"Zero-budget farming"- A challenger to organic farming?

Every one knows that organic foods are being patronized by more and more people and they account for about 5% of the main stream food industry produced foods. Whether all the claims made by the producers of organic foods are sustainable and 100% safe depend on individual producers/processor though there are stringent regulatory controls supposed to be in place. Unfortunately dilution of organic food specification started in the USA with pressure and lobbying by the "big brothers" in the main stream sector and consumers have to be careful in selecting only 100% organic foods to rule out any possibility of use of chemicals or practices not desirable for absolute safety. While "organic foods vs mainstream commercial foods" debate is hotting up, another side player has jumped into the fray saying even organic foods are not so natural as is being claimed. The so called zero budgeting farming technology being touted by an individual in India depended entirely on cow dung and cow urine to increase the yield with out using any chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The claim that one cow can support 30 acres of land producing crops like cereals is amazing indeed if true and deserves a close look from knowledgeable agricultural experts. Here is a low down on this on-going development in India in the farm sector. 

"Advocate of zero-budget spiritual farming Subhash Palekar has claimed that farmers' suicide in the country was observed among those practicing the chemical-farming methods. Making a plea for encouraging chemical-free farming, Mr. Palekar said there were nearly 4 million farmers practicing zero-budget farming in the country who were prospering. Mr. Palekar, who interacted with media persons here on Saturday, said there was not a single example of farmers practicing zero-budget farming committing suicide, due to higher yield and low cost input. Zero-budget agriculture entails no external chemical inputs like fertilizers or insecticides. While chemical farming methods yield about 12 quintals of basmati rice per acre, under the zero-budget farming method, yield was observed to be as high as 18 to 24 quintals, according to Mr. Palekar. Similarly, about 6 quintals of wheat per acre was the normal yield while it was 18 quintals under zero-budget farming. The country's food output cannot be doubled through chemically-intensive agriculture methods or even conventional organic agriculture. Only zero-budget farming was could meet the country's food requirements. Despite the obvious advantages of alternative methods, not many farmers were switching over to it due to government policies which link all credit, marketing, and insurance facilities to chemical-based agricultural practices, said Mr. Palekar. He noted that the alternative method of farming was more popular in Karnataka, than in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh or Bihar. He came down heavily on the organic farming policy of the State government on the grounds that it was more expensive than chemical-based agriculture. In Mysore region, there were nearly 400 to 500 farmers who had switched over to zero-budget agriculture and Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha leader Badagalpura Nagendra said the organisation was working to create awareness among farmers about its benefits."

It is claimed by the proponents of zero budget farming that the yield under this regime could be 50% to 100% more than the prevalent yields reported using irrigation and full fertilizer use. If 4 million farmers have switched over to this system of cultivation, as being claimed by the proponents of zero budget farming there must be some thing worthwhile that attracts them. In one sense this cow centered farming technology seems eminently suited to India and needs further encouragement. If farmers are happy and no suicide case has ever been reported by zero budget farmers, it is all the more reason to have a close look at this by agricultural experts in Universities and ICAR to confirm that the claims are true and there is no risk inherent in adopting this technology nationally. Just because a single person with years of experience dealing with farmers has propounded this new concept it does not mean that it does not deserve attention. Social organizations and NGOs engaged in rural upliftment in the country must put their heads together to study this system and if found feasible take action to propagate the same.

V.H.POTTY

http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

BYPASSING THE GM ROUTE FOR CROP PROTECTION-A NEW STRATEGY

Looking at the frenetic pace at which many of the established chemical pesticide manufacturers are investing in bio-control creatures with a capacity to kill common pests like grasshoppers give one the impression that they have genuinely concerned about the dangers posed by their diverse portfolio of chemicals used by millions of farmers all over the world. This is a wrong guess because their consideration is totally different. Having read the writing on the world regarding the rising resistance to chemical pesticides by farmers and consumers alike, they really want to see whether alternate options are available that will be acceptable to all the stake holders. Also in their mind is the vision that their existing chemical pesticides can work more effectively and at lesser levels to counteract many vectors that affect crops like Corn, Soy and others. Though the present share of such bio-pesticides, if one call them by that term, is a meager 3% of the 44 billion pesticide market, this is bound to increase exponentially once the range of new bio-pesticides is expanded through more developmental efforts. Here is a commentary on this interesting development which can have some beneficial impact in the long run.     

"The global crop-protection industry is dominated by agrochemical companies such as Syngenta (SYT),Monsanto (MON), and Bayer CropScience. It's also dominated by awesome, crime-fighting bugs (note: that is not the technical term). With U.S. and European Union regulators, not to mention supermarket chains, toughening their stance against traditional pesticides, Basel-based Syngenta is now breeding and selling fly-munching mites, caterpillar-killing wasps, and "premium quality" bees in bulk to help farmers find chemical-free solutions to crop damage. Monsanto, the biggest developer of genetically modified crops, is engineering naturally occurring molecules to help kill weeds, insects, and plant viruses. At Marrone Bio Innovations, founded in 2006 and based in Davis, Calif., a new product called Zequanox, made from a common microbe, is proving an effective killer of the zebra and quagga mussels that clog factory and power generator pipes. "You can save a lot of money when you don't need to stop a factory" to turn back the freshwater invaders, says Pamela Marrone, the start-up's founder and chief executive officer, who has a Ph.D. in entomology".

One of the earliest bio-pesticides known is Bacillus thuringensis which became a pawn in the hands of the GMO companies to evolve many crops including Cotton through transgenic technology which are supposed to be resistant to attack by some of the established pests encountered by the farmers. It was only recently that India denied permission for introducing Bt Brinjal from one of the transnational companies into the country because of real apprehensions regarding the consequences on environment and the natural gene pool available in domestic Brinjal. Concept-wise Bio-control agents can be an excellent tool if properly harnessed and carefully used after going through a SWOT analysis to understand the benefits and risks thoroughly.  A larger question that bugs many honest people is whether such developments should be left in the hands of profit-centered private multinational companies which use the intellectual property provisions to bottle them up without sharing their results and products with farmers of third world? There are excellent public funded farm research organizations with national as well as international reputation which must be strengthened to take up such work and results from these agencies can be made available to farm communities globally.  

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com