Back to natural farming

Anitha Pailoor
Agriculture
B N Nandish, a farmer in Shikaripura taluks Churchigundi, has developed his own
farming practices based on five basic fundamentals soil, sunlight, aeration, water and
food. Inspired b !asanobu "ukuokas #$ne Straw %evolution, Nandish took to natural
farming, and hasnt looked back ever since, writes &nitha 'ailoor
Rudramuni is a relieved man. Over the past two years, he
hasnt had to wait in a long queue to buy fertiliser. He
allows the farm to shape up on its own, a lesson learnt
from his fellow farmer andish of !hurchigundi village
in "hi#aripura talu#. $hey have lowered pesticide input
by %& per cent over the last couple of years, according to
records maintained by andish. andishs agriculture is
anchored on five basic principles ' maintain live soil,
allow appropriate sunlight and good aeration, then focus
on water and food.
He feels that most farmers problems are rooted in the
fact that they concentrate on water and fertiliser, that too feeding an e(cess of it, and overloo#
the other three components. As farmers in the village discover the logic behind andishs
farming, they have been shifting to a farming practice that requires low e(ternal input and is
sustainable.
andish discontinued his studies after his Pre')niversity and too# charge of his *+'acre paddy
field in *,,-. .n the beginning, he had a one'point agenda, to enhance the productivity of the
farm. He continued chemical farming practised by his parents focusing on /clean cultivation.
.rrational use of pesticides and fertilisers enhanced the yield occasionally, but there was a rise in
the cost of cultivation, pests and diseases. !onsequent crop failures made him rethin# about the
sustainability of the practice.
.t was a newspaper review on natural farmer 0asanobu 1u#uo#as /One "traw Revolution that
changed his life. A voracious reader, he soon studied 1u#uo#as three boo#s and other boo#s on
organic farming. 1u#uo#as thoughts and e(periments in farming influenced him to e(periment
along the same lines. 2ver since, observing and e(perimenting have become two important tools
in his farming.
3uring the transformation from chemical to organic farming, he introduced various legume
varieties in the farm. andish adopted 1u#uo#as e(periments that are suitable for local agro'
climatic conditions. His e(periments with legumes and paddy varieties have ta#en him to
hundreds of seed conservers, particularly farmers. He also ma#es it a point to participate in
wor#shops and seminars on sustainable farming practices. He visited research stations in his
quest for carrying out nature'friendly farming.
(reen manuring enriches soil
Over the last one decade, andish is #nown among farmers as a legume farmer. His farm has a
range of legumes that maintain the fertility of the soil. He #nows that a field requires local plant
diversity li#e wild weeds, shrubs, trees and herbs along with legumes.
He feels that diversity and biomass of the weeds indicate soil fertility. !over crops help build a
balanced ecosystem and develop the right #ind of micro'climate for the plants. !over crops,
especially the leguminous ones, restrict the growth of weeds. $here are over *&& green manure
species in his paddy and areca farm, including some perennials.
About 4& species are used in the paddy field for green manuring during pre'cultivation and post'
cultivation periods. $he crops include sunhemp 5drought resistant6, daincha 5withstands water
logging6, horsegram 5good biomass, fodder6, velvet beans 5high nitrogen fi(ing, good biomass6,
niger, coc#s comb and fodder cowpea.
2very new technology or method that has been introduced has something to offer. After the
"ystem of Rice .ntensification 5"R.6 method was introduced, andish reduced water logging in
his paddy field to one month. 2very cropping pattern has pests and diseases and multiplies under
favourable conditions. andish says that even his crops are prone to pest problems and diseases,
but the situation has never gone out of control. .n a bio'diversity rich farm, a balance is
maintained in the eco'system. $he harvest also turns out to be above average. His farming
system has reduced the labour dependency by %& per cent. He prefers fine rice varieties suitable
for the region. $hough he #eeps changing the varieties, he has been growing blac# basmati over
the last eight years in one patch.
%ice is sold in the organic market.
Apart from paddy, he has five acres of horticulture plantation. Arecanut, banana, green gram,
blac# gram, turmeric, ginger, coconut and cocoa are other crops. 2ighty 'dd species in this farm
provide food, fodder, timber, fuel'wood, natural dyes and chec# wind, act as live fence, pest
repellents, trap plants etc as they enrich the soil. At the same time, he warns that vigorous
growing of perennial creepers li#e pueraria, mucuna and mimosa invisa have to be avoided in the
farm. 7reen manure has lowered his reliance on e(ternal inputs for his farm. 8ater is the only
input, for which he is dependent on outside source.
$hough he has a bore well that yielded water at 9& feet depth, he doesnt want to overuse it. He
waits for water to be released from a local dam for paddy cultivation.
)nderstand our farm
:efore e(ecuting a farming practice or introducing a new crop, andish carefully studies it from
different angles. He feels that legumes helped him maintain the yield when he shifted from
chemical to organic. An authority in legume culture, he has collected seeds from different
sources.
$uber crops are also an important component in his areca farm. !onstant observation has
revealed that each and every plant in nature has something to contribute, and that we should
e(plore it. He suggests that ovember to 1ebruary is the right time to collect wild seeds.
.n the recent past, he has also learnt that seeds brought by pests, birds, animals have very good
germination and grow with vigour than those that are sown manually. He recalls an instance of
parrots thinning the seed bed in his paddy nurseries.
$wenty five #ilograms of paddy seeds per acre is the norm in the region. 2very time hundreds of
parrots would attac# the paddy sprouts and about %+ per cent of the seedlings would be
destroyed. One year, andish decided to plant the same amount of seedlings that the parrots had
left unattac#ed. He had made another bed with %+ #g of paddy seedlings ready as an alternative.
$o everyones surprise, the seedlings were in surplus and the yield was good. andish analyses
this saying that, ;the parrots showed us the right amount of seeds needed. 8e feel that dense
planting gives good yield. :ut it is not true. ow . have reduced the seeds to five #ilos per acre.<