JOIN USRavindra Bhat visits a farm in Hunsur taluk and is impressed with the owners’ approach to agriculture. The family, which manages the farm, firmly believes in agriculture for self-reliance.
The approach of this large joint family in Mysore to agriculture is based on the model of minimum investment; optimal results. The family of twelve is into the construction business, but own land of their own at Yalachanahalli in Hunsur taluk, about 40 km from their home in Mysore. The family owns 1 ¾ acres of land.
The family has been following organic methods of agriculture from the past two years. Their motto is not agriculture for profit. Instead, it is agriculture for self-reliance. They have been marching towards goals of sustainability and self-reliance from the last two years. They raise paddy, and other grains apart from horticultural crops on this land.
“We have already achieved 60 per cent self-reliance. By the coming year, we will achieve total self-reliance,” says Tejaswi, one of the owners of the farm. His elder brother Ramesh and younger brother Manu are also into agriculture. “This year, we have raised two and a half quintals of rajamudi paddy that we need for our family.
We have also raised other crops including five quintals of ragi, 70 kg of urad dal, 70 kg of green gram among others. Apart from that, we have managed to produce 60 kg of jaggery. We have also managed to raise groundnut and process groundnut oil on our own. Apart from these, we raise vegetables such as tomato, brinjal, cabbage, etc apart from 60-70 kg of papaya and 15 kg of banana per week.”
Not for commerce
The family, however, does not believe in selling extra produce. It, instead, barters one variety of vegetables with the other.
“We don’t believe in heavy investment. The manure required for our crops is generated from the plants we grow exclusively for the same. We don’t waste water too on the farm. Every drop of water is harnessed. We don’t use chemical fertilisers on our fields at all. We use mixed crop cultivation. We raise all the organic groceries we need for the family on our own,” Tejaswi explains.
“Nothing should be raised for commerce. Raise the crops you want to and sell the extra, by all means, but don’t make it a huge commercial enterprise,” he adds.
He goes on to offer more advice. “If you own 20 acres of land, use at least two acres to raise essential commodities. You can use the remaining land for commercial purposes, or use them for forestry.” Try and be as self-reliant as possible, he tells farmers.