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Natural farming in Himachal brings gains, worth emulating

The cost reduction, of course, enables 27.4 per cent increase in net returns in apples, 63.6 per cent in wheat and 21.5 per cent in fruits, pulses and vegetables…reports Vishal Gulati

The Subhash Palekar Natural Farming (SPNF), a technique promoted by Padma Shri recipient Subhash Palekar in the mid-1990s with no use of fertilisers and pesticides, has led to massive input cost reduction with considerably increase in crop yield in Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Sunday.

They say nine crops are being grown concurrently by state farmers, leading to crop intensification and diversity, besides 15 types of companion crops are being grown in apple orchards.

Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, Executive Director with Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana, said as per their studies the SPNF technique has led to cost reduction of 56.5 per cent in apples, 28.1 per cent in wheat, and 45.5 per cent in fruits, pulses and vegetables.

The cost reduction, of course, enables 27.4 per cent increase in net returns in apples, 63.6 per cent in wheat and 21.5 per cent in fruits, pulses and vegetables.

Field reports say the farmers observed the crops cultivated with the SPNF technique are drought resistant, besides tastier and healthier than conventional crops.

The state government has been promoting non-chemical low-cost climate-resilient SPNF technique under the Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana since 2018.

Over 1.50 lakh farmers have been trained in the technique with more than 1.40 lakh have adopted the technique, partially or fully.

Echoing his three-year success story worth emulating, an elated farmer Somkrishan from Pangana panchayat in Karsog block of Mandi district said the SPNF technique is far more effective and involves lesser cost than chemical or organic farming.

“The produce that we obtain from natural farming is healthy with no chemical residues,” he said.

Before natural farming, Somkrishan was doing organic farming for six years.

“Organic farming was too costly and I had to depend on the market for inputs. Luckily I got the chance to learn natural farming technique. It has cut down the cost of cultivation as I am no more dependent on the market and prepare all the inputs at home.”

He faced a lot of resistance by family members and villagers in his decision to shift to natural farming. By adopting the SPNF method, he brought down the cost of cultivation from Rs 70,000 to Rs 10,000.

He’s doing agriculture on 14 bighas and apple cultivation on six bighas. He grows peas, maize, wheat, beans, cauliflower and grams along with exotic vegetables like yellow capsicum, celery, red lettuce and Chinese cabbage.

“I am in touch with hotels in Delhi and directly selling my produce to them. I am getting a good price as the taste of natural produce is better with longer shelf-life,” he added.

For another grower, Tilak Raj from the Mogda panchayat in Narkanda, Shimla district, it was a chance encounter with natural farming.

“When I was just making up my mind to adopt the new cultivation method in my orchard, I got a chance to attend a training workshop on natural farming in 2018.

“After this I adopted the SPNF technique on 20 apple plants and some vegetables in the kitchen garden as he already had indigenous cow. When I got overwhelming results, I converted my entire orchard of 12 bigha under natural farming,” he said.

He grows apples, plum, peach, plum, maize, rajmash, peas, barley, brinjal and garlic.

According to Raj, the overall expenditure has reduced by 87 per cent, from Rs 20,000 in conventional farming to just Rs 2,500 in natural farming, and so is his income that has increased by 66 per cent, from Rs 1.50 lakh to Rs 2.50 lakh.

Seeing the success of farmers like Somkrishan and Raj, officials say a number of other growers are taking up natural farming after experimenting initially on small portions.

As per their feedback, the soil health with natural farming technique has improved and the use of farm inputs prepared from dung and urine of indigenous cows has minimised diseases too.

Experts say the incidence of fungal attack on apple crop and yellow rust in wheat has been minimised in comparison to conventional farming practices.

Now efforts are afoot to work out self-assessed certification for natural farming produce, along with developing a mechanism for farmer-consumer connect.

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India News

Natural farming gives Himachal apple growers edge

Countering the farming’s growing problems, the SPNF method is based on homemade inputs made from ‘desi’ cow’s dung and urine and locally available resources…reports Vishal Gulati.

Apple grower Shakuntala Sharma in upper Shimla in Himachal Pradesh has reasons to smile. The apples she produced under natural conditions without the use of chemicals and fertilizers have fetched a record price of over Rs 100 per kg.

“The moment a buyer in the local market saw the label of natural apples on my boxes, he instantly said he would purchase the entire stock at this price. By adapting to natural farming, I saved Rs 50,000-60,000 on the total cost of cultivation,” an elated Shakuntala Sharma told said.

Her orchard is located in the Theog area, some 40 km from the state capital. She is growing apples by adopting the Subhash Palekar Natural Farming (SPNF), a technique to do cultivation through non-chemical use, and this concept is gaining ground in the hill state where producers are particularly vulnerable to impacts of the climate crisis, such as extreme heat, deficit precipitation and pest attacks.

According to Shakuntala, vegetable buyers have started coming to her farm and giving her good prices.

But the agricultural alchemy of the heavy use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides comes with a toll in degrading the soil of orchards and damaging the ecosystem.

Countering the farming’s growing problems, the SPNF method is based on homemade inputs made from ‘desi’ cow’s dung and urine and locally available resources.

Narrating his story about how overuse of fertilizer was impacting his income, another grower Ravinder Chauhan from Samoli panchayat in Rohru block says he was in financial stress as he faced multiple problems in apple orchard due to ever increasing expenditure on chemical sprays.

