Farmer Voices

UREA: A Lifeline or a Hidden Burden for Farmer…?

During my interaction with farmers, most commonly and widely used farming input was urea. In modern methods of farming urea is widely used input by farmers as it increases the crop productivity and hence gives more income. But urea is good only when used in a calculated quantity...

Many daily wage farmers in outskirts of Thane District in Maharashtra, who work in the fields of rich landlords don’t which kind of urea is to be used and in what quantities. They are just told to use this urea in fields and they use it unjudiciously as much as they want. This is a very serious issue as it makes our food crops being grown more of chemicals and makes it harmful for our health and body.

Biomagnification is also a natural process seen in crops in which the concentration of harmful substance increases as the food is consumed by different level of animals in food chain this even works in case of urea.

As per my experience these farm labourers used this urea very much and as a result the land slowly-slowly lost its fertility. This is really concerning because if this trend continues, then in long term our country like India where majority population is in agriculture sector, would start lacking in fertile soil and our stomach would ultimately be in danger. The more concern thing is that they didn’t know that excess use of urea deteriorates the land and crop, they are just told to use it but are not enough aware how is it to be used.

In many areas urea is supplied from far places and are usually high priced so, they are forced to buy it at high price as, if they don’t make enough profit to satisfy the landlord, he might even cut down their wage at month end. The labours are made to buy these things from their minimal wage which is an extra burden on their shoulders.

So it is really very crucial to spread awareness about these by government of regional level or by some NGO initiatives.

At last it is up to you to make urea a helping hand in farming or a slow poison for future of agriculture…..

By ISHAAN SUNIL YADAV

“When Irrigation Becomes Contamination: The Reality of Gutter Water in Farming”

While my expeditions around Badlpaur gaon area we came across farm behind and in front of Badlapur high school. Why were we there? Me and my team was there for interviewing farmers and we found a very diabolical thing which farmers also didn’t care about much it was use of gutter water for irrigation. Yes, we asked every farmer who was interviewed by our team about water used for irrigation and they said the gutter (Nale ka paani) the one who make us think of its presence from 200 M sometimes which might have brain eating amoeba or chemicals that can take part to take us to death bed.

Gutter water which took factories, refinery, sewage, waste and other waste that is enough to make us think twice before standing near that gutter. But it was a slap on our governing bodies that the crops which are send in our great economic capital Mumbai is grown in Badlapur with the water that we flush and those might think its under small scale I want to tell there are 200 + labourers and land that is of hundreds of acres has this story. I want to tell that our great leaders will import vegies from foreign after seeing this but a common Indian can’t do this.

Dadar and Kalyan area gets these vegies polluted by this gutter water and these farmers they spend enormously on pesticides and insecticides that are caused by the pests and insect came and raised by contaminated gutter water may not rich in minerals but in bacteria, viruses, fungus, parasite, insect are raised in this water like children on mother’s milk.

I was fortunate to ask a farmer about this and he said that this water don’t affect crops or health of people water is used just to make soil wet. I was knowing he does not know its effects we sat to tell him.

But he was not ready to stop as his crops will die (though they are gonna be permanently in some years) he might handle the effects of bio magnification but not of cost to install a boring a person earning Rs 8000 a month it’s impossible for him to make uses of any modernisation came after Green revolution.

Some of those famers where proud enough because they were using Ulhas river water but I was said enough to make them remember that the gutter I was talking about opens in Ulhas river and nagarpalika sewage gutters, factory chems, refinery water and leather waste are dumped in that water hence it was gutter water not a river.

We are Indians we have cheat codes called Jugaad or midways to think and solve a problem easily and fastly we can form cooperative that can make a good water available to this kind of small famers and We have to raise questions about opening of gutters in Ulhas river it is a river whose water is drank by Mauryans, Kolis, Yadavas, Rastrakutas, Bijapuriyans, Mughals, Marathas, Britishers and now it is un drinkable because we can’t be part of above culture as we don’t want to lose our life. We can connect this farms with pipelines and starting a water treatment plant as near as we can and can we raise questions that can help changing path of gutters and sewage to Ulhas river and we can elevate our farmers’ income by this.

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By ADITYA RAKESH MISHRA

Real image of that gutter

Source - agristories.com

Applying for policies: - Important but not done by many.

We were again on our daily mission to interview as many farmers as we can and we had memories of those answers which was given by farmers when asked about if they are getting benefits of gov policies. And answer was a no most times and when asked did you apply for any same time answer was to be no.

Government cannot reach all the people hence, it created ways so, people can themselves reach and one of those is application forms which go unused unelated in millions each year. People than also has confidence to blame gov but they are the one who has not applied yet we came across many farmers who have got wealth mostly from farming was having solar panels, electric motors, generator, tractor, pumping sets, drip irrigation system etc got their expenses covered by gov subsidies. But to get them application is important.

