miscellany - Growing organically

About 30 years ago, we were growing paddy using chemical fertilisers and felt that the yield can be good only with chemical inputs. However, this notion changed when we visited B K Devarao’s farm in Mittabagilu near Ujire. He was cultivating many varieties of paddy without using any chemical fertiliser. Hence, we thought that we can also follow the same method. As a result, in the next season, we did not apply chemical fertiliser. And, we have not looked back since then,” says Usha Mehendale. This incident was a turning point for her to take up organic paddy cultivation in her land in Tenkakarandoor village in Belthangady taluk, Dakshina Kannada district.

However, while the change was for the good, Usha believes that she should not have switched over to organic farming in one go. She says, “Sudden change in farming practice affected the yield, which was reduced by half for over a period of four years. Had we switched over gradually, it would not have happened. But we were convinced about the method and stood firm even during tough times. Gradually,  soil’s fertility improved. Now, we get 40 quintals of paddy from our four-acre land.”

Usha uses plant leaves, plant waste, cow dung and urine, slurry from gobar gas as manure for her paddy field and areca nut plantation. The impact of using this can be seen in her land. For instance, she puts two baskets of compost to each areca nut tree and four baskets of compost for every coconut tree once in two years. As a result, their growth has been healthy. Cocoa, clove, nutmug plants and pepper vines are grown as intercrops.

Adapting well
“Nowadays, farmhands are not easily available. But that should not be a reason for us to sell our land. Instead, we should adopt organic farming. Additionally, all members of the family should get involved in farm activities. It is time women lead farming activities from front. There are different ways to make farm work easy. For instance, we can cut the fallen leaves of coconut and areca nut and put them at the bottom of plants. It retains moisture level and facilitates healthy growth of the plant,” avers Usha.

She also believes that every farming family should have cattle. While milk is good for human health, cow dung manure is good for soil health. Usha also experiments with many innovative practices in  her farm. For instance, she has a unique way to collect the slurry in her gobar gas plant near the cowshed. The slurry which comes out from the gobar gas is collected in a tank. From here, the slurry is pumped to the plants. One bucket of slurry provides the required nutrients to the plants each month. Another important method that she follows is putting coconut husks at the base of the coconut trees and covering them with soil. This ensures proper moisture and supply of potash to the plants. Sheets of areca nut leaves are cut into pieces using a machine and fed to the cows.

Two decades ago, Usha took lead in many women empowerment activities in Belthangady taluk. For instance, she conducted tailoring classes for women when she was the president of the village Mahila Mandal. She also ensured that poor families were able to take the benefits of government schemes when she was a member of the gram panchayath. Such initiatives made her quite popular in Belthangady.

In this adventurous and successful journey from chemical to organic farming, Usha has received constant support from her husband, Seetharam Bhat. During the last two years, their son Arun has also joined in managing the farm. What is her driving force in this challenging journey? It is the satisfaction she derives when people from distant places come to her farm to get organic rice grown by her.