dependent on pollinators) and SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) too as 1.4 billion people work in agriculture.With just 10 years left to meet the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, a lack of data on the pollinators is a challenge that needs to be addressed by Nigeria along with other African nations and the world too.
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Meghdoot
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eghdoot app has been developed by experts from the India Meteorological Department and Indian Institute of Tropical meteorology and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The application will provide forecast relating to temperature, rainfall, humidity, and wind speed and direction, that plays a critical role in agricultural operations and advisories on how to take care of their crops and livestock to farmers in local languages. The information would be updated twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. To begin with Farmers of 150 districts can avail this application. Later this facility will be extended to different parts of the country in a phased manner.
Improved Rainfall Kharif Coverage Down
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n spite of an average improvement in rainfall, Kharif sowing across the states failed to report a corresponding increase. The total sown area remains at 788.5 lakh hectares (LH), which is about 6.6 percent lower than the corresponding week covered with 844 LH in the previous Kharif season, according to report released by the Agriculture Ministry on Friday. Rice is worst hit among the crops, with planting at 223.5 LH, 12.5 percent lower than 255 LH sown in the same period last year. Oilseeds coverage, breached 5 percent as compared to the same period last year. As against 157 LH planted this same week last year, the area covered so far is 149 LH. As per reports, the total area under pulses is 105 LH as against 113 LH in the same week last year.As per reports, the oilseeds area of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Rajasthan have remained lower than last year. On the other hand, Maize cultivation continues to do better as compared with last year. Coarse cereals as a whole reported a dip of around 6 percent as compared to corresponding week last year, mainly, due to a fall in the acreage of bajra and jowar. As per reports, around 41 percent of districts in the country so far have received deficient rains.
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Sustainability
Defusing Bomb Threats Sridhar Radhakrishnan Programme Director, Thanal
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n English daily a week ago had an interview with the natural farming exponent Subhash Palekar, who said Organic Farming is worse than an atom bomb.This was nothing short of a war cry. This delusive, sweeping and perhaps figurative statement led to strong disgreements as it had derided the largest alternative, farming denomination in India, and the whole world. The statement recklessly hurt the people who followed farming systems that encompassed all the non-chemical alternate agro-ecological farming systems whose fundamental principles were more-or-less the same as the Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) or more recently rechristianed Subhash Palekar Natural Farming (SPNF). Metaphorically speaking, one is reminded of the famous comment about the atom bomb by George Wald, American Scientist and Nobel Laureate that “The only use for an atomic bomb is to keep somebody else from using one.” Different pioneers practiced and propagated in India many methods of natural and agro-ecological farming systems way back in the 1950’s onwards. Stalwarts such as Bhaskar Save, and later experts like Nammalvar, Prakash Agarwal, Raju Titus, Shoorvir Singh, Dr Dabholkar, K V Dayal and many “returned to the roots” to rediscover the sustainable and ecological way of farming. All the pioneers, never evangelised their system nor gave it their own names, but were involved in farming, building location specific models, and educating people. Late Nammalvar described ZBNF, succinctly as “an extension work, and not educative as we do”. This quality of providing a one-shot solution, non-evolving and an extension based approach would no wonder attract many supporters and also the Government and their agencies, as it suits many of their ways. An organic farmer like Illias K P, practicing ZBNF is now the President of the Organic Farmers Association of India (OFAI). He says “we too had promoted ZBNF by helping him organising many large sessions across Kerala. In each session of ZBNF, organic farming was criticised, but they remained silent and tolerant because of the fact that ZBNF was effectively promoting a natural system that they all agreed to, but calling organic farming an atom bomb 14 SEPTEMBER 2019
was derogatory”. Senior practioners of organic/natural/agro-ecological farming led by both the sons of Bhaskar Save and experts like Subhash Sharma, Kapil Shah, Bharath Mansata and others responded with open letters. They wondered whether the name was more important than actual principles/practices and also thought this was arbitrarily causing divisions/ splits among farmers by ‘herding’ them under narrow, authoritarian directives, rather than holistic, self-reasoned choice?” They sought clarification on whether his objection to organic farming is generic or to that type of “organic farming practiced with purchased market inputs and also inputs form foreign species of cows/animals/earthworms/plants/ micro-organisms, unnatural to our Indian conditions”. The Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA), the national platform that represents all such ecological alternatives questioned this tirade, and reminded “various schools of agro-ecology having to work closely with each other, being respectful towards each other and learning from each other.” For instance, ASHA’s statement said “Adivasi agriculture has long pioneered natural farming and there is much to learn from the ethos of such farming and living”. In a letter written to the Central Minister for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, they asked for a clear definition for “Natural Farming” to make sure that such approaches follow a broad framework of agro-ecology, so that the investment can be properly monitored, with accountability towards deliverables. Towards that, the first thing to be done is to consider Natural Farming within the ambit of the statutory definition for organic farming, which is in fact an umbrella definition for agro-ecology in all its spectrum of approaches. The letter also questioned the Government adopting the name of either Zero Budget Natural Farming, as the approach is not actually “Zero Budget” or Subhash Palekar Natural Farming, as it is an inappropriate nomenclature for a government to adopt. The FAO/WHO, Codex Alimentarius Commission defines Organic agriculture as “a holistic food production management system, which www.krishijagran.com
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promises and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It emphasises the use of management practices in preference to the use of offfarm inputs, taking into account that regional conditions require locally adapted systems. This is accomplished by using, where possible, agronomic, biological and mechanical methods, as opposed to using synthetic materials to fulfil any specific function within the system.� Going by this globally recognised definition, the question that’s then asked is how is ZBNF or the SPNF different from organic farming ? The difference lies in the defiance of its propagator to accept that his methods, whatever he calls by name, falls in the broad definition of organic farming, both for theoretical and propagatory purposes, as well as for practical purposes. This is because under conditions in India (and globally) even his farmers have to be certified under one of the approved systems of Organic Farming. The argumenter needs to correct his radar, or else, its not organic farmers alone who would be worried, but the natural farmers he promotes as well. Now, have we thought about the Real life Bomb threats? The threat is obviously not organic farming, but it actually lie in the very badly regulated sphere of toxins in the form of pesticides, some even banned in many nations across the world, the spurious pesticides available nation wide, improper techniques of application which are harmful to the farmer as well as consumer etc. According to a compilation by Pesticide Action Network-India, there are 291 pesticides registered for use in India. Of this, 112 of them are classified as Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs), 85 of them are known or possible carcinogens, 71 of them are known or possible Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs), and 159 of them are known or possible Reproductive and Development Toxins. Most of these chemicals have Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) that are in mg/kg of the food product, above which it must not be sold or consumed in India. But this regulation which falls under the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011, of the Food Safety and Standards Act, www.krishijagran.com
2006 is very rarely implemented in its true spirit of ensuring full safety to the people of India. Residues of pesticides above MRL, found through the All India Coordinated Research Project on Pesticide Residues (AICRP) has never led to any action whatsoever by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Even periodical residue testing at farm gate level or at wholesale/retail levels, and taking punitive action as stipulated in the law has also very rarely happened. The FSSAI in 2017 proceeded to regulate the organic food products through the Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations, 2017 under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The genuine organic groups in principle were for a regulation, so as to contain the advent of many fake groups, including big corporates, selling products in the name of organic, but they also flagged off very vehemently the way the sector was going to be seriously impacted by the sudden implementation of the rules. Regulations will also not be able to ensure safety even in organic produce because many get through the certification systems through corrupt and complacent practices. Hence, it was argued that this system that FSSAI is laying out will also fail in ensuring safety of organic produce. The people of India sincerely hope better systems will be devised ,because clean food is our birth right. To conclude, the challenges before the farmers are too many and too exhaustive. Our agro-ecological farmer / natural / ZBNF /organic is some one who will swim against the tide to produce safe and healthy produce for India, and yet she/he is the most harassed. The more the complication before them to make it to the market, more will the cost go high and less be the success in the market. This has to change, and it cannot be changed until all the promoters of organic/natural farming groups including the farmers work together for shifting India into a safe and healthy farming and ensure clean and healthy food for all. The leaders of the movement, must hence not get distracted from their real goal – of a Swasth Bharat.
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Rebuilding India’s Soils Time to change the discourse on soil fertility
Dr. GV Ramanjaneyulu1
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he statement by the Finance Minister on ‘Zero Budget Natural Farming’ as an approach attracted several criticisms. Much of debates were around whether this shift will help in feeding the national needs of food and fibre. While few were around the efficacy of different non chemical and/or sustainable approaches to farming. Before getting into the debates about whether ZBNF or Organic Farming or any other can meet the expectations and how scientific they are, lets first look into where do we stand in terms of farming and farming resources, and what are possible ways to address the needs. The diverse challenges and constraints as growing population, increasing food, feed and fodder needs, natural resource degradation, climate change, shifts in land use patterns, increasing desertification, decreasing factor productivity, agriculture becoming economically unviable, increasing farmer suicides, growing small and marginal farmers demand a paradigm shift in formulating and implementing the agricultural programmes in India.Generating three centimetres of top soil takes 1,000 years, and if current rates of degradation continue all of the world’s top soil could be gone within 60 years, a senior UN official said recently and Indian situation is not very different.
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Humanity will reach the organic (biological) age or cease to exist -H.P. Rusch
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Agricultural Scientist with Centre for Sustainable Agriculture working on natural/organic farming across the country and can be reached at ramoo@csa-india.org.
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Land degradation assessment undertaken by the various Central and State agencies shows that about 148 m.ha to 180 m.ha of land is affected. The land degradation is in various forms like water and wind erosion, water logging, increased soil salinity/alkalinity/acidity, decreasing soil fertility and a complex of all these. Loss of crop productivity, one of many negative impacts of soil erosion by water, has serious consequences for country’s food, livelihood and environmental security. Major rainfed crops in India suffer an annual production loss of 13.4 Mt due to water erosion which amounts to a loss of Rs. 205.32 billion in monetary terms. About 5334 m.t. of soil is lost every year in India and the area affected is about 83 m.ha. In addition saline and sodic soils account for about 6 m.ha. A recent study by Indian Institute of Soil Science (IISS) found that the soils of as many as 174 districts across 13 states were deficient in secondary nutrients like sulphur and micronutrients like zinc, boron, iron, manganese and copper which are impacting on the yields. Chemical fertilisers use is seen as the only major approach to build soil fertility. A simple regression analysis between the foodgrain production and fertilizer consumption during 1960-61 to 1999-00 showed that the partial factor productivity of fertilizers has been continuously declining. The data available from some centres under the Project Directorate of Cropping Systems Research (PDCSR), Modipuram also indicate a reduction in crop response to fertilizer application, specially when balanced fertilization is not practiced. This is supported by the fact that the farmers in the rice-wheat cropping system belt (specially Punjab, Haryana and Western U.P.) are forced to apply more and more fertilizer to obtain the same crop yields as in the preceding years. The data from the trials on the farmers’ fields conducted by the PDCSR, Modipuram during 1999-2003 showed that the average response of cereals to fertilizer was 8-9 kg grain/kg fertilizer. The efficiency of fertilizer nitrogen is only 3040% in rice and 50-60% in other cereals, while the efficiency of fertilizer phosphorus is 15-20% in most crops. The efficiency of K is 60-80%, while that for S is 8-12%. As regards the micronutrients, the efficiency of most of them is below 5% (NAAS, 2006).
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The latest budget also allocated Rs. 79,900 for chemical fertiliser subsidy. The fertiliser subsidy caused its own distortions. For eg Punjab which has less than 1% area under cultivation consumes more than 12% of chemical fertilisers and hence 12% subsidy which roughly amounts to Rs. 8,000 cr. While there was lot of discussion around shifting towards balanced nutrition, the government of India runs a large program on Integrated Nutrient Management. The NPK use ratio is still at 6.7: 2.7:1 and soil organic matter is going down significantly and more than 66% of Indian soils rank low with in it 49% being very low. Another important dimension of the problem is about the link between chemical fertiliser use and the contribution to climate change. This is particularly with the Nitrogenous Fertilisers. In the manufacturing of Nitrogenous fertilisers required high energy use to combine Nitrogen and Hydrogen in the air. Coal, Naptha are main sources of producing this energy. Total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from the manufacturing and transport of fertiliser are estimated at 6.7 kg CO2 equivalent (CO2, nitrous oxide and methane) per kg N. How long this can continue is a big question? Estimates show that we have already reached peak use of coal reserves and petroleum products.We may run out of these in another 50-60 years. In addition to these emissions in production, in use there are losses. About 1.25 kg of N2O emitted per 100 kg of Nitrogen applied Globally, an average 50% of the nitrogen used in farming is lost to the environment as N2O to the air as a potent GHG (310 x CO2) and as nitrate polluting wells, rivers, and oceans Volatilization loss. While, soil microbes can combine atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen into the nitrates in symbiotic association with plants (e.g. Rhizobium) or independently (e.g. Azatobactor) at the normal temperature and pressure. Phosphorus cannot be manufactured or destroyed, and there is no substitute or synthetic version of it available. In fact, there is plenty of phosphorus left on Earth. Animals and humans excrete almost 100 percent of the phosphorus they consume in food. Most of the phosphorus used in fertilizer comes from phosphate rock, a finite resource formed over millions of years in the earth’s crust. Ninety percent of the world’s www.krishijagran.com
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mined phosphate rock is used in agriculture and food production, mostly as fertilizer, less as animal feed and food additives. Similarly, all other nutrients required for a healthy crop production are converted into available forms either from soil organic matter or the mineral matter. This can only happen in a situation where soil health is improved in terms of soil microbes which in turn requires soil organic matter. This is the basis for organic soil management. While conventional agriculture science which largely assesses soil fertility as only chemical property and measure NPK and other nutrient content also assesses only the chemical properties of organic matter and argue that we need huge tonnage of biomass and it is impossible to achieve that. While all the available data sets show that chemical agriculture is no more an option but shift towards more sustainable and renewable sources of nutrients and sustaining the soil health is the only option. This can be achieved by using the biological power. The biomass used in agriculture is either from plant source or animal source. More than half of the plant parts do not have economic use and can be easily recycled. Animals, particularly ruminants’ host a variety of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and single-celled animals called protozoa) which digest cellulose, lignin and other plant material. This makes a whole new energy source available to the animals. There’s a lot of energy in cellulose, but most animals are simply unable to digest it because they don’t have the necessary enzymes. This property of these enzymes secreted by the organisms to digest plant material is what is used in composting and other processes. Among the microorganisms present in the dung all may not be useful for agriculture and similarly all may not survive outside the animal gut. The microorganisms which are culturable outside animal gut and are useful for the agriculture can be used for agriculture. Among these beneficial microorganisms which can be cultured the following properties can be seen • Cellulose, lignin and other material digesting bacteria which aid in composting • Plant growth promoting bacteria like IAA www.krishijagran.com
(Indole Acetic Acid) • Nutrient fixing and mobilising like nitrogen fixation, Phosphorus solubulising, ammonia production etc • Anti fungal activity The microorganisms present in the dung can be cultured by adding suitable nutrients. There are number of indigenous products like Jeevamrit, Panchagavya, Amritjal developed based on these principles. The microorganisms present in the dung varies mostly based on the food they eat rather than breed. Even all the microorganisms present in the dung cannot be cultured. For agricultural purposes, culturable beneficial microorganisms are important. Centre for Sustainable Agriculture and many other organisations have done such studies to see if there is any big difference in the microbial content between different breeds of animals. The differences were observed based on the food they eat. The foraging and fodder based animals have more useful bacteria (as they are used in digesting the food animal eats) while the stall fed, feed based animals may have lesser diversity of microorganisms. Lactating animals may have additional enzymes which non lactating or male animals may lack. Based on this we suggest people to use • An application of the organic matter in any form is important. It can be used as mulching, composting, crops residues or green manures. • Dung from any animal (cow, ox, buffalo, desi or crossbred). Prefer animals which are foraging and feed on the green/dry organic matter than on grain or concentrates. • Management of desi animals is easy as they are small in size, low in input requirement. • Managing cow is easier compared to buffalo as cow has a thicker skin and manage their body temperature easily. Buffaloes on the contrary have thinner skin and cannot manage their body temperature. Either they have to be kept in huts/shed which provide shade or they tend to go and rest in water bodies/mud etc. Therefore, instead of debating about whether natural farming is right or organic farming is right, instead of debating whether this shift can feed the world, we need to make a clear plan to rebuild India’s soils. SEPTEMBER 2019
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Livestock Sector and Methane production an Indian Perspective
Dr. Gayathri S. Lal Research Scholar, Livestock Production and Management Section ICAR- National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana- 132001
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lobal warming and green house effect are two interlinked phenomenon which is been of great concern among the scientist all over the world. Scientific studies carried out at Institute of Technology Delhi and the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology showed that Indian livestock emitted 15.3 million tons of methane in 2012. Also, researchers revealed that the livestock sector is the major source of anthropogenic (human-induced causes) methane emission with annual global contribution of 14.5 per cent. “The livestock sector in India has the potential to cause surface temperatures to surge up to 0.69 millikelvin over a 20-year time period, which is roughly 14 percent of the total increase caused by the global livestock sector. The impact on climate change is global in result, so the negative impact due to livestock emission is not restricted to India,” states Shilpi Kumari, the researcher of the above said study. India holds 512 million live stock populations as per the 19th livestock census, and one of leading countries among the cattle population. Henceforth, methane production by the India’s livestock population can significantly raise global temperatures, reports the scientific investigations conducted to aid prediction of climate change linked to greenhouse gas emissions from farm animals. Cattle and buffalo were found to be the major sources of methane among India’s livestock, accounting for 98 percent. According to Gufran Beig, project director, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, “Methane has a warming potential 20 times higher than carbon dioxide. In the Indian context, methane emissions are worrying because two major sources, livestock and paddy fields, are rapidly growing,” 20 SEPTEMBER 2019
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Indian Scenario In India, livestock accounts for 78 per cent of the total methane emissions from the agricultural sector and 50 per cent of emissions, in general. Also, the contribution to global methane emissions by the domesticated animals is only 10.63%, as per the reports revealed by the prestigious institute National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology (NIANP). In India, the per capita cattle population is 185 cattle/1000 people. Methane is produced during fermentation of feed in the stomach. It leads to 5-15 per cent loss of energy, which affects the productivity of cattle. Also, it accounts for a waste of Rs. 2 crore of animal feed per day in India. Cows, buffaloes, sheep and goats are the huge contributors to methane emissions. Methane, released primarily by livestock, paddy cultivation, decay of organic waste in landfill sites and handling of fossil fuels, is estimated to be 25 times more harmful for environment over 100 years than carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. Scientific studies states that use of production-enhancing agents like antibiotics and halogenated compounds is not viable in India. But substitution of roughages with molasses and other nutrient-rich local diet can be undertaken to improve productivity and lessen the methane emissions. The standard model used for calculating cattle methane emissions is issued by the IPCC (the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). The IPCC is an independent international scientific body established by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Countries participating in the Kyoto protocol submit an annual status report on their national green house gases emissions to the UNFCCC (the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). As standard, a methane emission coefficient of 6.5% of GE is used for cattle. Global warming is a major cause of concern due to the increase in atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases, chiefly due to anthropogenic actions. Methane is one of the most harmful greenhouse gases and India and China have been accused of being the largest emitters of methane. The global average methane coefficient method, one of the frequently used methods to estimate methane emission, will not work in India as it does not appropriately reflect the country’s conditions. The genetic makeup of Indian cattle is different from other exotic cattle breeds from the developed 22 SEPTEMBER 2019
countries. Desi cattle breeds are smaller in size with lower body weight, and are adapted to different climatic conditions with high disease resistance capacity. The nutrient requirements are not intense, just like the type of animals, feeding and animal husbandry practices. The farmers of our country provide their cattle with crop residues, fodder and by-product concentrates, unlike the high priced feeding habits of their western counterparts. The Country-specific methane emission factors were first developed in 1992 for the agricultural sector and thereafter it was improved. The different age group of ruminates have different Emission coefficients. But, these emission factors were not condition or region specific and vary depending on activity of the cattle. Scientists from NIANP and the National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics conducted a study for a duration of 10 years, which not only records state wise contribution of methane emission by livestock but also, identified hotspots of emissions and amelioration strategies to combat methane emission. The studies revealed Uttar Pradesh as the largest enteric methane emitting state of the country (Bhatta et al., 2016). Other major methane emitting states in India are Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. 66 per cent of the livestock population is contributed by the said states and accountable for 68 per cent methane emissions. Due to large contribution, these states can be considered as hotspots for reducing enteric methane emissions from livestock and are given priority for tackling the emission. Dr. Pradeep Kumar Malik, senior scientist at NIANP, said that the emission could not be stopped completely because it is an inherent process to dispose of fermentative gases; the goal then is to find the balance. The belching out of methane is a necessary process that is happening in the ruminant body in order to avoid accumulation of gases like carbon dioxide and hydrogen, which are fatal for the animal. The reduction of these two gases in rumen (a chamber of stomach) through methanogenesis, methane is produced. The production of methane gas results in 6-12 per cent energy loss for the animal. Reserchers reported that 25-30 per cent of methane production can be inhibited without affecting the health of the animal. Through extensive in-vitro and in-vivo trials, agents were identified, which when added to the feed in certain proportions, will help tackle methane emission to an extent (Malik et al., 2016).
