Karnataka - Raichur   

Natural farming, the new mantra

D. K. Kishan Rao

PRODUCTIVE FARMING: Farmers in their field with paddy cultivated under the non-conventional method at Palkamdoddi village in Raichur taluk.

Raichur: Vijayalaxmi spent only Rs. 5,000 to cultivate paddy in the non-conventional method on her three-acre land in Palkamdoddi village in Raichur taluk. Now the crop is ready for harvest and she is likely to make a profit of about Rs. 10,000 an acre.

Another farmer, who also cultivated paddy on three acres of land under the conventional method adjacent to the field of Ms. Vijayalaxmi, has no such expectations.

The farmer has spent about Rs. 12,000 an acre by using huge quantity of fertilizers and pesticides with an expected yield of 40 bags (each 75 kg) an acre.

The fields of both the farmers are located in an arid land in the drought-prone border areas of Raichur taluk.

Most of the villages in this area have no irrigation facilities. They depend on rains for cultivation. Some farmers have taken up irrigation by sinking borewells wherever groundwater is available. They grow paddy, chilli and hybrid jowar.

Though the yield of paddy crop is much less in the fields belonging to Ms. Vijayalaxmi when compared with her neighbour, she expects to reap more profits than the expenditure she has incurred.

Inspiration

Ms. Vijayalaxmi says she took up non-conventional method of paddy cultivation inspired by the advice of Subhash Palekar of the Vedas Ancient Agriculture Research, Development and Extension Academy of Amaravati, a Maharastra-based organisation which has been mobilising farmers to adopt the non-conventional method of farming. According to Ms. Vijayalaxmi, she took up cultivation of paddy under non-conventional method, which eliminates the use of fertilizers and pesticides. It need less water and a little natural manure, which includes cow urine, cow dung and small quantity of jaggery, Bengalgram flour and a little quantity of natural compost. The intermittent use of water in the fields will reduce pest attacks.

Direct sowing

She took up direct seed sowing of sona-massuri variety of paddy. The method helped her to safeguard the development of bacteria which is required for the growth of crops and reduced the growth of weeds.

The crop matures in six months and she expected a yield of 20 bags (each 75 kg) an acre at a market price of Rs. 600 a bag. She cultivates two crops in a year. Most of the farmers in the village have now adopted a similar method to cultivate paddy.

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Natural farming, the new mantra

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