Post Tagged with: "Organic Farming"

Mahoba Farmers Gain Confidence and Strength With A Combination of Natural Farming and Water Conservation

Mahoba Farmers Gain Confidence and Strength With A Combination of Natural Farming and Water Conservation

On the farming map of Uttar Pradesh Mahoba is generally considered a relatively backward district of Bundelkhand region, but thanks to a recent initiative called BIWAL a model combining water conservation and natural farming has given a new-found strength to many farmers and rural communities. Arunoday and Srijan voluntary organization have collaborated to take this model to several villages, with[Read More…]

by 08/03/2023 Comments are Disabled India
Hamirpur Efforts Confirm Huge Potential of Natural Farming Waiting to be Tapped

Hamirpur Efforts Confirm Huge Potential of Natural Farming Waiting to be Tapped

Santosh is a dedicated farmer who along with his wife Chunni Devi worked very hard in recent months to convert a small patch of unproductive land into a lush green, multi-layer vegetable garden. This has ensured year-round supply of organically grown vegetables to his family as well as fetched several thousand rupees in cash sales. This couple has grown over[Read More…]

by 06/03/2023 Comments are Disabled India
Reaching Out to Marginal Farmers in Mau

Reaching Out to Marginal Farmers in Mau

Most farm development efforts focus more on bigger and more dominant farmers, and while they may also include smaller farmers, this gets lesser attention. It is rare to see a program focused mostly on the most marginalized farmers with the smallest holdings. An ongoing effort in Mau block of Chitrakut district should be welcomed therefore for its efforts to reach[Read More…]

by 05/03/2023 Comments are Disabled India
Sarita and Rambohar with their preserved seeds, standing in their garden

Why These Farmers in Manikpur Feel They Have Some Promising Solutions for Farm Crisis

About 30 farmers of Elha village ( in Manikpur block of Chitrakut district, Uttar Pradesh) have gathered for a group discussion in the courtyard of a farmer, along with activists of a voluntary organization ABSSS . One of the main subjects of discussion is—how far can the efforts of natural farming initiated about two years back progress? Two farmers Ram[Read More…]

by 04/03/2023 Comments are Disabled India
Strengthening Sustainable Livelihoods of Small Farmers 

Strengthening Sustainable Livelihoods of Small Farmers 

One of the most important questions in the development debate is whether economic viability of small and marginal farmers can be strengthened in sustainable ways. This question is all the more important in a country like India where small scale farming is the most common source of livelihood. The objective of land reforms is to make available at least some[Read More…]

by 15/01/2023 Comments are Disabled Counter Solutions
Natural Farming Entrepreneurs Facilitate Spread of Eco-friendly Farming

Natural Farming Entrepreneurs Facilitate Spread of Eco-friendly Farming

While a lot of research has strengthened the case for spreading natural farming, a practical factor which has hindered its spread in India is that several farmers find it difficult to take up production of organic manures and pest-repellants for self-use, even though all the raw materials are available right within their home or close to them. In the most[Read More…]

by 13/01/2023 Comments are Disabled India
Phulabai and Samran/Photo by Kamlesh Kurmi

Organic Gardens and Orchards for Small and Marginal Farmers

Phulabai is a dalit woman farmer who, together with her husband, Sarman Chadaar, grows guavas and pomegranates on tiny plots of land. On another smaller plot they grow a diversity of vegetable crops with a few papaya trees standing in the middle of these. When I recently visited their one acre farm in Digaura village of Tikamgarh district  (Madhya Pradesh),[Read More…]

by 12/01/2023 Comments are Disabled India
From Bill Gates to the Great Refusal – Farmers on the Frontline  

From Bill Gates to the Great Refusal – Farmers on the Frontline  

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, most humans were engaged in agriculture. Our relationship with nature was immediate. Within just a few generations, however, for many people across the world, their link with the land has been severed. Food now arrives pre-packaged (often precooked), preserved with chemicals and contains harmful pesticides, micro-plastics, hormones and/or various other contaminants. We are also being[Read More…]

by 27/07/2022 Comments are Disabled World
How sincere is the government in its commitment to natural farming?