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During burping, belching and excreting copious amounts of methane that traps 20 times more heat than carbon dioxide, India’s livestock contributes more to global warming than the vehicles the animals obstruct. In this context scientists are designing diets to help bovines and other ruminants eat better, stay more energetic and secrete smaller amounts of the offensive gas. Scientists from Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad in western India published a pan-India livestock methane-emission inventory, one of the pioneering attempts, which put the figure at 11.75 million metric tons per year during 2009 which is higher than the 9 million metric tons estimated in 1994 (Singh, 2009). As to now, India tops in milk production among all the countries with 100 million metric tons, but has to increase it by 180 million metric tons by 202122 to keep pace with growing population and expanding disposable incomes. India being an agrarian country, livestock forms the backbone of the people. Livestock plays a crucial role in the Indian economy, but at the same time global warming becomes an issue to ponder. Solutions Majority of the Indian livestock is underfed and undernourished, unlike its healthy counterparts in developed countries. Farmers of India are unable to buy expensive dietary supplements even for livestock of productive age, and dry milch cattle in total scenario. Monensin, an antibiotic whose slow-release formula reduces methane emission by cows, proved too expensive for widespread use in India. Thus, Indian scientists are opting for indigenous solutions. One example is urea-molasses-mineral blocks that are cheap, reduce methane emission by 20%, and also provide more nutrition, so they’re easier to sell to illiterate farmers who don’t know a thing about global warming but want higher milk yields (Singh, 2009). Scientists recommend the usage of oilseed cakes among the elite farmers, which inturn can reduce methane production (Singhal et al., 2005). Other cheaply available solution is herbs such as shikakai and reetha, and several oilseeds which have saponins and tannins, substances that make for lathery, bitter meals but block hydrogen availability for methogens. Scientists from NIANP are researching on the effect of tannin compounds from various easily-available sources like tea leaves and on prebiotic and probiotic feed supplements. Researchers www.krishijagran.com
from New Delhi–based Energy Research Institute (TERI), suggests the usage of biogas plants on community basis with inclusion of gaushalas can replace conventional sources of energy, their by helping the prevention of global warming. Scientific studies on several plants that can be used as feed additives to control methanogenesis by the ruminants include seed pulp of Sapindus mukorossi (rich in saponins) and Terminalia chebula (rich in tannins); leaves of Populus deltoides, Mangifera indica and Psidium guajava (rich in tannins and essential oils); and flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum and bulb of Allium sativum (rich in essential oils) and Equisetum arvense, Lotus corniculatus, Rheum palmatum, Salvia officinalis, Sapindus saponaria, Uncaria gambir, Yucca schidigera (Kamra et al., 2008) and Myristica fragrans. Tyagi and Singhal (1998) reported that mustard oil and glucosinolate reduced ruminal methane production in vitro. They speculated that biohydrogenation of mustard oil fatty acids would withdraw dihydrogen from methane formation. Summary Agricultural expansion has played a lion share in the anthropogenic emissions, in which methane emitted by livestock accounts for about one quarter of all anthropogenic emissions. Thus it is high time to reduce the methane emission for which the scientists are working for a cheaper solution using natural substances. Also, Government agencies should support as well as create awareness among the farmers about the scientific management of livestock and usage of anti-methanogenic substances in their ration.
References Bhatta R, Malik PK, Kolte AP, Gupta R. 2016.Annual progress report of outreach project on methane. NIANP, Bangalore, India IPCC. Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of Climate Change. IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). 2007. Kamra DN., Patra AK., Chatterjee PN., Ravindra Kumar, Neeta Agarwal and Chaudhary LC. 2008. Effect of plant extracts on methanogenesis and microbial profile of the rumen of buffalo: a brief overview. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 48, 175–178 Kumar Malik, Pradeep Kolte, Atul Dhali, Arindam Sejian, Veerasamy Govindasamy, Thirumalaisamy Gupta, Rajan Bhatta, Raghavendra. 2016. GHG Emissions from Livestock: Challenges and Ameliorative Measures to Counter Adversity. 10.5772/64885. Singh, M. 2009. Cows with Gas: India’s Global- Warming Problem. Time World. Singhal KK, Mohini M, Jha AK, Gupta PK. 2005. Methane emission estimates from enteric fermentation in Indian livestock: dry matter intake approach. Current Science. 88, 119–127. Tyagi, AK. and Singhal. KK. 1998. Effect of mustard oil and glucosinolate on rumen fermentation. Indian J. Anim. Nutr. 16:12–18.
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Shizen Noho ~Do -Nothing Farming Dr. Lakshmi Unnithan Editor - Agriculture World
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“The ultmate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings”. ~ Fukuoka Masanobu
“Make your way carefully through these fields. Dragonflies and moths fly up in a hurry. Honeybees buzz from blosson to blossom. Part the leaves and you will see insects, spiders, frogs, lizards and many other small animals bustling about in the cool shade. Moles and Earthworms burrow beneath the surface.This is a balanced rice ecosystem. Insect and plant communities maintain a stable relationship here. It is not uncommon for a plant disease to sweep through this area leaving the crops in these fields unaffected” (an excerpt from One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka) How enchanting could the above world be, but Nature in our modern world is in a rapid decline and uncertainity rules in people’s hearts and minds. “When humanity crumbles the first places to go under will probably be the great cities with their highly developed and congested societies”. I continue to wonder how important to take note of it rather than ignore it even after 30 years. “The world is digging itself into a bottomless pit with modern agriculture”, Fukuoka always admonished. As mentioned in “One Straw Revolution”, we need to really gather up the seeds of the world’s plants , mix them together and scatter them all at once from the sky so as to turn the world into a green paradise where anyone can obtain food freely from anywhere , the many problems borne by man would become resolved in and of themselves.To the grasses and trees, neither national boundaries nor human races exist. Fukuoka learned the deeply felt vision of Nature at age of twenty-five that led to his holistic philosophy. He who spearheaded natural farming, began what is widely acknowledged as a revolution in the history of conventional agricultural practices. Born in a small farming village on the island of Shikoku in Southern Japan, Masanobu Fukuoka (1914-2008) trained as a microbiologist, began his career as a soilscientist specializing in plant pathology. As we read into depth, I understand its easy and at the same time really hard to understand Masanobu Fukuoka’s philosophy. As a proponent of no-till, no-herbicide, he created a particular method of farming, commonly referred to as “shizen nοho” or“do-nothing farming”. The modern agriculture no longer worked closely with soil, so each day fewer people knew how to grow healthy food. Most of the work of farming is created by tampering with Nature, which causesd negative side effects. Very few agricultural practices are even necessary, just scattering seed, spreading straw on the soil and harvesting, according to Fukuoka. In October he broadcasts clover and barley over the ripening heads of rice. A few weeks later harvesters actually trample the seedlings, but they recover quickly. The gathered rice is dried for three days, thrashed, and the uncut straw scattered randomly back on the field. If ducks or chickens are not free to roam then occasionally he adds a little manure as well.
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Before the New Year arrives he coats rice seeds with clay and broadcasts them over green barley, then waits for spring to come. By harvest in May the winter crop is ripe, white clover covers the field, and rice shoots are sprouting from clay pellets. Barley is harvested, dried and thrashed, and the uncut straw mulch is returned to the field. He then floods for five or six days, just to weaken the clover while the young rice shoots break through. In June and July his field goes dry though his neighbors keep theirs under water. In August he irrigates every week or ten days. And the cycles begin again. As with vegetables, he has a semi-wild vegetable growing, growing as naturally as possible on land, which would otherwise be left unused. If various kinds of herbs and vegetables are mixed together and grown among the natural vegetation, damage by insects and diseases will be minimal and there will be no need to use sprays or to pick bugs off by hand. His Orchards were found to be far from ordinary and it was wild, yet edible, spiritual and nurturing in a way only unbound Nature can be. There were trees of peach, plum, maple, citrus, pine, acacia, melon vines and scores of plants like cabbage, burdock, tomatoes, carrots, mustards, beans, turnips and many other kinds of 26 SEPTEMBER 2019
herbs and vegetables in this semi-wild way.The orchard grounds were littered with twigs, straw, clover and grasses, countless emerald leaves that wove a deep tapestry and there was no bare earth at all! I could very much relate to the idea of seed balls and found this to be a brilliant one. A Seed ball is a miniature earth ,the concept of it being so simple and beautiful. As Fukuoka observed the daikon radish seeds, he noticed that as they drop on the ground, they decay and start to sprout. If they needed a shell like that, he realized that clay could be the shell for a ball with many seeds inside. According to Fukuoka, a seed ball is a one-centimeter model of a Natural Farm, with trees, fruits, vegetables and grains and Seed balls need at least one hundred kinds of seeds. A clay ball has all the fertilizers needed in it, but they are ‘sleeping’. People think that red clay has no value. But it contains all fertilizers and many minerals like nitrogen and calcium. www.krishijagran.com
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Clay is sleeping soil. To wake clay up we need rain and ground water, and acids from plant roots and organisms living around them.” Fukuoka also had long term visions in the possibility to stop the advance of man-made deserts with Natural Farming, and bring back green plants for food and shelter in Africa. Since people in Africa, after European colonization, started growing only a few kinds of plants for export, like coffee, tea, corn and cotton, the desert has been spreading. This unbalanced agriculture contributed to desertification. Fukuoka also practiced animal husbandry, poultry, fisheries and beekeeping and these ensured that life on the farm was self-supporting. To raise awareness and disseminate information about his methods of farming, Fukuoka started penning down his philosophy. One Straw Revolution was released in 1975 and had a profound impact on agriculture and human consciousness all over the world.
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“One Straw Revolution” was followed by “The Natural Way of Farming” and then by “The Road Back to Nature.” Since 1979, Fukuoka has been touring, giving lectures and sowing the seeds of natural farming all over the world and worked directly in different countries to plant seeds and re-vegetate areas like deserts and barren lands. In recognition of his extraordinary work and achievements, Fukuoka was bestowed with various awards and accolades. In 1988 he was given the Ramon Magsaysay Award. In 1997, he was presented with the Earth Council Award at the Earth Summit+5 forum in Rio de Janeiro honouring him for his contributions to sustainable development. The healing of the land and the purification of the human spirit was considered to be one process, and Fukuoka proposed a way of life and a way of farming in which this process can take place. Farming not just as a means of producing food but as an aesthetic and spiritual approach to life, the ultimate goal of which was “the cultivation and perfection of human beings”.
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Natural Farming
Bhaskar Save Gandhi of Natural Farming Bharat Mansata Author-Editor, Ecological Regeneration Activist Co-Founder of ‘Earthcare Books’
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Om Purnamadah... Magical Wholeness!
