In India, in the States that I have visited, namely, Maharastra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana... I have noted that there are very less number of trees around the farmlands... it is very mandatory that farmlands should plant more trees around their farmlands to reap multiple benefits from them. More trees mean more birds will flock and these birds will help eliminate harmful insects to protect the crops & vegetables, bird droppings or their faeces will provide the soil free ready-made manure. More trees will attract more clouds for a good rainfall (what we all have been taught in school in class IV th or V th) and also the trees will protect soil erosion during monsoon while CREATING WIND BARRIERS to protect the crops. Apart from creating wind barriers, if fruit trees like Mango, Jamun, Karvanda etc are planted, they will also give seasonal fruits to farmers' families. If rich wood trees like Teak, Oak & others are planted around the farmlands, they will fetch high returns to farmers after many years...
Organic Farming is certainly not a new thing but an ancient practice of the human civilization from eras... in fact, ever since humans learned farming. It is so simple by using nature’s elements to enhance productivity and that too free of extra cost to get healthy produce to serve and build a healthy nation. The development of Science, if it has advantages, there are also more disadvantages, that has harmed our lives... to make us more lazy and dependent on unwanted things at extra cost. More trees mean, farmers can collect Neem fruits (Nimboli) to make Organic Pesticides and all the dried leaves act as natural manure... just like in the jungles...
We all know jungles doesn’t need any chemical spraying to grow more trees... they grow and multiply on their own in the most natural way, that science has to understand. Everything is a simple cycle of interdependency... the revolution of PLANTING MORE TREES AROUND FARMLAND to create Wind Barriers will reap multiple benefits to every farmer in the world.
CREATING BUNDS ALL AROUND THE FIELDS can be seen in most of the areas, where farming has flourished to fetch farmers better results in protecting soil erosion and build good ground water table, so that water for irrigation and drinking is in plenty during summer seasons. Here, I would like to mention about the 84-year-young Premji Bhai Patel from Upleta, Rajkot district of Gujarat... who dedicated his life to harvest rain water by creating check dams, underground water tanks and planting trees... since the last two and a half decades. One man’s devotion saw Rajkot district’s salty ground water table turning into sweet water table... to make Rajkot district the only district in the whole of India, where farming is done all 12 months of the year.
If one goes around Nashik – the Vegetable Basket of Maharastra – one can see bunds being created in almost 99 % of the farms... no wonder, Nashik produces vegetables in plenty, while on my first visit to Vidarbha in April 2010, I was shocked to see farmlands without any bunds... as a kid, my mother and father was very fond of gardening... we had a large compound and plenty of space to have a beautiful garden with as many as 25 to 30 varieties of flowers... and also we had near about 15 to 20 varieties of vegetables & fruits... I used to help them in giving water to the plants and vegetables... we used to grow Corn, Groundnuts, Brinjal, Tomatoes, Chillies, Ladyfingers, Bitter Gourd, French Beans, Peas, Sugarcane, Tapioca, Sugarbeet and we had lovely Guavas, Custard Apples, Papayas... all these were for family consumption only... I never realized in life that my childhood experience will ultimately help me to understand better about farming and that my destiny will take me to Vidarbha to serve the farmers’ community.
I have interacted with farmers from various villages in Vidarbha and when I ask them why they have not build bunds around their fields, they just shrug their shoulders. Not that they don’t know the age-old practice... but they are lazy to work hard to build bunds... I am surprised at their careless attitude and mindset... a few have listened to my advice but it is really very-very difficult to change the mindset of the Vidarbha farmers... my efforts will not be lessened and I will continue to educate them the benefits of creating bunds around their fields. A big revolution has to start by everyone who is connected to farming, to teach and guide farmers to build bunds around their farmlands to harvest rain water to increase the ground water table and save soil erosion of the fertile upper layers.
... to be continued...
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