Many people don’t apply thinking it’s hard to get and the amount will be less. Many of them who are not real owners of land and take land on rent think they are not legally suitable for this and sometimes they are not even confident to speak with the owner. These are those kind of farmers who end up using great amount of sewage waters to irrigate field turning crops into slow poison. A great amount of urea and NPK make land good for some time after 4 to 5 years it will be uncultivable and require more and more fertilizers. Govt subsidies are now something that those with current information can think of. Many old farmers don’t even know about the same they continue with old practices of twentieth. There crops can improve they can use ground water, they can use good fertilizers, they can give their fields a good harvest.

But gov has to take steps to reach these kind of people and also NGOs and helping groups are needed to give them infos about the Apps or websites where these kinds of policy information and details and application forms are released. A special kind of Kendra is required for every village or group of village where they can find these kind of information. Local government has also a big hand to play in it. And we have to give our self a special agency or a kind of policy to detect corrupt officers and delayers in the system.

“Agriculture is mother of all industries”

Jay Jawan, Jay kisan

Written by :- Aditya Mishra

Special credits to agristories.com

Global Warming: A silent warning to all farmers before it’s too late…

Climate is one of the most important factor which affects a farmer’s crop output. Whether it is about rain, sun rays, wind ,etc all are climate based. In recent years due to global warming farmers in India have experienced unscheduled rains, hails, and increased sunlight this has resulted in huge losses to farmer across India. Even cost of crop input has also increased due to this which is making profit of farmer much and much lesser year by year.

The increased sun rays lessens the germination of seeds in farm and this has also forced the farmers to put more amount of water in same land area which also gives rise to water wastage problem. The soil also becomes dry and infertile due to such sun rays and hence farmer has to use harmful chemical inputs like urea, NPK, etc. Even crop failure is another consicuence of this.

This makes farming an unpredictable business as climate my change any time and this more becomes a gambling game. Pests is also increased due to such unpredictable climatic conditions and hence pesticides also becomes a liability for a farmer to put it in his farm. This makes crop infected and unhealthy for consumption.

As per my interviewing experience with farmers, I have came to know that most farmers don’t have access to boring water ,they depend on river water but this river water gets dried up in summer seasons and hence, their field goes unused throughout a season and hence have to wait for rains so that kharif crops can be growned. This is waste of our land resource and makes the farmer go in debt as he has to get some money for next season.

This even makes farmers to use unsafe sources of water like gutter water which has pollutants like human waste, chemical waste, organic waste, pastic and what not that you may think of!! This makes the crops dirty and unhealthy to be eaten but it gets sold in the markets and as a result the normal public becomes more vulnerable to diseases. And as we can see life expectancy has dropped and the senior citizens with no vulnerable disease or medications are rare to be found in today’s time.

This makes the farmer think and shift to different sector to work and younger generation doesn’t want to work in this field at all for this reduced profitability due to global warming.

This situation is more serious than most us might think is. This will some or the other where would affect common peoples pocket as the food will become costlier and would even become in shortage.

Government should take initiatives to stop this thing and even people should start becoming more conscious about these changes and take appropriate steps to help mother nature stay the way God created her to be.

At last your question should be: IF THE FARMER STOPS FARMING WHAT HUMANS THINK WOULD EAT??

BY :- Ishaan Yadav

special thanks to:- agristories.com

PROFIT OR FREEDOM : what drives a farmer to continue farming??

Farming or agriculture is a field which is evergreen. A Human may live without computers or AIs or mobile phones (not truly) but a human can’t live without food. So, the farmer is the real person who fulfills our stomach. But surprisingly, in a country like India where most of the population relies on farming as the only way to earn their living is amongst the poorest.

Some exceptions are still there in such case also like big landlords with generational land property employ cheap labour farmer and earn huge profits. Areas such as Punjab and Haryana where Green Revolution was prominently seen is also a place to rich farmers.

So, by such examples it’s pretty clear that profit is not the only reason for farmers doing farming, in fact this is the one of the rarest reason for doing this.

From my experience in interviewing farmers most people who had no education , no other option than farming did farming as daily wage workers on other landlord’s land who gave them a very marginal wage and even exploited them with making them to buy farming inputs like fertilizers , etc. from their wage itself. Such people’s motive of farming was just to somehow manage basic expense for living of their and their family’s needs. However due to various circumstances their crops even failed resulting in lesser wages and which just made their situations worse.