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haskar Save, the acclaimed ‘Gandhi of Natural Farming’ has inspired and mentored 3 generations of organic farmers. Save’s way of farming and teachings are rooted in his deep understanding of the symbiotic relationships in nature. Bhaskar Save maintained his farm in a very holistic way and with bio-diverse organic farming in harmony with nature. A kind of low intervention, ecological, sustainable and economically rewarding. In its purest advanced form, it is a ‘do-nothing’ way of farming, where nature does everything, or almost everything, and little needs to be done by the farmer. Tending to the young plants in its early years of establishment and more continuing attention for annual or seasonal field crops. The work and input needed progressively diminishes as the soil regains its health and symbiotic biodiversity is re-integrated. Nature’s ways were far better than most modern day technologists were, was the ideology believed by Bhaskar Save. The success demonstrated by Bhaskar www.krishijagran.com
Save in decreasing and eliminating external fertility inputs while achieving high productivity, was thus a model for promoting food security; and his method of tree-cropping – integrating short lifespan, medium lifespan and long lifespan species – has been hailed as potentially revolutionary for wasteland regeneration, while also offering sustainable and rewarding livelihoods to large numbers of people. At a point of time when unrelenting wave of farmer suicides in various parts of India, particularly Vidarbha and Andhra Pradesh, but also Punjab, Bhaskar Save plead for India’s agro-ecological resurgence. Open Letter – widely circulated and translated all over the world– presented a devastating critique of the government’s agricultural policies favouring chemical farming, while making an eloquent plea for urgent and fundamental reorientation. His letters conveyed thoughts whether India could sustainably provide abundant wholesome food and meet every basic need of all – to live in health, dignity and peace. SEPTEMBER 2019
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Natural Abundance at Kalpavruksha Bhaskar Save’s 14-acre orchard-farm, Kalpavruksha, is located on the Coastal Highway near village Dehri, District Valsad, in southernmost coastal Gujarat. It is a veritable food forest and a net supplier of water, energy and fertility to the local eco-system, rather than a net consumer. About 10 acres are under a mixed natural orchard of mainly coconut and chikoo (sapota) with fewer numbers of other species. About 2 acres are under seasonal field crops cultivated organically in traditional rotation. Another 2 acres is for a nursery for raising coconut saplings that are in great demand. The farm yield– in all aspects of total quantity, nutritional quality, taste, biological diversity, ecological sustainability, water conservation, energy efficiency, and economic profitability– is superior to any farm using chemicals, while costs (mainly labour for harvesting) are minimal, and external inputs almost zero. Kalpavruksha compels attention for its high yield easily out-performs any modern farm using chemicals. This is readily visible at all times. The number of coconuts per tree is perhaps the highest in the country. A few of the palms yield over 400 coconuts each year, while the average is closer to 350. The crop of chikoo (sapota) – largely planted more than forty-five years ago – is similarly abundant, providing about 300 kg of delicious fruit per tree each year. Also growing in the orchard are numerous bananas, papayas, areca-nuts, and a few trees of date-palm, drumstick, mango, jackfruit, toddy palm, custard apple, jambul, guava, pomegranate, lime, pomelo, mahua, tamarind, neem, audumber; apart from some bamboo and various under-storey shrubs like kadipatta (curry leaves), crotons, tulsi; and vines like pepper, betel leaf, passion-fruit, etc. Nawabi Kolam, a tall, delicious and high-yielding native variety of rice, several kinds of pulses, winter wheat and some vegetables and tubers too are grown in seasonal rotation on about two acres of land. These provide enough for this self-sustained farmer’s immediate family and occasional guests. In most years, there is some surplus of rice, which is gifted to relatives or friends, who appreciate its superior flavour and quality. The diverse plants in Bhaskar Save’s farm co-exist as a mixed, harmonious community of dense vegetation. Rarely can one 30 SEPTEMBER 2019
spot even a small patch of bare soil exposed to the direct impact of the sun, wind or rain. The deeply shaded areas under the chikoo trees have a spongy carpet of leaf litter covering the soil, while various weeds spring up wherever some sunlight penetrates. The thick ground cover is an excellent moderator of the soil’s micro-climate, which – Bhaskar Save emphasizes – is of utmost importance in agriculture. “On a hot summer day, the shade from the plants or the mulch (leaf litter) keeps the surface of the soil cool and slightly damp. During cold winter nights, the ground cover is like a blanket conserving the warmth gained during the day. Humidity too is higher under the canopy of dense vegetation, and evaporation is greatly reduced. Consequently, irrigation needs are very low. The many little insect friends and micro-organisms of the soil thrive under these conditions.” Excluding the two acres under coconut nursery, and another two acres of paddy field, the remaining ten acres of orchard have consistently yielded an average food yield of over 15,000 kg per acre per annum! (This has declined in the past 15-20 years following pollution from progressive industrialization of the area.) In nutritional value, this is many times superior to an equivalent weight of food grown with the intensive use of toxic chemicals, as in Punjab, Haryana and many other parts of India. Nature’s Tillers and Fertility Builders Earthworms flourish in a dark, moist, aerated soil-habitat, if protected from extremes of heat and cold, and having an abundance of biomass. Various other soil-dwelling creatures – ants, termites, many species of micro-organisms – similarly aid in the physical conditioning of the soil and in the recycling of plant nutrients; and there are innumerable such helpful creatures in every square foot of a natural farm like Kalpavruksha. “The living soil,” stressed Bhaskar Save, “is an organic unity, and it is this entire web of life that must be protected and nurtured. Weeds, Nature’s friends In a country like India, a variety of weeds rapidly cover bare ground with the first showers of the rainy season. When torrential downpours follow as the monsoon progresses, the weeds buffer the hammering force of the raindrops, www.krishijagran.com
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while their roots bind the soil against erosion. Such soil erosion could otherwise be severe in our tropical conditions, particularly on sloping terrain. Bhaskar Save has observed and he reiterates , it is our foolish ignorance that we fail to understand how great a blessing the weeds are! The benefits also include Moisture absorption and retention, shading the ground, moderating the temperature of the earth, reducing evaporation and maintaining suitable conditions for soil organisms. Some are excellent pioneers that steadily work to improve the soil where little else yet grows. Some are leguminous, and provide nitrogen. Yet others may function as reproduction inhibitors of the little insects that sit on them, thereby checking the plant damage that some of these creatures might cause. Bhaskar Save points out that the irrational and violent prejudice against weeds in modern tree cropping can be traced back to our colonial past. In colder, temperate conditions, the bacteria in the soil are fewer and less active. Consequently, the decomposition of residual plant matter in it is much slower. For this reason, most Englishmen were not conscious of the vital importance of weeds and leaf litter in periodically replenishing the fibrous cushion of organic matter in the soil – and also checking erosion – in warm, high rainfall conditions, like ours. Explaining about weed control Bhaskar Save explains that the only sensible and lasting ‘rootcure’ to situations of weed rampancy among field crops is to adopt mixed planting and crop rotation, while discontinuing chemicals and deep tillage. Since the problematic weeds will only phase out gradually as the soil regains its health, they may still tend to over-shade the food crops in the interim period of recovery. The way to manage this is to periodically cut the weeds (before they flower), and mulch them at least 3-4 inches thick on the soil under the crops. Without any sunlight falling on the weed seeds buried in the soil, their fresh germination is effectively checked.There may thus be some competition between crops and weeds for sunlight, though not for soil nutrients. If the crops emerge taller, says Bhaskar Save, their shade will suppress the weeds, which will then be unable to cause any problem.
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With regard to the thumb-rule for seed spacing while planting your crops if your soil is poor/ weak, increase the quantum of seeds you plant. In other words, plant closer. By this stratagem, the crops cast shade on the ground more rapidly, retarding the weeds. If, however, your soil is fairly healthy, plant fewer seeds, that is, keep a larger gap between them. When farmers shift back to organic farming, their soil steadily improves in health each year. Correspondingly, crop growth gets better, while weed growth declines. In just 2-3 years, there should be no need for any weeding at all. Until then, the farmer is better advised to cut and mulch the weeds. The cutting of weed growth above the land surface – without disturbing the roots – and laying it on the earth as ‘mulch,’ benefits the soil in numerous ways. With mulching, there is less erosion of soil by wind or rain, less compaction, less evaporation, and less need for irrigation. Soil aeration is higher. So is moisture absorption, and insulation from heat and cold. The mulch also supplies food for the earthworms and microorganisms to provide nutrient-rich compost for the crops. Moreover, since the roots of the weeds are left in the earth, these continue to bind the soil, and aid its organic life in a similar manner as the mulch on the surface. For when the dead roots get weathered, they too serve as food for the soil-dwelling creatures. The correct mulching method for weed control: Mulching is effective in checking the rapid re-emergence of the cut weeds, only if the mulch layer is thick enough to block off sunlight. For example, the weeds cut from a plot of 100 sq. feet will never provide a thick enough layer to fully cover the entire 100 sq. feet. It may be adequate for 25 sq. ft., or perhaps just 10 sq. ft., depending on the density of weed growth. If sunlight penetrates through a layer of mulch that is too thin (less than 3 inches), the weeds may grow back vigorously again. Moreover, with light mulching, the cut weeds will not come in close, direct contact with the soil, to enable the soil organisms to do their work of decomposition. In such condition, the weeds will just dry up in the air, without getting integrated in the soil as humus. SEPTEMBER 2019
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Thus, if 25 (or 10) sq. feet is the area that can be adequately mulched, at least 3 to 4 inches thick, with the weeds cut from 100 sq. ft., that is what the farmer should stick to, unless additional biomass can be obtained from an external source. The fresh weed growth from the balance unmulched land would again need to be cut and mulched in the selected area. In this manner, the mulch method of shading out weeds can be successful in 4 or 5 stages. The decomposition of the weeds may take several months, but the compost formed will be very helpful to the crop. What was viewed as an enemy, will now serve as friend! It is also important that the cutting and mulching operation should be done before the weeds have flowered and become pollinated. If the farmer is too late, and the mulch contains pollinated weed seeds, a new generation of the same weeds will re-emerge strongly in the mulched areas. Weed Control through Over-shading Plants The Dabhro weed is considered a menace by most farmers. To control it, one needs to plant crops that thickly shade the ground, says Bhaskar Save. No matter how often you remove it, the dabhro comes up again from its deep reaching roots. You cannot destroy it this way. Rather, you should plant an over-shading crop like banana at 4 ft by 4 ft, or 5 ft by 5 ft. When these have grown a little, provide them a good quantity of dung manure. The leaves that emerge will span out such that the canopies of adjacent plants will touch, thickly shading the ground and thereby suppressing the dabhdo, and gradually destroying it. Multi-storey, Multi-function Above the ground cover of weeds that constitute the lowest storey of vegetation in the orchard area (where any sunlight penetrates to the ground), there are numerous shrubs like the ‘kadipatta’ (or curry leaf, Murraya koenigii) and the homely croton that line the pathways through the orchard. The latter plant, of various spotted and striped varieties, is relatively shallow rooted. It serves as a ‘water meter’, indicating by the drooping of its leaves that the moisture level of the soil is falling! The shrubs of curry leaf contribute to moderating the population of several species of 32 SEPTEMBER 2019
crop-feeding insects, while also providing an important edible herb widely used in Indian cooking. From this minor crop alone, Bhaskar Save earns an income of at least Rs 2,500/- each month, at zero cost. (Even the harvesting and bundling is done by the purchaser.) Here and there, one might see climbers like the pepper vine or betel leaf in a spiral garland around a supari (arecanut) palm, or perhaps a passion fruit vine arching across a clearing. These provide additional bonus yield. The Principles of Farming in Harmony with Nature “The four fundamental principles of natural farming are quite simple!” declares Bhaskar Save. “The first is, ‘all living creatures have an equal right to live’. To respect such right, farming must be non-violent. The second principle recognizes that ‘everything in Nature is useful and serves a purpose in the web of life’. “The third principle is: farming is a dharma, a sacred path of serving Nature and fellow creatures; “Fourth is the principle of perennial fertility regeneration. It observes that we humans have a right to only the fruits and seeds of the crops we grow. These constitute 5% to 15% of the plants’ biomass yield. The balance 85% to 95% of the biomass, the crop residue, must go back to the soil to renew its fertility, either directly as mulch, or as the manure of farm animals. If this is religiously followed, nothing is needed from outside; the fertility of the land will not decline.” Plant Needs –What? How Much? Dispelling a common misunderstanding, Bhaskarbhai clarifies that the organic matter we add to the soil is not the ‘food’ of a plant, at least in any direct sense. Rather, it is food for the innumerable soil-dwelling creatures and micro-organisms, which function ceaselessly to maintain the fertility of the land. And there are more micro-organisms in half a cup of good soil than there are humans on earth! Through the digestive processes of the soil dwelling creatures, including earthworms, the organic matter added to the soil gets decomposed into a progressively more inorganic or mineral form. The mineral rich excreta of these creatures must then dissolve in moisture, before www.krishijagran.com
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being absorbed by the roots of plants. More serious yet is the misconception about how much of the minerals or water is needed. Bhaskar Save never tires to emphasize that plants are actually mitahari, or very small consumers of the nutrients in the soil. Sunlight and air are what they need in abundance, while the moisture requirement of most plants – barring aquatic and semi-aquatic species like mangroves and rice – is best met when the soil is just damp rather than soaked.Since India has no lack of sunlight, it is the porous, humus-covered soils that absorb and hold more air and moisture, which are the most productive in giving a sustained, high yield of biomass. This is ancient knowledge, though less understood these days. The Agro-chemical Path In tropical and sub-tropical regions, the rate of decomposition of organic matter is much faster than in the temperate climates of Europe or most of USA. In particular, the hot, humid conditions in the wet tropics cause high bacterial activity in breaking down the bio-residues that come in contact with the soil. Thus an abundance of mineral nutrients is recurrently available for the plants. However, during tropical monsoons, the newly recycled nutrients near the surface of the topsoil are also prone to rapid erosion and leaching under strong rain or wind. This makes it all the more imperative to have a protective ground cover of vegetation, and to constantly replenish the organic matter (leaf litter, crop residues, etc.) on the surface to bind the soil under a carpet of humus. In contrast, the problems caused by agro-chemicals are less severe and show up more slowly in the temperate conditions of Europe or USA. Not only are there fewer decomposer bacteria in the soil, the snowfall in winter conserves organic material underneath, further retarding its break-down into inorganic minerals. This is why the organic matter status of soils in temperate countries is much higher. Because of this extra cushion of carbonaceous material, the soils have a larger capacity to absorb artificial nitrogen. While chemical inputs hasten the decomposition process in temperate lands as well, they do not deplete the soil of its organic content as rapidly as they do in the tropics and sub-tropics, where the natural rate of decomposition is 34 SEPTEMBER 2019
already high. Nor are there torrential monsoon downpours, as in many parts of India. Consequently, both the eroding and polluting effects of chemical fertilizers are much slower and less visible in temperate climates. Organic matter decomposes much faster into inorganic minerals in our tropical conditions, compared to temperate lands. The artificial supply of chemical nutrients is thus not only quite unnecessary; it is particularly harmful. Adding a nitrogenous fertilizer like urea further hastens the process of decomposition, depleting the soil’s fibrous cushion of organic matter. The loss of this protective buffer then heightens the susceptibility of the soil to erosion and the leaching of nutrients, which assume alarming proportions during torrential downpours of the tropical monsoon. In any case, the inorganic compounds in synthetic fertilizers contain just a few of the chemical elements required by plants. These few are supplied in a concentrated form. Since the plants cannot immediately absorb all that is provided, the nutrients are subject to high losses. But far more significantly, the toxic chemicals harm the organic life of the soil. Pesticides, in particular, are murderous to the soil micro-fauna, earthworms, etc. As an inevitable consequence of the loss of the soil conditioning (tillage) action of these creatures, the porous granular structure of the soil collapses, expelling all the air from it. Numerous other problems follow. Artificial tillage and irrigation needs are increased; ‘pests’ multiply. With spraying, they soon develop resistance to the pesticides, leading to the use of stronger poisons. But the natural predators of the pests get wiped out. Helpful pollinating agents like the bees are similarly exterminated. Micronutrient deficiencies and plant ‘diseases’ increase in incidence; while toxic residues in the food harvested reach dangerous levels. Where before, everything worked smoothly in Nature, man’s ‘cleverness’ now brings upon him a lot more work and worry. The Five Concerns of Farming Bhaskar Save summarizes the key practical aspects of his approach to natural farming with reference to the five major areas of activity that are commonly a preoccupation of farmers all over the world. These are tillage, fertility inputs, weeding, irrigation, and crop protection.
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1.Tillage Tillage in the case of tree-crops is only permissible as a one-time intervention to loosen the soil before planting the saplings or seeds. Post planting, the work of maintaining the porosity and aeration of the soil should be left entirely to the organisms, soil-dwelling creatures and plant roots in the earth. 2.Fertility Inputs The recycling of all crop residues and biomass on the farm is an imperative for ensuring its continued fertility. Where farm-derived biomass is scarce, initial external provision of organic inputs is helpful. However, no chemical fertilizer whatsoever should be used. 3.Weeding Weeding too should be avoided. It is only if the weeds tend to overgrow the crops, blocking off sunlight, that they may be controlled by cutting and mulching, rather than by uprooting for ‘clean cultivation’. Herbicides, of course, should never be used. 4.Irrigation Irrigation should be conservative, no more than what is required for maintaining the dampness of the soil. Complete vegetative cover – preferably multi-storied – and mulching greatly reduce water needs. 5.Crop Protection Crop protection may be left entirely to the natural processes of biological control by naturally
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occurring predators. Poly-cultures of healthy, organically grown crops in healthy soil have a high resistance to pest attack. Any damage is usually minimal, and self-limiting. At most, some non-chemical measures like the use of neem, diluted desi cow urine, etc may be resorted to. But this too is ultimately unnecessary. [See the chapter, ‘Insects, Not Pests’].By thus returning to Nature many of the tasks that were originally hers, a weighty burden slips off the back of the half-broken, modern day farmer. And the land begins to regenerate once more. Regular mindful attention is a must in Natural farms. Hence the saying: “The footsteps of a farmer are the best fertilizer to his plants!” In the case of trees, this is especially important in the first few years. Gradually, as they become self-reliant, the work of the farmer is reduced – till ultimately, nothing needs to be done, except harvesting. In the case of coconuts, Bhaskarbhai has even dispensed with harvesting. He waits for the coconuts to ripen and fall on their own, and merely collects those fallen on the ground! For growing field crops like rice, wheat, pulses, vegetables, etc., some seasonal attention, year after year, is unavoidable. This is why Bhaskarbhai terms his method of growing field crops – organic farming, while a fairly pure form of ‘do-nothing natural farming’ is only attained in a mature, tree crop system. However, even with field crops, any intervention by the farmer should be kept to the bare minimum, respecting the superior wisdom of nature, and minimizing violence.
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The Vision of Natural Farming A One to one interaction with Bharat Mansata and Dr Lakshmi Unnithan-Editor-AgricultureWorld
‘Om Purnamadah Purnamidam Purnat Purnamudachyate Purnasya Purnamadaya Purnameva Vashishyate’ ‘This creation is whole and complete. From the whole emerge creations, each whole and complete. Take the whole from the whole (respectfully, as many times as you need) the whole yet remains, … undiminished, complete.’ Upanishads
Our ancient sages understood Nature’s ways far better than most modern day technologists.
