Hoshangabad, April 3 (ANI): A traditional method of cultivation known as Utera cropping has been successfully practiced by farmers of Dhadaw Village in Madhya Pradesh's Hoshangabad District, and now there is a view that it should be replicated by farmers across India to ensure better harvests and crop productivity.
Last month, a study published by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) revealed that government's extension services to monitor pesticide usage has failed to reach farmers.
Farmers say they are often left with no option but to depend on pesticide dealers for advice. They also complain of recommendations from agriculture universities not reaching them, and they end up using pesticides, some of which are toxic.
The answer to these problems is now being provided by the villagers of Dhadaw, at the foothills of Datla mountain of Satpuda Valley in the Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh.
At this picturesque village, farmers have maintained the essence of agriculture as practiced in India for generations, and without the use of pesticides.
In Utera Cropping, six to seven types of crops are sown simultaneously. For example, seeds of Urad, Jawar, Paddy, Tilli, Tuar, Sama and Kodo are mixed and then sown collectively. Sown in June (Ashadh), the crop is harvested at different times - Urad is harvested first, followed by Paddy, Jawar and Tuar. Kutki is the first one to be ready for harvest.
Sixty-year old farmer Ganpat, busy harvesting the crop with his hansiya (reaping hook), shares his experience on this.
"There is none or very less money required for Utera farming. With the combination of our hard work, labour of bullocks and some help from the monsoon, our crops get ready for harvesting. Every year, we save some seeds for the following season, saving the cost of buying seeds. The bullocks also give us fertilizers which, in turn, nourish our soil."
As he moves upward on the scaffold to keep the parrots and other birds away from the chickpea crop, he proudly expresses the significance of Utera Cropping in their lives -
"Utera gives us the complete meal - dal, rice, wheat and oil. It fulfils our yearly requirements of pulses, oil seeds, and cereals. We get fodder for our animals and bio-fertilizers to make the soil even more productive. Utera gives cereals for human beings, stem, straw and fodder for animals, bio-fertilisers for soil and bio pesticide for crops."
According to the District Gazetteer, people of this region earlier followed 'Milwan' (mixed) farming, in which legumes are sown to maintain the fertility of the soil. Mixed crops are sown in various ratios. Birra was sown by mixing wheat and Chana; Tiwda and Chana were also mixed; cotton, sesame, kodo and jawar were sown together. Farmers knew well that legume crops make the soil more fertile and help increase the produce.
Another benefit of sowing different crops together is that it retains the nutritious elements of the soil. Sowing legumes along with other crops lowers the need for additional nitrogen-based inputs. Farmers believe that if one crop fails in Utera, other crops compensate for it, a sharp contrast to cash crops, where farmers suffer intensely if the crop is destroyed by insects or pests, or even by the brutality of nature. In 2011, Soybean crops were completely destroyed and three farmers committed suicide in the Hoshangabad District. Mixed and Utera cropping are testified agricultural practices which offer hope for a better future in agriculture.
Ramkhyali Thakur, a farmer from the village, considers it to be better than chemical farming because of its low dependence on money. It barely requires chemical fertilizers. Since every crop gets ready at different interval, family members usually suffice to carry out the harvest. This saves valuable - and limited financial resources - that would otherwise go into hiring expensive farm labors and harvester machines, which add to the curse of global warming. In all, this traditional form of agricultural practice makes an important, multi-faceted contribution to food security, preservation of soil, livestock breeding, bio-diversity and environmental concerns.
A few years ago, every household had a kitchen garden in which Utera crops were sown. Many green vegetables, seasonal fruits and cereals would be planted in the backyard of every house. Bhata, tomatoes, green chili, ginger, ladies finger, Semi (Ballar), corn, jawar, among others, were planted. Munga, lemon, berries and guava from these kitchen gardens were a good source of nutrition for children. Water from household chores would be recycled to feed these crops. Pity, this practice is limited to merely a handful of families.
The livelihood of the people of Dhadaw village strongly depends on the traditional Utera method and on the forest. The farm and forest duo gifts them everything they require for their daily lives. It also preserves biodiversity by preserving soil, water and the environment.
Utera and Mixed Cropping are not the only methods of traditional farming that have the potential to liberate us from the shackles of chemical farming. There are several other methods of traditional farming, depending on the climatic and environment conditions of a particular region; Satgajra (Seven Grains), Navdanya (Nine Pulses), and Barah Anaja (Twelve Cereals) are various forms of agricultural practices. Each has its own benefits.
The Charkha Development Communication Network feels that there are many examples of intense farming in which land is used to its maximum capability in our country and there is need to support them. By Baba Mayaram (ANI)
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