Down to Earth, October - 1-15, 2015

AGRICULTURE

Reaping organic Karnataka was the first state in India to adopt a policy on organic farming in 2004. Since then, several initiatives have helped farmers fight drought, but costly certification is discouraging poor farmers from taking it up JITENDRA | bengaluru

B

ENGALURU, THE Silicon Valley

Prabhu Mediwala, a small farmer from Kamdhenu village in Dharwad district, has turned a rocky patch of land into an organic agricultural farm and doubled his income

of India, is fast turning into an organic farming hub. The bustling city is home to India’s biggest organic restaurant, Green Path Organic Estate (gpoe). Spread over 2,322 sq m, its detox cafeteria serves traditional organic foods, such as millet bisibhat and sweet snacks made of ragi. gpoe purchases certified organic food from a voluntary farming association called the Organic Food Club (ofc) in Belgaum. ofc supplies jaggery, maize, pulses, vegetables

and fruits to city-based outlets and exports its produce to Europe.Then there is Lumiere, India’s first organic restaurant, which became fully functional in 2009. It purchases food from a registered farmers’ association called Shaja Samruddhi Nandana.

These outlets provide a tiny glimpse of the organic movement Karnataka has been witnessing for the past 10 years. In Bengaluru alone, there were nearly 100 organic restaurants and outlets till 2013 and more than 82,000 hectares (ha) of land in the state is under organic cultivation, benefitting more than 166,000 farmers (see ‘Karnataka’s organic boom’, p21).

Inspired by organic heroes

In March 2004, Karnataka became the first state in India to introduce a policy on organic farming. This was adopted in the midst of an agrarian crisis in the state that was leading to farmer suicides. “We wanted to reduce the farmers’ input cost by minimising their dependency on costly fertilisers and pesticides and save them from the vicious cycle of poverty and debt,” says H K Patil, former state agriculture minister. According to the 59th round of the National Sample Survey Organisation on agricultural crisis in 2002, Karnataka was among the top five states in India which had the highest agricultural household debt, averaging R63,000.The high JITENDRA / CSE

20-22Agriculture.indd 20

24/09/15 12:44 pm

Karnataka's organic boom

How government's policy has helped spread organic production in the state Government chooses a village on the suggestion of non-profits and identifies farmers and 100 ha land

Resource persons for organic farming

405

Government deposits R5 lakh in the account, which is spent on subsidising compost pits, biodigester pits and farmers' training

Non-profits involved

129

A proposed farmers' federation will be responsible for marketing organic produce in each district

Model organic villages

179

A joint bank account is opened for a representative of farmers' association, non-profits and agriculture department to ensure transparency in fund utilisation

Fund allocated in past 10 years

MUTTALIK DESAI

R211 crore

Founder of Organic Food Club

The representative of the nonprofit appoints a field assistant who coordinates with the farmers for three years

Total budget proposed for the federation

R50 lakh

IMPACTS Area under organic cultivation

82,834 ha

Ordinary farmers, extraordinary feats

Farmers benefitted from organic policy

166,000

Organic outlets

93

No. of exporters and marketers

66

In the late 1980s, after three years of consecutive drought, Desai's family landed in a huge agricultural debt when their sugarcane crop failed. He left his engineering profession in 1992 to take up full-time organic farming as a way out of this distress. He underwent training at Krishi Prayog Parivara (KPP). Desai today heads the Organic Food Club, which supplies organic food to Bengaluru-based outlets.

Source: Organic cell, Department of Agriculture, Government of Karnataka; all data till 2013

burden of debt drove 205 farmers to suicide in 2003. Such alarming statistics prompted the government to promote organic crops that are drought-resilient.