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nly Nature is truly creative and self-regenerating – through synergy with the fresh daily inflow of the sun’s energy. …There is on earth, a constant inter-play of the six paribals (key factors) of Nature, interacting with sunlight. Three are: air, water and soil. Working in tandem with these, are the three orders of life: vanaspati srushti, the world of plants; jeev srushti, the realm of insects and microorganisms; and prani srushti, the animal kingdom. These six paribals maintain a dynamic balance. Together, they harmonise Nature’s grand symphony – mystic grace! Man has no right to disrupt any of the paribals of Nature.” The above lines are some excerpts from the book, ‘The Vision of Natural Farming’ – on the outstanding natural farmer, Bhaskar Save – by Bharat Mansata, who is also one of the founders of Vanvadi (a collectively regenerated forest), not far from Neral, and about 100 km from Bombay. Agriculture World had the opportunity of having him in close quarters for a ‘One-to-One Interaction’. Bharat Mansata is also an author-editor, an ecological regeneration activist, and a co-founder of ‘Earthcare Books’ (Kolkata), a publisher and bookstore (www.earthcarebooks.com), which has been focusing on environmental and sustainability issues for over two decades. In this Interaction with the Editor,Dr Lakshmi Unnithan, Bharat discusses his unique and fascinating journey with agriculture, natural farming, Bhaskar Save and Vanvadi. An approach to the story of Indian Agriculture We must remember that farmers in India, China, Japan, Korea, have been growing their crops for well over forty centuries. According to India’s National Commission on Farmers, India has a
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WO R LD 10,000-year-old history of sustainable agriculture! After the British quit India, and the partition trauma eased somewhat, Indian farming had a 15 year respite following the decline witnessed during colonial rule. India’s first agriculture minister, K.M. Munshi, inspired by Gandhi’s vision of Gram Swaraj or village self-governance and self-reliance, emphasized the paramount importance of restoring the nutrient (fertility) cycle and hydrological (water) cycle in each village and bioregion. But after Munshi, from the mid sixties, India slipped relentlessly onto the path of mono-cultural chemical farming. The introduction of chemicals into the ‘Third World’ was first tried in India in the name of the Green Revolution, initiated in Punjab. Mansata disputes the commonly misconceived narrative that India was starving before the Green Revolution. He points out that the tragic ‘Great Famine of Bengal’ was actually a creation of the colonial government, as evident from its own official documentation, disclosed in the book, ‘Churchill’s Secret War’ by Madhusree Mukerjee. Quoting Bhaskar Save, he draws attention to the engineered erosion of crop diversity of our native varieties of cereals, the consequent scarcity of organic matter, and the progressive degradation of our soils. Bharat reiterates, “Our numerous tall, indigenous varieties of grain – adapted over millennia to local conditions and needs – provided more biomass, shaded the soil from the sun, and protected against its erosion under heavy monsoon rains. But in the guise of increasing crop production, exotic dwarf varieties were introduced and promoted … and then onward, it was a progressive intensification of the sad saga which we are experiencing in the 21st century.” Rewinding As Bharat rewinds into some beautiful memories of his early, life-transforming years, while interacting with Agriculture World, he remembers the friend who gifted him in 1984, a Rodale edition of “The One-Straw Revolution,” written by the globally renowned Japanese natural farmer, Masanobu Fukuoka. This book left a deep and profound influence on him. Around this time, Bharat co-founded the Earthcare Bookstore in Kolkata, which featured too a wall magazine, ‘Writing on the Wall’, edited by him, focusing on various environmental problems and ecological alternatives. Bhaskar Save and Natural Farming “Fukuoka’s book was my earliest introduction to Natural Farming,” relates Bharat. It would be fair to say that this book changed his life too. With his deepening interest in the subject of ecology and farming, he attended a ‘permaculture design course’ in 1987 at Hyderabad. He adds, “This was the first such PDC taught in India by Bill Mollison, the prime promoter of ‘permaculture’ as an integrated, multi-functional, planned system for synergistically meeting diverse basic needs related to food, water, energy, habitat, social collaboration, ..., etc. Robyn Francis, then editor of the ‘International Permaculture Journal’, assisted in teaching this intensive, information packed (10 hours a day!) course”, which initially left Bharat’s mind “reeling”, and then “agog with diverse jostling thoughts in this crazy new exploration of harmoniously evolving ‘sustainable’ systems…” Tasked with co-editing the ‘Permaculture India Newsletter’, along with the more seasoned Dr Venkat, “a wonderful, ever-encouraging man”, Bharat began looking around for experienced Indian organic farmers to write about. He recollects his first meeting with Bhaskar Save, when he visited the Kalpavruksha orchard-farm in 1988, and was greatly impressed by it. He states, “Kalpavruksha compels attention, for its high yield easily out-performs any modern farm using chemicals. It is also a great example of a nurtured ‘food forest’ ecosystem with a self-sustaining resilience that requires minimal external attention for meeting its needs within just a few years of planting and initial tending. www.krishijagran.com
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“Inside the farm were numerous signs that attracted attention with brief, thought-provoking sutras or aphorisms. These pithy sayings shared all the distilled wisdom on nature, farming, health, culture and spirituality, that Bhaskarbhai had gathered over the years, apart from his extraordinary harvest of food,” says Bharat Mansata. The diverse plants in Bhaskar Save’s farm co-exist as a mixed, harmonious community of dense vegetation. Rarely can one spot even a small patch of bare soil exposed to the direct impact of the sun, wind or rain. The deeply shaded areas under the chikoo/sapota trees have a spongy carpet of leaf litter covering the soil, while various weeds spring up wherever some sunlight penetrates. This helps moderate the soil’s micro-climate which, Bhaskar Save emphasizes, is of utmost importance in self-sustaining natural farming with zero or minimum external inputs. Bharat remembers Bhaskar Save as a remarkable blend of Fukuoka and Bill Mollison. Though he had not even heard of either of these two outstanding personalities when he planted his orchard forest, and nurtured it to a ‘Do Nothing’ stage, the core principles and intuitive understanding followed were close to what Fukuoka advocated. At the same time, Save also integrated well-thought out ‘design’ concepts, especially in his choice and relative spacing of a suitable mix of Alpa-Jeevi (short life-span) species, Madhya-Jeevi (medium lifespan) species, and Deergha-Jeevi (long life-span) species. Further, the ‘platform and trench’ system he followed, with its planned spacing of trenches – doubling as both irrigation and drainage channels – was also very carefully designed. In the early to mid fifties, according to Bharat, Bhaskar Save had practiced farming with the use of chemicals, and was one of the first farmers in his region to do so. But observing the harmful effects
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of the chemicals on the soil and its organic life during those years, he began experimenting and progressively adopting organic farming from about 1956-57; and by the early sixties, the use of any chemicals on the farm was entirely stopped. Book on Natural Farming Deeply influenced by Bhaskar Save, Bharat started writing a book about him and his way of farming in the early nineties. But this turned out to be a long drawn process. Being a city-bred person, he would often be seized with self-doubt because of his lack of any direct personal experience of farming. But finally, the book was completed and published in 2010. Bharat says that the response to the book, among farmers and non-farmers, has been most encouraging. He thus believes it has helped them understand the basics of farming in harmony with nature, which alone can provide a healthier future for the earth and all its creatures, including humans. Such a sustainable ecological approach to farming has now become an imperative of our times, and we can neglect it no longer. Bharat reiterates what Bhaskar Save often suggested to the farmers who visited him: “At least make a beginning by converting a quarter of the land to holistic organic farming in harmony with nature.” As the soil regains its health, productivity steadily increases, while costs decline. With the resulting
increase in self confidence of the farmer, more land can be progressively converted to the natural/ organic way. Bharat hopes that his book will inspire and help them. Vanvadi and future plans The Vanvadi ‘forest collective’ began 25 years ago with the contributions of two dozen people to purchase 64 acres of undulating land at the Sahyadri foothills of the Western Ghats in Maharashtra. Most of the land had been clear-felled a year or two before it was bought in 1994. Ecological regeneration and progressive, local self-reliance were the primary agreed objectives. Presently, the land has regenerated into a lush, thick forest, rich in biodiversity, with over 45,000 trees. They have listed in it 52 wild, uncultivated edible plant species, over 30 medicinal species, 20 timber species, and a number of other traditionally useful species. The main caretakers are from a large, www.krishijagran.com
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WO R LD local adivasi family, who belong to an indigenous Indian tribe known as the Thakurs. Rainwater harvesting work too has proved quite successful, affording a fair measure of water security, while farming is presently done on about 1.5 acres. The crops include a variety of rain-fed millets, indigenous rice, sesame; also some irrigated vegetables and fruit.
While there are challenges, Vanvadi is slowly growing as a space to host workshops, work camps, forest food trails and ecology-related educational activities to understand the local flora and fauna, and the vital life-supporting ‘environmental services’ that the forest provides. Every year, starting on Dussera, it also hosts a Vanutsav or forest festival – to celebrate nature and community. As a non-profit collective, all its collections go towards maintaining Vanvadi’s conservation projects. Gratefully recalling again the inspiration and encouragement received from the outstanding natural farmer, Bhaskar Save,
Bharat Mansata ends the interaction by quoting another remarkable personality, Wendell Berry: “When we change the way we grow our food, we change our food, our values, our society. … Natural farming is about healing our relationships.” The interaction left us spell bound, thinking of all the great people who lived before, and who continue to inspire us through their writings and teachings. Such people leave their gentle, but indelible guiding footprints on the earth for us to gratefully follow in their footsteps, protecting our rich natural heritage, and working closely and simply with the land. 40 SEPTEMBER 2019
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Sustainability - Practitioners
Leading Practitioners Sustainable farming Yoshikazu Kawaguchi idely regarded as the leading practitioner of the second-generation of natural farmers, Yoshikazu Kawaguchi is the instigator of Akame Natural Farm School, and a related network of volunteer-based “no-tuition” natural farming schools in Japan that numbers 40 locations and more than 900 concurrent students. Although Kawaguchi’s practice is based on Fukuoka’s principals, his methods differ notably from those of Fukuoka. Kawaguchi’s recognition outside of Japan has become wider after his appearance as the central character in the documentary Final Straw: Food, Earth, Happiness, through which his interviews were translated into several languages. He is still actively teaching however, holding open farm days at his own natural farm in Nara prefecture. Source:Wikipedia
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n 1951, Newman Turner advocated the practice of “fertility farming”, a system featuring the use of a cover crop, no tillage, no chemical fertilizers, no pesticides, no weeding and no composting. Although Turner was a commercial farmer and did not practice random seeding of seed balls, his “fertility farming” principles share similarities with Fukuoka’s system of natural farming. Turner also advocate a “natural method” of animal husbandry. Source:Wikipedia
Mokichi Okada, the Japanese farmer and philosopher conceived of a “no fertilizer” farming system in the 1930s that predated Fukuoka. Okada used the same Chinese characters as Fukuoka’s “natural farming” however, they are translated into English slightly differently, as nature farming.Agriculture researcher Hu-lian Xu claims that “nature farming” is the correct literal translation of the Japanese term. Source:Wikipedia
Larry Korn, an American who lived and worked on the farm of Masanobu Fukuoka for several years since the early 1970s. Translator and editor of the English-language edition of Mr. Fukuoka’s The OneStraw Revolution and editor of his later book, Sowing Seeds in the Desert. Larry also doubles up as an educator, consultant, editor and author in the fields of permaculture, natural farming, sustainable landscaping and local food production. In addition to giving his personal thoughts about natural farming, he broadens the discussion by pointing out natural farming’s kinship with the ways of indigenous cultures and traditional Japanese farming, organic agriculture and permaculture. Source: onestrawrevolution.net/larry-korn/
Santosh Koulagi is the son of Surendra Koulagi who established the Janapada Seva Trust in 1960, inspired by the Gandhian ideal of Sarvodaya. In the 1980’s,during the time of pro-people movements in Karnataka, discussions were going on about ecology and the environment and that was when Masanobu Fukuoka’s book One-Straw Revolution made a big impact on Santosh and he loved that,it dealt with life and philosophy. His book ‘One-Straw Revolution,’ has been an unwavering influence in his life and has inspired him to internalise sustainability in his body of work. Santosh translated it into Kannada as Ondu Hullina Kranthi and became actively involved in the farmers’ movements of the time. Santosh Koulagi now runs the Hosa Jeevana Daari (a new way of life) centre for learning about non-violent, sustainable living alternative and promotes the Gandhian thoughts of farming. www.krishijagran.com
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G. Nammalvar as an Indian green crusader, agricultural scientist, best known for his work on spreading ecological farming and organic farming. In 1987, he attended a training course conducted by the ETC Foundation, Netherlands, on ecological agriculture and in 1990, he founded a network called LEISA to promote the concepts of ecological farming.He also started an ecological research center for rain-fed cultivation in Pudukottai district. In 1995 he was nominated as the Tamil Nadu state coordinator for ARISE. Recognizing his extensive work in the field of agriculture, the Gandhi Gram Rural University, Dindigal honored Nammalvar with a Doctorate of Science degree in 2007. He spent a substantial part of his time actively touring the south and conducting training classes on ecological farming. Nammalvar founded Vaanagam in Karur, Tamilnadu to create public awareness about the benefits of Organic Farming and about the dangers and difficulties faced in traditional farming practices. Source:Wikipedia
Narayan Reddy, was known as Karnataka’s Masanobu Fukuoka, after Mr. Fukuoka had even visited his farm in 1988. Influenced by Fukuoka’s book on farming, he took transformed his perception of farming, and by 1979 went back to the land growing crops without using chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Despite low yields in the first year, the subsequent years saw levels of productivity that nearly matched the ones he had been earning earlier. Though he was not formally educated in farming, he was known for experiments and a scientific approach to farming. He was awarded the Nadoja award and an honorary doctorate from Kannada University, Hampi. Source:Hindu
Raju Titus, from Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh, has been practising natural farming for the last 12 years. He sees the Green Revolution as a bane in disguise and is convinced that natural farming is the only hope in sight. Initially, Titus too was blinkered by scientific farming but gradually ,after reading Fukuokas “One Straw Revolution” he came to terms with the truth. Ther was no looking back after that and Titus hasnt tilled his land for the past 31 years and yet has a flourishing harvest every year. He also do not weed,nor apply fertilizers and pesticides. Source:Better India
Shoor Vir Singh of Chanda Nagli in Bijnore,UP sprayed dimecron pesticide in the early 1980’s on his crop of chana (gram) and was so shaken by the outcome that he vowed never to apply chemicals in his farms. He came across a book titled One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukoika, a Japanese researcher and farmer. The book affirmed his convictions. and his relationship with his farmland developed into something more than a commercial one. He started treating the soil as a living, dynamic entity. The sensible approach to disease resistance and pest control was to grow sturdy crops in a healthy environment, he learned. He decided to drift along with nature, rather than battling against it. Singh believes that by preserving the ecology and practising farming methods that are in keeping with nature, humans as well as the soil will remain healthy. Source:HT
S.A.Dabholkar was an educationist and a mathematician turned agricultural researcher who aimed to shape education as a tool for total change in the life situation of an average worker in rural areas. After realizing the limitations of conventional academic system which was a part of him for 25 years,he left it to undertake the task of educating farmers by adopting non-formal methods of knowledge communication. He developed a way to farm on wasteland. Using his technique, a five-member family with 0.093 ha of wasteland could sustain itself. His method, known as experimental web, has transformed grape cultivation in drought-prone parts of Maharashtra and now more than 20,000 farmers cultivate grapes, mostly for export. He perfected the system of Prayoga Parivar (experimental web), in which experimentation, dependence on local resources and dissemination of appropriate technology are emphasised. The focus is on innovation and interaction. Basically, new knowledge, new thought and ventures are essential to successfully practice “nature farming”, which aims at maximum yield in a short period. Other aspects like harvesting of solar energy, planting of trees and studying their growth pattern are also included in nature farming. Dabholkar has received many awards for his contribution to rural development and agricultural research, including the Vasanthrao Naik Pratishthan and Jamnalal Bajaj Awards. Source:Wikipedia
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Vasant Futane and Karuna Futane, One of the pioneers of the natural farming movement in India, the Futanes bring deep insights, experience and humility in their actions.Futane farm is situated at Rawala village, Amaravati, Maharashtra. They are completely into organic farming since 1982 and they grow vegetables and fruits in their 35 acres of farm.Futane has done some extraordinary work with mangoes. They have developed nearly 40 new varieties on his farm.It is with deep humility, simplicity and uncompromising commitment with which the Futane family lives their life on their farms. Futanes have left large acres of their land as frest cover. People from far and wide come to buy their produce and Futane farm is an ideal example of a self sufficient agricultural system. What is awe inspiring is to see the profound consciousness shift of two humans from personal gain to preservation and reverence. Source:TOI
Dhirendra and Smita were extraordinary couple, who left behind their Professor jobs,decided that there was no sense in making money as that was not getting them the required health nor satisfaction. They bought 2.5 acres of land from their total savings near Rajpipala, a quaint village called Saakwa in Gujarat. They build their house with minimal stuff but it is beautiful. They use Gobar for lighting and cooking. Some solar was added later and I hear in the recent past they had one elctrical connection to support their sons computer.Their seriousness and planning helped them everything and so I would say it’s a great sustainable plan. All the prudent multi and mixed cropping and half acre of fruit trees is only for self consumption. They don’t even sell milk.They even grew cotton and hand weaved and made their own clothes too. They reached self sufficiency in the first year itself according to reports and in a place with 14 inch rainfall they harvest 8 grains,25types of vegetables and fruits,5 tubers and spices like Turmeric,Dhaniya,methi and Ajwain.The fact that a decision was taken 30 years old is incredible. Source:TOI
Pratap C. Aggarwal, an author and Professor with Cornell University, is well known for his role in bringing Masanobu Fukuoka’s “One Straw Revolution” to India. For nearly eight years, from 1979 to 1987, he lived and worked in a community of about 15 households near a small village called Rasulia, in Madhya Pradesh.The community known as ‘The Friends Rural Centre’, was founded a century ago as a training centre for destitute children. Over the decades, the nature of its work changed with new workers and a changing socio-economic environment. The concern for deteriorating soil health and the thought for small farmers led them to make drastic changes in their own farming practices. Slowly, bit-by-bit, they found practices close to what is called ‘natural farming’, pioneered in Japan by Masanobu Fukuoka. At Rasulia, they called it ‘rishi kheti’ (agriculture of the sages). Natural farming is ideally a quest for realising the underlying unity of soil, plants and animals, including ourselves says Pratap Aggarwal. He is at present part of a community called Navadarshanam, in the outskirts of Bangalore. On the outskirts of Bangalore, the Navadarshanam Trust community practises a non-injurious, holistic and a healthy way of living. Houses are built entirely with local material. Very little concrete or steel is used. They subsist on renewable energy and practise natural farming. Source:DNA India
Mohan Shankar Deshpande, an Agrcultural graduate and a farmer from Kolhapur while carrying experiments to evolve new techniques for improving the crop yields,he sent samples of the soil from various areas of the fields as also, from under the trees, for analysis. He found out that the soil under the banyan tree supports a very large number of microorganisms. According to his analysis, he devised his own agricultural techniques to keep the soil alive forever with the help of cosmic energy, as it is the only source of plant growth. And named it RISHI-KRISHI DESHPANDE AGRICULTURE TECHNIQUE based on vedic literature and cosmic eneorgy. Incorporation of Holy Ash (Angara) into the soil along with the soil collected form beneath the banyan tree, Preparation and usage of Nectar Water (Amrutpani). Dressing of Seeds for planting. Mulching were the techniques involved. The poor drainage is the result of salt accumulation and not cause there of therefore, trenching and washing will never be a lasting solution to improve the saline land. Nothing has to be purchased from the market, earthworms, culture, casts etc. Input of the use of cosmic energy in its different forms in its natural way gives result in bumper crops in the same season - no gestation period is required. It is like mother’s response to her child.
