02/12/2023
Few years from now a Major Crisis is awaiting to hit us, atleast in this part of the World - as these days very few people are interested in taking up Agriculture as their livelihood or profession. There could be a number of genuine reasons for that but the bottomline would be that few years from now we shall have a lot of money in our pocket but hardly any foodgrains on our plate. The writing is on wall - those days are looming large and would come as a major disaster. Perhaps we won't have any place to hide as we donot have any plans, in place, to take us out of that situation.
Nature has given us so much of resources but we are not ready to utilise them for our basic needs, rather we are more interested to exploit it to meet our strange desires and commercial needs.
Very few have the passion left in them for agriculture and do wish to soil their hands to make agriculture a part of their lives.
In an effort to reverse that dangerous trend or atleast arrest it, though in a small way as per our ability, we at 'Voice of World' have taken up the Organic Farming Initiative with great seriousness and commitment.
The primary aim is to involve the next generation in the farming process by making it an integral part of their Education. In a way we are trying to make the Agricultural Training more interesting and full of fun so that the underprivileged & differently-abled children feel the urge to get actively involved which in turn might ignite their passion towards it.
Apart from the regular benefits of Organic Farming, perhaps this could be the most impactful one as it is aimed towards the future development of our society at large.
We do intend to primarily utilise the produce of the Organic Farming Initiative for nutritional purpose of the Underprivileged and Differently-abled Beneficiaries.
Few other regular realised advantages of Organic Farming which would benefit us are:
1) The produce would be free from chemical insecticides, fertilizers and thus would be with improved nutrional value and good for health of the beneficiaries thereby building on their immunity.
2) No more genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are grown. This helps to save a lot of costs and also makes organic farming efficient. The risk of mutations in crops also decreases as they are not genetically altered.
3) Soil Protection -
Organic farming gives added protection to the soil. Healthy soil is very important for the good growth of crops.
Higher soil fertility means higher yield! The soils are protected and remain healthy because chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers are avoided in the farming process; this protects the soil and its fertility in the long run.
4) Healthy working environment around farms.
Organic farming creates a non-toxic working environment for people working around the farm. This is because organic farming aims to stop using chemicals that may create health problems among people working on the farm.
5) Resistance to pests and diseases.
The benefit of growing plants in healthy soil with adequate pH and nutritional status helps strengthen the immune system of the plant. This way, plants produced from organic farming have a higher resistance against pests and various diseases without the use of pesticides or genetically modifying them.
6) Fertilizers are made naturally and on-site
Organic farming increases the yield of crops by making fertilizers on-site using natural substances which include green manure, cover crops, and application of compost.
7) Opportunity to grow a variety of crops
Conventional farming is limited only to producing a limited variety of crops. Organic farming has the limitless capacity of producing a diverse variety of crops which could be utilised for consumption of our beneficiaries.
8) Climate friendly - Organic farming is a much more climate friendly process as it doesn’t require petroleum-based fertilizers and chemicals. The plants produced by organic farming help to store carbon thus reducing the greenhouse effect.
Less fossil fuel is utilized as organic farming requires more work from animals and manual labour. This way the plants also help to support the ecosystem around it and create biodiversity in it.
9) For the future, Organic farming doesn’t damage the soil; neither does it promote the process of desertification. This low input and restorative process helps to preserve the land for future generations.
All the above benefits would also add to Sustainability, which is the key to development and is also a Major Goal of 'Voice of World' to achieve in days to come.
We have actively commenced the Organic Farming Initiative at our centre at Saltighat and also at Kantadih, Purulia.
At the Saltighat Ashram the area available for farming is a bit more than 1 Acre. However presently we are able to utilise only a part of it for Vegetable farming and Fruit Trees. For the major portion a boundary wall or atleast a fencing needs to be provided before we start the farming activity. Presently groups have been formed amongst the children and given responsibility for watering, providing manure and taking care of the fruit trees and also the vegetable plantation area. They also take active part in the Compost Manure making process.
Though the Initiative is working well at the Saltighat Ashram, addition of Boundary Wall/ Fencing to the bigger farm area would add a lot of value and make it more meaningful. We need your support so that we can fully execute our plans and achieve desired results.
At the Kantadih Centre, Purulia we partner in running a Pre-Primary School where the students are predominantly Tribals but all are essentially Underprivileged.
At Kantadih we have undertaken Organic Farming in a farm spread over 6.5 Acres of land (on lease) adjacent to the school & hostel. We have sowed Mustard seeds in about 6 acres of land and would be utilising the balance area for growing Vegetables (already started), Potato, Onion etc.
The Vegetables are being grown for consumption by the School Hostel residents.
The primary aim for growing of Oilseeds is to reduce dependency on support received from donation of cooking oil for all our centres and thus add a bit of sustainability in our approach.
Agricultural Training and participation has been introduced as a mandatory activity in the Education system of the Pre Primary School.
We do need a lot of resources to meet the expenses for labour, irrigation, infrastructure, equipments, consumables etc.
We thus seek your support so that we can take this Organic Farming Initiative forward successfully to reap it's current benefits and create a major impact for the society in days to come.
With Kind Regards,
Saibal Guha
Voice of World
Mob: 9830006637
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.voiceofworld.net
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