Asian Farmers’ Visit to Karnataka’s Natural Farms

Niloshree Bhattacharya
Stephanie Wang

La Via Campesina ,Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) and South Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers Movements (SICCFM) are organising a six days programme from 1st -6th November 2011, where farmers coming from countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Nepal will be visiting natural farms in and around Mysore, Mandya and Chamrajnagara in Karnataka followed by a seminar on the 6th of November in Mysore to learn about methods and benefits of Zero budget natural farming(ZBNF). Experts like Peter Rosset from Mexico, Subhash Palekar and Partap Agarwal will be speaking on agro-ecology and natural farming as ways in which farmers can resist corporate control over agriculture. Natural farmers of Karnataka will also share their real experiences. When we are witnessing increasing farmer suicides and governments are creating a corridor for corporate powers to control seeds and farming practices there have been attempts to discover alternatives to chemical farming. Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), organic farming, Masanobu Fukouka method of farming are farming practices that aim for sustainable agriculture with low cost and good yield.

Natural farming is not a new concept, but a philosophy and practice that can be associated to the earliest stages of agriculture. Indigenous and forest people still treasure the wisdom of the unity of man with nature, but we have lost it in the course of civilization. Organic farming is one attempt to free ourselves from chemicals, but, it is still labour intensive and promotes the addition of foreign organic fertilizers and compost to enhance soil fertility. The main idea of natural farming is that farming should be left to nature itself; it should be simple and low-cost.

The origin of ‘modern’ natural farming is generally associated with Masanobu Fukuoka from Japan who started his experiments in 1938. In India, the first documented experience of natural farming is known as the ‘Rasulia Experience’. When Partap Aggarwal took the coordination of The Friends Rural Center (FRC) in Rasulia (FRC), Madhya Pradesh, he introduced natural farming to which he gave an Indian name: Rishi Kheti. The abandon of chemicals and machines was first perceived as a return to primitivism, both by public and the FRC members. But in 1984, FRC published the Indian edition of Masanobu Fukuoka’s The One Straw Revolution, bringing national and international recognition and attention to Rishi Kheti. Inspired by this example, many farmers who visited Rasulia returned to their lands and switched to natural farming.

Since then, different methods of natural farming have been developed in India. In Karnataka, Subhash Palekar’s Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is the most popular method, with hundreds of followers claiming success. Directly inspired by Fukuoka’s farming philosophy, Kailash Murthy’s natural farm in Kollegal is another successful example which shows that natural farming can and ought to be recognized as a sustainable and accessible alternative to conventional and organic farming.

The central idea of ZBNF is that no monetary investment is necessary to be a successful natural farmer. Indeed, 98 to 98.5% of the nutrients that plants need to grow are taken from the air, water and sunlight. The other 1.5 to 2% of nutrients is available at the root zone of the plant. Through seed autonomy or farmers’ managed seed banks, self-made organic microbial pesticides, as well as a reduced amount of labour, farmers can grow nutritious food without depending on bank loans or other money lenders. The first years of transition from chemical to natural farming will manifest in decreasing yields. But after a couple of years, yields will be equal or superior to those obtained with chemical or conventional farming. The only mandatory component of ZBNF is a native breed of cattle, which will provide its precious dung and urine. According to Palekar, one native cow can sustain up to 30 acres.

We will publish series of materials and reports of the field visits will be shared. Please follow the blog posts. For further details contact: Nandini: 9242489627, Chukki Nanjundaswamy: 9845066156, Kannaiyan: 9444989543, Ashlesha: 9900200771, Niloshree: 8880526005