Source: http://rishikrishi.co.in/
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A programme of the Farmers, by the farmers, for the humanity Rythu Sadhikara Samstha Andhra Pradesh Zero Budget Natural Farming Department of Agriculture Government of Andhra Pradesh
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overnment of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP), through Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS) is scaling up a pioneering climate-resilient, Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) to cover 6 million farmers by 2024. ZBNF addresses the acute farmers’ distress caused by high-input, resource-intensive chemical farming that over time has resulted in losses, high debts, soil degradation, pollution of waterways, encroachment of forest-land, biodiversity loss and water scarcity. In the first phase, covering 500,000 farmers, GoAP is implementing the programme with its own funds and funds from Government of India under two national schemes - the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY). USD 178 million (Rs. 1250 crore) have been committed for the same. Appreciating the potential, Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives (APPI) has been providing technical support grants to the tune of USD 14 million (Rs. 100 crore) and establishing technical support unit within RySS. ZBNF has been pioneered in India by Padma Shri Dr. Subhash Palekar. He is our inspiration and mentor. He has conducted four mega training programmes for 28,000 farmers during 2016-2018 and indirectly inspired hundreds of thousands of farmers through live stream and training videos to take up ZBNF. In international classification, ZBNF comes under climate change resilient Agroecology, more specifically under “Regenerative agriculture”. Regenerative Agriculture is a holistic land management practice that leverages the power of photosynthesis in plants to close the carbon cycle, and build soil health, crop resilience and nutrient density. ZBNF reduces farmer’s costs through eliminating external synthetic inputs and utilising in-situ biological resources to rejuvenate the soil, whilst simultaneously increasing yields, restoring ecosystem health and climate resilience through diverse cropping systems. Farmer-owned, Farmer-led, APZBNF Extension Model Women Self Help Groups along with the Best practitising champion farmers as Community Resource Persons, and Young Agri-Graduate farmers as Natural Farming Fellows are the important pillars of APZBNF extension model. They follow saturation as an approach and use collective action and ICT as tools for change management.
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ZBNF
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Paddy
Groundnut
Cotton
Maize
Ragi
14%
34%
10%
21%
30% 60,000
18%
15%
30%
29%
22%
Paddy
Groundnut
Cotton
Maize
Ragi
6 000 5962
50,000
5643
49,866
5000 4929
Cost of Cultivation (Rs/ha)
Yield in Kgs/ha
4932 4000
3000 2710 2000
2109
42,206
35,739 30,000 29,467
2 0,000 17,610 10,000
995
Groundnut
Cotton
13,662
12,004 8,502
906
0 Paddy
42,197
2091 1573
1000
0
43,507
40,000
Maize
Increased Yields
in ZBNF compared to Non-ZBNF
Ragi
Paddy
Groundnut
Cotton
Maize
Ragi
Reduced Cost of Cultivation in ZBNF compared to Non-ZBNF
In sync with Hon’ble CM’s vision, APZBNF has made plans to cover 6 million farm-families by 2024, and 8 million hectares of agricultural land in Andhra Pradesh by 2026 and transform AP into 1st Natural Farming State in India. Partnerships and collaborations Sustainable India Finance Facility (SIFF), established by UN Environment together with BNP Paribas and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), is a key partner of APZBNF. SIFF is working with APZBNF to scale-up ZBNF by facilitating research, market access and resources.World Agro-forestry (ICRAF) is conducting studies on Socio-economic impact and impact of ZBNF on soil health, soil organic matter, bio diversity, water infiltration etc. Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) is conducting independent Crop Cutting Experiments. French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) is conducting Foresight 2030/50 on structural socioeconomic transformation. Reading University and ICRAF are supporting in establishing science behind ZBNF. FAO is providing technical support in improving Participatory Farmer Field School. 46 SEPTEMBER 2019
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APZBNF is emerging as a National Resource Organization. States like Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala have been taking inputs from AP in terms of planning, designing and implementation of ZBNF. NITI Aayog has recommended all states to replicate AP model for implementing ZBNF.Union Ministry of Agriculture is seeking technical support from Andhra Pradesh for drafting National Mission on ZBNF. Indian Council of Agriculture Research has invited Andhra Pradesh to be part of National Committee to assess the impact of ZBNF. Drought Proofing Strategy – A breakthrough experiment in APZBNF In order to address the problem of frequent droughts, APZBNF has embarked on a plan to cover the agriculture land for 365 days in a year with a green cover. This programme has begun in May 2018 with pre-monsoon sowing experiments conducted by 11 NFFs and have found encouraging outcomes. This has resulted in 42 NFFs and ICRPs (Internal Community Resource Persons) to take up dry-sowing in December 2018. Gradually, 1341 farmers began practicing dry sowing after the pre-monsoon success. Currently, 22,428 farmers in 7,839 acres planned to experiment both premonsoon and dry-sowing in what evolved as ‘365-days green cover’. This will be scaled up to all farmers.
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Food from the Forest Arun T Correspondent- Kerala- Agriculture World
“Agriculture is a five fold worship of invoking all the five great eternal elements - viz. Akasha (Space), Vayu (Air), Teja or Agni (Fire), Jala (Water) and Prithvi (Earth)� ~ K.V. Dayal
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are are the ones who can be realistic in their vision of future and thereby make their vision a reality. Agriculture World in conversation with the vibrant visionary personality from Muhamma, Alappuzha who has been in the ways to educating farmers with sustainable agricultural practices. It is none other than Sri. K.V Dayal, the eminent environmentalist and ecologist whose project on ‘Food from the Forest’ is now talk of the town all over Kerala. A Postgraduate in Commerce, an entrepreneur in Coir industry his passion towards Agriculture paved him the way to the Ecology and Organic Farming campaign in 1985. In his seventies, he still keeps the youthful spirit intact. The influence of his Gurus like Mr. Jonsy in the field of environment and ecology, Masanobu Fukuoka, a Japanese natural farming expert, and Sri.C.R.R Varma, the naturopath in health, expanded his vision recharged his thoughts. His ideas for nourishing the crop and for better yield are to Maintain apt soil PH level for the thriving of microorganisms and calcium for soil, plant health by adding calcium carbonate or shells to the soil. More the soil is enriched by carbon through the decomposition of organic matter, high will be the yield of the crop. To avoid loss of nutrients from plant leaves they usually have a wax coating on it. This is only possible by fat consumption of plants from decayed animal organic matter. The urine of animals and excreta of birds is a rich source of urea needed for plant growth. The fruit shape, richness, and size is determined by the protein content in the plant. It can be supplied to plant by protein-rich organic fertilizers like groundnut cake.The soil must have a small amount of salinity to hold potash and for the betterment of farming. His concepts are Concept of Ecology for sustainable agriculture Ecology is the study of interactive co-relation and interdependence between soil, water, air, flora and fauna to exist in nature. As it deals with the sustainability of human beings, it is superior to all other branches of science. Only by having a deep awareness of ecology one can understand the spiritual concept of Nature. 50 SEPTEMBER 2019
The whole creation is interlinked and thus the Oneness of the Universe reveals that harming another is harming self. By interpreting the habitat within the forest is based on ecology, he found out an agroecological design is necessary for the sustainability of organic farming and mankind. He thus adjudged that agriculture simulating forest can only coexist. Forest as a pattern for agroecological design To gain practical knowledge about the natural ecosystem he crafted out a forest from the Oneand-a-Half-acre land near his house which was once-barren white, sugary, dry sand at Muhamma region in Alappuzha district of Kerala. In twenty years, it has been developed into a thick dense forest with wide diversity of flora and fauna. Now this area has become an awesome and incredible area of research for research scholars and scientists all over India. Concept of agro-ecological design for sustainable agriculture This concept is principally based on the forest ecosystem. In his view the more the replication of the natural ecosystem of a forest the more will be the existence of agriculture. Apart from the diversity of trees at his home-grown forest, it has mangrove with a natural pond along with the built-up hill on one side enclosed by wild variety trees. Here there is an immense collection of fruit trees in various sectors. Now he is on the Vision Project of ‘Food from Forest round the year’. His next mission is to ‘create Fog within his Forest’ to make a solution for drought in the coming years. Based on this he advises forest emulation must be formed for each one acre of land in which ten percentage must be developed to a mangrove of wild trees with pond or hill or both as per the prevailing landscape of that area.To increase diversity in Earth, man must focus on the ‘Distribution of Seeds’ apart from the plant propagation technologies. Also promoting an ecological pest control by allowing suitable microorganisms, insects, plants, animals, and birds to thrive avoids the use of pesticides and other harmful things. www.krishijagran.com
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Based on the forest ecosystem, he has devised seven principles for sustainable agriculture
Along with these approaches for sustainability, he also formulated various schemes and training programs for spreading the knowledge of organic farming.
Naturality – The more natural, the more sustainable. By more, you replicate the forest, the more sustainable the agriculture
They are Certificate and Diploma courses in Organic farming at MG University, Kottayam, Vanaprastham and Art of Happiness course, Akshyashri award for excellence in organic farming with the aid of Sarojini Damodaran foundation.Based on his principles many of his disciples have become successful in the field of Organic farming.
Diversity – The more diverse, the more sustainable. The increased diversity of crops makes farming more sustainable Re-settable - The more re-settable, design the more sustainable. The faster the decomposition of organic matter, the more sustainable Productivity - The more productive, the more sustainable. The more the tapping of solar energy by plants, the more productive. Responsibility - The more responsible, the more sustainable. Every living being has its own duty to conserve nature. Mentality – The more aware, the more sustainable. The awareness of co-relation between living beings and understanding the whole Universe as a creation of One, makes one abide as per nature rules. Activity - Based on the above, the activity will sustain. If agriculture is done based on the above-mentioned principles, it is sustainable agriculture.
Noted among them are Sri. Antony who cultivates vegetables in 1000 acres at Tamilnadu and Spices Producers Company (SPC), a leading Organic Fertilizer Company in Ernakulam, Kerala who introduced crushed Calcium Carbonate (Shells) as PH Booster among farmers as per the advice of Sri.K.V. Dayal. Dr.Lekshmi Rahul (W/O Dr.Rahul, Oncologist), who being a practising doctor is currently pursuing a Degree in Bachelor of Ayurveda and Surgery as per his advice. As time goes by many of his predictions and principles have proved to be worthy for the society and that makes him a pioneer as an environmentalist and ecologist not only for people of Kerala but also for all around the world, who wishes to live with nature.
- K.V Dayal doing a lecture on Organic Farming for Diploma students at MG University, Kottayam. www.krishijagran.com
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Biodynamic Agriculture Bringing Resilience back into Farms How it Started The idea of Biodynamic Agriculture began in the 1920’s and was modelled around the agricultural lectures given by Austrian born scientist and philosopher Rudolph Steiner. He is also the father of Anthroposophy and the Waldorf education system. Today biodynamic agriculture is practiced on farms around the world, on various scales, and in variety of climates and cultures. Most biodynamic farms are located in Europe, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Peter Proctor, a biodynamic farmer from New Zealand introduced biodynamic farming across major farms in India in the early 1990s. In 1924, Steiner delivered a series of eight lectures on organic agriculture practices to a group of farmers from Germany and Poland. The farmers approached Steiner because they were worried about the future of agriculture, and requested him to help with their issue of degraded soil conditions and deterioration in the health and quality of crops and livestock resulting from the use of chemical fertilizers. Steiner’s lecture series included an ecological and sustainable approach to agriculture that increased soil fertility and overall wellbeing of a farm and its beings. The lectures were formally published in November1924 and the first English translation appeared in 1928 as The Agriculture Course.
Kabir Cariappa & Anjali Rudra Raju Yarrowayfarm - Mysore, Karnataka
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Biodynamic Farming is a sustainable and regenerative form of agriculture where the farm is a living entity that interacts with the environment, to build healthy, living soil and to produce food that nourishes mankind.
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iodynamic agriculture, for the Wmost O R Lpart, D is striving to find a sustainable balance between the energies and the physical world for the microcosm that is a farm. Although it is considered as the system of agriculture formed and laid down by Rudolf Steiner, the basis of biodynamic practice is that you are continually looking to improve intelligence, yours, your soils, and your animals.
A biodynamic farm grows its own food, a wide array of seasonal crops, a diverse mix of fodder for animals; and produces its own composts out of animal manure and other farm resources. Plant or animal disease is seen as a symptom of problems in the whole organism, and energies play a vital role in the overall well being of the farm. Maintaining a balance of beings, animals, plants, soil microbes, and overall ecosystem is very important. From a design perspective, the farmer has the responsibility of planning and developing the farm and landscape, keeping the land conditions and taking the social environment and ecological elements into consideration. This kind of responsibility looks beyond economic goals and textbook principles of agriculture and ecology. A farmer’s presence and positive energies make a huge impact on the health and overall wellbeing of the farm and its beings. The theory goes that since through photosynthetic activity, plants absorb most of their nutrition from the atmosphere, and the sun, the intelligence to absorb and assimilate these elements must come from the soil. The soil in order to gather this intelligence, must be a healthy macrocosm in which all kinds of bacteria and mycelium thrive. In addition to good humus content in our soil, we use inoculants to increase the beneficial bacteria in minute homoeopathic doses. These are introduced through specially made composts consisting of time-tested doses of plants, minerals and animal manure to improve soil life. As Steiner and the biodynamic thinkers who came after him would say, at this point, we are looking too much into the soil and what’s below us, and forgetting the importance of the air and the effects of the cosmic forces on the things we do on the soil. Human tendency, and especially the tendency of people who are put though our compartmentalized system of education, is thus. Therefore we must see ourselves and our farms from beyond us, as a whole, and learn to farm the air. Now hold on a minute before you roll your eyes at our eccentricities. The moon cycles effects on our environment are well known. In addition to this, effects of the moon and sun passing through the various constellations from a earth centric point of view are documented. Constellations are categorized into four groups, that correspond to the four elements, and likewise, plant functions are also divided into four categories. Fire signs cover seed/fruit functions, water signs are leaf/plant body related, earth signs are root connected, and air signs are connected to the part of the plant that gives to the air, flowers. In addition to these effects, a balance that must be observed is the equation between the two governing forces of form in our world, silica, and calcium. Too much silica forces and becomes hard, brittle,and shrunk and too much calcium forces make things too soft, bulky, damp and rank and susceptible to diseases. So we find times of the month where balances of these forces can be observed. As far as practices are concerned, the biodynamic approach is to work with the soil to produce sustainably the best the land can give without depleting itself. Turning the soilis combined with green manuring to increase the thickness of the topsoil and free minerals from the subsoil. Liquid manures fermented with locally identified plants having desirable properties are also applied.
