Bharat Dogra was impressed by his interaction with a Dalit farmer couple who have successfully adopted natural farming methods in their tiny plot. Adopting a mixed farming system with appropriate crop rotation, they work in the most difficult conditions to grow cereals and millets, fruits and vegetables, legumes and oilseeds, as well as some flowers, herbs and spices. In the second piece, the writer questions the wisdom of phasing out manual labour – for both livelihood and environmental reasons
In Bamauri Village of Lalitpur District in Uttar Pradesh, Maniram and his wife Shanti work in the most difficult conditions to cultivate their small one-hectare farm. It is in a remote place, highly susceptible to raids by wild animals. Very few would have persisted with cultivating this land, but Maniram and Shanti have created a liveable shelter right on the farm and keep chasing away wild animals at night (mainly nilgai/ large antelope), helped by a few dogs. The couple is forced to work hard, but they’re remarkably happy. They smiled so frequently during our conversation with them that they made us happy too. They also made it a point to acknowledge each other’s contribution to their achievement.
Together, Maniram and Shanti have worked to create a beautiful farm and garden. Adopting a mixed farming system with appropriate crop rotation, they grow cereals and millets, fruits and vegetables, legumes and oilseeds, as well as some flowers, herbs and spices. They have lemon and other citrus fruit trees, amla or gooseberry, pomegranate, guava, mulberry, banana and different varieties of marigold flowers.
Maniram and Shanti are completely committed to natural farming. They do not use any chemical fertilisers or pesticides. Maniram said, “I must care about my health and that of my family, but it’s equally important that I care about the health of everyone who eats the produce of our small farm.” Shanti nodded in agreement, saying “otherwise, it’s not worth doing.” Most farmers here have started hiring tractors if they don’t own one. When I asked Maniram regarding this, he said, “I love my bullocks, they are my Hira-Moti, and I will never leave them.” The farm has two cows, two bullocks, and one calf.
However, even the highly inventive Maniram was once unable to work on his land due to non-availability of water. He had to migrate to places like Indore in search of work. The situation changed when a water pond was created by the government, and check dams were constructed by Parmarth, a voluntary organisation, with voluntary work and land contributed by the village community. It was this cooperative effort of Parmarth, the village community and the administration that created the basic water support which enabled Maniram to transition from a migrant worker to a largely self-reliant and happy small farmer. Parmarth also helped them in other ways with seeds, plants, etc.
The little farm is a sustainable, ecologically conscious project, where the only fossil fuel used is diesel for lifting water. Their dependence on diesel for irrigation is proving expensive though. Maniram asked Parmarth’s local coordinator Sidhgopal whether an electricity connection could be made available in the near future. Sidhgopal promised to do his best, adding that he was also keeping open the solar option. On the whole, Maniram and Shanti have created a low-cost, self-reliant and sustainable farm that has hardy and healthy mixed crop systems, and is valuable from the point of view of climate change adaptation.
Is mechanisation of harvesting really the way forward?
I recently travelled through the rural area of Atarra in Banda District of Uttar Pradesh while the paddy harvest was in full swing. Mechanisation of the process has started, with some harvesters being brought from distant places, but the task is still done manually in Atarra. I noticed that this was a job that most landless workers gave priority to – and the reason was clear – it contributes a great deal towards food security, as the workers are paid in kind, being given a part of the harvested crop as wages.
some places such as Atarra.
I learnt that one bigha of land (one acre is equal to 2.5 to 3 bighas) yields about 50 kg of paddy, which works out to about 30 kg of rice. The workers hire themselves out as couples, usually, and a husband-wife team is generally able to harvest the paddy crop on one bigha in three days. The harvesting season may last for almost a month, but a couple may get employment for only about 15 days.
For the work they put in, they can get 150 kg of good quality local rice, which is very important for their food security. They also gain additional amounts for jobs like collecting and carrying the harvested paddy. If the crop is wheat, a couple can cover one bigha of land in two days and get about 37 kg of the grain, or 277 kg in 15 days.
Keeping in view this important element of manual harvesting, the relentless increase of mechanisation of the process should be questioned. In the areas where I made enquiries, it was clear that such a step would seriously affect the employment opportunities and food security of farm workers. Also, in areas where manual harvesting is still taking place, even if the paddy-wheat rotation is followed, there is no problem of parali or stubble burning (practice of setting fire to the straw left after harvesting grains such as wheat and rice), unlike in places where the task is being mechanised. These are two points that policy makers need to keep in mind while promoting mechanisation of harvesting.
(The writer is a senior freelance journalist and author who has been associated with several social movements and initiatives. He lives in New Delhi.)
from Webdoux