Thursday, February 25, 2016

मराठवाड्यातील दुष्काळ : एक आकलन

मृदसंधारण, गरजा आधारित पीक पद्धती, नैसर्गिक शेती
- वसंत फुटाणे । २४-०२-२०१६

पाण्याशिवाय माणूस, पशुपक्षी कसे जगतील? मराठवाड्यातील तांबवा (ता. केज. जि. बीड) गावात याची प्रचीती आली. एका अध्यापकाच्या तरुण मुलाने चहासाठी बोलावले होते. त्याच्या घरासमोर ३०० फूट खोल ट्यूबवेल होती. दिवसभरात ३-४ घागरी पाणी मिळते म्हणे. त्या घरातील पाणी इतके कडवट होते की घोटभरही घशाखाली गेले नाही. असे पाणी पिऊन हे लोक कसे  जगत असतील?

गावाला टँकरने पाणीपुरवठा होतो. माणशी फक्त २० लिटर. काही गावांत २०-२० किलोमीटर लांबून टँकर येतात. केज तालुक्याचे गाव असूनही टँकरग्रस्त. यापायी किती डिझेल रोज जाळले जाते? पाईपलाईन सारख्या स्थायी उपाययोजना नाही का होऊ शकत?

सोनवळा, जि.बीड हे डोंगरपट्टीतले गाव. तेथेसुद्धा पाणी विकण्याचा व्यवसाय आहे. २०० रुपयात ५०० लिटर, ऑटोवाले आणून देतात. पाण्याचा खर्च किमान महिना १००० रुपये. आंबेजोगाईत नळाला पाणी ३ आठवड्यातून एकदा येते; दुकानात टँकरचे दर लिहिलेले आहेत. तांबवा गावातील ६०० झाडांची डाळिंबाची तरुण बाग पाण्याअभावी शेवटचे आचके घेत होती. तेथील ग्रामपंचायतीत  ‘केंद्र शासन भूसंधारण विभाग पुरस्कृत, एकात्मिक पाणलोट विकास कार्यक्रम             पाणलोट समिती IWMP 28 MR 06’ असा फलक होता. भिंतीवर लिहिले होते, पाणलोटाची यशस्वी कथा, कामे करू माथा ते पायथा. परंतु हा कार्यक्रम राबविला गेल्याची चिन्हे गावात दिसली नाहीत. पाणलोट व्यवस्थापनामध्ये प्रत्येक शेतात दोन दशांश (०.२)% उताराचे समोच्चपातळी (कंटूर) बांध ही अतिशय महत्वाची, मूलभूत बाब आहे. डाळिंबाच्या बागेत पाणलोट व्यवस्थापन झाले असते तर परिस्थिती वेगळी राहिली असती. गावकऱ्यांना पाणलोट व्यवस्थापनाची काहीच माहिती नसावी. Compartment बंडिंग म्हणजे शेताच्या चतुःसीमा उंच करण्याची कामे काही शेतांमध्ये झाली आहेत. पाणलोट व्यवस्थापनाच्या दृष्टीने अशी कामे अनावश्यकच नव्हे तर कधीकधी जमिनीची धूप वाढविणारी सुद्धा ठरतात.

माती अडवा पाणी जिरवा
        बीड, उस्मानाबाद मध्ये काही भागांत तीव्र उताराच्या जमिनी असल्यामुळे भूक्षरणाचा वेगही अती आहे. माथ्यावरची माती सखल भागात, तेथून नदी नाल्यांत वाहून जाते. हे शेतकऱ्याचे, देशाचे कायमचे नुकसान आहे. पाऊस यंदा नाही आला तर पुढील वर्षी येऊ शकतो. मात्र एकदा वाहून गेलेली माती शेतात परत आणणे अशक्य आहे. खडकापासून मुरूम, मुरुमापासून  माती असा प्रवास करत एक से.मी. मातीचा थर तयार व्हायला सुमारे १०० वर्षे लागतात. तळी, धरणा-बंधाऱ्यामधील गाळ काढून आणणे अत्यंत खर्चिक आहे; शेतातील माती जागीच अडविणे सहज, सोपे नैसर्गिक आहे. मराठवाड्यातील माती वाचली पाहिजे. शेतात जिथल्या तिथेच माती अडली तर त्याआधारे पाऊसही जमिनीत जिरेल. त्यासाठी हवी अचूक कंटूर पद्धतीची बांधबंदिस्ती. पण ती कुठेच झाली नाही. तरीही आमदार म्हणतात, “कंटूर बांधबंदिस्तीची कामे पूर्ण झालीत. कोठेच जागा उरली नाही.” याला काय म्हणावे?

        कंटूर बांधबंदिस्तीचे महत्त्व शेतकऱ्यांना पटवून देण्यासाठी व्यापक मोहीम आखावी. शेतकरी आपापल्या शेतातच रोजगार हमी अंतर्गत ही कामे करू शकतात. बिनचूक कंटूर आखणीसाठी प्रशिक्षित माणसे लागतील. महिना-पंधरा दिवसातच स्थानिक तरुण मुला-मुलीना यासाठी प्रशिक्षण देता येईल. पाणलोट व्यवस्थापन कार्यक्रमात हे सारे अंतर्भूत आहेच. यातून तात्कालिक आणि दीर्घकालिक दोन्ही प्रकारचे उपाय साध्य होतात. मात्र यात टेंडर काढण्याची सोय नाही, ट्रॅक्टर, जे.सी.बी. मशीनची गरज नाही, म्हणून टेंडरमध्ये स्वारस्य असणाऱ्यांना  हा कार्यक्रम नीरस वाटतो. शेततळी या कार्यक्रमाचा शेवटचा टप्पा आहे. मात्र सुरुवात तेथूनच होताना दिसते. माथा ते पायथा  ऐवजी पायथा ते माथा. अंधेर नागरी चौपट राजा!
        पाणलोट व्यवस्थापनाचा कारभार विदर्भातही फारसा वेगळा नाही. मात्र यवतमाळ, अमरावती, नागपूर,वर्धा जिल्ह्यातील मोजक्याच का होईना, शेतकऱ्यांनी कंटूर बांधबंदिस्ती केली आहे. त्या शेतांना पुढाऱ्यांनी, जागृत शेतकऱ्यांनी भेटी देऊन पाणलोट क्षेत्र नियोजन म्हणजे काय ते नीट समजून घेतले पाहिजे. शेतात वाहून जाणाऱ्या पावसाचा वेग मंद करायचा, धावणाऱ्या पाण्याला चालवायचे, चालणाऱ्याला अडवायचे. त्यामुळे मृदा संधारण उत्तम प्रकारे होऊन जमिनीचा पोत टिकतो. त्याला सेंद्रिय पदार्थाची जोड मिळाली, काडीकचरा-पालापाचोळा जेथल्या तेथेच मुरला की मातीची सुपीकता वाढते. शेतात माती अडवायची आणि शेताबाहेर पाणी.

पशुधनाशिवाय शेती अशक्य
        चारा छावणी हा गुरांना शासनाच्या आर्थिक सहाय्याने चारा-पाणी उपलब्ध करून देण्याचा उपक्रम आहे. यात स्वयंसेवी संस्था, स्थानिक उत्साही जनतेचा उत्स्फूर्त सहभाग ज्या प्रमाणात असेल त्या प्रमाणात उपक्रम सफल होईल. “जनावरे हातची गेली तर शेतकरी उठणारच नाही. ट्रॅक्टर लहान शेतकऱ्यांना परवडणार नाही, बैल लागणारच.” आमदार श्री. मधुकरराव चव्हाण (माजी मंत्री) तुळजापूरच्या बैठकीत म्हणाले. “चारा छावणीची योजना अव्यवहार्य आहे. १० लाख जमा करा, २० लाखांची बँक ग्यारंटी द्या. गुरांमागे ७० रू. मंजूर आहेत. त्यापैकी शेणाची किंमत आणि इतर वजा करून ६० रू. मिळणार. ते सुद्धा महिनाभराने.” बीड मध्ये एका चारा छावणीत ५ लाख डिपॉझिट सांगितले गेले.  कुंबेफळ (ता. केज. जि. बीड) मध्ये बैठकीत शेतकरी बोलला. चारा छावण्या पुढाऱ्यांच्या आहेत. स्वयंसेवी संस्थांनासुद्धा डिपॉझिट ठेवायला सांगितले. कोणाजवळ एवढे पैसे आहेत? एक अधिकारी म्हणाला “राजकारण्यांसोबत जास्त पंगा घेता येत नाही, आम्ही फक्त टॅग मोजणार .”