For this, the government roped in those farmers who were popular in the state for starting the trend of organic farming in early 1990s and have been successfully pursuing it for decades.These organic heroes include Muttalik Desai from Belgaum, Chinappa Budhial from Gadag, Veeranya Gowdapatil from Dharwad and Lalitha Adiga from Udupi, among others who have played a crucial role in kickstarting the organic movement (see ‘Ordinary farmers, extraordinary feats’). It is with their help the government has formed its organic policy. “I never miss a village fair as it gives me an opportunity to tell fellow farmers about the benefits of organic farming,” says 63-yearold Budhial. Desai helps small farmers prepare bio-pesticides.

1-15 OCTOBER 2015

20-22Agriculture.indd 21

One village at a time

The first phase of the policy implementation in 2004 was the Organic Village scheme, whereby it was planned to bring 100 ha of a village under organic farming in each of the 30 districts.The programme was taken to the next level after every three years—the time needed to turn a field into organic. In 200607, it was extended to all 176 talukas in the state. When the Bharatiya Janata Party government came to power, it restructured the programme in 2010. Under the new model, interested farmers of a village could opt for organic farming instead of a fixed area being brought under organic cultivation.

The Congress, which returned to power in 2013, went back on its earlier model of bringing 100 ha of a village under organic farming. In 2013-14, the programme was extended to the level of hobli (group of panchayats) and renamed Savayava Bhagya Yojane. Currently, groups of farmers in 571

LALITHA ADIGA Pioneer of natural farming Lalitha was inspired by noted Japanese farmer M Fakuoka's book, The One-Straw Revolution, to start organic farming. She has trained more than 100 farmers in Kundapura block in Udupi district to practise organic farming. Today, she has also adopted natural farming in which she does not use any manure but only natural compost like dead leaves.

Her crops include arecanut and coconut. www.downtoearth.org.in 21

24/09/15 11:20 am

hoblis practise organic farming along with livestock rearing and supply food to citybased consumers. The government provides subsidy for construction of compost pits, vermi-compost, preparation of green manure and training and education of the farmers.

CHINAPPA BUDDHIAL Inspired more than 100 farmers in Gadag district to adopt organic farming Buddhial decided to go organic in 1996 when his paddy field turned white due to excessive chemical use. He underwent training at KPP. In 2000, he started a movement on organic farming by forming a group, Dharthiri, comprising 150 farmers. His group visits every village fair and attends every social gathering where members educate farmers about the benefits of organic farming and the process.

VEERNYA GOWDAPATIL Voice of All-India Radio, Dharwad, on organic farming In 2011, Gowdapatil received the Purushottam Rao Krishi Award for inspiring small farmers in Harogeri village in Dharwad district to take up organic farming. After a division in the family, Gowdapatil was left with two hectares and eight cattle.

He replaced chemical fertilisers with organic compost to reduce his input cost in farming and increased his income by selling organic crops. Today, he speaks on organic farming for the AllIndia Radio in his district.

22 DOWN TO EARTH

20-22Agriculture.indd 22

Improved lives, happy farmers

What started as a district-level initiative a decade ago has become a hit with the state’s farmers. “People are becoming health conscious and are opting for organic products. Organic farming helps farmers and is environmentally more sustainable,” Desai says.

While big farmers export their produce, the organic movement has helped small farmers find a domestic market, says Krishan Reddy, who grows organic mangoes in Hosur district. “Organic farming is not the conventional choice as the output is low. But this is compensated by reduced input cost. We also get a premium price for our products. Outlets like gpoe have widened the market for organic produce,” he says.

Organic farming has also proved to be a boon this year when 27 districts in the state are facing drought. “Conventional farmers are affected during a deficit in rain. Organic farming softens and moistens the soil, protecting it from drought,” says H Maruti, a small farmer from Harogeri village in Dharwad district who started organic farming in 2007. “When I grew only paddy, my annual income was merely R50,000. Now I earn R2.5 lakh by selling organic paddy and vegetables,” he says with a smile. He has built a pucca house and enrolled his children in an English-medium school.

Namdev Laxman from Hatori village in Belgaum was able to marry off his two daughters without taking debt, a rare achievement for a small farmer. He attributes this to organic farming. “By reducing the input cost and selling buffalo milk, I earned enough money to bear the expenses of the weddings,”he says.