Then there was another kind of farmers who owned a very small to medium size of land but earned enough to stay happy and fulfill their family’s basic needs and some wants. These were kind of generational and experienced farmers who even aimed to send their children to complete their studies in agriculture and expand the business of farming. They even said that even if they got high paid jobs then also, they won’t do it. The only reason for their such decision was FREEDOM offered in farming. They said that in framing it’s all up to you whether you work whole day or even skip some day and just enjoy the breeze of nature it won’t matter. But in job one has to be in a constant pressure of completing a specific task which is assigned by their boss. This destroys ones mental peace as he is just illusioned to be free but is under the rule of his boss. This is what many farmers don’t like and want to continue farming as their proffesion.

Then there was also another type of farmer who did this as their passion, who didn’t worry for profit or loss but did this because it gave them satisfaction and pleasure to be the one who feeds the whole nation and the world.

So, at last by such examples we see that in India profit in agriculture is still very low but farmers are still in a hope that someday this will change and a revolution would take place and that is why profit is not the only reason of farming in India but there is a hope and passion hidden behind it or even compulsion some times…

BY ISHAAN YADAV

special thanks to agristories.com

Schooled out of the soil: - when Degrees become a divorce from the land

We were again on the fields finding some of the new farmers in way to continues interviews that help the nation to think about primary. We came across a common view that we majorly find in most of the farm explorations that those educated will not farm.

Yes, people believe those educated will not farm and somewhere we can find it as true as it is not at some places. When we go to states like Punjab and Haryana educated prefer to farm most of them study agriculture to farm better. It is not a case that farming don’t pay good it pays better than many packages after TIER 1 MBA but only to those got birth in areas where green revolution and mechanisation was prevalent their Land are big enough, members are less, more for market. But the areas like village of kanhor in Maharashtra surrounded by beautiful plateaus and rich diversity temples and believes can’t produce even to satisfy own needs. Lack of irrigation, funding, small lands, too much people in family, dependence on weather etc cause them to suffer they think a job which can pay upto 10k or 15k is also good sometimes better. They want to run from what they have they don’t want to continue what their ancestors did. Their ancestors enjoyed and they suffer. Without any support they are forced to use the river water which is now a gutter because of sewage water and waste from MIDC factories.

I want to ask whether 5 to 6 states have potential to feed 142 crore people and to handle exports and if the answer is no than we have to focus on them who has potential to feed nation. Cooperatives and grameen banks have still not reached till every corner of the country. Irrigation, seeds, knowledge, pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers are still not proper. We have to give farmers orientations and workshops, we have to support business growing in agricultural and aggrotech fields.

Contribution of every being has significantly made us human and first of them was agriculture. People are finding education path to leave agriculture but we have to give education in such a way that helps agriculture to sustain.

We can’t depend on labs still as India is still far from reaching the goal of becoming a aggrotech enabled county so we have to help those who do farming on land and who live on hopes of a good harvest.

We have to ask our self a question are we giving education to educate people or make them work under those who give education?

BY- ADITYA MISHRA

Special thanks to agristories.com

PROFIT OR FREEDOM : what drives a farmer to continue farming??

Farming or agriculture is a field which is evergreen. A Human may live without computers or AI or mobile phones (not truly) but a human can’t live without food. So, the farmer is the real person who fulfills our stomach. But surprisingly, in a country like India where most of the population relies on farming as the only way to earn their living is amongst the poorest.

Some exceptions are still there in such case also like big landlords with generational land property employ cheap labour farmer and earn huge profits. Areas such as Punjab and Haryana where Green Revolution was prominently seen is also a place to rich farmers.

So, by such examples it’s pretty clear that profit is not the only reason for farmers doing farming, in fact this is the one of the rarest reason for doing this.

From my experience in interviewing farmers most people who had no education , no other option than farming did farming as daily wage workers on other landlord’s land who gave them a very marginal wage and even exploited them with making them to buy farming inputs like fertilizers , etc. from their wage itself. Such people’s motive of farming was just to somehow manage basic expense for living of their and their family’s needs. However due to various circumstances their crops even failed resulting in lesser wages and which just made their situations worse.

Then there was another kind of farmers who owned a v small to medium size of land but earned enough to stay happy and fulfill their family’s basic needs and some wants. These were kind of generational and experienced farmers who even aimed to send their children to complete their studies in agriculture and expand the business of farming. They even said that even if they got high paid jobs then also, they won’t do it. The only reason for their such decision was FREEDOM offered in farming. They said that in framing it’s all up to you whether you work whole day or even skip some day and just enjoy the breeze of nature it won’t matter. But in job one has to be in a constant pressure of completing a specific task which is assigned by their boss. This destroys ones mental peace as he is just illusion to be free but is under the rule of his boss. This is what many farmers don’t like and want to continue farming as their profession.