गुरांच्या छावण्या - मानवलोकचे श्री.लोहिया म्हणाले. “दिवसा गुरे शेतकऱ्यांकडे आणि रात्री छावणीत असावीत. पंचक्रोशीतील गुरे अशा छावण्यांत असतील.”  सध्याच्या व्यवस्थेत शेतकरी आपल्या गुरांच्या देखभालीसाठी दिवसभर तेथे बसून असतो. त्यांना रसद पुरवणारी वेगळी माणसे लागतात. मानवलोकने असा यशस्वी प्रयोग मागील दुष्काळात केला. शासनाकडे तेव्हाचे १ लाख रुपये अजून थकित आहेत. गेल्या ३ वर्षांत अर्धे पशुधन खाटकाकडे गेले. शेतकरी आशावादी आहेत, पुन्हा विकत घेऊ म्हणाले. पण एवढी गुरे तरी येणार कोठून? शेतकरी २ हजार रू. टनाने उसाची वैरण घेऊन गुरांना खाऊ घालतोय. त्याने त्यांचे आरोग्य बिघडत आहे. ज्वारीचा कडबा गुरांसाठी उत्तम वैरण आहे. मात्र, उस, सोयाबीन या नगदी पिकांपायी ज्वारीचा पेरा खूपच घटला आहे. वैरण कोठून आणणार? आज ज्या  जलयुक्त शिवार योजनेचा महाराष्ट्रात डंका पिटला जातो, तिच्याबद्दल भूगर्भजल सर्वेक्षण आणि विकास यंत्रणेने प्रतिकूल अहवाल दिल्याचेही ते म्हणाले.
 पीक पद्धती- 

ज्वारी, बाजरी, मटकी गुरा-माणसांना जगवणारी पिके आहेत. अवर्षणप्रवण, हलक्या जमिनीसाठी ती अत्यंत अनुकूल आहेत. परंतु हे आपण समजून घेतले नाही. आधी उसाने मराठवाड्याची वाट लावली. आता सोयाबीन. कृषी खाते सोयाबीनचा प्रसार करत आहे, तो मुख्यतः  कारखान्यांसारखीच. सोयाबीनचे तेल निघत असले तरी त्यातील मुख्य उत्पादन पेंड आहे. सोयाबीन पेंड विदेशात जाते. त्यातून डॉलरमध्ये कमाई होते. सोयाबीन तेल मानवी आहारासाठी निकृष्ट असले तरी भारतीयांच्या नशिबी तेच आले. सतत सोयाबीन पेरल्याने फोस्फरस, सल्फरची उणीव निर्माण होते; मध्यप्रदेशमध्ये ६० चे दशकापासून सोयाबीनची लागवड सुरू आहे. या पिकापायी तिकडचा शेतकरी नागवला गेला आहे. मराठवाड्यातील शेतकऱ्यांनी राजकारण्यांच्या नादी न लागता यातून काहीतरी धडा घ्यावा.
सोयाबीन लवकर तयार होणारे पीक आहे. त्यामुळे शेतकऱ्याचा कल सोयाबीनकडे असतो. परंतु सोयाबीन जमिनीला देते किती आणि जमिनीतून उचलते किती याचा हिशेब होणे आवश्यक आहे. तूर, बरबटी, भुईमूग, मूग, हरभरा, मटकी, लाख-लाखोळी अशी द्विदल पिके  जमिनीला किती जैवभार (पालापाचोळा) परत करतात आणि त्या तुलनेत सोयाबीन पेरल्यास काय होते याचा पडताळा घेतल्यास शेतकऱ्यांचा भ्रम दूर होईल. सोयाबीनची पेंड भारतीय गुरांच्या वाट्याला येत नाही. विदेशातील गुरे लवकरात लवकर धष्टपुष्ट करण्यासाठी ती वापरली जाते. भारतात ही पेंड वापरली गेली असती तर भारतीय शेतात खत रूपात परत मिळून निसर्गाचे चक्र पूर्ण झाले असते. १९६० चे दशकात सोयाबीन लोकप्रिय करण्यासाठी भरपूर भाव दिले गेले. आज भावही मिळत नाही.

“बीड जिल्ह्यात सर्वाधिक म्हणजे एकूण १२ साखर कारखान्यांपैकी ८ बंद आहेत. त्यांनी जिल्हा सहकारी बँक खाऊन टाकली आणि शेतकऱ्यांचेही पैसे बुडविले. हे कारखाने नसते तर शेतकरी उसाकडे वळला असता काय?”  एक सामाजिक कार्यकर्ता म्हणाला. “ऊस, कापूस, सोयाबीन नाही तर काय पेरावं?” असा प्रश्न शेतकऱ्यांच्या बैठकीत तावात येऊन विचारला गेला. पहिली गोष्ट ही की बाजार शेतकऱ्याला नाचवतो.  जिकडे चार पैसे अधिक मिळतील तिकडे शेतकरी धावत सुटतो. उदा. - तुरीचा डिसेंबर अखेरीस भाव १३ हजार रू. प्रति क्विंटल  असताना जानेवारीच्या पहिल्या प्रथम सप्ताहात तो ८ हजार रुपयांपर्यंत उतरतो, तर त्याला कसली शाश्वती? दुसरीकडे कांदा कधी हसवतो, तर कधी रडवतो.
महात्मा गांधी राष्ट्रीय रोजगार हमी योजना (मनरेगा) – आजची स्थिती
“सर्वाधिक निधी या योजनेमधून खर्च होतो. मृदा व जल यांच्या संधारणाच्या कामाला यात प्राधान्य आहे. मात्र रस्त्याची मागणी अधिक आहे.” एक अधिकारी म्हणाले.

“रोजगार हमी योजना गरजूंना माहीतही नसते. मजुरांची कामे जे.सी.बी. मशीनने करत आहेत. बेरोजगारीला कंटाळून परवा लोकांनी रस्ता बंद पाडला.” उस्मानाबाद मधील कार्यकर्ते सांगत होते.
“मजुरांनी कामं मागावी, गुत्तेदारांनी नाही.” एक तहसीलदार बोलले.

“मनरेगा साठी वेगळी यंत्रणा पाहिजे. नेहमीची कामे मागे पडतात.” केजचे खंडविकास अधिकारी म्हणाले.
जॉब कार्ड साठी लोक हेलपाटे घेत आहेत. ते न मिळाल्याच्या जागोजागी तक्रारी आहेत. काम मागण्यासाठी ४ क्रमांकाचा अर्ज भरावा लागतो. अशा अर्जावरील पुढील प्रक्रियांसाठी ३-४ डाटा ऑपरेटर्सची गरज असताना तालुक्यात फक्त एक जण काम करतो. गुत्तेदारांनी बेनामी नावांनी मस्टर भरले. इतकेच नव्हे तर त्यांचे ATM कार्ड वापरून पैसेही काढले. लोकांना काही काम न करता १००-२०० रुपये मिळतात. तेही त्यांच्यासाठी खूप आहेत. रोजगार हमी योजनेअंतर्गत विहीर पुनर्भरण उपाययोजना आहे, परंतु शेतकरी या योजनेबाबत उदासीन आहेत.विहिरींची मागणी जास्त आहे. पण या विहिरींमध्ये पाणी येणार कोठून? आधी भूजल संवर्धन करावे लागेल. अशी मन विषण्ण करणारी वस्तुस्थिती आहे.

दुष्काळ संवेदनांचा
महानंदा डावकरे, आर्णी, ता. लोहारा, जि. उस्मानाबाद या प्रौढ महिलेला ४ महिन्यांपूर्वी दगड फोडताना डोळ्याला इजा झाली. दवाखान्याचा खर्च ४० हजार रू. आला. सोलापूरचे नेत्रतज्ञ डॉ. अवस्थी यांनी पैसे फेडायला मुदत दिली. उधार उसनवारी करावी लागली. या प्रसंगी बाईला त्या दिवशी कामावर गैरहजर दाखविले गेले. ४० हजाराचे कर्ज झाले, रोजीही बुडाली. नुकसान भरपाई काहीही नाही. दुसऱ्या एकाच्या पायाला गंभीर इजा झाली. त्यालासुद्धा नुकसान भरपाई मिळाली नाही.

