Lots of people, including Iowa's Gov. Tom Vilsack, believe that genetically
engineered crops are good for people in poor countries.
Quote:
"Though proven to be more effective, organic methods will never get the kind
of hype that surrounds [gentically-engineered] Bt cotton, simply because there
is no money to be made from promoting self-reliance."
Subj: GMW: The real solution to India's farming crisis
Date: 7/16/2006 8:13:43 AM Central Daylight Time
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GM WATCH daily
http://www.gmwatch.org
---
Excellent article on how organic farming is not the only solution to the
problems contributing to India's farm crisis but it's the only one within the
farmer's control.
EXCERPT: Until now the only technical advice has been from agriculture
minister Sharad Pawar and film star Nana Patekar peddling Monsanto's Bt cottonseeds.
Most people can't remember the last time they met an agricultural extension
officer. So it's left to the input shop dealer to give advice, pushing the most
expensive products to increase his sales.
Despite the massive failure of the Bt cotton crop last year (after which the
Government had to compensate farmers), most people still opt for the seeds
this year... Though proven to be more effective, organic methods will never get
the kind of hype that surrounds Bt cotton, simply because there is no money to
be made from promoting self-reliance.
---
Go back to the basics
DIONNE BUNSHA
The Hindu, July 16 2006
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2006/07/16/stories/2006071600220400.htm
Organic farming is not the only solution to the problems contributing to the
farm crisis. However, it is the only one within the farmer's control.
[image caption - WITHIN THEIR CONTROL: Farmers can get the same or a better
yield without spending on pesticide and fertilizer.]
WHILE hordes of media swamped Vidarbha just before the PM's visit, I was
there with two agricultural scientists Vipin and Devang on a different trip.
Vipin and Devang are from Sristi, an organisation that works to develop
eco-friendly solutions to local problems. They have a long-term remedy to the farm
crisis, one that will go beyond the temporary relief that the PM has doled
out. Yes, immediate action is important. It may prevent several suicides. The
PM's interest waiver and re-scheduling of bank loans will give people much-needed
loans to sow their next crop of cotton and soyabean. But then what? What
happens at the end of the season when they can't pay off their loans once again?
Crux of the crisis
They will be in the same dilemma simply because the cost of farming is higher
than the pathetic price they receive for their inputs. That is the crux of
the farm crisis - spiralling costs, miserable prices. In the last 10 years, the
cost of living has risen dramatically, but the price of cotton has fallen.
That's why the rural economy is collapsing. All the other symptoms - inadequate
bank credit, exploitative moneylenders, the unscrupulous input traders,
illness, school dropouts - are aggravated by this basic problem.
There is not much farmers can do to change government policy that determines
output prices, trade tariffs, social security and subsidies. That is beyond
their control. But the one thing farmers can do is to try and reduce costs of
cultivation.
That's where Sristi has a plan. They have developed and verified several
indigenous, organic farming practices that have worked. Farmers can get the same
or a better output without spending a penny on pesticides and fertilizers. All
they have to do is prepare organic pesticide, fertilizer and growth promoters
from plants and other material available in their own environment. There's no
need for them to depend on a shop owner and get entangled in a web of
exploitation and debt.
"In fact, the solution is simple," says Prof. Anil Gupta, founder of Sristi.
"Why spend so much resources on pesticides? Go along with animal rearers in
your area and look for plants that animals do not eat. These plants are the
potential source of pesticides, because animals do not eat them; the toxicity
inherent in them." Sristi tries to document, develop and share local solutions,
ones that farmers have invented.
Several tried and tested organic techniques may save farmers from the
clutches of trader-moneylenders. For instance, farmers can use the whey from
buttermilk as a growth promoter. You don't need Bt seeds to ward off the bollworm; you
can use whey or lantana extract. This is a two-in-one solution - you control
lantana weed and at the same time get a local cheap pesticide. Calotripis or
many other such plants found abundantly around the field, uneaten by animals,
can be sprayed or even mixed with irrigation water. Farmers in different parts
of Gujarat and other states have developed these techniques.