How sincere is the government in its commitment to natural farming?

There have been several assertions on the part of the union government at high levels that natural farming will be promoted by it in a big way. While natural farming has been interpreted often in different ways, generally the meaning sought to be conveyed is that ecologically safe practices to produce healthy food free of harmful chemicals will be promoted[Read More…]

by 04/07/2022 Comments are Disabled India
Can Green Revolution Belts Return to Ecologically Protective Farming?

Can Green Revolution Belts Return to Ecologically Protective Farming?

From time to time there are disturbing reports of environmental ruin in various green revolution belts of the country. The most prominent such belt is that of Punjab-Haryana-Western UP and Terai belt. Here from time to time we hear of very serious reports of water depletion and pollution, serious harm to soil health, burning of crop residues and other forms[Read More…]

by 08/12/2021 Comments are Disabled Counter Solutions
Why Minimum Support Price Should Not Be Separated From the Imperative of Ecologically Protective Farming

Why Minimum Support Price Should Not Be Separated From the Imperative of Ecologically Protective Farming

After the acceptance of the demand for the repeal of three farm laws, the minimum support price (MSP) issue is now the main remaining issue between the government and the farmers’ movement. Unlike the simpler issue of repealing or not repealing the three controversial laws the MSP issue is a more complex issue which needs to be more carefully integrated[Read More…]

by 25/11/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Young farmers in Ladakh: the future of our food

Young farmers in Ladakh: the future of our food

Written by Kunzang Deachen, Chozin Palmo and Jigmet Singge Ladakh – high on the Tibetan Plateau at the northern extreme of India – is the place we call home. The vast majority of Ladakhis are villagers, who have, for centuries, provided for most of their physical and emotional needs through interdependent webs of relationship with the land and with community. We[Read More…]

by 08/06/2021 Comments are Disabled Counter Solutions
Natural Farming Gives More Benefits, But Gets Only Limited Support

Natural Farming Gives More Benefits, But Gets Only Limited Support

According to recent official data of Himachal Pradesh government, its efforts  to spread natural farming practices among farmers have led to 56 per cent reduction of costs of farmers and 27 per cent increase of income among farmers who adopted these practices. This happened under the natural farming prosperous farmers scheme ( prakrit kheti khushhal kisan yojana).  According to leading[Read More…]

by 22/04/2021 Comments are Disabled Counter Solutions
Babulal Gandhi: Over 90 years old and still a hardy farmer

Babulal Gandhi: Over 90 years old and still a hardy farmer

When Yogesh Gandhi set up his medical store in Phaltan about 100 km from Pune in Satara district of Maharashtra, he invited his uncle, natural farmer Babulal Gandhi, to make an inauguration speech. “We should not be having medical stores in our cities – we should instead provide good food and a clean environment, one that fosters health and well-being.[Read More…]

by 08/04/2021 1 comment Counter Solutions
Himachal Efforts For  Self-Reliance in Seeds to Support Natural Farming Need Support and Wider Reach 

Himachal Efforts For  Self-Reliance in Seeds to Support Natural Farming Need Support and Wider Reach 

Hilly areas with their varying heights and land categories are known for their valuable bio-diversity which should be protected. The vast Himalayan ranges including  hills and valleys, plains and peaks in particular are all the more important in this context. While the tendency to introduce genetic uniformity of monocultures was unfortunate everywhere, it was all the more harmful in the[Read More…]

by 13/03/2021 Comments are Disabled Counter Solutions
Seed is the Centre of Life and Civilization, But For Selfish Corporations Seed is the Centre of Profit and Domination

Seed is the Centre of Life and Civilization, But For Selfish Corporations Seed is the Centre of Profit and Domination