एका आमदाराने सांगितले की व्यसनात २०% पैसा चाललाय. त्यामध्ये २५-३० वयोगटातील तरुणांची संख्या सर्वाधिक आहे. नागूर, ता . लोहारा, जि. उस्मानाबाद हे मध्यम लोकसंख्येचे गाव. तेथे ८-१० विधवा महिलांसोबत बैठक झाली. त्यातील बहुतेक २५-३० वयोगटातील होत्या.  एक तर २५ च्या आतील, दोन मुलांची आई. नवरा कशाने मेला म्हणून विचारल्यावर म्हणाली, “माहीत नाही. पोटात दुखते म्हणाला.” ही महिला उभे आयुष्य कसे रेटणार? या परिसरात ऊस तोडणी कामगार वा ट्रक ड्रायव्हर म्हणून पुण्याकडे स्थलांतर करणाऱ्यांची संख्या खूप आहे. एका घरात नणंद-भावजय,सासू-मावस सासू साऱ्या विधवा किंवा एकट्या, एकमेकींच्या आधाराने राहतात. मोलमजुरी करून जगतात. कैकाडी समाजाची पस्तिशीची एक विधवा, तिला चार मुली. पैकी तीन विवाहित. ह्या वयात ती अनेक नातवांची आजी आहे हे  ऐकून धक्काच बसला. सिंदीच्या फोकाच्या टोपल्या विणण्याचा त्यांचा व्यवसाय. प्लास्टिकमुळे तो बुडाला. रेखाबाईची कहाणी वेगळीच. वय ३०ते ३५. तिचा पती राजेंद्र. त्याला सुपारी खाऊन ठसका लागला.  त्यानंतर त्याच्या  कॅंसरचे कळले. काही वर्शांतच त्याचा जीव गेला.मुलगा ८ वीत, मुलगी १० वी शिकलेली. तिचे लग्न करून दिले तर  दोन लाख हुंडा द्यावा लागला. लग्नासाठी ४ लाख रू. कर्ज काढले. व्याज ३ रू. शेकडा प्रति महिना. हा कर्जाचा डोंगर किती वाढेल? एवढा हुंडा कशाला दिला विचारले तर भावकीच्या इच्छेनुसार करावे लागते हे रेखाबाईचे उत्तर.

तांबव्याचा तरुण म्हणाला, “तुमच्याकडे माणसे अदबीने बोलतात. इकडे मग्रूरी आहे. त्यापायीच जनतेने आमदाराला आपटला.” तुळजापुरातील एका गावात याची प्रचीती आली. सरपंचाचे पती सभेत सर्वात शेवटी आले. वय अंदाजे ३५. एकूण आविर्भाव जमीनदाराचा. वयोवृद्धांनाही अरे-तुरे करत होते. सौम्य स्वरूपात का होईना, दमदाटी चाललेली. रेकॉर्डमध्ये पिन अडकल्यासारखे तेच ते बोलत होते. मराठवाड्याच्या संतभूमीत हे असे कसे? निजामशाही रक्तात मुरली म्हणायची!
कर्जाचे पुनर्गठण-

कर्जाचे पुनर्गठण  म्हणजे घेतलेले परत केल्याची कागदोपत्री नोन्द करून तेच कर्ज पुन्हा घेतल्याचे दाखविणे.  सोनवळा, ता. आंबेजोगाई, जि. बीड, सहकारी पतसंस्थेचा अध्यक्ष सांगत होता. जे  लोक कर्जाचे पुनर्गठण करायलाही येत नाहीत, अशांची नावे जाहीर केली जातात. शेतकरी एवढा बेजबाबदार कसा की  त्याच्या फायद्याचे असूनही तो दुर्लक्ष करतो? प्रश्न असा आहे की कर्जाचे पुनर्गठण नक्की कोणाच्या फायद्यासाठी - बँकांच्या की शेतकऱ्यांच्या? नागूर, ता. लोहाराचे नेताजी चंदनशिव, दत्ताजीराव चंदनशिव आणि जवळपास सर्वच गावकरी उस्मानाबाद जिल्हा मध्यवर्ती सहकरी बँकेचे कर्जदार असून  कर्जाच्या पुनर्गठणाबाबत नाखुश आहेत. बारा हजार सह्यांचे निवेदन दिले तरीही पुनर्गठण सुरूच आहे’ गावकरी म्हणाले. एकजण म्हणाला, “कर्ज ही कॅन्सरसारखी बिमारी आहे.”

दुसरा म्हणाला, “दोन लाख रुपये पाईपलाईन मध्ये घातले. पण तेव्हापासून धरणच नाही भरले. कर्ज अंगावर बसले.” गेल्या ३-४ वर्षांपासून दुष्काळ आहे. बकऱ्या, बैलगाडी विकली. गुरे कत्तलखान्याकडे चालली. ‘शेती का परवडत नाही’ विचारल्यावर कुंबेफळचा शेतकरी म्हणाला, “घरचे  बी-बियाणे नाही, लेबल लावून काय देतात माहीत नाही.”
अमावास्येनिमित्त नागूरला एका शेतात जमलो होतो. “बुद्धीजीवींनी किमान आम्हा शेतकऱ्यांचा सहानुभूतीने विचार करून बुडत्याला आधार तसा मदतीचा हात द्यावा. सरकारी आकडेवारीतून दिसणारे चित्र हे हिमनगाचे टोक आहे. स्वामीनाथन आयोग लागू करणे शक्य नाही. सर्वोच्च न्यायालयात सरकारने निवेदन दिले आहे.”  एका सुजाण शेतकर्‍याचे निवेदन.
रोजगार हमी योजनेत रस्त्याचे काम सुरू झाले आहे.  त्यावर १०० पेक्षा जास्त मजूर आहेत.      गावातील प्रभूआप्पा शिंदेंना विचारले, जलसंधारणाचं काम नाही काढलं?  ते म्हणाले, “खरे तर  बंधाऱ्याचीच कामे गरजेची आहेत. आमच्या परिसरातून ३ शिवारात पाणी जातं, येत काही नाही. पाणी अडवणे-जिरवणे महत्त्वाचे आहे.” पुढे ते म्हणाले, “१९७२ साली अन्नाचा दुष्काळ होता, पाणी होतं.” आता दुष्काळ पाण्याचा आणि मुख्यत्वे संवेदनांचा आहे. अशी शहाणी विचारी माणसं गावात आहेत. त्यांच्या मदतीने योजना आखाव्या आणि राबवाव्या लागतील.

          एका गावात अन्नछत्रासारखा उपक्रम पहिला. १८-६० वयोगटातील लोकांनी त्या बदल्यात महिन्यातून फक्त ५ दिवस श्रमदान करायचे. निर्वासितांच्या शिबिरासारखे दृश्य. ते पाहून अंगावर काटा आला. अनेक गावांतून अशी मागणी येत आहे म्हणे. माणूस आपला आत्मसन्मान तर नाही गमावून बसणार?
      ‘दुष्काळात शेतकरी आधी झाडझाडोरा नंतर गुरं विकतो’ एक शेतकरी बोलला. एक भली मोठी बाभूळ ट्रॅक्टर ट्रॉलीमधून वाहून नेली जात होती. तिचं आयुष्य अर्धं शतक तरी असावं. गुरांसारखीच तीही खाटकाकडे गेली. तिने आतापर्यंत गुरा-माणसांची किती सेवा केली असेल? पावसाचे पाणी तिच्या आधाराने किती मुरले असेल, कोण हिशेब करणार? कलकत्ता विद्यापीठाचे डॉ. तारक मोहन दास यांनी १९८१ साली वाराणसीला भरलेल्या भारतीय विज्ञान कॉंग्रेसमध्ये एका झाडाची किंमत  Value of A Tree प्रबंध सदर केला होता. धोरणकर्ते, प्रशासक, अभ्यासक, पत्रकार, शेतकरी अशा ज्यांना ज्यांना ‘भारत माझा देश आहे’ असे वाटते, त्यांनी त्यांनी तो अभ्यासावा. खाटकाकडे जात असलेल्या बाभळीचें महत्त्व तो प्रबंध वाचून कळेल. बोरी-बाभळीवर प्रेम केलं नाही तर मराठवाड्याची खैर नाही. तेथील जमीन नारळ-फणसाची नाही. तसेच होलस्टीन, जर्सी गायी आपल्याला परवडणाऱ्या नाहीत, देशी गोवंशच हवा. कॉँक्रीटची जंगले सर्वत्र उभी होत आहेत. पिढ्यानपिढ्या चालणाऱ्या दगडमातीच्या बांधकामांना ‘मूठमाती’ दिली जात आहे. चारचाकीचा सुळसुळाट आहे. पर्यटन, हॉटेल व्यवसाय भरभराटीला आलेत. खिशात पैसा असेल तर काहीच अडत नाही. मराठवाड्याच्या दुष्काळी भागातही हेच चित्र आहे. एकीकडे २५ वर्षांची दोन लेकरांची विधवा माता आणि दुसरीकडे पंच-सप्त तारांकित दुनिया. राजकारणी व ठेकेदारांची युती. जोडीला बहुराष्ट्रीय कंपन्यांची माणसे.

