Hoshangabad, May 17 (ANI): Raju, who lives on Tytlus Farm on the Hoshangabad-Bhopal road seems like an ordinary village youth living on an innocuous looking 12 -acre piece of land. It was really a chance visit, my taking a group of journalism students to understand the 'rural scenario'.
To begin with, it turned the concept of good agricultural practice on its head.
We saw fruit trees growing in the fields. This is never done as the shade would hamper the full growth of the crop as well as fight for space on the ground.
Here we saw wheat crops gently swaying in the breeze and a number of flowering trees and fruit trees like guava, lemon, a local variant 'babool' rising up above these crops. Rather odd, I thought though I was sure there was a method in the madness.
Raju smiled knowingly; sensing the questions in our minds and went on to explain the logic behind this uncharacteristic scene. Raju explained that the spread of roots nourished the soil, which is then drawn up by the wheat crop.
That it grows in shade in some parts is secondary and does not negate the enormous benefit it receives from the enriched soil.
It struck me, in that instant that this is what is meant by 'Organic Farming', a term which has become fashionable but is little understood apart from a negation of 'chemicals' in cultivation, to protect it from vagaries of climate or virulent pests. It actually goes much beyond that and draws on any aspect of the natural phenomenon to aid the cultivation process.
It befriends the earth and the natural cycles and tries to find sync with it rather than aside from it. For instance, standing water after heavy rainfall is normally drained from the fields in the belief that this would rot the crops.
Farm sees it differently and sees the water as actually beneficial retaining the moisture in the soil, in the air and aiding the natural process to induce rain. I certainly could not fault that logic, based as it was on scientific principles.
I could imagine what this standing water would do to the field. The fallen twigs, leaves, plants which die all gradually turn into fabulous manure, just lying there, getting soaked! This becomes an excellent breeding ground for a variety of life forms; insects, worms, turtles, indeed an ecosystem in itself!
All these have a role to play. With their movements through the soil, they actually 'till' the soil creating channels or 'perforations' right to the tips of the roots. This strengthens the soil, making it aerated and the roots become robust. Regeneration was the key principle.
I realized how far we were from nature; how little we understand it. The common practice is to till and water the field. What does it achieve? The soil becomes slushy preventing water from percolating down. The groundwater level without getting charged gets depleted. On the ground, the slush gets washed away with excess water, which in essence wipes out all the natural nutrients of the soil.
Each culture, each region down the ages has come to its own set of agricultural practices based on their understanding of nature and what was handed down to them by their ancestors.
In India for example, the 'Baiga' tribals in Mandla district, Madhya Pradesh practice 'Jhoom' cultivation, which eschews tilling! This is the mantra that farm has adopted. Organic farming may make ecological sense but if it is not remunerative to the farmer, it simply cannot work.
I also noticed that the crop-sown area was limited and I was right. On a 12 acre farm, only one acre was dedicated to wheat, the rest being taken up by a thick growth of Subbul' (Australian Agesia) a tree whose branches and leaves are used as fodder.
As we entered the 'forest', I noticed village women with loads of this precariously perched on their heads while the men were atop trees sifting and cutting the foliage.
Raju explained, " We cultivate our lands based on our requirement and not on the market's demands. From this 1-acre, we get enough: we grow wheat in the winter; maize and ' moong' in the summer months and paddy during the monsoons! Besides we get plentiful vegetables and fruit, which supplement the dietary needs of our family.
Raju went on to explain how the economics of the farm works to benefit the community, "The 'Subbul' forest is not just ideal for grazing cattle but for collecting firewood which we sell in the local market, worth one lakh rupees per year!"
I marveled at this optimum use of available resources for a creating not only a good life in the immediate sense but having the wisdom and mechanism to sustain it for the years ahead. They had a rich nourished soil, sufficient food grains, and a good yield of vegetables and fruit and in the bargain, a healthy cash flow to meet their other needs. It was really a dexterous use of available resources!
When I ask myself what I have learnt, the answer comes clear. We need to see the entire world of agriculture from the prism of nature's processes and not from the quantified needs of the communities.
Unless we learn to temper our needs of cultivation, of fodder, of fuel, infact the entire gamut of ' items' we demand from nature, it will give up on us. We need to help it to help us, strengthen its processes for its bounty to be showered on us, not for the present alone but for generations to come.
The Charkha Development Communication Network feels that going the 'organic' way is thus not just one option, but the only option, one that celebrates and upholds the laws of nature, which human beings need doubtless to be in tune with. By Baba Mayaram (ANI)
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