Bengaluru: A path-breaking summit to promote natural framing kicked off on Tuesday at the Art of Living International Center in Bengaluru with a call for kindling a revolution of Rishi Krishi or natural farming in the country. Setting the agenda for the two-day conference organized by Sri Sri Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Trust (SSIAST), Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar called upon the gathering to spread the awareness about the benefits of natural farming. “What is needed today is a reaffirming of faith in natural farming. There is a misnomer that only if we use expensive fertilizers and pesticides, we can get a good yield.” He shared many examples of how farmers have earned more by opting for natural farming.
Gurudev also highlighted the need for protecting indigenous seeds which can ensure higher yield while requiring a lesser quantity of seeds. He called upon the gathering to deliberate on how to create an organic planet by taking the knowledge of natural farming to the masses. He urged the ministers from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh who were present on the dais to make their states organic states. He regretted that despite enough rain, the country is witnessing severe water scarcity. He shared how the Art of Living has revived 27 rivers in India, adding that amazing results have been achieved at a very minimal cost.
A progressive natural farming expert and CEO of Javara Indigenous, Ibu Helianti Hilman from Indonesia, highlighted the dire need for focusing on our biodiversity. “In 2008, we started with 10 farmers and by 2016 we had over 50,000 adopting it. The secret is to infuse the indigenous wisdom and spiritualism where the focus is on promoting nutrition-dense food.”
Stating that the current agricultural practices of using chemical fertilizers and pesticides has pushed small farmers into debt besides affecting the productivity of land and polluting our water bodies, Minister for Agriculture, Andhra Pradesh, S Chandra Mohan Reddy, said, “Natural farming is the way out of this and our state has extended financial support to major projects in natural farming.” He also referred to the state government’s participation in a project of the Art of Living under which over 500 farmers have been convinced to opt for natural farming, where not a gram of chemical fertilizers is used. “This needs to be taken further”, he added.
Concurring with the observations, Jupally Krishna Rao, Minister for Rural Development, Telangana, said, “Farmers are unable to recover their investments, leave alone make an income. The debt that they invariably incur is forcing them to suicide.” He also talked about farmers associations which were formed to promote natural farming which currently has an enrollment of 11.02 lakh farmers.
Over 200 delegates representing a wide cross section of stakeholders including farmers, researchers, experts, and policy-makers, including a few from abroad, are attending the summit which is held as a response to the urgent need for a solution-based discussion to address the looming agrarian crisis. Many experts will share their views on various topics relating to indigenous farming methodologies. Shri Ramakrishna Reddy, Chairman, SSIAST Trust, said, “The objective of the summit is to involve all the stakeholders in the discussions over our existing agricultural practices and ways of finding better alternative methods.”
