Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
the dangers of pesticides. This led to the beginning of nonchemical farming.
Research and trials of traditional methods and also new models of soil and crop
management began to appear.
For the last 4-5 decades scientists have been trying to find a sustainable agri-
cultural system. One of the prominent personalities among them was Sir Albert
Howard, the Advisor for Agriculture in India from 1905 to 1924.
An Agricultural
Te s t a m e n t
, writen by him, is considered to be the irst authentic topic on organic
farming in India. The “indoor method” in organic composting was also worked
out first by him.
The permaculture (permanent agriculture) experiments of Bill Mollison and
[David] Holmgren in the 1970s gave hope to many farmers the world over. The
permaculture wave had its impact in Kerala too and since then many farmers
have started experimenting [with] this methodology and they found that this is
one of the best practices for Kerala, with its topographical peculiarities and high
rainfall, . . . to conserve soil and water and improve productivity of their farms.
In a report submited in 1983 to the Department of Agriculture of the United
States, Robert Papendick and James Parr, agriculture scientists of the same de-
partment, had emphasised the crucial need for focusing research on sustainable
agriculture to replace the farming systems being followed using chemical pes-
ticides and fertilizers.
The infamous Bhopal tragedy of 1984 was an eye-opener to a larger section
of people in India and abroad [after which] discussion on alternatives began
seriously. The publication of the
One Straw Revolution
in 1984 by Masanobu Fu-
kuoka (a Japanese scientist turned farmer), on his success in natural farming for
the last half a century, and translation of his topic into Malayalam in 1985 were
timely in channelizing such discussions in Kerala. Biodynamic farming was an-
other method of organic farming which atracted many farmers.
The very sustainability of agriculture assumed serious concern in the dis-
cussions among the farmers and organizations in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, and Kerala during the same period.
The total external dependence of farmers for agriculture inputs had started af-
fecting their economies, leading to desperation among farming communities
and ultimately to an agrarian crisis. As an alternative, to make farming sustain-
able, Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA) thus gained momen-
tum in many places, especially . . . among small and marginal farmers. The agri-
cultural crisis that began in the late 1990s further strengthened this movement.
Many individuals and organizations started interacting with farmers to make
them understand the problems of the modern agriculture.
Thus, from a simple beginning, organic farming later matured to such dimen-
sions as women's empowerment, seed conservation, development of seed banks,