Laxman now plans to take land on lease and expand the area under organic farming.

In 2011, Bengaluru-based Institute for Social and Economic Change conducted an evaluation of the organic production.

“The yield was 15-20 per cent low compared to conventional farming, but farmers’

income had increased by up to 50 per cent,” says R S Deshpandey who supervised the study.

Emerging bottlenecks

The government initiative, however, is not without loopholes. Budget is emerging as a major constraint. The programme started with an investment of R4 crore involving 2,511 farmers in 30 districts. During 200810, the budget increased to R50 crore. “Now when the number of farmers has increased, the budget has been reduced to R9 crore.This has affected organic spread. It shows that organic farming is not getting the recognition it deserves,” says Krishna Prasad of Shaja Samrudha, a Bengaluru-based non-profit promoting organic produce. Pest is another emerging problem, farmers say. Maruti recently noticed the leaves of his ridge gourd crop turning yellow. He suspects pest attack, but is in a dilemma because he does not want to use pesticides. Certification, meanwhile, is an expensive and cumbersome process, which small farmers avoid.The certification process takes up to three years, and a farmer has to pay at least R15,000 each year. As per the Bengaluru-based Research Institute on Organic Farming, farmers had applied for organic certification for 82,834 ha till 201011. But only 38,000 ha were certified till 2012-13. “Farmers market their produce as ‘organically grown’ instead of ‘organically certified’,” says N Devakumar, a senior agriculture scientist.

Recognising these problems and understanding the need to sustain the movement, the government in April this year allocated R50 lakh to set up a farmers’ federation at the district level to create a market for organic producers. This federation will also run organic stores. “We have started a group certification mechanism throughout the state whereby groups of farmers can certify their products and distribute the cost equally,” says Ashok Thubchi, member of the state advisory committee on organic farming.

But Patil fears that it is largely the big farmers who are reaping the benefits of organic farming by exporting their produce.

“The small farmers are still struggling to find a foothold in the market,” he says. n 1-15 OCTOBER 2015

24/09/15 11:21 am

SCIENCE

THINKSTOCK PHOTOS

AGRICULTURE

The potato beetle (above), originally from the US, invaded France in the 1950s and reached China in the 1990s.

Leafhoppers (right), migratory pests, have been arriving 10 days earlier than normal on an average over the last 62 years

Pest warning Climate change is influencing migratory patterns and evolution in pests, threatening our food basket INDU MATHI S

42 DOWN TO EARTH

42-43Agriculture.indd 42

C

ROP PESTS are adapting to climate change and are evolving to spread to new areas to wreak more havoc. Dan Bebber from the department of biosciences at the University of Exeter, UK, reviewed the literature on impact of climate change on crop pests. He illustrates his findings through example of the Colorado potato beetle, which is originally from southwestern US, entered France in the 1950s and invaded most European and central Asian countries. By the 1990s, it reached China from Kazakhstan and moved towards Russia.

It is difficult to predict the beetle’s migratory course as prediction models do not take into account the insect’s evolution and highly adaptable nature.

“Our review has highlighted how difficult it is to predict where damaging crop pests may turn up.

1-15 OCTOBER 2015

24/09/15 12:45 pm

Their ability to evolve tolerance to different climates has been investigated in only a few species but has not been considered in distribution models. We urgently need to improve monitoring and identification of these pests, particularly in the developing world, both for research as well as to secure food production,” says Bebber (see ‘Climate change is...’). The review was published in the Annual Review of Phytopathology on August 4, 2015.