“The shift to natural farming has helped me earn good profits in the last three years,” he told said.

Chauhan, who cultivates eight bighas (a bigha is roughly a fourth of an acre) with natural farming, has sold an apple box of 25 kg for Rs 4,200-4500 in far-off states like Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Karnataka.

He said the fluctuation of prices in the normal market did not affect him as his apples were chemical free. “I fixed the rate in advance,” he added.

The non-chemical low-cost climate-resilient SPNF technique is being promoted for agriculture and horticulture crops in the state as a part of Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana, launched by the state government in 2018.

According to the State Project Implementing Unit, a total of 1,33,056 farmers are practicing natural farming in the state, either partially or fully, involving 7,609 hectare. This includes 12,000 apple orchardists.

While the farmers are happy with the results of natural farming in terms of zero dependence on external markets, production, farm health and reduced expenditure, they have started making efforts to build their own linkages for marketing of their produce.

Some of them are getting good rates in local markets, others are sending them across the country and many have started getting buyers at doorsteps.

One such grower is Surender Mehta from the Lalpani Dochi village in Chopal block who found buyers in Jaipur and Delhi.

“This year, a Jaipur-based agro trading company lifted apple boxes from my village. They paid me 10-15 per cent more than the normal price of apples produced with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. It saved my hassle and money involved in transporting the produce,” he said.

“I felt so good when I was offered Rs 150 more for a box of 10 kg pears even in a local market when I told the buyer that my produce is chemical-free and natural,” he added.

Another progressive grower Varun Rangta from Jubbal sold the entire apple lot of around 200 boxes produced by natural farming techniques in Delhi, Chennai, Nagpur and Pune.

Sushma Chauhan, a grower from Shillaru, says awareness on the chemical-free natural produce is increasing. Even her hail damaged apples found the market.

Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana Executive Director Rajeshwar Singh Chandel said, “The State Project Implementing Unit is looking for farmers for local-based marketing models, which they have evolved on their own. This will help us converge the successful farmer-market linkages with our programme, wherein we are looking at connecting all farmers with the market.”

He said the farmers have not only shown their mettle on farm with SPNF, but have successfully made market linkages also.

Scientific studies in the state show the SPNF technology has reduced the cost of cultivation in apple crop by 56.5 per cent, while the net returns in apple crop have increased by 27.4 per cent.

The incidence of scab and marssonina blotch in apples is also less in natural farming compared to the conventional practices. More so, the farmers are able to take multiple crops on the same farm by adopting SPNF.

More than 90 per cent of Himachal Pradesh’s apple produce goes to the domestic market. Apples constitute 49 per cent of the total area under fruit crops and 85 per cent of the state’s fruit economy comes to Rs 4,000 crore.

The Economic Survey of 2020-21 stated that the area under apple production in the state had increased from 400 hectares in 1950-51 to 1,14,144 hectares in 2019-20. The production was normal with 70 million boxes in 2019-20.

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Arts & Culture India News Kerala

Activist’s ‘Organic Theatre’ to promote natural farming in Kerala

He said that the idea of Organic Theatre is brushing up tradition and folk culture that has been part of the culture of Kerala but has been forgotten for years…reports Arun Lakshman.

A theatre activist and former producer of a popular Malayalam TV channel is promoting a concept of organic farming and the rich culture associated with it through theatre, zeroing in on a supernatural being named “Kadampan Moothan” spoken about in rural areas and inspiring farmers.

Sudheer has named his mission “Organic Theatre”. Talking on how he launched such a project, Sudheer said: “We are eating food but never bother to produce what we eat and then complain that the food we eat is laced with pesticides. Nothing productive will come out of this and I wanted to change this and promote the concept of organic farming among the people, especially the youngsters, and formed Wide Inspiration, Wide Aspiration (WIWA).”

He said that the idea of Organic Theatre is brushing up tradition and folk culture that has been part of the culture of Kerala but has been forgotten for years.

While researching on indigenous and organic farming practiced by several communities, he got to know about “Kadampan Moothan”, who, according to villagers and farmers, was a supernatural entity whose role was to protect the farmers, inspire them in times of hardships and reversal, and also to give encouragement and persistence to farmers from being burnt out due to despair.

This inspired Sudheer who created a character, of the same name, who travels from village to village to promote organic farming with his beautiful song and makes farmers aware of their talents and their willpower.

“Kadampan Moothan renders songs on the never say die attitude of the farmer who does everything to commence farming on a land that was immersed in floods. He also sings about the hard work being put up in growing a crop and on the determination of a farmer,” he said.

To popularise Organic Theatre, “Kadampan Moothan” is dressed in an interesting costume of natural products, mask, and headgear made of straw, and has now become the mascot.

Sudheer knocked several doors to promote organic farming using Organic Theatre but disappointment was the result initially. Since 2013, he has been relentlessly trying for this project and in 2014, received the support of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). He, along with a team of his WIWA, took 2 acres of land at Vellarada, on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, and inspired people to take up Organic farming and promote the culture associated with the farming.

Organic Theatre and farming are now synonymous with Sudheer and he is now travelling to various areas of the state to take classes on the rich culture associated with the place where they live and how organic farming is to be done.

“Kadampan Moothan” has become popular among the people of the state, thanks to the hard work and drive of Sudheer whose main idea is folklore and culture of the area and how the cultivation of crops is being inspired by this.

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