सन १९७२ मध्ये देशात दुष्काळ पडला होता. जयप्रकाश नारायणांच्या पुढाकाराने तेव्हा ‘अकाल बनाम तरुण’ (Youth Against Famine) ही मोहीम राबवली गेली. दुष्काळी भागात जाऊन विद्यार्थी-युवकांनी सेवा केली. त्यातून एक पिढी घडली. आता सारे खुर्चीच्या खेळत दंग आहेत. शाळांमध्ये रोज भारतमातेचा जयजयकार होतो. तेथील दुष्काळाशी कोणाला काय देणे-घेणे? ऐंशीच्या दशकात विट्ठल वाघांची कविता शिबीर संमेलनात गायली जायची.

‘आम्ही मेंढरं मेंढरं, यावं त्यानं हाकलावं

पाचा वर्साच्या बोलीनं होते आमचा लिलाव’
आणीबाणीचे काळात दुर्गा भागवतांचे साहित्य संमेलनातील अध्यक्षीय भाषण गाजले होते. आता राजकीय पुढारी साहित्य संमेलनाच्या व्यासपीठावरून साहित्यिकांना विनोदाने का होईना सल्ला द्यायला लागलेत. ‘निवडणुका लढवणं तुमचं काम नाही, ते आमच्यावर सोडा.’ साहित्य पिढ्या घडवत असते. पी. साईनाथचे ‘Everybody loves Good Drought’ (दुष्काळ आवडे सर्वांना,अनुवाद-हेमंत कर्णिक,अक्षर प्रकाशन) हे नव्वदच्या दशकातील गाजलेले पुस्तक. आजही त्यातील वर्णन जसेच्या तसे लागू होते. ते लिहितात-

 “एका १९९४-९५ सालात महाराष्ट्र या श्रीमंत राज्याने अवर्षण आणि इतर पाणी प्रश्नांच्या सोडवणुकीसाठी ११७० कोटी रुपयाहून अधिक रक्कम खर्च केली. ड्रोट प्रोन एरिया प्रोग्राम (डी पी ए पी) नावाची योजना आहे. पण कोठला ब्लॉक डीपीएपीत सामील करावा हा राजकारणाचा विषय आहे..........कितीतरी राज्यातील डीपीएपीची अधिकृत आकडेवारी चित्तवेधक आहे. सहा वर्षांपूर्वी महाराष्ट्रातील डी पी ए पी ब्लॉक्सची संख्या होती नव्वद, १९९६ मध्ये ही संख्या आहे १४७....(पृष्ठ २६१). ...महाराष्ट्राचं उदाहरणं घेऊ. त्या राज्यात पिकणाऱ्या एकूण उसापैकी जवळजवळ ७३% उस डीपीएपी ब्लॉक्समध्ये म्हणजे अवर्षणग्रस्त जिल्ह्यामध्ये पिकतो! आणि उसाएवढं पाणी खाणारं दुसरं पीक नसेल... पुण्याजवळ लोणावळ्यात वर्षभरात पाऊस १६५० मिमीच्या खाली क्वचित असतो. अगदी २००० पर्यंत देखील जातो आणि लोणावळा हा डीपीएपी ब्लॉक आहे. ..सगळ्या पाण्यावर धनदांडग्यांच्या  कब्जा (पृ.२६२-६३)”
परिणीता दांडेकर या शोधकर्तीनुसार मराठवाड्यात ऊस लागवड २,३७,००० हेक्टरमध्ये असून त्यासाठी ६१ साखर कारखाने आहेत. मराठवाडा आणि सोलापूर जिल्हा मिळून महाराष्ट्राच्या एकूण साखर उत्पादनापैकी २/३ उत्पादन करतात. मराठवाड्यात उसाच्या पिकासाठी ४३०० दशलक्ष घनमीटर तर त्याच्या गाळपासाठी १७ दशलक्ष घनमीटर पाणी लागते. एवढ्या पाण्यात तर १५ लाख ८५ हजार लोकांची पिण्याच्या पाण्याची गरज मान्सूनपर्यंत भागू शकते.

पुनश्च- दि. २६ जानेवारी २०१६. रोजी परभणी जिल्ह्यातील एका गावात ग्रामसभेत गोळीबार झाला. ‘मनरेगा’ बाबत विचारणा केली असता उपसरपंचाच्या पतीने पिस्तुलातून गोळ्या झाडल्या. ... लोक जखमी झाले.
बिहार मध्ये कोसी नदीच्या पूर नियंत्रणासाठी ज्या योजना वर्षानुवर्षे राबविल्या गेल्या, त्या एका महापुढाऱ्याने गिळंकृत केल्या. कोसी आणि जनता होते तसेच आहेत. (रिपोर्टींगचे दिवस :अनिल अवचट) मराठवाड्यातील मनरेगा योजनेच्या अंमलबजावणीत जागोजागी गंभीर तक्रारी आहेत. महाराष्ट्राची वाटचाल बिहारच्या दिशेने तर होत नाही?  ‘ऊस गोड लागला म्हणून मुळासकट खाल्ला अशी अवस्था आहे.  

अशा परिस्थितीत काही आशेचे किरणही आहेत. एक हजार लीटर पाण्यात. कापूस, तूर,भाजीपाला, ज्वारी, आंबा असे गरजेपुरते सर्व दीड एकर शेतीत स्वतः राबून पिकवणारे कुटुंब सोनवळा त. आंबेजोगाईत दिसले. त्यांचा आदर्श शेतकरी म्हणून त्याचा सत्कार झाला पाहिजे. दुसरा एक तरुण शेतकरी सांगत होता की एका घनिष्ठ मित्राकडे ज्वारी घ्यायला गेलो असताना तेथील म्हातारीने फटकारले. “ तू शेतकरी आहेस. ज्वारी मागायला तुला लाज नाही वाटत? स्वत:  का नाही पेरत? ”
 उपाय काय ?

परावलंबी शेती पद्धतीची भरपूर किंमत शेतकऱ्याने चुकविली आहे. त्याला स्वावलंबी,स्वाश्रयी शेती तंत्र हवे आहे. सेंद्रिय/ नैसर्गिक शेतीकडे वळण्याची हीच योग्य वेळ आहे. त्यासाठी कोण शेतकऱ्याला खरीखुरी मदत करणार? शासन यंत्रणेने आपली धोरणे या कामी पूरक ठेवावीत, प्रतिकूल नकोत, एवढे केले तरी पुरे.
यावर सगळ्यात महत्त्वाचा उपाय म्हणजे गरजा आधारित पीक नियोजन. कमीत कमी पाण्यात येणारी व जमिनीची सुपीकता वाढविणारीच पिके घ्यावीत. त्यामुळे सोयाबीनला कायमचा रामराम करून त्याऐवजी, भुईमूग पेरावा. भुईमूग जमिनीची सुपीकता वाढविणारा, गरिबांचा काजू आहे. छोटे एक्सपेलर वा तेलघाणीमधून भुईमूग, करडी, जवस, कारळा इ. चे तेल गाळून विकता येईल. खपली गहू, जवस, लाख-लाखोळी, भगर, बाजरी-ज्वारीचे विविध प्रकार-वऱ्हाडी, झिंगरी, पिवळी, गुळभेंडी, मऊ हुर्ड्याची इ. परत आणावे लागतील. कवठ, चारोळी, बिब्बा, करवंद, टेंभरूण, बोर इ. फळे देणारी आणि अंजन, रोहण, निंब, बाभूळ, हिवर, खैर इ. गुरांना वैरण पुरविणारी झाडे बांधावर, माळरानावर लावावी लागतील. यातून भरपूर रोजगार निर्मिती होईल. वृक्षारोपणासाठी खड्डे, नर्सरी इ. कामे ही रोजगार हमी अंतर्गत होऊ शकतात.  यातून शाश्वत शेतीविकास साधेल. मात्र, त्यासाठी हवी शासनाची आणि जनतेची इच्छाशक्ती.
पहिली गोष्ट म्हणजे  साखर कारखानदारी नको. माध्यमांनी याबाबत लोकप्रबोधन करून  वरच्या पातळीवर काय चाललेय ते जनतेला सांगावे. देशाची चिंता असलेल्या, अंतिम माणसाविषयी जिव्हाळा असलेल्यांनी शासकीय धोरणांसंबंधी मते व्यक्त करावीत. चांगल्या गोष्टींचा पाठपुरावा करावा.