Contrary to popular misconceptions, organic farming doesn't mean low
productivity. The output is the same or sometimes more than that of others who use
chemical inputs. Sristi makes sure each method they advocate has first been
tested scientifically by an independent research organisation before it suggests
that farmers adopt the technique.
We met a bunch of farmers in Wardha who have switched to organic cultivation.
They are not as anxious as most other farmers here who illogically douse
their fields with pesticide and fertilizer. They don't have to worry about how
they will get a loan, or how much pesticide to buy in the coming season. Most
farmers dread the end of the season - it's payback time. But organic farmers look
forward to a good crop that they can sell at the price they choose, not that
dictated by exploitative moneylenders.
Pramod Kadam, a farmer and agricultural consultant from Wardha, is still
paying off a huge debt he accumulated while using chemical inputs on his 15-acre
field. "Now that I have switched to organic cotton cultivation, my costs have
reduced from Rs. 5,000-8,000 an acre to around Rs. 3,000 an acre (for seeds,
hiring bullock carts and wages for labourers). My yield is higher. The average
here is around 2.5 quintals per acre, but I get four." So, he has saved on
costs and gained in productivity.
Switch to organic
Many small farmers are apprehensive about the switch to organic. They feel it
is too much of a risk, an experiment that can only be tried by big farmers or
those who have irrigated land. But many of the organic farmers we met had
small holdings. "Small farmers gain the most because we can't afford the high
costs of cultivation. Big farmers can afford chemical cultivation," explained
Sanjay Tigaonkar, an organic farmer from Wardha.
Organic farming is not the only solution to the problems contributing to the
farm crisis. But it is the only one within the farmer's control. All other
factors like prices, credit or irrigation are decided by a government that is
more concerned about the Sensex than suicides. The farm crisis will continue
until the Government decides to protect our farmers like the U.S. and EU protect
theirs. Farmers in the EU are paid one dollar a day for every cow they rear -
more than the daily wage of agricultural labourers in India. Until we protect
our farmers, they will remain on the edge. Organic farming will definitely ease
the burden of costs. But if that is not a viable route, will the government
spend a fraction of the money it spends on promoting non-sustainable
technologies on promotion of non-chemical alternatives?
Technical inputs
Besides monetary inputs, Vidarbha also needs technical inputs. If there were
better agricultural advice, there may not have been such a dire demand for
credit. There has been no competent agricultural guidance for decades. Few have
thought of creative solutions. Even simple things like finding other sources of
income like planting trees or rainwater harvesting in a region where only 11
per cent of farms are irrigated.
Until now the only technical advice has been from agriculture minister Sharad
Pawar and film star Nana Patekar peddling Monsanto's Bt cottonseeds. Most
people can't remember the last time they met an agricultural extension officer.
So it's left to the input shop dealer to give advice, pushing the most
expensive products to increase his sales.
Despite the massive failure of the Bt cotton crop last year (after which the
Government had to compensate farmers), most people still opt for the seeds
this year. Why? Simply because the company has lowered the price from Rs. 1,800
to Rs. 750. Now, it's only Rs. 200 cheaper than the hybrid variety. Might as
well try it again. Though proven to be more effective, organic methods will
never get the kind of hype that surrounds Bt cotton, simply because there is no
money to be made from promoting self-reliance.
Vidarbha's crisis shows that we have gone full circle and it is time to go
back to the basics. "India aspires to be a knowledge society but in agriculture,
there is hardly any effort to draw upon our rich data base of agricultural
practices (many of which have been compiled by Sristi for dissemination). How
many sites exist where scientists are working with farmers' on their fields? We
have to promote farmers' experimentation and innovations to generate
sustainable solutions," says Prof. Gupta. Sometimes the answers are right in front of
us, but we can't see them because they are too simple.
For more information: www.sristi.org
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