By HH Mohrmen
A group of Non Governmental Organisations (NGO) in the Khasi Jaiñtia hills area of Meghalaya under the leadership of Bethany Society are embarking on a new endeavour to help the farming community improve their livelihoods and enhance their incomes. The objective is to improve the skill or re-skill the farmers of the state particularly those who are engaged in agriculture, livestock and other allied activities to enhance their production by introducing a new farming practice known as ‘Natural Faming.’
Carmo Noronha, Executive Director of Bethany Society is a pioneer in introducing Natural Farming in the state and he is also solely responsible for bringing the various NGOs together under a joint venture partnership to embark on this challenging project. One may ask what Natural Farming is. Carmo in one of his lectures to the learners of the new farming practices said that Natural Farming is emulating forests; it is farming which involves learning from Nature. The trainers were reminded that the forest floor has since time immemorial been producing natural manure and food for the plants and animals for millions of years on its own and it has help feed and sustain life on earth for generations together and this relationship flourished till the advent of modern man on the surface of the earth.
Natural Farming which was developed by Dr Cho Han Kyu at Janong Natural Farming Institute in South Korea is based on the principle of interdependence among all living things. Natural Farming is learning from nature; it is a kind of farming which looks at nature as the teacher. In fact this farming practice is also akin to the indigenous farming practices that our ancestors have been doing since time immemorial and similarly our ancestors consider nature as the mother of all teachers and eternally learns from it.
To a question as to why there is a felt need of introducing Natural Farming in the state, one of the answers is that it will address the immediate need to enhance the skills of farmers and also ensure production of healthy food products for the society. It is not only natural and learning from nature but most importantly it encourages the use of locally available material and using indigenous resources available for production.
The project initiated by Bethany Society is an integrated farming with a difference because it is cyclical in nature where the agricultural produce feeds human and animal and the animals in turn produce compost for the plants all using nothing but natural resources available locally. Therefore it is a never ending process in which dependence on outside resources is minimal. The farming process also help reduces the use of chemicals and other harmful ingredients in the farming practices by learning from the environment and also from practices that our ancestors too have been doing for so long.
Natural Farming ensures that products are healthy because they are produced naturally without using any chemical fertilisers or adding any artificial ingredients. It seeks to follow tradition where the farmers continue with their relationship with mother nature; where soil is like mother and the entire creations are like its children. She not only gives birth to children but continuously feeds them too. Natural Farming is looking at the soil as an organism which is alive and not merely as a factor for production that one can manipulate to suits one’s needs. It not only helps feeds the soil it also ensures that nature continues the process of manufacturing soil to feed the increasing numbers of mouths.
In recent times, this relationship was snapped and farmers started treating soil as a commodity or factor for production. This is particularly obvious in places where broomstick is grown where chemical herbicides are being used to clear the undergrowth around the plant. This has had a negative impact on the health of the soil. This is being practiced by many broomstick cultivators. This despite the fact that there are complains from farmers who used chemical fertiliser that there is gradual decrease in the productivity of the land they use. The project will therefore go a long way in helping solve the soil problem that the state is facing now.
In many farming villages in West Jaiñtia hill, local and traditional seeds are hard to find. The market in the area is flooded with commercially produced, high-yielding variety of seeds which have replaced traditional seeds. Traditional seeds in the area which the farmers have been using for ages and which has adapted with the climate in the area and passed the test of time is being replaced by commercial seeds. While traditional seeds are believed to survive climate change because they have been able to adapt to change that happens in the local environment, the commercially produced high-yielding variety are vulnerable to climate change. But once lost the seeds are lost forever and it will a great loss for humankind.
Natural Farming is healthy because it does not interfere with the growth and development of the plants or animals and neither does it use any method to force the crop to yield more than what they can. It is natural because the only technique used to increase production is natural.
Industrial farming or commercial farming has already had a drastic impact on soil fertility, the diversity of seeds and even diversity of domesticated animals is at stake now. It has also impacted on the skills of the farmers which always depends on learning from nature. Whereas Natural Farming is doing the opposite of what the commercial farming is doing. Natural farming has a nurturing impact on the environment which is opposite to what commercial agriculture is doing. Instead of promoting commercial and genetically modified species, it tries to encourage farmers to breed local species of chicken and pigs which are healthy and which are sadly gradually being replaced by the other breed.
In its effort to address these challenges Bethany Society hopes that this training will help reverse the negative impacts of commercial farming on the soil and farming practices in the area. This farming method will also help farmers respect crops and animals and more importantly the natural cycles of life. The project initiated is to train farmers on integrated farming using natural farming and the project will include training on agriculture farming, livestock rearing and other allied activities like mushroom cultivation and beekeeping to help enhance farmers’ income.
Natural Farming is Zero waste farming said Carmo, precisely because there is nothing to waste in this farming process. Waste from one unit can be used or would rather be a resource for another unit and the cycles go on like that. For example livestock rearing is many a time being criticised as being environmentally unfriendly or that the activity has drastic impact on the environment and the major factor is because livestock farming requires huge amounts of water and other natural resources, but in Natural Farming very less water is used in rearing animals.
Natural farming ensures that natural diversity is maintained and even for making compost natural farming makes sure that only locally available micro-organisms are used rather than using methods and organisms that are foreign to the land. It is environment-friendly because it not only walks hand in hand with the nature but it continues to learn from nature. But the most important aspect of natural farming is that it uses only locally available resources therefore it is low cost and easy on the pockets of farmers. Since it is natural and the farming practice is based on the principle of nature, it can therefore be adapted in any environment.