तेलंगणाने स्वतःला ज्वारी, बाजरी, भगर, नाचणी, सावा इ. भरड धान्य पिकविणारे राज्य  (मिलेट स्टेट) घोषित केले आहे. महाराष्ट्राने त्याचे अनुकरण करावे. यांच्या जोडीला तूर, बरबटी, मटकी, कुळीथ, लाखोळी, हरभरा, उडीद, मूग, मसूर, वाटाणा ही डाळवर्गीय पिके आणि करडी, कारळा, जवस, भुईमूग ही तेलबियांची पिके घ्यावी. यासठी शासनाने शेतकऱ्यांना आर्थिक प्रोत्साहन आणि बी-बियाणे द्यावे. एवढे केल्यास ऊस-सोयाबीनच्या दुष्टचक्रातून  सुटणे शेतकऱ्यांना शक्य होईल. भूगर्भजल वाचेल आणि जमीनही सुधारेल. हलक्या जमिनीत, कमी पावसात येणारी ही पिके आहेत. आंध्रमधील अनंतपूर/धर्मावारम परिसरात तिंबक्टू  कलेक्टिव  नावाच्या स्वयंसेवी संस्थेने या धान्यावर प्रक्रिया करून नाचणीचे पीठ, बिस्कीटे इ. उत्पादने बाजारात आणली. यामुळे शेतकऱ्यांना चांगला भाव मिळाला. मराठवाड्यातही असे घडले पाहिजे.
 सिक्किम सारखा मराठवाडा सेंद्रिय हवा. पारंपरिक बियाणे, नैसर्गिक शेती मराठवाड्याला वाचवेल. रसायने आणि अधिक उत्पादन देणारे बियाणे वापरल्यास पिकांची पाण्याची गरज वाढते. याउलट पारंपरिक बियाणे वापरल्यास दुष्काळातही काहीना काही मिळत राहते. गुरांना चारासुद्धा अधिक मिळतो. त्यामुळे, पारंपरिक बियाण्यांना नैसर्गिक शेती पद्धतीची जोड मिळाल्यास दुधात साखर पडेल.

लेखक परिचय ;
तीन दशकांपासून स्वावलंबी, पर्यावरणस्नेही शेती करतात. मृद-जल संधारणासाठी प्रत्येक शेतात कंटूर बांधबंदिस्ती आणि कंटूर पेरणी व्हावी हा त्यांचा ध्यास आहे. पारंपरिक बियाण्यांचे जतन, वृक्षशेती, शेतमाल प्रक्रियेसाठी ग्रामोद्योगाचा प्रसार, गावपातळीवर कापूस ते कापड निर्मिती इ. कार्यात सक्रिय.
Full article as written by Vasant Futane
Shorter version of same, published in Aajcha Sudharak (http://aajachasudharak.in/2016/03/1120/ )

Monday, February 22, 2016

GMO Timeline – A History of Genetically Modified Foods

Carrots injected
As originally seen on Rosebud Magazine, ©2012, with sources added by GMO-Awareness

GMO foods are such an embedded part of our food system these days, but it’s not difficult to think back to a time when food was simpler and healthier. How did we get to the point that genetically modified organisms infiltrate so much of what we eat? In a recent issue of Rosebud Magazine, GMO expert GL Woolsey took a look at the history of GMOs. We present that for you here now.

1935 – DNA Discovered

Russian scientist Andrei Nikolaevitch Belozersky isolates pure DNA.

1973 – Recombinant DNA Created

The idea for man-made DNA, or rDNA, comes from a grad student at Stanford University Medical School. Professor Herbert Boyer and a few of his biologist colleagues run with it.

1975 – Asilomar Conference

A group of biologists get together with a few lawyers and doctors to create guidelines for the safe use of genetically engineered DNA. Source

1980 – First GMO Patent Issued

A 1980 court case between a genetics engineer at General Electric and the U.S. Patent Office is settled by a 5-to-4 Supreme Court ruling, allowing for the first patent on a living organism. The GMO in question is a bacterium with an appetite for crude oil, ready to gobble up spills. Source

1982 – FDA Approves First GMO

Humulin, insulin produced by genetically engineered E. coli bacteria, appears on the market. Source

1994 – GMO Hits Grocery Stores

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the Flavr Savr tomato for sale on grocery store shelves. The delayed-ripening tomato has a longer shelf life than conventional tomatoes. Source

1996 – GMO-Resistant Weeds

Weeds resistant to glyphosate, the herbicide used with many GMO crops, are detected in Australia. Research shows that the super weeds are seven to 11 times more resistant to glyphosate than the standard susceptible population. Source

1997 – Mandatory Labels in Europe

The European Union rules in favor of mandatory labeling on all GMO food products, including animal feed. Source

1999 – GMO Crops Dominate

Over 100 million acres worldwide are planted with genetically engineered seeds. The marketplace begins embracing GMO technology at an alarming rate. Source

2003 – GMO-Resistant Pests Appear

In 2003, a Bt-toxin-resistant caterpillar-cum-moth, Helicoverpa zea, is found feasting on GMO Bt cotton crops in the southern United States. In less than a decade, the bugs have adapted to the genetically engineered toxin produced by the modified plants. Source

2011 – Bt Toxin Discovered in Humans

Research in eastern Quebec finds Bt toxins in the blood of pregnant women and shows evidence that the toxin is passed to fetuses. Source

2012 – Farmer Wins Court Battle

French farmer Paul Francois sues Monsanto for chemical poisoning he claims was caused by its pesticide Lasso, part of the Roundup Ready line of products. Francois wins and sets a new precedent for future cases. Source

2014 – GMO Patent Expires

Monsanto’s patent on the Roundup Ready line of genetically engineered seeds ends in 2014. However in 2009, Monsanto introduced Roundup 2 with a new patent set to make the first-generation seed obsolete. Source

© GMO-Awareness.com 2011–2014.

SOURCE : https://gmo-awareness.com/all-about-gmos/gmo-timeline-a-history-of-genetically-modified-foods/

Sunday, February 21, 2016

NEWS : Organic farming awards

» Today's Paper » KERALA

 

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Sikkim against the machine

An organic kitchen garden at Saramsa Garden, near Gangtok. Photographs by Indranil Bhoumik/Mint
An organic kitchen garden at Saramsa Garden, near Gangtok. Photographs by Indranil Bhoumik/Mint
How the state pushed out agrochemical products and became the first all-organic Indian state
Last Modified: Sat, Feb 20 2016. 02 25 PM IST
Squatting on the kitchen floor at her home in Sikkim’s Assam Lingzey village, 90-year-old Benu Maya Upreti does not quite understand what the recent fuss over organic farming is all about. The heat from a simmering oven is keeping her warm; sunlight streams in through the kitchen door, which opens out to the family’s farm, pure and unblemished.
In the seven decades that she helped her husband, Tula Ram, cultivate the land and ruled over the family kitchen, chemical fertilizers and pesticides were not allowed on their 100-acre land, and by extension, the food they eat. The Upreti family has been self-sufficient, needing only to buy salt, kerosene, sugar and spices from the market. Their 15 children have grown up healthy, and when Upreti was diagnosed two decades back as diabetic, she brought it under control within a few years and stopped the medication.
Standing close to a crop of peas, Tula Ram proudly announces that he has done even better. “I have never even needed an Aspirin,” says the nonagenarian. He is tall, still strong, a workaholic who still occasionally works in the fields, now divided among their children. “There was a time when chemical fertilizers were being used by neighbouring farmers. They initially saw an increase in production, but soon their land became dry and fallow. We took that as a lesson,” says Tula Ram. “We have only known of natural agents like cattle waste and biomass to nourish our land. Without knowing, our methods have traditionally been organic.”