Seed is the base of all life. Recognizing this obvious fact, farmers for well over a hundred generations and for several thousand years cared for seeds, respected seeds, and helped to promote a great diversity of seeds. Hence they had different seeds for different needs, for different weather conditions, for different kinds of land and soil. Diverse varieties of seeds[Read More…]

by 11/03/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Take Ecologically Protective Methods to Farmers in Ways Which Benefit Them

Take Ecologically Protective Methods to Farmers in Ways Which Benefit Them

Recently Sant Seechewal, saint and award winning eco-activist of Punjab, visited protesting farmers at Delhi border with the  precious gift of a truckload of healthy food. However the message he brought him was even more precious—he called upon them to shift to natural farming and mutually  cooperative farming in order to find more reliable and sustainable solutions to their problems.[Read More…]

by 06/01/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Wider Social Benefits Apart, Ecologically Protective Farming Can Also Be Economically Attractive

Wider Social Benefits Apart, Ecologically Protective Farming Can Also Be Economically Attractive

While the social benefits of ecologically protective, organic and/or natural farming are so obvious, it is sometimes said that in economic terms this may not be so beneficial for farmers and this thinking becomes a big hurdle in the spread of ecologically protective farming. However the advocates of ecologically protective farming and low external input farming give several important reasons[Read More…]

by 02/01/2021 Comments are Disabled Environmental Protection
Photo by George M. Groutas

An Appeal To Farmers’ Movement –Kindly Give A More Central Role to Ecologically Protective Farming

The farmers’ movement in India has a historically very important role in protecting the small ( and medium ) farmer base of agriculture in the country. In recent times the movement has done well to oppose the corporatization trends as these ultimately present a threat to small farmers, as has been evident from the historical experience of many countries. This[Read More…]

by 24/11/2020 Comments are Disabled Counter Solutions
Photo by George M. Groutas

Organic Farmers Need  Support and Linkages to a Fair Market

There is worldwide realization that food system has been  becoming less safe and healthy. This is to a large extent because of the use of excessive  chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Some of the inputs used in fact have been found to be so poisonous and harmful that it is a very sad surprise how their use in food and[Read More…]

by 15/11/2020 1 comment Counter Solutions
Why go organic?

Why go organic?

An assortment of organically grown produce lay out at a Farmer’s Market Prior to this pandemic summer, every year from May to November — there was something magical about waking up on Sunday mornings. I could walk three blocks from my house to the open space under large Walnut trees near the Hospital to get a week’s worth of organic[Read More…]

by 23/07/2020 Comments are Disabled Counter Solutions
The Pandemic Must Transform Our Agriculture

The Pandemic Must Transform Our Agriculture

The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the risks of an unhealthy diet and the extreme fragility of food systems. The economic reconstruction that will follow the pandemic is the perfect opportunity to provide better nutrition and health to all. The pandemic should spur us to redefine how we feed ourselves, and agricultural research can play a vital role in making our[Read More…]

by 08/07/2020 Comments are Disabled India
Photo by George M. Groutas

Yes We Can – Feed 9 Billion With Organic Agriculture

It is possible to feed more than 9 billion people with organic production methods with a small increase in the required crop acreage and with decreased greenhouse gas emission. But this assumes considerable reduction in food wastage and in the quantities of feed grown to animals. That is the conclusion in the paper Strategies for feeding the world more sustainably with[Read More…]

by 21/01/2018 2 comments Counter Solutions
Agroecology As A Tool For Liberation: Transforming Industrial Agribusiness In El Salvador

Agroecology As A Tool For Liberation: Transforming Industrial Agribusiness In El Salvador

An interview with Miguel Ramirez, National Coordinator of the Organic Agriculture Movement of El Salvador We say that every square meter of land that is worked with agro-ecology is a liberated square meter. We see it as a tool to transform farmers’ social and economic conditions. We see it as a tool of liberation from the unsustainable capitalist agricultural model[Read More…]

by 29/09/2016 1 comment Counter Solutions