Getting back to the Roots - A success story on NPM Practice
<p>Agriculture was and still is the backbone of rural economy. By employing 60% of the rural workforce, it has been an integral part of the nation’s economy for a long time. Since the green revolution and introduction of chemical fertilizers, though production in agricultural activities has increased, but the deteriorating health of the soil has been reported in many parts of the country.</p> <p>Koraput is one of the poorest districts in South Odisha. Primarily dominated by tribals, agriculture is the main source of income for most of the rural communities. The Agriculture Production Cluster is one of the most successful intervention of the government and CYSD has been the key implementer of this project in Boipariguda & Dashmantpur blocks of the district. The prime reason of the success of this project is acceptance by the community and adoption of organic or natural farming approach. </p> <p>Kupuliguda village of Kollar Panchayat comes under Boipariguda block. One of the many objectives under the Agriculture Production Cluster (APC) program is building an eco-system and sustainability of agriculture. Moreover, Non-Pesticide Management (NPM) has been espoused in farmland to achieve its objective.</p> <p>Non-pesticide management is an “ecological/organic approach to pest management using knowledge and skill-based practices to prevent insects from reaching the crops to damaging stages by making the best use of local resources, natural processes and community action”. It has given rise to a plethora of innovative approaches in lessening the dependency on chemical pesticides. The pesticides that were promoted to solving the farmers' problems, now being consumed by the farmers to commit suicide. The underlying reason was that they occupied a major financial share of crop cultivation and were proving to burn a hole in farmers’ pockets.</p> <p>With CYSD’s intervention and administrative support through its Rural Livelihoods Training Centre & other producer groups, this ecological paradigm was brought to the attention of farmers in Kupuliguda. CYSD’s trained staff then imparted this valuable information upon the 26 households of Kupuliguda village, which are recognized as Bhumia tribals. They were educated on the demerits of chemical fertilizers, which deplete the soil nutrients. As a result, the food cultivated in these soils has fewer vitamins and minerals. Along with it, they release harmful greenhouse gases into our atmosphere; they also get leached into the water sources, causing water pollution. In hindsight, chemical fertilizers are not eco-friendly and sustainable. The IEC material provided by CYSD helped the community to make their fertilizers consisting of cow-dung, cow-urine, jaggery, chickpea flour, etc. Farmers were given exposure at RLTC demofarm.They were also given a demo in their fields. Farmers started to use it every 10 days and saw the results themselves, which gave them enough confidence to enact it in their practices. They start preparing the fertilizer before Kharif season and end up utilizing it in the Rabi season, too.</p> <p>“<em>Chemical pesticides and fertilizers were promoted to kill pests and solve farmers’ problems. However, off late, these chemicals started killing us in two ways. First: It burned holes in our pockets. Pesticides and fertilizers had a substantial share in the input cost of farming and forced us to take loans and get debt-ridden. Second, the same pesticides and fertilizers</em> were consumed by us through food and killing us,” says Kamakala Bhumia</p> <p>Besides the fact that these are organic and a healthier option and can be made at home, which has proven to be extremely cost-effective. Chemical fertilizers required for an acre of land amount to 1500 rupees approximately, but ecological fertilizers under NPM only totals 200 rupees. The output has been doubled even though the agricultural input invested by the farmers has been lessened to a vast extent. This has saved them from the hassle of going to towns to get fertilizers, rather making them self-reliant. Gradually, the entire village started to take on NPM, becoming one of the first-ever villages to be yielding crops solely through the adoption of NPM. The whole village now cultivates several vegetables such as Cauliflower, Tomatoes, Brinjal, Onion, Tomatoes, and Chilies. Grains like Millet and Rice have been grown, too.</p> <p>The organic-based small fertilizers industry has generated local employment in the Kupuliguda village. Women SHGs produce fertilizers at the comfort of their home and have started to sell them at Rs.20 per litre, This supports them as an additional remunerative source of income. The establishment of the Bio-Input Research Center by CYSD has helped the farmers to sell organic fertilizers and vermin compost. The organic practice has been a prime contributor towards making farming sustainable by enriching the soil and keeping the air and water bodies clean.</p> <p>The Kupuliguda village, with its sheer interest and awareness, has been a source of inspiration for other villages in the Boipariguda district. This experience shows that with the help of grassroots organizations like CYSD, positive changes can be made in the farming community of tribal areas.</p> <p> </p>