Traditional preparations such as panchagavya are also integrated into practices as per their locale,vermiwash is used as a growth promoter, and wood ash drippings for potash rich supplements.Crop diversity and perennials are encouraged, as are safe tillage activities. A good portion of farm acreage is set aside as a biodiversity preserve to conserve woodlands, as non-disturbed soils with trees growing are our mycelium banks where mycelial networks are www.krishijagran.com 54 harboured. SEPTEMBER 2019
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Biodynamic Compost Compost Making is a key activity in any organic farm. Biodynamic composts are made in aerated non-compacted piles to allow flow of air and energies. Permaculture practitioners and other organic farmers are also following this methodology in their food forests and farms across India. A typical biodynamic compost pile has the following broad elements: • • • • • • • •
AIR layer (branches, twigs etc. to allow excess water to flow out) BROWN Carbon layer (dried leaves, plants and grasses) GREEN Nitrogen layer (fresh grasses, plant matter, medicinal leaves that have elements of pest and fungus control, uncooked kitchen waste, etc.) MANURE layer (cow and bull manure – fresh or semi-decomposed) Lime Powder (from limestone/shell to help generate heat quickly) Wood Ash/Rock Dust (Minerals) Farm Soil (familiarizing the farm bacteria) Biodynamic Preparations (see table)
In addition there are several simple compost preparations such as Liquid Manures, simple cow pat pit (CPP) compost, Tree Pastes and other recipes that can be learnt in detail at a biodynamic training course. IMPORTANT INGREDIENTS AND THEIR ACTIONS Fermented Cow Manure Silica
Yarrow
Chamomile
Stinging Nettle (Himalayan)
Oak Bark (Himalayan)
Dandelion
Valerian Casuarina Tea www.krishijagran.com
Stimulates soil life, calcium and nitrogen relationships to foster abundant, balanced life in the soil. Increases microbial activity and encourages root growth. Made from ground quartz crystals. Enhances light metabolism (photosynthesis) in the leaves and encourage healthy growth and optimal fruiting. Increases uptake of nutrients, improves flavor, and protects plants from diseases. Connects with light energies and improves uptake of trace elements. High in sulphur, which stimulatesand detoxes the soil elements, opening it up and allowing it to interact with other substances. Works with digestion and nutrient update. Reduces ammonia in the soil, breaks down organic matter to stabilize nitrogen and increases calcium to create rich stable humus that enhances soil health. Resolves issues in soils that have an imbalance of iron, magnesium and sulphur. Loosens compacted soils andaids in proper decomposition, allowing the nutrients to release, disperse and be absorbed by plants. Influences the calcium and carbon forces to promote good form and harmony to plant growth. Helps regulate undisciplined growth that occurs due to excessive rains and overall moisture, which can bring imbalances and fungal diseases. Stimulates relationship between silica and potassium. Enables plant and soil life to access Silicaand allows its influence to be utilized in compost production. Great for fruit setting. Improve phosphorus processes and as a result photosynthesis in plants. Stimulates warmth and flowering, and protects blossoms from frost. Balances the water and moisture element to limit and control fungal growth,mould, and mildew issues.
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But what is central to the whole operation is having cattle on the farm. Please note we use the gender-neutral term. Recent cow politics have been leaving out the male of the species, who have a huge role to play on our farms. It can be said that the bovine digestive system is the most wholesome in the world. Everything about naturally raised cattle is aimed at digesting what it eats in the best possible way. Similarly, when we use dung and urine and milk from well-raised animals on our farms, we are providing the soil with the inoculants needed to complete the digestion of cellulose, plant matter, into rich, usable humus. Lactating cow dung and urine is preferred in some preparations, because certain growth hormones are present that are beneficial in fertility cycles. Obviously, we want to optimize on female fertile energies. A farm without animals is merely a piece of land with some rocks and plants and trees. Disease and insect control are addressed through prevention rather than cure, with diversity of botanical species and preservation of predator habitat, balanced crop nutrition, and attention to light penetration and airflow being key points. Weed control methods, including timing of planting, mulching, and identifying and avoiding the spread of invasive weed species are utilized. Another very important element of the farm is seeds. Seeds are the key to a successful operation, and maintaining own lines of seeds, year after year is the road to seed security. Biodynamic practices recommend that seeds are collected on certain days when desirable cosmic influence are present and weather conditions are favorable for seed collection. During seed selection, traits such as resilience to disease, drought and water logging are given precedence over yield alone. Finally, a functional biodynamic farm should be able to feed the people living on it. Growing annual vegetables, perennials, crops, and fruits to steadily feed the families depending on the farm is given top priority. One key point in Steiner’s talks was that as humans,we have our gift of speech and more complicated thought processes, risen above the animal and plant kingdoms and set ourselves apart from the rest of the earth. Now this is considered as a great responsibility by biodynamic farmers, although this power of higher thought process is abused by a large part of the human race. We strive to protect and maintain our corners of the earth with the least negative impact on our environment. If anything, adding a few inches of topsoil while having lived and eaten off a piece of land is a life achievement. Contact Farm Store: yarrowayfarm.com/farm.store/
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Corporate News
Inviting Franchise
Buder Alkaline Water Ionizers by Hitachi Maxell
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itachi Maxell, World’s leading manufacturer of energy products, industrial materials, electronic appliances and consumer products are a well-known wholesale distributor company in India and abroad. Alkaline Water Ionizer is one of their premium products in water purification technology. MYBOOSTER strives to redefine health and wellness by curating an international range of technologically advanced products from the best of the world like Hitachi & Maxell. They have sought applications for franchise to promote Health, Success and Financial Freedom. The Buder machine, Alkaline Ionized Water is by far the most superior drinking water available. Ionized Water is electronically enhanced water created through electrolysis. It is produced by running normal tap water over negative (cathode) and positive (anode) electrodes, which ionizes the minerals in the water creating positive (hydrogen-H+) and negative (hydroxyl- OH–) ions. It also has a very high amount of antioxidants which help the Human body to remove toxic waste and improve metabolism. Recharge your water and energize your body with essential minerals that are needed by the body to survive and thrive. It also helps in increasing energy and aids in weight loss. MYBOOSTER’s efforts are to be applauded in ensuring that the citizens of our country stay in good health. The Alkaline Ionized water is capable of bringing a Proper blood pH which is required to improve the Dissolved Oxygen in the blood which helps the organs get adequate oxygen. Buder’s Alkaline Water Ionizers generate water with an ORP of upto -100mV, which is effective and reduces the oxidation in the body. Buder’s Alkaline Ionized water has the highest quantity of Antioxidants with 1.5l of Alkaline Ionized Water having the same amount of Antioxidants as 516 Apples! MYBOOSTER guarantees the franchise would definitely make profits of more than 1 lakh a month. Currently, the company’s most demanding products are alkaline water ionizer and hydrogen water generator. The Sink Alkaline Water Ionizer is the next in demand.
For more information regarding this you can email at igsolarpower@gmail.com Or call at - 9896681841 www.krishijagran.com
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Permaculture Toolkit to Practice Sustainable Farming Ravish Vasan India Fellow 2019 Acumen Founder at Sattvan
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Delving deeper into the space of agriculture some years ago and looking at other ways to farm it was found that there were so many different ways to practice sustainable farming. Many different names– like alternative agriculture, organic agriculture, permaculture, natural farming, natu-eco farming, zero budget natural farming (ZBNF), biodynamic farming and other forms of non-chemical agriculture left me a little confused. The challenge remained to find ways for improving farming systems in ways that are appropriate to the environmental, economic, social and cultural situations of resource-poor small-scale farmers. Some of the revelations were around forest systems (agroforestry), water management (watershed development), canopy management (multi-layer cropping), animal integration (integrated livestock management) and so on. There didn’t exist a system to understand all these together, despite knowing that all these are inter-related to each other. All these reflect different pathways to agroecology, highlighting how such approaches address diversified issues that the world is currently facing. Consumers are actually on the rise demanding healthier food and a closer connection to food producers. Keeping on analysing the different pathways brings closer to one which we feel quite resonates with our inner mind. Sustainability is a choice and it completely depends on individual circumstances. The art of growing food in the Permaculture way resonated with the inner mind concepts and it offered techniques and ideas that helped us move towards a healthy environment, a healthy culture, and healthy people within our region. “Permaculture is a design system that mimics nature in a way that is aesthetically pleasing while also functional, productive, and sustainable”. What is Permaculture? Bill Mollison, an Australian ecologist and University of Tasmania professor, created permaculture in the 1970. Bill spent years learning from nature and its system and was very depressed and distressed at the ecological destruction he saw around him. The only solution he 60 SEPTEMBER 2019
thought was to live based on the patterns he had observed in nature., Mollison observed that natural systems, such as forests and wetlands, are sustainable and they provide for their own energy needs and recycle their own wastes. Each component of the system performs important tasks. Permaculture (a portmanteau of “permanent agriculture”) is an integrated system of ecological and environmental design which Mollison co-developed with David Holmgren, and which they together envisioned as a perennial and sustainable form of agriculture. In 1974, Mollison began his collaboration with Holmgren and in 1978, they published their book Permaculture One, which introduced this design system to the general public. In the 1980s he published his design manual and started teaching permaculture design courses to spread his ideas around the world. By the 1990s permaculture had started spreading throughout the US, although it’s more well-known in other countries around the world. To this day, it’s continuing to grow as a global grassroots movement and people primarily learn about it through permaculture design courses and workshops that generally happen outside of academia. As per Bill Mollison, the father of Permaculture, “Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system.” Also originally referred as “Permanent Agriculture”, Permaculture includes, but is not limited to, enabling ecological design, building regenerative systems, ensuring integrated water resource management and adopting agricultural systems modelled from natural ecosystems. There can’t be anything that is as inclusive and easily assessible as Permaculture. All other systems are subset within Permaculture. Permaculture is based upon a series of ethics and principles that speak of our responsibilities for own lives, our environment, and the future. They help us to design a more secure future for our families, our land, and our culture. How to use Permacultue for your Farm? Imagine a situation when you are a complete novice but extremely excited about practicing sustainable farming. You go looking for a right www.krishijagran.com
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piece of land from where to operate from. Some may already have a land piece in their name (ancestral). When you go into that land, what do you observe? Some notable answers would be land size, soil type, water sources, standing crops, weeds, trees, road access etc. In normal circumstances, it would be difficult to imagine if these are all connected or not. You need to shape the farm in a way to make it viable, efficient, and sustainable for your requirements.Permaculture helps in connecting all these dots together and turn the system in your favor when done in harmony with nature. Size is not a constraint in designing. You can design a large farm of size more than 50 acres to even a small rooftop terrace garden using permaculture concepts. I will take an example of a sustainable residential farm house (with a design brief layout given below) to explain the toolkit offered but remember to follow these steps in whichever model you are trying to design.
boring), electricity connection, farm manager and local community connect. Broad elements needed included living structure, fence, livestock plan, crop plan, timber and food forest plan. 3. Capitalize on available resources: The available resources need to be planned for its efficient and effective utilization with minimum interference. The availability of farm manager and water, electricity can be utilized to initiate some sustainable crop practices & tree plantation as per plan. Support from local community can be leveraged to gather key farm resources (livestock based inputs, labor, market etc.) and introduce the learnings from the project to the community effectively. Never forget elements of nature like sunlight, rains, birds, wind as well as resources which can help or disturb you. 4. Try to gather/make up for missing resources: The missing elements around fence, structure, livestock integration can be built with help of farm manager and local community. The crop plan, food forest and timber plan can be received as part of farm training from local permaculture expert or sustainable farming practitioner. Always try to grow local, indigenous varieties with as much respect to local farming practices. They have evolved over generations compared to scientific practices which are still in evolution stage. 5. Try to incorporate as much of local ingredients, knowledge & experience: This is energy efficient, low maintenance, encourages local community growth and acknowledges knowledge developed over generations. Our client would be building a mudhouse made of clay, bamboo and straw base which keeps cool during summers and warm during winters. A modification in terms of reinforced foundation (to avoid issues due to waterlogging in field) was incorporated based on observation.
1. Identify your key needs from the farm (with budget & timeline):The farm owner wanted to develop this as a retirement farm house with minimum dependency/ interference from outside farm elements. So, this has to be a self-sustaining farm site with food, water, timber, and stay needs to be fulfilled. Budget was not a constraint but the timeline constraint for development was 3 years.
In the same way, livestock selection for farming was taken from local knowledge repository for low maintenance, robust breed compared to high yielding, high maintenance breeds. Learn for other farming systems and take up as much elements relevant in your local context as possible. Decisions like these go a long way in sustaining your farm and making it close to nature.
2. Recognize available elements and missing elements for the desired needs: The farm already had assured water supply (through
6. Observe patterns in nature: To plan and deal with each of the elements, you need to observe all visible trends and be observant all the time.
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Some identifiable trends on client’s plot included seasonal waterlogging in rainy season with canal drainage around the plot, specific crop patterns on surrounding plots, wildlife intrusion from certain direction, pest infestation at certain times of year, specific weeds with their causative agents and many more. The key is to record these patterns as these would help in planning the resource utilization and placement of key elements on the farm. 7. Use zone and sector planning to utilize resources efficiently: Remember that conserving & efficiently utilizing available energy systems in your design helps in making the design long-lasting & sustainable. We included vegetable beds, nursery, and livestock very close to farm house (Zone 1) because they need daily attention while timber, bamboo, food forest, windbreak zones (Zone 4) were kept further because of relatively lesser effort. Zones of higher number need lesser frequency of attention and vice versa. Sectors are defined on farm basis energy systems like sunlight, water, wind, animals etc. The plantation of dense canopy trees on west & north was planned keeping in mind the sun angle for most efficient utilization of sunlight and avoid shadow on seasonal crops. Crops & vegetables that require more water were grown closer to water source than others. So, you have to think thoroughly from frequency (zone) and energy (sector) perspectives to make your farm sustainable. 8. Diversify as much as possible& have multiple utility for each element: Never focus on uni-lateral elements because that is akin to putting all your eggs in one basket. Have at least 2 to 3 utility for each element and have as many inter-connected elements as possible. The client was provided a temporary shelter (bamboo & straw) in front of owner’s house with multiple utility planned. It can house livestock during rains/ adverse weather, can store dry fodder, farm equipment and roof can also act as space for climbers like gourds, pumpkin etc. to spread and give temporary side shade during summers. Having it close to water source (boring) helps in feeding animals easily, wash them regularly and also have a close watch on any irrigation issue by farm manager. The farm can be self sufficient through crops, vegetables and food forests, but 62 SEPTEMBER 2019
there are also provisions for multi-layer farming, nursery propagation, green fodder and spices & medicinal beds (chilli, ginger, turmeric, basil, lemongrass etc.) to take care of other lateral, low-hanging needs. These interventions do not take too much space but add lot to help you observe what works well and what doesn’t at your farm. 9. Learn from failures & reiterate with learnings – Permaculture as well as nature teaches us that good things are all around us, we just need to be observant enough and include those in our lives. A design or trend present in nature has evolved over millions of years and adapted with concurrent changes. Diversifying your risks well and including local knowledge, communities in your design will help you sustain for a longer journey. There is never a perfect design and it is a constantly evolving process. Spread Love. Heal Nature. Respect All Creatures. When permaculture first came it was portrayed as a decentralized, grassroots movement. It wasn’t appealing at the first instance. Today, however, Permaculture gives hope in the Challenging World. Permaculture is not a discipline in itself, but a design science that connects different disciplines such as agroforestry, environmental science, landscape architecture, botany, chemistry, hydrology and indigenous cosmology.
For more on Permaculture, refer these amazing books&references: 1. The Principles of Permaculture by Bill Mollison & David Holmgren 2. Permaculture – A Designer’s Manual by Bill Mollison (TAGARY Publication) 3. Sepp Holzer’s Permaculture by Sepp Holzer 4. A Resource Book for Permaculture by IDEP Foundation 5. Gaia’s Garden – A Guide to Home Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway
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Herb Spiral Designs
Hugelkultur are no-dig raised beds with a difference. They hold moisture, build fertility, maximise surface volume and are great spaces for growing fruit, vegetables and herbs. Simply mound logs, branches, leaves, grass clippings, straw, cardboard, petroleum-free newspaper, manure, compost or whatever other biomass you have available, top with soil and plant your veggies. A large bed might give out a constant supply of nutrients for 20 years (or even longer if you use only hardwoods). The composting wood also generates heat which should extend the growing season. The logs and branches act like a sponge. Rainwater is stored and then released during drier times. Actually you may never need to water your hugel bed again after the first year (except during long term droughts).
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Sustainability - Practitioners
Bruce Charles “Bill” Mollison (4 May 1928 – 24 September 2016) was an Australian researcher, author, scientist, teacher and biologist. He is referred to as the “father of permaculture. In 1974, Mollison began his collaboration with Holmgren, and in 1978, they published their book Permaculture One, which introduced this design system to the general public. Bill was co-founder, with David Holmgren, of the permaculture movement – a worldwide network of remarkable resilience, with organisations now operating in 126 countries and projects in at least 140, inspiring individuals and communities to take initiatives in fields as diverse as food production, building design, community economics and community development. Mollison founded The Permaculture Institute in Tasmania, and created the education system to train others under the umbrella of permaculture. In 1981, he was awarded the Right Livelihood Award “for developing and promoting the theory and practice of permaculture.