Pest evolution

There have been many studies to investigate the movement, changes, and impacts of a variety of agricultural killers—viruses, fungi, insects and weeds. For instance, scientists have found out that potato leafhoppers, migratory pests in the US, have been arriving 10 days earlier than normal on an average over the last 62 years, and their infestations are severe. Entomologists at the University of Maryland and Queens College at the City University of New York analysed data from 1951 to 2012 and predicted that continued global warming could advance the time of insect’s colonisation and also increase their impact on the affected crops. “Climate change is not just costly because temperatures and oceans rise, but because it makes it harder to feed ourselves,” says Mitchell Baker, one of the authors of the research, which was published in plos one on May 13, 2015.

“Increased pest pressure in agriculture is one of the complex effects of continued warming.

Predicting arrival time and severity is critical to manage these pests,” adds Baker.

In an earlier study, Bebber, in association with the University of Oxford found that global warming had led to the spread of crop pests towards the North and South Poles at a rate of three km per year.The study demonstrates a strong connection between increased global temperatures and the range of expansion of crop pests. The researchers analysed observations of the distribution of 612 crop pests obtained over the last five decades. The study states that global warming

There is a strong connection between increased global temperatures and the range of spread of crop pests 1-15 OCTOBER 2015

42-43Agriculture.indd 43

has resulted in the spread of crop pests to regions which were previously considered unsuitable for habitation. “If crop pests continue to march pole wards as the earth warms, the combined effects of a growing world population and the increased loss of crops due to pests, will pose a serious threat to global food security,” says Bebber.

Invading India

The western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis), an invasive pest native to the US, and another pest, tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta) from south America entered India in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Scientists are considering climate change as one of the reasons for their entry, along with human traffic and trade. Already, the spot blotch disease is affecting the wheat plant and the severe occurrence of Indian cassava mosaic virus in Kerala is due to a shift in climatic conditions.

Chirantan Chattopadhay, director, icar-National Research Centre for Integrated Pest Management (ncipm), New Delhi, says the incidence of the Africa cassava mosaic virus and the Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus in India is due to an increase in temperatures and carbon dioxide levels.

These changes are significant as India loses about 15-25 per cent of crops yields each year due to pest attacks, which amounts to C0.9-1.4 lakh crore annually, says Chattopadhay. Significantly, the allocation by the Union government for agriculture has been declining—from C19,852 crore in 2014-15 to C17,004 crore in 2015-16.

The frequency of new pest introductions will increase and also the occurrence of major pest outbreaks will increase, says the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (ccafs), a research programme by the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (cgair), in its 2015 report on Africa. “These events will be driven by outcomes associated with climate change and extreme weather,” says the report.

With climate change becoming one of the core drivers for the migration of new pests to newer areas, integrated pest management strategies must factor these virulent guests.

Unfortunately, the Union government seems to have little money and even lesser foresight to ensure food security. n

`Climate change is creating new spaces for pests'

D

an Bebber of the University of Exeter, the UK, has published a review on the impact of climate change on crop pests. He talks about the reasons pests are spreading globally and inadequacies in our prediction models Is the distribution of crop pests and pathogens across the world a serious concern?

Highly virulent strains are evolving rapidly and these organisms are destroying huge amounts of food. For example, the new Lethal Necrosis disease, which evolved in Africa, kills maize plants and there is no cure for it.

What's driving the distribution of the pests?

The main driver is human activity such as trade of agricultural products and transport of live plants. Some organisms move by themselves, such as the wind-borne spores of fungi. Climate change is also making new areas suitable for certain pests and pathogens.

What's wrong with the current system of prediction of pest movement?

The most common methods look only at the suitability of the climate.

They do not take into account the availability of host plants, trade routes, and the evolution of pests and pathogens.

How can we control the problem?

We need better monitoring and reporting of where pests and pathogens are located, particularly in the developing world. www.downtoearth.org.in 43

24/09/15 10:55 am

FOOD

Seed of balance Fenugreek's varied use in Indian cuisine underlines its medicinal value SANGEETA KHANNA

SANGEETA KHANNA

44-45Food.indd 44

24/09/15 10:56 am

D

EEP FRIED crisp pooris with potato

or pumpkin curry and some pickle is a meal few Indians can resist.

