Karnataka - Mysore   

A rewarding experiment

R. Krishna Kumar

M.K. Kailashmurthy on his agricultural farm.

MYSORE: No fertilizers, no tilling, no irrigation ... In short, nothing that is considered the rule under conventional and "modern" agricultural practices. Water? Yes, but only a quarter of what is used and yet the output is high and what is more, it is devoid of carcinogenic traces in the final produce.

Welcome to the world of natural farming as practised by M.K. Kailashmurthy of Doddinduvadi in Kollegal taluk of Chamarajanagar district. At a time when water disputes threaten to tear the society's social fabric apart, here is an example of how steering clear from the conventional agricultural practices — with emphasis on intensive use of water and chemical fertilizers — may provide an alternative. Located about 11 km from Kollegal on the road to M.M. Hills, Mr. Kailashmurthy's farm is akin to an oasis in the desert. Surrounded by dry and parched land always dependent on rain, one comes across a 6.5-acre land.

Rich in biodiversity and teeming with life, the field is resource-rich.An employee of Vijaya Bank, Mr. Kailashmurthy took to agriculture in 1984 and plunged into chemical farming.

"I first experimented with plantains and pumped in tonnes of chemical fertilizers to reap a rich harvest. But in due course, the disease-causing mites developed resistance to fertilizers and the yield diminished. Soil fertility also took a beating," Mr. Kailashmurthy said.

He said that this disaster ended his first experiment using chemicals in farming. By then, he was theoretically exposed to the concepts of natural farming as enunciated by Fukuoka of `One Straw Revolution' fame who taught the world the merits of doing nothing in agriculture. Mr. Kailashmurthy decided to go "natural" and experiment with zero-budget farming on his plot.

The trick was to do nothing, remove nothing and allow nature to reclaim the land. The biomass was left to decompose and the organic wastes were not removed.

The land was soon a haven for microbes of all variety and enriched the soil fertility. The results were not instant as the chemical effect on the soil and plants had to wear out.

Mr. Kailashmurthy experimented with various crops, which were attacked by mites and insects. There was no intervention and the "natural farmer" allowed the battle between the plant and the mites to be played out. Finally, plants developed resistance against the mites and began to bloom.

Mr. Kailashmurthy believes pests are a natural phenomenon, but left to themselves plants develop resistance and nature ensures a balance. Problem arises when man intervenes with chemicals that only aggravates the crisis in the long run as the insects develop resistance and the food becomes carcinogenic.

"On the other hand, one must welcome pests as they help plant develop resistance," according Mr. Kailashmurthy.

His experiments with mangoes only reinforced his faith in natural farming. Having sprayed chemicals to ward off mites, he saw the crop withering due to disease and left the plants to fight it out.

Over a period of time, the mango trees hit back and within two years, the yield was 10 tonnes from 30 trees and agro-scientists have certified the crop as pest-free apart from 60 varieties of herbal plants and 250 varieties of edible roots.

Other agricultural crops in his farm include paddy, the yield being 33 quintals per acre as against 20 quintal under conventional farming, arecanut and vegetables, all this minus any of the expenditure on electricity for irrigation, water, fertilizers or even labour.

Mr. Kailashmurthy says natural farming requires patience and perseverance, but is more rewarding. If interested to learn more about natural farming call 9880185757.

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