Source: Wikipedia
David Holmgren is best known as the co-originator of the permaculture concept following the publication of Permaculture One in 1978. David is passionate about the philosophical and conceptual foundations for sustainability that are highlighted in his book, “Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability”. David’s refreshing and unorthodox approach to the environmental issues of our time has been a major influence on the Transition Towns movement. David and his partner Su Dennett live at Melliodora, a one-hectare property in Central Victoria. It is one of Australia’s best-documented permaculture demonstration sites. Source: Wikipedia
Geoff Lawton (born 10 December 1954) is a permaculture consultant, designer, teacher and speaker. Since 1995 he has specialised in permaculture education, design, implementation, system establishment, administration and community development. He has educated over 15,000 students in permaculture worldwide. In 1996 he was accredited with the Permaculture Community Services Award by the permaculture movement for services in Australia and around the world. Lawton established a new Permaculture Research Institute on the 66 hectare Tagari Farm developed by Mollison. Lawton established The Permaculture Research Institute Australia as a not for profit company. PRI was eventually moved to Zaytuna Farm, in The Channon, where it continues today. Lawton is the managing director of The Permaculture Research Institute Australia and The Permaculture Research Institute USA. Recently, Lawton has achieved success in establishing a permaculture ecosystem in Wadi Rum, in southern Jordan. He has also helped to begin the Al Baydha Project, a land restoration program, in western Saudi Arabia. Source: Wikipedia
G.Venkat (1923-2011) a guru and mentor to many who took up agriculture on ecological principles.A retired doctor who became the father of permaculture in India,. He utilized the Permaculture teachings of Bill Mollison and traditional Indian practices to create Permaculture concepts tailored to the Indian subcontinent. “If life depends upon soil, unless you see soil as a living thing you cannot get life out of it. You can’t get life out of a non-living thing.” He was like a true “earth-carer”. His garden always doubled as a demonstration plot for the many visitors who dropped by to understand the tenets, principles, practices and philosophy of permanent agriculture. He kept a seed bank of several fruit and vegetable plants that he grew and was happy to gift seeds and saplings to any enthusiast who was keen to start a garden or already had one.To the very end he practiced permaculture in his little home garden. Source: Aranya
Robyn Francis is an Australian permaculture figure, designer, educator, presenter, innovator and founder of Permaculture College Australia. She is the designer and creator of Djanbung Gardens, Australia’s leading permaculture centre, and was member of the National Reference Group which developed the Accredited Permaculture Training™ (APT) for Permaculture International. Robyn has dedicated the past 25 years to empowering people to be effective agents of change. Her students include some of permaculture’s leading teachers and activists. Source: Wikipedia
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Narsanna Koppula is a permaculture pioneer in India. A lover of nature and environment, he was among the first Indians trained by Bill Mollison in the 1980s. With his mentor, Late Dr. Venkat, who has been his constant source of inspiration, they created the first permaculture farms in India and formed Permaculture Farmers Group across the country. In the year 1997, Narsanna and Padma started 11.5 acres permaculture farm in Bidakanne village, Jharasangam mandal, Medak district and started training programs for the interested farmers. It evolved as a Permaculture Learning centre for the farmers. Narsanna Koppula organises long-term permaculture internship programs, Design Courses other workshops. Narsanna and Padma Koppula founded Aranya Agricultural Alternatives, an environmental and developmental NGO, in Hyderabad in March 1999. The NGO was the proud host of the 13th International Permaculture Convergence in November 2017.They continuously work with farmers in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh with the goal to empower rural communities through the teaching of natural resource management and permaculture design.
Source: Aranya
Clea Chandmal,
having her doctorate in Plant Molecular Physiology did her Permaculture Design Certificate course (PDC) with Bill Mollison, Geoff Lawton and Greg Knibbs in Melbourne in the year 2008. She is located in Goa and takes care of Foyts Farm.It was once a barren land bought 10 years ago, except for a patch of unchartered forest. She demonstrates all permaculture based techniques on her farm. The aim is to educate on how to go about developing their land into a productive and resilient largely self-regulating system. Her farm has been described by many as a ‘Garden of Eden’. Her understanding of ecosystems has helped her in the practice of Permaculture. Her ability to simplify and explain core underlying principles, has made her lectures and classes inspiring. In her farm grows several high value crops such as passion fruit, vanilla, french herbs, and they are currently focussing on rainwater harvesting. The farm is self reliant on food, water and will be for energy shortly.Their methods have ensured that soil fertility and water conservation will keep on improving naturally.
Source: Down to Earth
A desire to grow her own food, led Manisha Lath Gupta and her husband Agam to create a food forest for their family on a barren piece of land near Morni Hills, Panchkula.Manisha and Agam were both working in Mumbai when they were introduced to permaculture. The once barren land is now a lush green food forest called Aanandaa The Permaculture Farm. By the 2011 monsoon they accomplished their first plantation of over 1,000 trees. The farm, designed using permaculture principles, is now home to about 5,000 trees. The duo run the farm by themselves with a team of capable local villagers who work at Aanandaa. Since neither of them were from a traditional farming background, their journey has been a learning process with the help of books, videos and the local farm help. In a single monsoon season, they harvest approximately 5 million litres of water every time there is a heavy downpour.Manisha and her family are almost self-sufficient in food today. They grow all cereals, pulses, oil seeds, vegetables, fruits and spices that can grow in North India.
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Swayyam was an overgrazed,eroded and barrenland outside the village of Yellachatti in Karnataka ,India.It is at present teaming with fruits,timber,fodder,fibretrees,insect,butterflies,birds,reptiles and other wildlife. All credit goes to Malavikaa Solanki the torch bearer of Swayyam.She has creatively used Permaculture and Natural Farming principles to build self sufficiency by focusing on planting and reviving the old and traditional farming systems that can nurture the soil, people and the ecosystem. Saving and sharing of seeds; use & sharing of medicinal plants; reviving local water bodies; soil and water conservation; building with local materials using local skills and labour; use of alternate energy sources like solar and wind etc. are all the activities being done in the farm. Malavikaa Solanki the torch bearer of Swayyam conducts Practical Permaculture Workshops in Swayyam that gives us an introduction to the ethics and principles,concepts of permaculture design. Source:Swayyam
Australian-Indian couple Rosie Harding and Peter Fernandes’s 600-square meter food forest, in Assagao was a once barren strip of land deemed utterly unfit for cultivation. Now, completely transformed by the judicious application of Permaculture design principles, it is a cheerful and verdant space of miraculous abundance. Around 250 different species and varieties of fruits, vegetables and herbs are to be seen growing here. Their aim is to inspire and initiate us all to grow the same scrumptious food in our own backyards. Rosie and Peter keep themselves actively involved in disseminating awareness and outreach to individuals and organisations who wish to participate in every aspect of local food security, in ecological activities like groundwater recharging & management, soil building, regenerative growing practices, closed-loop fertility, carbon sequestration, food security, seed saving, species diversity, perennials, the revival and rediscovery of forgotten foods and animal husbandry.They are constantly working towards the creation of new growing spaces for the purpose of demonstration, education and research.
Aparajita and Debal -Smell of the Earth farm at Ruppur, Birbhum, West Bengal is a 2 acre farm designed according to Permaculture principles. It is run by Aparajita and Debal.The Smell of the Earth is a multi cropping farm that is currently growing rice, vegetables, mustard, potatoes and other diverse crops. They do inter-cropping instead of using pesticides to avoid disturbing the biodynamics. They do have their own fish and ducks too. The farm uses pond water and not ground water, and they also plan to make a transition to solar power too. They grow almost everything they eat and sell the excess locally. They sell rice,dal,jams and pickles.They also teach a Natural Farming course for a small class of 8 people twice every year,where they share their knowledge about setting up similar farms and farm based businesses. Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner ( February 1861 – March 1925) was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect and economist. Steiner worked to establish various practical endeavors, including Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, and anthroposophical medicine.. Steiners lecture series on an ecological and sustainable approach to agriculture that increased soil fertility without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides,inspired a group of farmers in 1924. Steiner’s agricultural ideas spread and were put into practice internationally and biodynamic agriculture is now practiced in Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Australasia. Steiner suggested that the farm should be seen in whole as a selfsustainable organism.He also suggested timing for agricultural activities as sowing, weeding, and harvesting to utilize the influences on plant growth of the moon and planets; and the application of natural materials prepared in specific ways to the soil, compost, and crops, with the intention of engaging non-physical beings and elemental forces. Source: Wikipedia
Sir Albert Howard was the founder of the Organic Farming Movement. He worked for 25 years as an agricultural investigator in India, first as Agricultural Adviser to States in Central India and Rajputana, then as Director of the Institute of Plant Industry at Indore, where he developed the famed Indore composting process, which put the ancient art of composting.He adopted the best teachers: Nature -- “the supreme farmer”, India’s peasants (whom he regarded as his prime “customers”), and the pests and weeds the scientists were committed to fighting with an ever-widening array of poisons, but which Howard called his “Professors of Agriculture”. Source: Wikipedia
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Organic Farming Initiatives in Dantewada Subsistence to Sustainability PRADAN
Akash Badave
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The EARTH does not belong to man. Man BELONGS to the earth.” -Unknown
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antewada, situated in southern Chhattisgarh, is among the most backward and remote districts of India. Surrounded by hillocks covered with semi-tropical forest (60 per cent of the area of the district is covered by forests), it is the home of the tribal community of Madiya Gond (71 per cent of the population is tribal) and the population density of the district is merely 83 per sqkm. Like all other tribal communities, the Madiya Gonds of Dantewada are dependent on natural resources for a living, the most prominent sources being agriculture and forest produce. The forest provides them with wood, fodder and minor forest produce and acts as a source of food and medicine in the form of roots, tubers, fruits, wild vegetables and mushrooms. Agriculture, on the other hand, is mainly practised as a means of subsistenceA century back, these sources of livelihood were abundant and the population was very sparse. The tribal way of life—simple, free and in harmonious coexistence with nature— had little interference from the outside world. The description of such tribal life comes in the ethnographic writings of Haimendorf when he travelled through Bastar in the late 70s (Haimendorf 1982, p.202). He writes: “In the Muria villages I visited, there was a relaxed atmosphere indicative of well-being and prosperity.I found the same spirit in a remote village of the Abujhmar Hills, where all the people, men, women, and children, had gathered to thrash the newly reaped grain, a task which the setting of the sun and the rise of the full moon did not interrupt. This work, too, was done in a festive mood, with singing and laughing and the inspiration of ample quantities of home-brewed beer.” Such was the life back in those days. However, the excerpt is not presented here to paint a romantic picture of tribal life; it is to help see its contrast to the present situation of tribal communities across Central India. Much has changed over past century. Resources, once abundant, have now shrunk. Population has boomed. The extent of poverty and hunger is high. The situation of health and malnutrition is grim. For decades, tribal communities have faced exploitation from various sections of society and alienation from resources that are rightfully theirs. Mining has 70 SEPTEMBER 2019
ruined the habitat and displacement has disrupted their lives. Addiction and idleness have increased due to the prevalence of alcohol and free government hand- outs in the name of development. In such a fertile ground, Naxalism has found its roots, and this has pushed the tribal communities further into a cycle of violence and a level of marginalization never seen before. Various reasons can be attributed to this predicament. A close look at the issue, some analysis and dissection through the layers, however, reveals that the core causes of this crisis are: alienation of the tribal communities from their natural resources over the years, degradation of these resources and the resulting degradation of the livelihoods of tribal communities, dependent on these resources. Changing Livelihood Patterns: Forests One of the prominent themes in this process of transition is the gradual erosion of forest-based livelihoods. A major reason for this was the loss of the rights of tribal communities over the forests they live in or near. The Indian Forest Act, introduced in 1878, disturbed the harmonious relationship of tribal communities with the forest. It treated them as intruders in the same forest they had been preserving for generations. The Forest Act, and the Forest Department subsequently formed, has had a great impact on the livelihoods and well-being of the tribes all over the country. Accessing wood from the forest for daily cooking, shelter and other needs has become difficult. The community is harassed by the Forest Department officials. Cattle can no longer be grazed in the Reserve Forest Land. The Forest Department focussed more on commercial species such as teak and eucalyptus, which have a limited use and significance in tribal culture. Block plantations of such species have eroded the diversity of the forest, which has gradually decreased the availability of various minor forest products, medicines, wild fruits, roots and vegetables, important from the perspective of the people (Haimendorf 1982, p. 81). Increasing population has put more pressure on the forest-based livelihoods. Over a period of time, the forest has shrunk due to mining, smuggling of wood or clearing for cultivation. On www.krishijagran.com
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the other hand, the increasing population has to share this shrinking base of forest for its various needs. And forest-based livelihoods are gradually proving to be insufficient for the increasing population. There is, therefore, a need for diversification and the strengthening of other sources of livelihood.
quent activities of the Forest Department and other policies of the State. As a result, instead of evolving with time, this transition has taken place in a very short period and, therefore, has had many long-lasting repercussions on tribal society and has worsened their poverty and marginalization.
Changing Livelihood Patterns: Agriculture
Unlike other agrarian societies, the methods of cultivation followed by tribal farmers and the geographical conditions in which farming is done are quite different. The use of ploughs and bullocks is very limited in the tribal way of farming and has been adopted by them only very recently. The bullocks lack training and are small and fragile, perhaps because, historically, they were never selectively bred for intensive cultivation. Apart from the plough, few advanced tools are in use in this region. Sowing is primarily done by broadcasting seeds. Most of the agriculture is rain-fed. There are very few intricate community driven systems of irrigation. Because only a single crop is cultivated during the year, the cattle are released to roam free after the kharif season is over.
Similar to the changes in forest-based livelihoods are the changes in agricultural practices in Dantewada. The policies of the state and the Forest Department have greatly impacted the cultivation practices of tribal communities. Slash and burn was traditionally followed in many regions of the district as a primary method of cultivation. Although it was believed to be an ecologically viable method of cultivation by many anthropologists, it was banned under the Forest Act (Guha 2010, p. 128). Unlike mainstream agrarian societies, tribal communities shifted their place of cultivation every few years. They would leave the fields barren for the forest to rejuvenate, and move to the next patch of forest to clear and burn, and cultivate there, returning to the previous fields after a few years, thus completing the cycle. These practices had to be abandoned after the Forest Act came into being. The land on which cultivation was going on when forest boundaries were being marked was considered to be agricultural land. The land demarcated as forest was that on which cultivation was going on for generations in rotation, making it inaccessible to the people.
Traditional methods of cultivation are still practised in Dantewada, demonstrating that even though the tribals have been made to abandon their slash-and-burn agriculture and have begun to practice farming at one place, they are yet to fully adopt the practices of intensive cultivation. Whereas forest-based livelihoods have weakened over time, agriculture or other sources of livelihoods have not yet advanced to cover the loss.
Incidentally, the transition of tribal communities of Dantewada and the regions around it, from the forest-dwelling way of living towards an agrarian way of living was already in the process, due to the interaction with other communities and the policies of the Gond Kings (Pallavi, 2014, ‘Impacts on Resources and Economy’, para. 1). Those who lived in the hills largely continued their original method of cultivation; those who came in contact with other communities, however, gradually started using ploughs, bullocks (Haimendorf 1982, p. 15).
Agricultural productivity in the area is very low. The grains produced barely cover a family’s needs. Dependence on a money-based economy has increased but the earning from minor forest produce (MFP) is shrinking and the earning from agriculture is very low. The changes in the patterns of livelihoods have also had an impact on the nutrition of the people. Traditionally, the forest provided a wide variety of vegetables, roots and mushrooms, the availability of which is now shrinking. The availability of game from the forest has also gone down. On the other hand, the cultivation of vegetables and pulses is very minimal, resulting in serious gaps in the nutritional profile of the daily diet.
