Uzhave Thalai 2.0, recently organised by The Indian Chamber for Commerce and Industry Coimbatore, saw participants discuss the joys and challenges of agriculture. The chief guest SKM Mayilanantham, an agriculturist for decades, spoke of the difficulties that he faced as a farmer and how he overcame them by putting into place an effective marketing network that also benefited over 2,000 farmers and assured them a consistent source of income. Uzhave Thalai invited speakers to provide insights into tackling soil conditions, watershed management and pest prevention in an organic manner.
Soil conditioning
Dr Sultan Ismail, known for his pragmatic approach to natural farming methods, gave a PowerPoint presentation on the soil from an earthworm’s perspective! He pointed out that soil is actually odourless and the microbes in the soil allow for a thriving biodiversity. These organisms can distinguish between decomposition and growth.
Natural ploughing aerated the soil and nutrients came from livestock dung that enabled earthworms to thrive. In mechanical ploughing, it becomes necessary to aerate the compressed soil and nurture it with animal manure, probiotics from buttermilk, natural mulching from leaves and simple organic sprays. It is essential to “re-worm the world” and go from being crop-centric to farmer-centric, he said, adding “The earth has music for those who listen.”
P Sethuraman from Villipuram added that the soil’s organic carbon content must be increased by planting natural nitrogen fixers like sannapai and thakkapundu. If washed away, one inch of top soil takes 250 years to reform!
Watershed management
Watershed governance is vital for every farm, said MV Ram Chandrudu, who has worked with several State Governments to promote watershed development and rain-fed agriculture. Farming must be location centric.
Cultivation of of water-intensive crops can only be successful in a region, which has adequate rainfall. It is a matter of concern that most farms are now fed by borewells that go down several hundred feet and use up precious ground water. Farming must depend on natural water sources like rain, open wells, rivers and streams. This is why borewells are failing and water scarcity is growing. Water conservation alone is not enough. Utilisation must be equally effective. Drought-prone districts growing paddy, which is ecologically inappropriate, will lead to distraught farmers and political upheaval.
Digging trenches between two rows of coconut trees helps save water
S Raja Durai uses a marginal amount of water to nurture his coconut grove. By digging trenches between two rows of coconut trees, the drip line runs closer to the roots leading to less evaporation. While earlier the water had to run for three hours, Durai now runs it only for an hour.
Pointing out that times have changed since one practised rain-centric agriculture, Durai said that now the land is expected to yield round the year. Pannai kuttai or percolation ponds to harvest rain water is the way forward, he observed, and wryly concluded that land could be more temperamental than family members!
Pest control
Just like the human body needs a proper diet to ward off diseases, the soil and plants need one too. For this they must be sprayed with natural disinfectants and fed organic matter on a regular basis. Sundar Raman Ayya spoke eloquently about how to create a healthy environment for crops. Panchakavya, amuthakarasal, neem, aloe vera, tulasi, and arappu were some natural pest control methods, he said, that create “ideal conditions for the beneficial microbes to play a dominant role.” Natural regeneration of the soil can cut carbon emissions by trapping carbon dioxide in the soil.
T Govindarajan of Pasumai Perayam has trained over 5000 farmers in organic farming practices. He keeps pests at bay by using a mixture made of ginger, garlic and green chillies or a concoction of alfalfa, calendula, turmeric powder, asaefotida, among others. He also nourishes his crops with Moringa, curry leaf, nochi and yerukallai. Growing seasonal vegetables will also help control pests, he advised.
Profitability
“Why are we paying money to be poisoned?” asked M Krishnamurthy, an award-winning farmer who has trained more than 158 women farmers in best practices in agriculture. He believes that sustainable farming methods are the way forward, as they will have a positive impact on the climate as well. Multi-cropping, he said, was the key to tide over losses.
Madhu Ramakrishnan has used his farm at Anaimalai as a model to encourage proper farming methods. He has created a diverse ecosystem and promotes multi-level farming where there is no weeding or ploughing and uses a minimum of natural resources. This leads to reduced labour and better profitability.
The Uzhavar Thalai provided a platform for the farmers to network and support each other and generated enough motivation and information for those who were looking to make a difference.