Then there was also another type of farmer who did this as their passion, who didn’t worry for profit or loss but did this because it gave them satisfaction and pleasure to be the one who feeds the whole nation and the world.

So, at last by such examples we see that in India profit in agriculture is still very low but farmers are still in a hope that someday this will change and a revolution would take place and that is why profit is not the only reason of farming in India but there is a hope and passion hidden behind it or even compulsion sometimes…

By :- ISHAAN YADAV

special thanks to agristories.com

Natural Fertilizers VS Chemical fertilizers : Which one is better? Let’s Find out…

Gobar (cow dung) is the healthiest natural input made by farmers to make their farm healthy and increase crop yield. But, with introduction of modern method of farming chemical fertilizers such as NPK, Urea, etc. has also became to be commonly used by farmers.

As per my experience with different kinds of farmers, the farmers who used chemical fertilizers were mainly laborers who worked on someone else’s farm and just wanted fast crop and didn’t cared about long term impact of it on land or even on crop. They just wanted to make more profits.

But, the genuine farmers who really relied on their own land and had only a piece of land as their daily livelihood, rarely used urea or any chemical fertilizers and believed more on natural fertilizers like vermi-compost was one of them. The advantage of natural fertilizers is that it doesn’t harm our crops which we consume making it totally safe for consumption. Moreover, it also made the land more powerful and productive as it was naturally made.

With chemicals, as the time passes, the land slowly losses it’s capacity to grow any more crops. Even some amount of chemicals even enters our food which is not at advisable to consume for longer period of time. Many kinds of illness is related with use to too much chemical inputs in farm.

Sometimes, when farmers used chemicals by their own calculations, they ended up putting more chemicals in field then required. This ended up in completely burning of their crop and all their efforts became meaningless in a few moments.

Rarely in some cases, the chemical fertilizers were fake which was sold by some unauthorized people to poor and uneducated farmers who, are easy target for such kinds of people.

These fertilizers were also way more expensive then natural fertilizers which became another liability for the farmer and hence, resulted in decreased income. While, gobar can be easily obtained out of cow and is comparatively available at lower cost in market then chemical fertilizers.

I also saw a unique method done by a farmer where, he mixed gobar in his water channel and also go Muttra which acted as both fertilizer as well as irrigation for the field. This saved his huge amount of energy every day. Even, this helped him overcome his expenses in farming thus increasing their earning.

So, in short natural fertilizer is a blessing and proven way to use in fields but, a little amount of chemical fertilizers is too necessary for farms occasionally.

By ISHAAN YADAV

Special thanks to agristories.com

Solar Panels for irrigation he thought he got: - The truth of subsidies given by government

We were again set for interviews and some experiences that will take us to the one of the best what our country has the agriculture. Our team was tired of taking interviews of those who used gutter water for irrigation and chemicals to earn artificially we were tired to educate them not to do so but when we came across a farmer from whom we learnt a lot not a wealthy farmer with big land. He was though a small farmer but he was using such a thing which was I think first time in his whole village.

He was using solar panels to generate energy which was used to pull water from the ground and irrigate his fields. We asked him to show how it worked he started that it was noon so energy was generated from photovoltaic technology and water came from pipes and his field got irrigated. We were still doubt full after seeing his small land and understanding he is a marginal farmer that how he can afford this. I asked him how much you invested he said under Rupees 10000 means only 10% rest I got government of Maharashtra subsidy.

There are many farmers like Mr. Vishal who have improved their life due to government support. We live in a country were 60% of people depend on agriculture still we get very less share from this sector in our economy. It is not matter of anything but information about these things. Every year 35% to 40% subsidy money goes waste in India because no one claims it. If farmers will not apply for this things government officers will get chance to exploit it. So, first of all information is required about this schemes. This is responsibility of government especially local government to register the needy and tell them about all the available supports. Which is not done properly.

A proper survey should be done of these local governments whether they are doing these polices and subsidy things correctly, we can form a commission just to track where all the subsidy money going from each paisa and we can educate farmers by orientations, local govt, groups, NGOs, etc about the coming and existing policies.

There are billions of rupees going waste and corrupted. People are not facility of these policies. So then they will come with opposition to blame the government not knowing real criminals are local govt leaders and small farmers lack of information. Websites like Kisan suvidha, National portal of India, State agriculture mechanization scheme[AM1] , Department of Agriculture and farmers welfare, etc should be known to every farmers. Local governments, NGOs, groups, kisan morchas, krishi vigyaan kendra etc can help farmers to get information about the same.

BY ADITYA RAKESH MISHRA

Special Thanks To agristories.com