This transition was greatly accelerated and practically forced upon the people by the imposition of the Indian Forest Act, the subse-
The diversity of crops in agriculture is also decreasing because people prefer the cultivation of paddy over minor millets such as finger millet,
Repercussions
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kosra and kodo millet. These millets had an important place in the traditional tribal diet, which is now dominated by rice because it is cheap and easily available in the public distribution system (PDS) shops. At the crossroads The tribal communities of Dantewada are now at a crossroad. Their traditional, forest-dwelling way of life, their harmonious relationship with the forest and their self-sufficiency based on the surrounding natural resources have been disrupted. They have not yet been able to fully embrace the modern agrarian way of life. The realities around them have changed so fast, giving them little time to adapt to the change culturally. Their plight poses several questions. Is this transition inevitable, triggered by the forces of modern world? Should the people embrace it in order to survive? What are the aspirations of the people? Which direction do they want to move in as a society? What is the government doing to address these livelihoods crises that tribal communities are facing? How have the interventions enabled people to deal with the crisis? What choices has the government given to the people? Government Policies “The old order must change rapidly. Traditional methods must give way to superior technology. Man must harness nature in order to create a better life for himself,� narrates a 1971 government documentary A Village Smiles about the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam (Dharu & Patwardhan, 1995). Quite similar was the approach of government policies successful in bringing about the Green Revolution in India in the 1970s when the country was facing a serious shortage of grains. The people were persuaded to abandon traditional practices of farming and encouraged to adopt the use of high yielding varieties (HYVs) of seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and mono-cropping, resulting in increasing the production of wheat and paddy in India substantially. Similar policies, which were started during the Green Revolution, are being implemented in Dantewada by the government, in an attempt to improve agricultural production. Some major schemes driving these policies are National Food Security Mission (NFSM) and Rajya Poshit Yojana. 72 SEPTEMBER 2019
One of the reasons, it is believed, for the low productivity in agriculture is the use of traditional seeds. Farmers have been persuaded to adopt improved varieties and hybrid seeds by having these distributed to them free and by organizing demonstrations on how to use these seeds on some plots. The use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides is also promoted through these schemes. Wanting to provide a good income to the farmers, the cultivation of hybrid maize has been widely promoted. In order to increase irrigation coverage, farmers have been given subsidies to dig bore-wells and buy electric or diesel pumps. With the efforts of the Agriculture department, people have gradually started using improved and hybrid seeds, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The cultivation of hybrid maize is picking up and it provides a good cash income. The production of paddy has been increasing in the district lately. Earlier, the grains produced were hardly sufficient for the needs of a single family. Now many farmers have started selling their produce in the government procurement system. Impact of Government Policies Government policies, based on the promotion of chemical-intensive farming, have been, as of now, showing positive results in Dantewada. But are these results sustainable? If the tribal farmers of Dantewada adopt the chemical intensive-cash crop and mono-cropping-based farming on a wide scale, will it strengthen their livelihoods in the true sense? What is the longterm experience of the policies of the Green Revolution in other parts of the country, where it saw great success? A look at the national experience of the Green Revolution and the plight of the farmers in the surrounding regions like Maharashtra, Telangana and the plains of Chhattisgarh will, perhaps, help us understand this. Today, though the production of cereals such as wheat and paddy has increased manifold, and the country has achieved self-sufficiency, it has come at many social and environmental costs. The impact is evident in regions such as the Punjab, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh in the form of loss of soil fertility, salinity due to excessive irrigation, health hazards due to pesticides and suicides of debt-ridden farmers. Fortunately, such effects have not yet been observed in regions such as Dantewada because, www.krishijagran.com
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so far, the use of chemicals has been quite low. However, as the practices of chemical-intensive farming are picking up, various subtle changes can certainly be observed such as the loss of the rich diversity of traditional varieties and crops, compromised seed sovereignty of farmers, increased debt, dependence on the government system and market, impact on soil fertility and the loss of nutrition in the diet. Famously called the ‘Rice Bowl of India’, Chhattisgarh is known for its diversity in rice. There were around 19, 000 varieties of rice cultivated by the farmers of Chhattisgarh, which are now preserved at the Indira Gandhi Agriculture University (IGAU), Raipur (Singh, 2013, p.17). Many of these varieties are unique in terms of aroma, taste, medicinal properties, nutritional value and climate resistance. Quite contrary to conventional beliefs, many of these traditional varieties have been found to be as productive as HYVs, according to the research of Dr. Richharia (Singh, 2013, p.17). These traditional varieties of rice were available for free to the people and were exchanged among the farmers through intricate social institutions. Today, not only are these institutions being destroyed but the diversity of seeds also is in danger because people are no longer preserving them. With the promotion of improved seeds and HYVs, and extension work of the Agriculture Department in promoting modern seed varieties, people have gradually started abandoning the traditional varieties. Hybrid seeds are more susceptible to pests, diseases and adverse climatic conditions and need chemical fertilizers to provide a better yield. These costly seeds have to be bought from the market every year because they cannot be reused. The adoption of chemical farming, although limited, is already showing its impact in the field. The elders of the community have apprehensions about the use of chemicals in farming. Wherever chemical fertilizers have been adopted, farmers have complained about hardening of the soil and creatures like earthworms and small fish vanishing from the fields. With the hardening of the soil, ploughing with animals becomes difficult, and tractors have to be used. Farmers also complain about reduction in the yield if they are not able to add fertilizers, which was not the case earlier, with traditional farming. www.krishijagran.com
The area under the cultivation of millets such as kodo, kosra and finger millet is decreasing in Dantewada. These millets are crucial for food security of the people. Millets are climate-resistant; the crops can grow in arid land with minimum water; and millets are nutritionally superior compared to rice or wheat. Funnily enough, these crops were termed to be ‘unbeneficial’ by the Agriculture Department of Chhattisgarh government and farmers were persuaded to abandon them for alternative crops. Although such a replacement programme does not exist anymore, there is dearth of a programme that systematically promotes the cultivation and consumption of millets. A critical look at the impact of these government policies shows that whereas they may have been able to increase the agricultural production of the farmers in Dantewada, their long-term sustainability and potential to provide a net economic earning for farmers and truly strengthen their livelihood are questionable. Self-reliance, diversity, minimum dependence on money, minimum needs and harmony with nature—these were the key components of the survival strategy of the tribal community. However, today with government-backed interventions, these values are gradually being eroded. Farmers are losing their seed sovereignty; the diversity of the cultivation is decreasing; and there is increased dependence on a money-based economy and market. Also, traditional tribal institutions and systems of agriculture are getting destroyed in the process. An Alternative Approach Amid these government policies and schemes, three years ago, the District Administration of Dantewada decided to follow an alternative route, with the support of the then Collector, Mr K. C. Devasenapathi. Aimed at harnessing the surrounding natural resources and the traditional knowledge of the community about strengthening their livelihoods, the route was based on the principles of environmental, economic and social sustainability. Tribal communities have a great wealth of traditional knowledge about farming, about the strategies crucial for survival and about genetic treasure, in the form of diversity of traditional seeds. Not only is this knowledge important for battling climate change and ensuring food secuSEPTEMBER 2019
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rity and nutrition, but it also has great economic potential. This traditional knowledge, therefore, needs to be understood, preserved and taken forward. It should also be augmented with modern techniques and practices that are sustainable and appropriate. With this thought process, the Administration took up various initiatives to promote the practices of ‘Sustainable Agriculture’ in the district. Various departments joined hands in these efforts and took up activities, mainly in three categories: resource management and infrastructure development; training and capacity building; and building institutions of farmers. Even though the district has an annual rainfall of around 1500 mm, irrigation coverage is merely five per cent. A comprehensive policy for the development of irrigation was thus followed, ensuring that all possible options are tapped.
The ground-water profile of the district is also under-utilized presently. The Agriculture Department, therefore, has helped farmers to dig bore-wells in limited numbers with a partial subsidy and a bank linkage for two years, initially. In order to ensure water conservation, efforts are being made to dig farm ponds for every farmer, who has joined these efforts. Farm ponds will provide distress irrigation as well as recharge the ground water. The Administration has also launched a programme called the Mochobaadi, aimed at promoting organic cultivation of vegetables, pulses and millets among community members. As yet, cultivation of these crops is very minimal in the district. Multi-cropping is very rarely followed by farmers because of the lack of irrigation, spaces for open grazing, and knowhow, and various other reasons.
Many irrigation schemes, either under-utilized
The intake of vegetables and pulses in the diet of the poor of the community is very low. This
or dysfunctional, were revived with minimum investment. Repair of the distribution network was carried out so that the water actually reached the fields. Perennial streams and rivers were identified and electricity connections were given to farmers in groups so that they could lift water for irrigation.
results in serious gaps in the nutrition, especially of the women and children. Mochobaadi aims at improving the food security and nutrition of the farmers, and provides them with a source of income through a sustainable way of cultivation.
Many farmers, however, were not in a financial condition to buy irrigation pumps, in spite of the costs being partially subsidized through schemes of the Agriculture Department. Financial linkages through the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) were provided to such farmers so that they can buy pumps.
Under this programme, a comprehensive package, including wire fencing, irrigation facility, land development, drip irrigation and facilities for organic farming such as the NADEP, vermi-compost pits and a urine tank, are provided to farmers through the convergence of various government schemes and with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds. It is ensured that the farmer also contributes his share for this
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package. Today, Mochobaadis have been established in 127 villages of Dantewada, involving more than 1300 farmers. Paddy is the most widely cultivated crop in Dantewada. Most farmers follow the broadcasting technique and use traditional seeds. Although this technique is relatively more resistant to the unfavourable climatic conditions, its productivity is low. Besides, it creates an opinion that traditional varieties, in general, are low in productivity.
Attempts have been made to introduce the technique of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) among farmers. This simple technique of paddy cultivation can substantially increase productivity, even with the use of traditional seeds and organic inputs. Similar experiments of SRI have also been carried out to improve the productivity of the finger millet. In the three years of implementation, these interventions have shown results that are quite promising. The official government data show that whereas the average productivity of paddy is 11 quintals/ha in the district, the average productivity of organic SRI is estimated to be 34 quintals/ha. After the first year of the intervention, due to these results and the benefits in terms of reduced input costs and labour requirement, farmers came forward in large numbers to adopt SRI. As a result, in the second year, organic SRI was adopted by 775 farmers on 640 acres of land— a 260 per cent rise in the area under SRI cultivation in one year. The year, 2015–16, however, drought in all four blocks of the district has resulted in setbacks. Most farmers in Dantewada are traditional farmers who do not use much chemical inputs in farming. In 2012, the average consumption of fertilizers in Dantewada was 5.8 kg per ha as compared to the state average of 74.2 kg per ha. It, therefore, made much more sense to promote organic farming among farmers rather than push them to the unsustainable path of chemical-intensive farming.
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Organic farming would not only safeguard the environment and the health of the people, but would also minimize the expenditure of the farmers in the long term. Extensive training and capacity-building was carried out to introduce organic farming for farmers of the district. They were taught how to prepare organic inputs such as NADEP compost, green manure, jeevamrit, fish tonic and bio-pest repellents. Because cattle urine is a very important ingredient of organic manure, concrete floors andurine tanks have been constructed for more than 1200 farmers. NADEP compost, being promoted in Dantewada, is a very easy and effective method of composting. For this, NADEP compost pits have been built in large numbers across the district. Visits to successful organic farms and organizations across the nation doing effective work in organic farming are also arranged regularly for the farmers and staff.
the staff of the various departments in the district towards the cause of organic farming. Permissions were sought and modifications in the rules were made and ways were found to avoid the promotion of chemicals through government schemes. As Dantewada became known for the efforts in organic farming, the pressure from the state to promote chemicals gradually fizzled away. Mr Devasenapathi also showed remarkable openness and willingness to learn and accept suggestions from experts in organic farming such as V. S. Arunachalam and Jacob Nellithanam; this ensured that the efforts were headed in the right direction. Due to these efforts, in 2015, the consumption of chemical fertilizers in Dantewada dropped to 0.52 kg per ha. Quite strikingly, in the same year, the average consumption of fertilizers of Chhattisgarh rose to 96 kg per ha, a whopping 30 per cent growth in three years from 2012.
However, the promotion of organic farming has not been free of hurdles. Usually, one can expect some unwillingness on the part of the farmers to adopt organic farming because of the fear of loss of productivity. In Dantewada, the experience was the opposite. The farmers showed a great amount of willingness, perhaps, because their way of living and culture are closely linked to nature; they were able to understand the ill-effects of chemicals in farming quickly. The challenges, however, were from government programmes and the attitude of government officials. Many Agriculture Department schemes distribute chemical fertilizers and pesticides for free. There is also a pressure from the state to increase the use of the chemicals every year. The field staff of the Agriculture Department, therefore, faced an internal contradiction. Whereas, as part of the district administration, they were supposed to promote organic farming, the departmental schemes required them to distribute chemicals in the villages. This inconsistency confused the staff, undermined their image in the field, and also hampered the entire programme. The commitment and unstinting support of Mr K. C. Devasenapathi, the then Collector of Dantewada, to organic farming that helped resolve this inconsistency. He advocated the policies of organic farming at various platforms and meetings at the state level strongly and also aligned 76 SEPTEMBER 2019
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WO R LD From Seeds to Market: Developing the Eco System These efforts started with the simple idea of promoting SRI among farmers. Gradually, this has developed and evolved into a comprehensive approach to develop natural resources-based sustainable livelihood for the rural communities of Dantewada. For this, it was not sufficient to make interventions in bits and pieces. It is essential to understand the nature of livelihoods and the various factors involved, and to then make well-coordinated interventions to develop an entire eco-system for the development of sustainable agriculture. The important first step is to organize the farmers. As long as they are alone, farmers will always remain at the whims of the market. It is, therefore, important to organize them into groups so that they speak in a collective voice and, thereby, take strength from each other. At Dantewada, the organic farmers have been organized into around 100 groups. These groups are serving as the most basic blocks of the organic movement, playing a crucial role in community mobilization, collective decision-making, mutual sharing and learning. With these groups becoming strong and vibrant, work to identify and develop traditional seeds in the community has been started recently. The idea is that select groups will adopt these varieties and carry out the task of seed production of traditional seeds, to be made available to other groups. Work is also going on to provide storage godowns for each group so that they can collectively store their produce in a cool and dry place. As a next step, these groups are being further organized into a farmers’ producer company. Named Bhoomgaadi, after a post-harvest festival celebrated in Dantewada, the producer company will be owned collectively by the farmers. It will collect the organic produce, process it and market it under the brand name of ‘Aadim’, distributing back the profits among the shareholder farmers. A processing unit is also being set up in the district and eventually an organic store and cafeteria will be started by the producer company in Dantewada. The idea is to ensure that the intervention is made at every step of the value chain, from seeds to market, to comprehensively develop the eco-system for the farmers.
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In order to carry out this work effectively on the ground, Community Resource Persons (CRPs) have been identified from Cluster locations across the district. These CRPs are young and educated youth of the village, who will be given extensive training on various aspects of livelihoods. The CRPs will, in turn, work with farmers for their mobilization, training and forward linkage. The Government of Chhattisgarh has declared that efforts will be made to make Dantewada, along with two more adjacent districts, one hundred per cent organic in the coming five years. This announcement has been followed by a special budgetary allocation for the promotion of organic farming. Apart from monetary support, we hope that this decision will ensure consistent policy-level support for initiatives in sustainable agriculture, moving beyond the individual-driven nature.
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Whereas these efforts are being facilitated by government officials and other professionals, these will not be sustainable in the long run, unless these initiatives are converted into a mass movement. A set of group-leaders and expert farmers have evolved in this process and they are actively trying to organize more farmers and engage them in organic farming. Meanwhile, in the heart of the most affected, remote and backward district, on 6 October 2015, around 2,000 farmers gathered together, hiring vehicles at their own expense, to attend an Organic Farmer’s Mela, organized and crowd-funded by the farmers themselves. Farmers from villages across Dantewada gathered and participated in cooking food, making arrangements and taking sessions on organic farming. Seeing their enthusiasm, one can’t help but feel very optimistic about the future!
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WO R LD Ratnagiri Impex Private Limited Launches Economical, Reliable & Mul purpose Agri Products & Equipments
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flagship company of Annapurna group, Ratnagiri Impex Private Limited aims to develop the rural economy of India through mechanisa on. The company was established in the year 2000 by its visionary leader Mr. S A Vasudevmurthy. Since then, the company has strived towards the a ainment of technical excellence by impor ng the latest machinery, outdoor power tools and equipments from the best companies across the world.
For its best a ainment Ratnagiri Impex Pvt Ltd has setup their very own brands called Agrimart and Agrimate. 'AGRIMART' is the ul mate Green Care & Farm Equipments shopping des na on. It houses various models of single person operated equipments for different segments like agriculture, hor culture, sericulture, planta on, garden, health and more. It is the first of its kind in the rural retail market that provides sales, service and spares under one roof. 'AGRIMATE' is the company's private label for range of pest control equipments. These equipments are available through their network of dealers. Its outlets are spread across India. Ratnagiri Impex Pvt Ltd has launched L a te st A g r i c u l t u re M a c h i n e r y & Equipments which are as follows:
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1. Agrimate Rotary Tiller: Features· These llers are designed to facilitate soil prepara on, cul va on and weeding. · They are rugged and reliable i.e. easy to use. · Agrimate Rotary Tiller can fix mul ple accessories to the PTO. · Its diesel series include AM RT1100D-9D-6D and AM RTD 5D 2. Agrimate Arecanut Tree Climber: It's a new solu on to harvest Beetal Nuts. Features·
It's very easy to use.
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Harvest one bunch in one minute
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4. GP TL Mini Mist Fogger GP 3TFF It eliminates mosquitoes effec vely and kills hidden bugs. Some technical specifica ons are as followsFuel- Liquid butane gas Fuel consump on- 1EA / 30 min Star ng method- press the igni on switch Igni on system- Piezoelectric ceramic ignitor 5. KASEI Chainsaw KZ 5121 CS · It is an advanced technology engine · Harvest about 200 trees in 1 litre fuel approximately
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Fuel efficient
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· It's very economical saves your me and money
Easy to use
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Easy to start
· Many farmers are using this since more than 1 year
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Low vibra on
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Low cost of maintenance
· Tested and performance proved machine ·
Light weight and compact
3. GP TL Fogger Some of its technical specifica ons are men oned below Chemical tank capacity (L)- 6 Fuel tank capacity (L)- 1.2 Fuel consump on (L/H)- 2.0 Fogging capacity (L/H)- 25 Star ng method- Manual & electric www.krishijagran.com
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Published on 25th & Posted on 27-28 at NDPSO in Advance Month RNI No. DELENG/2015/65174 Postal Reg. No DL-SW-1/4191/19-21 A G R I C U LT U R E
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