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| KVK LEH: HARBINGER OF ORGANIC MOVEMENT IN COLD DESERT | | | Dr. Parveen Kumar, Dr. Feroz Din Sheikh
World over, the indiscriminate use of synthetic chemicals in agricultural production has not done well to our agriculture as well as our environment. The soils have degraded, water has become polluted and air has become unfit for breathing. This chemical intensive agriculture has ruined our ecosystem. The entire food chain has been poisoned. The green revolution of the seventies that increased our production was based on the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. It no doubt increased the production but the adverse effects are now coming out. Peoples in the northern states of U.P, Haryana and Punjab where it took place are suffering from various deadly diseases. All the attention is now for an agricultural food production system that is not based on the intensive use of chemicals and synthetic fertilizers. A system where we do not have to compromise the present for the future is thus the need of the hour. The present government led by Hon’ble Primeminister Sh. Narendra Modi is also working advocating for agriculture practices which are safe and environment friendly. It is also working the mission of Doubling Farmers Income (DFI) by 2022. To achieve this mission, various pro farm and farmers schemes have been started.
India is a land of different agro climatic zones with every area having a unique cropping pattern and distinct climatic requirements. Among the cold arid regions of the country, the Union territory of Ladakh standing at a height of 2900 m to 5900 m above mean sea level is one of the highest and coldest. The Union Territory is also the principal cold desert of India. Leh with an area of 45,110 sq km is the largest district in the country. The area has short mild summer to a long cold winter. The farming season is confined here for half of the year from April-May to Sep-October. This is because of the freezing cold winter which does not allow any crop to be raised. Largely monocropping is prevalent in the region. This union territory is on a mission to make the region totally organic by the year 2025. The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) is already working on this under ‘Mission Organic Development Initiative’ popularly known in the region as Ladakh’s MODI. The farming community in the region is also working towards achieving both the missions by the due date and is contributing in whatever way they can to achieve the target by the year 2025. In this context, the efforts of KVK-Leh in making the region totally organic as well as doubling of farm income is appreciable and deserved to be highlighted. The Ladakh’s MODI and the DFI are infact correlated with each other. MODI has a direct contribution in achieving the mission of Doubling Farmers Income. While it is not possible to double the yields to double the income in such a small time; yet, it is possible to reduce the cost of cultivation so that the farmers can increase their net income. The cost of cultivation can be considerably reduced by Mission Organic Development Initiative. It focuses on Organic agriculture in the region.
Organic agriculture is a type of system is largely devoid of the use of chemicals. In the simplest terms, organic farming is based on maintaining a living soil with a diverse population of micro and macro soil organisms. A common phrase used to characterize organic farming is that it is ‘feeding the soil, not the plant’. Organic matter is maintained in the soil through the addition of compost, animal manure, and green manures and the avoidance of excess tillage and nitrogen applications. Another common aspect of organic agriculture is growing plants without synthetic fertilizers or pest control chemicals. In organic agriculture, the emphasis is on using locally available and renewable resources, marketing locally, and the quality of food is also seen as a key part of personal health and wholeness. The various sources of organic matter include:
Among the different agencies working in the agriculture sector in this cold arid region, KVK-Leh has been at the forefront in making the region organic by the deadline. From propagating various organic practices of crop production as well as management of diseases and insect pests, KVK-Leh has been a harbinger of organic movement in the region. Various Front Line Demonstrations are laid out with organic practices in farmers’ field in a participatory mode. Under Parampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana, KVK-Leh has also adopted villages where buckwheat is being revived as second crop. KVK-Leh is also going for branding packaging and certification of such organic produce. Once the products get organic certification their price will increase ultimately leading to increase in farmers’ income. Farmers are also being motivated to go for organic vegetable cultivation under protected conditions during winters in poly houses, trenches and low tunnels. As a marketing strategy for these organic products grown in the region, these will be supplied in all the hotels and restaurants of this area emphasizing on local production and local marketing model.
Krishi Vigyan Kendra-Leh is also promoting the use of Compost and Vermi compost as a substitute for chemical fertilizers. Both of these products help the farmers to recycle the farm and household waste products and at the same time they also help farmers to get high quality nutrient rich manure. This high quality rich manure is used in the fields to produce everything organically. Many farmers of the regions have now become self sustainable with vermi compost production. They are multiplying vermi worms in huge numbers as well as selling them and also vermi compost. Krishi Vigyan Kendra-Leh is promoting the concept of organic farming among the farmers in this region by organizing various awareness and training programmes for the youth, farm women and farmers of the region. Thus has showing good results. More and more farmers especially youth are showing their interest in vermi compost and are approaching KVK-Leh for getting training and technical knowhow regarding its production. |
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