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Vikas Maitri

Voluntary Development Society in Jharkhand

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Short training course on Organic Farming and Sustainable Agriculture

26 - 31 August 2002

Venue  :  Dumardaga, Khunti

Participants - 27 project staff of CCF Ranchi and officers of Eastern Zone, India.

The promotion of organic method of cultivation is appropriate and beneficial for rural farmers in the context of Jharkhand.  In the past, several attempts have been made to introduce chemical farming in the area with varied results - some successes but mostly failures.

The upland soil of Jharkhand constituting more than 60% of the cultivable area, is made up of sandy loam soil more prone to acidic reaction.  The introduction of chemical farming in the long run tends to aggravate this situation.  The soil tends to lose the moisture retention capacity leading to formation of gullies causing soil erosion.

One of the advantages of organic farming over the chemical farming is that the soil is constantly replenished with organic matter, increasing the moisture retention capacity.  With judicious use of resources the required nutrient of the crop can be maintained at an optimum level.  In this way the profitability of the soil can be sustained for a longer period of time.

The promotion of organic method may also encourage low-income farming groups to actively participate in the production activity.

The training course will have the following contents :

1.  Modern Organic method with scientific management of agricultural inputs.  The organic method of farming is being practiced by poor farmers traditionally.  While these methods are quite good they are not sufficient to raise income levels.  Modern organic methods analyse the situation scientifically and provide a package of recommendations to the farmers for enhancing their food production capacity.

2.  In order to understand the principles of organic farming, it is essential to understand the plant life so that optimum advantage can be taken of by its life cycles, response to the sun, light, the environment, and the agronomical conditions.

3.  The soil is the mechanical support the plant needs to exist on earth.  Therefore it is pertinent to know the condition of soil, its make up, structure, texture etc.  How soil can be managed in such a way that it retains moisture for a longer period of time, thus reducing the cost of irrigation.  How to maintain the soil in such a way that it will be easier to have operations such as ploughing, bunding, draining and checking soil erosion.  The farmer should basically understand the role of humus in the soil.

4.  The soil micro-organisms, their development and control through natural processes are the essence of organic farming.  These organisms are actually responsible for the conversion of chemical and nutrients absorbed by the plants.  It is absolutely essential to understand micro-organisms and the condition of optimum environment for their growth.

5.  It is our intention to conduct the training not as a theoretical exercise but also to share results of successful experiments on case to case basis on a number of common crops normally grown by the farmers of the Jharkhand area.  These can be further discussed by trainees in relation to their own local experiences.

6.  The organic method of farming is related to people's development.  How this can be related to community development concepts and the philosophy of the father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, is a matter for pondering.