I have often seen many westerners too enjoying this popular Indian fare on the streets in India.The dish is often served with methi ki launji, an odd-looking bitter-sweet chutney. Whenever I have had bedmi poori alu subzi and methi ki launji meals with friends, the chutney evoked extreme reactions each time. Some would discard its bitter-sweet goodness instantly, while most others would go for additional helpings.

This interesting grainy and brownish chutney is made out of whole seeds of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) or methi, some chopped dates and raisins, some spices and jaggery to offset the bitterness.This chutney is a fine example of how a dish can be balanced in flavours. In ayurveda, balancing flavours means that the food must contain six flavours that our palate recognisesÐ sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent. All edible foods are divided into these six categories, according to their taste. The six tastes or flavours help balance three fundamental bodily humours or doshas, namely vata, pitta and kapha.

Palate interpretations

The use of fenugreek is as much a culinary practice as it is part of an ethnomedicinal wisdom. Methi ki panjeeri or methi ka laddu are popular dishes prepared to enhance milk production, improve blood flow and the core of the uterous for new mothers.

There is an extensive tradition of making such laddus and panjeeris along with other herbs to promote healing after childbirth. Fenugreek is also useful to treat bone-related illness. It not only has a potent hypotensive and anti-inflammatory element, but promotes muscle health.

The culinary tradition of using bitters like fenugreek in everyday food has a deep link to ayurveda. So we can now understand why there is a tadka of methi seeds in kadhi, brinjal and pumpkin curies, and why the leaves of methi are considered so healthy.

While fenugreek greens are consumed as a vegetable cooked along with other vegetables, fish or meats, the seeds are mostly used as a mild flavouring for tadka.

1-15 OCTOBER 2015

44-45Food.indd 45

Alu methi, a dry curry made with potatoes and fenugreek greens, is popular during winter in north India, so is Punjabi methi ka paratha or Gujarati methi na thepla. In Maharashtra, tender baby fenugreek greens are very common in markets and people toss them over curries and salads to bring freshness to the dish. Another variety of fenugreek is called kasoori methi. Its leaves are generally dehydrated and used as a dry herb.

The popular tempering mix called panchphoran is another example of balancing the six flavours.This panchphoran is used in many “sweet and sour” varieties of vegetables traditionally, bringing out the sweet taste through the vegetables used. Methi is also an important ingredient in sambhar powder used in many south Indian states. A roasted lentil powder from Maharashtra called metkut also uses roasted methi seeds for balancing flavours. Some Bengali curries and chutneys use roasted methi and fennel powder as a final garnish to infuse a unique bitter-sweet aroma in dishes.

In fact, many people soak methi seeds in water overnight and drink the water to stabilise blood sugar levels. Some eat the soaked methi seeds for boosting immunity. Sprouted methi seeds are even used to make medicinal hair oil in Kerala along with other herbs, and wet methi seed paste is a great poultice for treating skin inflammation and infections.

As large populations are suffering from metabolic disorders caused by a sedentary life, dependence on packaged foods, excessive sugar and high fructose corn syrup in packaged foods, the use of fenugreek can revert insulin resistance and prevent fat deposition in monosodium glutamate-induced obesity.

Modern studies validate the ayurvedic principle of balancing the flavours through fenugreek. An article in Veterinary World in 2014 talks about the ability of fenugreek to increase milk production through interactions with dopamine receptors. Drinking tea prepared with fennel and fenugreek can suppress appetite in overweight women, says a study published in July 2015 in Clinical Nutrition Research. Another study published in 2010 in Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition shows that a proprietary preparation made of fenugreek has a significant impact on both upper and lower-body strength