Tula Ram Upreti and his wife Benu Maya have never used chemical fertilizers and rely on indigenous and traditional farming techniques.
Tula Ram Upreti and his wife Benu Maya have never used chemical fertilizers and rely on indigenous and traditional farming techniques.About 45km from the Upretis’ leafy village, Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, is abuzz with its new-found status as the first Indian state to fully practise organic farming, the culmination of an initiative that began in 2003. That year, chief minister Pawan Chamling made an announcement on this in the state legislative assembly and a resolution was passed to bring all the agricultural land under organic management. It has taken 13 years to do it.

At the time, even though Sikkim was using a mere 8-12kg per hectare of chemical fertilizers and pesticides compared to the national average of 90kg per hectare, it wasn’t an easy task to wean away farmers from their dependence on the agrochemical industry, says S. Anbalagan, executive director of the Sikkim Organic Mission, formed in 2010 to push the government’s organic agenda. Even as awareness campaigns, workshops, capacity-building and training programmes on organic farming were started, the Sikkim government began phasing out chemical fertilizers and pesticides, not utilizing its Central government quota and reducing subsidies on these products by 10% every year after 2005. By 2009, all outlets retailing agrochemical products had been closed down. Even as recently as 5 February, local newspapers reported the arrest of a woman trying to smuggle in chemical fertilizers through the strictly manned Rangpo border with West Bengal.

An organic farm
An organic farmIt takes three years for chemically treated land to turn organic, and the Sikkim government has spent Rs.8,400 per hectare to get the land gradually certified as organic by the certification agencies accredited to the Union ministry of commerce and industry. The state’s 64,000 farmers had no choice, but the government took on the financial burden of conversion and announced a minimum support price for select vegetable crops to encourage organic cultivation.

Though farmers had to be convinced about the benefits of going organic, there were no instances reported of large-scale resistance to the change. “Unlike in other parts of India, people here are law-abiding and voluntarily follow instructions,” explains Anbalagan. This is more than apparent in the way Sikkim largely follows the ban on plastic bags, enforced way back in 1998; promotes ecotourism and sustainable tourism models; and adheres rigidly to a ban on public smoking, in force since 2010. “In the case of organic farming, it became somewhat easy for us to implement since many of the farmers followed the traditional system of agriculture, which did not include the use of chemical fertilizers,” says Anbalagan, sitting at his office in Krishi Bhawan in Gangtok.
The final batch of certificates were issued in December. The state’s 74,190 hectares of agricultural land now officially practise an ecologically curative process of farming—India’s second smallest state has just taken a giant leap as the country’s first state to go fully organic. On his two-day visit to the state in January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held it up as a role model.

A flower show in Gangtok
A flower show in GangtokGoing by the large number of banners, festoons and billboards advertising organic food festivals, flower shows, seminars and workshops that colour Gangtok and its surrounding areas, it seems to be a change that is taking root.


********

A few kilometres away from Ranipool town in the East Sikkim district, the 2-acre farm of D.N. Sapkota, chairman of the government’s agriculture and horticulture board, is waiting to burst into a lush, organic green. As the dry and misty winter wraps Sikkim in a final spell of cold, natural agents are at work on the farm.

First, the earthworms. Thousands of them. They squirm through the fingers as the 70-year-old farmer picks through a mound of earth on a large bed. It’s no ordinary earth, but one that will eventually turn into the all-important vermicompost—a mixture of vegetable waste, crop residue, biomass and leaves, etc., with the earthworms playing an active role in breaking down the organic matter to create a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer to replenish the soil. Earthworms, which are believed to have been around for more than 20 million years, were the subject of study in naturalist Charles Darwin’s Formation Of Vegetable Mould, Through The Action Of Worms, With Observations On Their Habits, his last scientific book, published in 1881. At Sapkota’s farm, and elsewhere in Sikkim, these creatures are the wriggly heroes of the state’s organic farming drive.

Second, Sapkota’s collection of cattle, the indigenous Siri cows among them yielding as much as 12 litres of milk every day. But this is not the only reason they are there. Cow dung is an important and traditional natural manure, and the urine, post-fermentation, is an effective pesticide—Sapkota explains the role of Madhyam, a brand of organic composter supplied free by the Sikkim government, in facilitating the creation of compost. Cow urine is collected through a circuit of drains and pipes which empty into a large tank. There, it goes through a fermentation process before being used on crops as a pesticide.

Third, Sapkota has tried another natural method, growing crops like onion and fenugreek alongside each other, so the repellent smell of each wards off diseases and insects. He underlines one of the tenets of the organic food movement—nothing is wasted, nothing is killed. “It’s all about repelling and not killing. An insect may well be an enemy of your crop, but it could be a friend of someone. In organic cultivation, every creature has a role in the sustainability of the world.”

There isn’t a speck of urea in sight.
Four years ago, the reputation of the ex-serviceman and then convener, farmer cell, as an organic farmer brought actor Aamir Khan—who was shooting an episode on Sikkim’s then fledgling organic farming effort for his socially conscious television series, Satyamev Jayate—to his doorstep. These days, Sapkota, having “trained and initiated hundreds of Sikkimese farmers and self-help groups in organic cultivation science without charging a penny”, is content in the knowledge that he has contributed to a healthier and ecologically sustainable life in his state.
Born into a family of farmers, Sapkota dwells on how cultivation practices have changed from his grandfather’s time—mainly, he says, processes like vermicomposting and the use of composters like Madhyam. “If you ignore the period from 1976, when chemical fertilizers and pesticides slowly started making it to Sikkim, our cultivation methods have more or less remained the same,” he adds.
A monarchy till the mid-1970s, Sikkim became part of India in 1975. The early aboriginal Lepcha and Limboo inhabitants, followed by the Bhutia, were hunter-gatherers who went on to practise shifting cultivation using the slash-and-burn method, says agricultural expert Jash Raj Subba in his book, The Evolution Of Man And The Modern Society In Mountainous Sikkim. It was only from the 1890s, when the British administration in India started settling Nepalese people from the neighbouring region in Sikkim, that settled agriculture systems made an entry. Since then, though large-scale resettlement has meant that people of Nepalese origin are dominant in society, Sikkim continues to be the least populous state in India and one almost entirely untouched by the Green Revolution of the 1950s-1960s, when agricultural output increased substantially, piggybacking on the agrochemical industry.
This may well have been to Sikkim’s advantage, if one goes by what Khorlo Bhutia, principal director and secretary, horticulture and cash crop development department of the Sikkim government, has to say. “For the negative effect of chemical fertilizers, you have to look at Kasaragod district in Kerala and Bathinda in Punjab. There are a lot of instances of cancer, deformities at childbirth and groundwater is polluted,” he says. While not conclusively proven, it is widely claimed that the rampant use of chemical pesticides is one of the main reasons for the high number of cancer patients in Bathinda, many of whom travel for treatment to Bikaner’s regional cancer research centre in what is informally and tragically referred to as the “cancer train”.
Critics of the agrochemical industry list the pitfalls: groundwater contamination, agricultural land going dry in a few years, the killing of all beneficial micro-organisms in the soil, and the shrinking of genetic diversity. “Virtually, Mother Earth is being killed,” says Khorlo. “But in the case of organic and traditional farming, there will be multiplication of organisms in the soil and improvement in soil health. When soil health improves, everything will improve. The vision behind Sikkim going organic is far-sighted.” Behind Khorlo, a framed picture of the chief minister hangs on the wall—the man, Khorlo says, who was “behind the organic vision”.
While criticism of the organic food movement largely centres around the issues of food security, premium pricing, elitism, and even its inability to control diseases, the organic farming initiative in Sikkim, a biodiversity hot spot, revives the memory of Sir Albert Howard.
In 1905, the Britain-born botanist and agricultural expert arrived in India as the imperial economic botanist to the colonial government, his primary brief being to implement Western agricultural practices. Working at different institutes, Howard was impressed by traditional Indian farming methods. The Wikipedia page dedicated to him notes that “one important aspect he took notice of was the connection between healthy soil and the villages’ healthy populations, livestock and crop”. The page indirectly quotes Howard’s observation on Indian traditional agriculture through the director of the UK Soil Association, “The health of soil, plant, animal and man is one and indivisible.”
“Sir Albert Howard, who was sent to India in 1905 to introduce chemicals in farming, saw how fertile the soils were with no pests in the fields. He decided to make the Indian peasants his professors and wrote An Agricultural Testament, which spread organic farming worldwide on the basis of India’s ecological farming, today recognized as agroecology-ecology as applied to agriculture,” wrote environmental activist Vandana Shiva in an article titled “Nothing Green In The Green Revolution”, published in theIndia Today magazine in August.
Today, along with Rudolf Steiner and Eve Balfour, Howard is widely recognized as one of the founders of organic agriculture in the world. And in India, states like Nagaland, Meghalaya and Uttarakhand too have embraced organic cultivation.

