Organic Farming in Vedas

My Sulekha Blog

Our extended family still practises agriculture in rural Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Being quite western influenced, I am quite convinced that way of Whole Foods is the way to go for sustainable agriculture.

Whole Foods opened my eyes to the two facts

-Organic Food tastes better

-Good for enviornment.

I was analysing organic food in indian context, that how can we pay a premium for it, when problem solved automatically.India agriculture needs organic farming even if remove taste and enviornment factor.Why??

For any business to be profitable

Cost of Input

Now,Agriculture is a business. Its cost rises (or raises..?? or roses?) anyways, by..addition of

-chemical pesticides

-chemical fertilizers

-increased irrigation due to soil leaching

-deisel/petrol costs for agriculture implements (tractor etc)

Now, in Rajasthan, tractor is not used as it's soil is too sandy. Tractor is invention of westerners not always suited for indian climate, and definitely not required in high cattle surplus of our country (we have highest cattle head in world, and we don't eat them).So , problem is how to keep the cost down for agriculture

Of course, organic farming. All details of which strangely are given at " Krishi Parashar" , a Veda. Our friends here in west look to indian knowledge for pesticides (like planting Neem trees and spraying with cow urine)

Bio-diverstiy (not planting one crop in field,), a good set of flowers to attract insects and bees for pollination,cow manure as fertilisers.etc. etc will automatically bring the cost down. West had already down the research that organic farming yields 90% of what it was with fertilizer and pesticides.

But this 10% decrease in yield will make up for much less costs.

I was happy to hit upon a website which lists Krishi Prashar methods

http://www.navdanya.org/

http://www.rishi-krishi.com/et/epage8.htm

Krishirdhanya krishirmerdhya jantunam jivanam krishihi |
Hinsadidoshyuktoapi muchyateatithi pujanat ||
- Krishiparashara 8

The broad meaning of this is that, the farmer's life is dependent on the living organisms in the soil he cultivates. During the cultivation, some of these organisms get killed. Since his Dharma (primary duty) is to produce food for the sustenance of the world, he gets absolved of the sinful deed of killing the organisms.

Some facts I didn't know..

cow dung cakes when burnt with cow's ghee releases oxygen, so they purify enviornment

BioGas (Gobar ) idn't take off in india due to existing subsidy in LPG/Kerosene/Electricity for farmers.They didn't have a motivation to switch, collecting cow dung involved more labour.