Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
agriculture—all the result of the organic farming movement. One
middle-aged organic farmer in northern Kerala told me that he and sev-
eral other organic farmers now felt politically confident enough as a group
to lobby for their interests at the state capital, in the south of Kerala. In
the previous year, they prepared and delivered a memorandum of under-
standing to the Chief Minister, the highest political official in the state,
requesting remuneration for losses they had suffered while converting to
organic agriculture or in farming organically.51 This farmer did not con-
sider himself to have been active politically before he became engaged in
organic farming, but the new agricultural practices had empowered both
him and his community. Moreover, as a beneficiary of the state's organic
farming policy, he used government funds to convert his paddy fields to
organic farming methods.
On another occasion, during a training session promoting alternative
agricultural methods, a young organic farmer tearfully revealed that his
cow had saved him from death, implying that he might have commited
suicide or been forced off his land if he had continued to farm convention-
ally. Reverting to organic agriculture and utilizing cow-based inputs had
revitalized his farm and his assets. This farmer is now part of a network of
other organic farmers in Wayanad District of Kerala, and regularly speaks
at training sessions and showcases his organic farm.
Similarly, K. M. George, a leader in Kerala's organic farming move-
ment, adamantly declared to me in an interview that he would never re-
turn to chemical-based agriculture.
“W hy?” I asked him, intrigued by his deiant atitude.
He explained that his family's health had dramatically improved after
switching to organic food production and consumption, cuting down
on their need for medical services. He also added, “If you enter my farm,
there's a peace.”
He continued: “If you go onto our soil during the rain time, there's a
lot of life, a lot of life. . . . You can see the earthworms, their peace. Every
time you look at the trees, as they grow, there's a mental satisfaction. Last
evening, I was working on my beans and tying them. In a few days, when
I see some beans start growing, I'm going to think about picking them and
making a curry. That's satisfying.” George explained that he was happy
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