RECIPE Methi ki launji INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup fenugreek (methi) seeds soaked overnight (it becomes about 1.25 cups after soaking) 1/2 cup chopped soft dates 1/2 cup chopped raisins 2 tbsp fennel seeds 1 tbsp red chilly powder 1 tbsp ginger powder (dry) 1 tbsp coarse coriander powder (or crushed coriander seeds) 1 tbsp roasted cumin powder 2 tbsp amchoor powder (you can use a mix of tamarind extract and amchoor) A pinch of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg powder (optional) Salt: 1 tbsp or less Jaggery or sugar to taste METHOD

Mix the soaked methi seeds, fennel seeds, chopped raisins and dates with two cups of water and salt and pressure cook. Remove the lid and let it cool down. Now add all the other ingredients, and simmer till the chutney becomes thick, almost like a jam. You can keep the chutney thinner, but that tastes better when you use more jaggery or sugar as the syrupy chutney carries the other flavours. Add more jaggery if you feel the launji is too bitter for your taste.

and body composition.

It is heartening to see finely powdered methi available in many organic food shops today. This indicates that more health conscious people are including this common yet potent bitter element in their food. I also came across a dry pack of methi ki launji that can be soaked in water and simmered briefly to make almost instant methi ki launji. If such ancient foods could be made into instant food, it could give instant noodles a run for their money. Scores of people have often asked me for the recipe of methi ki launji. I take it as a sign of the return of ancient wisdom of food being the medicine.  The writer is a food and nutrition consultant www.downtoearth.org.in 45

24/09/15 10:56 am

OBITUARY

IN FAVOUR OF TRUTH, UNTIL THE END Ramaswamy Iyer never hesitated to question his beliefs and thinking on water

S H R I PA D D H A R M A D H I K A RY

I

F THERE was one person who was the embodiment of

dignity, erudition and humility, it was Ramaswamy Iyer, former secretary of water resources, Government of India, who passed away on September 9. Ironically, his most significant contribution to the water sector came after his retirement.

I first met him in 1993, when he was nominated to a five-member group to review the Sardar Sarovar (Narmada) project. Even though he was a government representative, he was willing to give a fair hearing to the presentations my organisation, Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, was making on behalf of the Narmada Bachao Andolan. As we progressed, I could sense an increasing disquiet in him. He seemed to be convinced of the points we were making, but some of them went against the very actions he had taken as secretary. His questions to us conveyed his unsparing attempts to understand the truth, even if it was different from what he had so far believed. His apprehensions about the project grew and finally he recommended a rethink on its design. This reflected his openness, honesty and readiness to critically introspect on his own views in the face of evidence, considering that as a secretary of water resources he had been involved in pushing the environment ministry to grant clearance to the project.

In the years that followed, Iyer took a strong and unflinching stand on several issues with the same conviction whenever facts and circumstances demanded. This made him quite unpopular among his erstwhile colleagues in the establishment. But even though the attitude of some of his former peers pained him, he did not allow that to come in the way of articulating what he firmly believed in.

This articulation, mainly in the form of a large body of writings, is an important source of what can be called, borrowing from the title of one of Iyer’s own books, “water wisdom”. In the process of writing numerous articles and books, Iyer became close to many activists, researchers and others working on water issues. I feel privileged to be one of them. In his humility, he continued to learn from everyone he met, even people many years his junior, and unhesitatingly acknowledged this.

In November 2013, nearly 100 people working in the

1-15 OCTOBER 2015

55Obituary.indd 55

SORIT / CSE

192 9 -2 0 1 5

water sector, including academics, researchers, activists and practitioners, gathered in Delhi for a conference to honour and felicitate Iyer. His contribution to the water sector went beyond analysis and writing; he touched the lives of thousands of people.The establishment, too, could not ignore Iyer’s knowledge and insights, and he was called upon to be in several official committees, including the one on National Integrated Water Resource Development Plan. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2014.

Iyer may not be physically present among us today, but he has left behind his energy, enthusiasm and a large body of water wisdom to inspire generations to come.  Shripad Dharmadhikary is an activist, researcher and coordinator of the Manthan Adhyayan Kendra that studies water and energy policies www.downtoearth.org.in 55

24/09/15 10:57 am