********

It’s still early days, however. The government, says Khorlo, has to put in place an effective supply chain management system so that the green produce finds a market outside the state.
But the movement is finding more takers, with many youngsters now returning to their inherited lands.
Take, for instance, 29-year-old Binita Chamling. Brought up in the world of organic tea, since her father is a senior employee at Sikkim’s only tea garden, Temi, Binita studied biotechnology in Bengaluru and later moved to the UK to complete her master’s in biotechnology and business enterprise. In the UK, she would gift acquaintances packets of organic Temi tea; people were surprised by the quality of the product as well as its place of origin in the Himalayas. “I would love to talk about Sikkim. I’m passionate about the place and its people. The organic farming initiative going on here perfectly fits into my plans,” says Binita.
Having helped the Sikkim government market some of the state’s organic products in the UK, and wanting to do more, Binita shifted back to Sikkim in 2014 to start Organic Sikkim, a company she helms with one of the sons of the chief minister. Today, Organic Sikkim has an outlet in south Delhi for the state’s products (at present under renovation) but is grappling with logistical issues: infrastructure for the transportation of perishable commodities; supply; branding. “There has to be a lot of hard work involved. With only around 75,000 hectares, Sikkim cannot feed the world, but we can certainly maximize our output. Our company is strong on marketing, but lacking in production so far,” says Binita.
The next day, we are in the office of Echostream, a multidisciplinary design studio in Gangtok made up largely of former students of the Ahmedabad-based National Institute of Design. As Binita discusses an Organic Sikkim poster for a forthcoming exhibition in Delhi with the creative team, I talk to Tenzing Nyentsey, who handles the Sikkim Organic Mission creative account for the government.
Nyentsey is disappointed that despite Echostream’s willingness to engage strongly with the brand, they haven’t got much actual work. “Good things are happening but it is happening only in isolation. There seems to be no holistic approach,” says Nyentsey. “Now that it is well known that Sikkim is India’s first organic state, the brand itself is strong. But marketing of the product will be an issue if the systems are not in place. We have to ask who the organic products aim for. Is it the Siliguri market? Or is it Delhi? If it is Delhi, do we have the retailers and suppliers there? I think the government quickly needs to identify its market if the organic initiative has to move forward.”
Production and cost will both be critical. Sikkim may have begun to produce a wide variety of organic vegetables and edible items but it is not enough to cater to even the local market, which seems to have an overwhelming bulk of non-organic edible imports coming in from Siliguri in West Bengal. It has cardamom and ginger in surplus, as well as some vegetables and fruits, including the Sikkim Mandarin oranges. But nothing more.

An organic food and wine festival.
An organic food and wine festival.The government has helped set up exclusive organic food stalls at the bustling Lal Bazaar in Gangtok, but the 20-30% premium for the local organic produce keeps away many people and gives rise to contentions that the organic food movement caters only to a niche, well-heeled customer base. One of the ideas behind the Sikkim Organic Mission is to get premium prices for farmers, where they earn more than they would if they produced food the non-organic way. But the government and the agencies involved now have the customer in mind too: They are trying to bring down the prices by sourcing commodities directly, streamlining processes and clearing infrastructure and logistical hurdles.

There are more problems. “It has also been noticed that whenever the organic produce of Sikkim travels to the Siliguri market, it gets mixed up with the non-organic commodities and loses its identity,” says Siddhi Karnani, a former student of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) who, along with partner and fellow IIM-A mate Anurag Agarwal, set up the Kolkata-based Parvata Foods Pvt. Ltd, primarily to market Sikkim’s organic produce in Delhi before expanding to other cities.
Days after the Prime Minister mentioned the IIM duo’s work in the January edition of his radio address, Mann Ki Baat, Karnani sounds buoyant over the phone. Their joint venture with the state government, a food processing plant in Sikkim, has just started production; Parvata Foods has tied up with Mother Dairy’s 372-strong Safal chain of stores in Delhi to market organic products, primarily ginger; and the company is all set to launch its own organic brand, making sure to mention “Himalayan Origin from Sikkim” as part of the packaging. “In India, there are now many organic products available but customers doubt their veracity. Unlike in the West, where the place of origin is clearly mentioned, here it is not the case. We have to play up the distinctive identity of Sikkim’s organic produce,” says Karnani.
The sense of cautious optimism percolates down the ranks of the Farmer Producer Organization (FPO), a cooperative of farmers, formed in 2013. With 1,069 farmer-members from the East Sikkim district, the FPO sources produce from farmers and sells it directly, sometimes in guerrilla style, even parking its goods-laden vehicles directly opposite the main market in Gangtok when stalls weren’t available, says secretary Shishir Kharka.

FPO president Karma Dechen Bhutia at the newly opened organic market in Gangtok’s Lal Bazar.
FPO president Karma Dechen Bhutia at the newly opened organic market in Gangtok’s Lal Bazar.

We meet in Samlik, a village at a height of around 8,000ft, about 40-odd km from Gangtok, on a crispy, cool winter morning. Kharka, who takes us to some of the private farms where the organic production culture is now entrenched, is optimistic about sales now that the Sikkim government has started constructing a Kisan Market in the capital city exclusively for organic produce.

He has also managed to inspire young people to return to their farms—unlike other parts of the country, farming is not looked down upon as a menial profession in the state.
Twenty-eight-year-old Jigdal Bhutia is one of them. The arts graduate drives a new Alto car, one that he bought after he started making healthy profits from organically grown peas, potatoes, beans and radish on the 4 acres owned by his family. “I never looked for a job,” says Jigdal, when we visit his home.
Standing nearby is Kishan Tamang. The 36-year-old’s weather-beaten face reflects the hardship of the 10 years he spent as a driver of a commercial vehicle working the Gangtok-Siliguri route. A native of Namin village, Tamang remembers the experience of days filled with soot, grime, pollution and raucous passengers. Three months back, inspired by Jigdal, Tamang returned to his father’s 1-acre land. He is yet to see profits from the crops of mustard, coriander, fenugreek and onion. But the green shoots of a better life are clearly visible to him.
Shamik Bag
First Published: Fri, Feb 19 2016. 10 10 PM IST
 
 

NEWS : City women taking to organic farming in a big way


| Feb 20, 2016, 03.30 AM IST

Nagpur: She always had an inclination for farming. But, being a chartered accountant, she never had a chance to take it up until she gave up her job and decided to finally give it a try. Ashwini Aurangabadkar has taken to full time organic farming since 2011 and cultivates almost all cereals, a variety of pulses, linseed, vegetables and fruits like orange, custard apple etc.

Ashwini is not alone. There are a number of city women who have taken up full-time organic farming. Some of them who couldn't get into farming are even doing organic terrace kitchen gardening. All have something common.

They are part of the Nagpur Seed Festival Group which has members who are completely into organic cultivation and opposed to chemical farming and naturally also other modern technologies like the genetically modified (GM) farming. The group from the last four years has been regularly holding a seed festival to create awareness in masses about preservation of indigenous varieties in various crops.

TOI spoke to some of the women farmers on the first day of the Beejotsav being held at the Vinoba Vichar Kendra on Friday.

"After entering the field, I realized that agriculture by itself was a difficult task and especially organic. I wouldn't find workers who would listen to my instructions. But I never gave up. I read on line. I attended Padma Shri Subhash Palekar's workshops, consulted experts like Vasant Futane. But now I have enough animals also to generate farmyard manure, vermicompost and other components of organic farming like use of gomutra, cow dung and neem-based pesticides etc. Farming has become a passion now," said Ashwini.

Shyamla Sanyal, another dedicated organic farmer from the city, has been into serious agriculture from the past six years. She has a farm about 50km from Nagpur on Chhindwara Road.

"I wanted to cultivate variety of crops only for my own consumption and not buy anything from market. I had met Dinesh Balsawar, who is into organic rice farming in Lonavala, in 1993. But after beginning with a kitchen garden six years back now I am into full time farming. I grow wheat, gram, mung, tur, onions, garlic, mustard, turmeric, fennel, sesame, vegetables and fruits etc. It was trial and error. But now I know which crops are good for my soil conditions," said Sanyal.

Prachi Mahurkar, who got associated with Beejotsav since last two years, has a farm in Maragsur village near Katol. She grows bajra, mung, maize, ambadi. She left her IT sector job and is a member of Pune based 'Ecological Society'.

"My perspective to life and farming changed after joining this society. It has taught me to take holistic approach in agriculture too and hence along with crops I also have forest trees like hirda, bheda and amla in my field," said Mahurkar.

Kirti Mangrulkar left her teaching job in computer science and is also into organic farming since two years. She believes in preserving indigenous varieties and grows desi cotton, ambadi, bajra, jowar and vegetables. "I was impressed by Futane's work and took up farming only because of him," she said.

Seema Kaushal, Supriya Deo and Rupinder Nanda are the others who are doing kitchen gardening and are associated with seed festival group. Kaushal tells that since she was a science graduate she understood the cultivation methods in terrace farming easily. She does vermicomposting, composting, Bokashi (anaerobic composting) in her Friend's Colony house and grows vegetables.
Deo now has joined the seed festival group but was initially inspired by Organic Terrace Gardening Group (OTG) of Bengaluru and Urban Leaves of Mumbai. She watches a lot of videos on You Tube. Nanda is a member of Urban farmers and the Nagpur Organic farmers group on Facebook. She too took up kitchen cultivation impressed by OTG.

SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/City-women-taking-to-organic-farming-in-a-big-way/articleshow/51062212.cms

EVENT : nagpurwasi... ayika..ho..ayika



Friday, February 19, 2016

Scientist who discovered that GMO’s cause tumors wins lawsuit

February 19, 2016      

A court has ruled that French Professor Gilles-Eric Séralini was correct when he concluded that GMO food, when fed to rats, caused serious health problems including tumors.

 March-against-monsanto.com reports:
Now, Prof. Séralini is in the news again – this time for winning a major court victory in a libel trial that represents the second court victory for Séralini and his team in less than a month.
On November 25, the High Court in Paris indicted Marc Fallous, the former chairman of France’s Biomolecular Engineering Commission, for “forgery” and the “use of forgery.” The details of the case have not been officially released.

But according to this article from the Séralini website, Fallous used or copied the signature of a scientist whose name was used, without his agreement, to argue that Séralini and his co-workers were wrong in their studies on Monsanto products, including GM corn.A sentencing for Fallous is expected in June 2016.

Second Court Victory Reached
This was the second such court victory for the professor’s team, following a November 6 victory in a defamation lawsuit over an article in the French Marianne magazine which categorized the Séralini team research as “scientific fraud”.
What few people realize about the original Séralini study on GMOs is that it was only retracted after a serious PR offensive from Monsanto and the Biotech industry, one that included the creation of a whole new position on the original Food and Toxicology journal: Associate Editor for Biotechnology.

The new position was actually filled by a former Monsanto employee who helped convince the journal’s author to retract the study.
Now more than 2 years later, these are the facts: Séralini and his team’s original study has been republished in a different peer-reviewed journal,Environmental Sciences Europe; they have won two key lawsuits against those who have attempted to ruin their reputations; and a recent peer-reviewed letter even asserted that Séralini and his team may have been right after all on their discovery showing tumors in lab rats fed GMOs.

In other words, the jury is still out on GMO safety to say the very least, just as countless independent scientists have warned, and Séralini’s study stands as yet another cause for concern with the ongoing GMO experiment. It also shows the lengths that the Biotech industry will go to in order to discredit any independent science that clashes with their own version of science.

SOURCE : http://jbanews.com/2016/02/19/scientist-who-discovered-that-gmos-cause-tumors-wins-lawsuit/

Thursday, February 18, 2016

NEWS: GM crop not allowed in Rajasthan, farmers for organic farming: Vasundhara Raje

By PTI | Feb 18, 2016, 07.58 PM IST
 
JAIPUR: Amidst the debate over allowing use of Genetically Modified mustard, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje today said GM crops are not allowed in the state and would not be permitted.

"The previous Congress government had tried to introduce GM crop and an expert team was sent to three places for study (and) BJP (had) opposed it then," Raje said at the Kisan Agri Expo-2016 organised by Bharitya Kisan Sangh (BKS).

"BJP had opposed the move then and now my government would not allow it because farmers are more inclined towards organic farming," Raje said.

Organic farming is being done in 60,000 hectares in the state to contain diseases like cancer caused by chemical (fertiliser) farming, she said.

Raje said Rajasthan would host 'Global Agric Tech-2016 convention in November in Jaipur in a bid to attract foreign investment in the sector.

She said her government would spend three years of her term on "kisan aur paani" (farmers and water) and improve the agri economy of the state.

Raje said drip irrigation was adopted in cultivation of sugarcane in Sriganganagar district and farmers were adivsed not to depend on flood irrigation as it causes silting due to gypsum soil in the area.

She said 330 'pragateesheel kisan' (progressive farmers) have been identified in the state who would visit foreign countries to obtain latest knowledge in farming. 

After their return they would teach other farmers to adopt foreign technology, she said.

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, MOS for I&B, said an LCD TV would be installed in every Krishi Mandi in his Jaipur rural constituency facilitating the Kisan Channel of DD so that farmers keep updated with latest agri and weather information. 

 
SOURCE:http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/51043896.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

NEWS: Aamir partners with Maharashtra to solve water crisis

February 18, 2016 08:28 IST
The actor launched the Paani Foundation, which has participation from businessmen like Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, Kumar Mangalam Birla and others, reports Urvi Malvania
Aamir Khan and his wife Kiran Rao have launched the Paani Foundation, which will partner the Maharashtra government in its efforts to communicate and educate people at the grass root level about water conservation and watershed management. The foundation and the government announced the first initiative called the Satyamev Jayate Water Cup, a competition to popularise water conservation and watershed management in the rural areas of the state.
The foundation has the support of many corporates in the country with names like Ratan Tata, Mukesh Ambani, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Baba Kalyani, Rajiv Bajaj and Deepak Parekh figuring on the board of directors. Their respective corporates will be contributing to the foundation and its initiatives as part of their corporate social responsibility activities. Apart from corporates, Bollywood and sports personalities Rajkumar Hirani, Atul Kulkarni and Sachin Tendulkar are also part of the foundation.

The foundation is helmed by Satyajit Bhatkal, who is also the director of the television show Satyamev Jayate.

While the competition is called the Satyamev Jayate Water Cup, it functions irrespective of the television show aired on the Star India network and Doordarshan. “Star is the platform to get a show like Satyamev Jayate to the masses. We hope to rope in many more channels for the work that the Paani Foundation is doing. Not only Marathi channels, but general entertainment channels and news channels too. We will focus on the communication bit through any and all means available, including radio and digital,” said Khan. There are plans to launch a mobile application as part of the initiative as well.

The show, which aired last in October 2014, on the Star Network, could be used as a vehicle to communicate the efforts of the Paani Foundation and applaud the achievements of individuals and groups working towards water conservation, said Khan.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the government’s scheme Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan could be integrated with the efforts of the Paani Foundation when the latter launches an app to educate and track the users on the progress of the initiatives.
Contrary to speculation, Khan will not be the brand ambassador of the campaign. Fadnavis added, “When Aamir first told me about his desire to work in water conservation efforts in Maharashtra, he made it clear he wasn’t interested in becoming brand ambassador of the programme. He told me he was only interested in working on the ground and not in becoming the brand ambassador.”
Under the Jalyukta Shivar project, the government planned water conservation projects 25,000 villages suffering drought. The first phase of the project covered 6,200 villages and the second phase, targeting another 5,000 drought-prone villages will be rolled soon.
Image: Actor Aamir Khan launches the Paani Foundation in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Photograph: PTI
Urvi Malvania

SOURCE: http://www.rediff.com/news/report/aamir-partners-with-maharashtra-to-solve-water-crisis/20160218.htm