Krishi Mitra
What is Kisan Mitra Project
We are on a mission to help Indian farmers to become financially stable and wealthy by educating them about organic farming and latest farming practices to reduce farming cost and increase profitability
हम भारतीय किसानों को खेती की लागत कम करने और लाभप्रदता बढ़ाने के लिए जैविक खेती और नवीनतम कृषि पद्धतियों के बारे में शिक्षित करके आर्थिक रूप से स्थिर और समृद्ध बनने में मदद करने के मिशन पर हैं।
Why Kisan Mitra Project
India is an agrarian country with around 70% of its people depending directly or indirectly upon agriculture. But farmers’ suicides in India is worrying.
As per the Central Government despite a multi-pronged approach to improving income and social security of farmers, over 12,000 suicides were reported in the agricultural sector every year since 2013. Farmer suicides account for approximately 10% of all suicides in India.
What are the reasons behind farmers’ suicides in India?
The surge in input costs: A major cause of the farmers’ suicides in India has been the increasing burden on the farmers due to inflated prices of agricultural inputs. The culmination of these factors is seen in the overall increase in the cost of cultivation, for wheat, the cost at present is three times than it was in 2005.
Cost of chemicals and seeds: Be it the fertilisers, crop protection chemicals or even the seeds for cultivation, farming has become expensive for the already indebted farmers.
Costs of Agricultural equipment: The input costs, moreover, aren’t limited to the basic raw materials. Using agricultural equipment and machinery like tractors, submersible pumps etc adds to the already surging costs. Besides, these secondary inputs have themselves become less affordable for the small and marginal farmers.
Labour costs: Likewise, hiring labourers and animals is getting costlier too.
Lack of direct integration with the market: Although initiatives like the National Agricultural Market and contract farming are helping integrate the farmers’ produce directly with the market, cutting the role of intermediaries, the reality is still lagging behind.
Lack of awareness: The digital divide, as well as the literacy gap, has made the marginal and small farmers particularly vulnerable due to their inability to utilise the positives of government policies. This is reflected in the continued unsustainable cropping practices – like cultivating sugarcane in water-deficit regions.
Water crisis: The concentration of these suicides in the water-deficit regions of states like Maharashtra, Karnataka is a manifestation of how the water crisis and thereby failure to meet production demands have intensified the menace. This is particularly true in the backdrop of continued failed monsoons.
Climate change has acted as the last nail in the coffin by resulting in furthering of the uncertainties associated with the already uncertain monsoon system and hence agricultural production. While incidents like flash floods have led to crop losses, deferred monsoons have seen production shortfall year-in and year-out
ORGANIC FARMING
History of Organic Farming
The concepts of Organic Farming were created within the early 1900s by Sir Albert Howard, F.H. Lord, Rudolf Steiner, and others who accepted that the utilization of animal excrements (regularly made into compost), cover crops, trim revolution, and biologically and organically based pest controls resulted in the better farming system.
What is Organic Farming?
Organic Farming could be a strategy of crops and animal production that includes no utilization of pesticides, fertilizers, and genetically modified life forms, anti-microbials, and development hormones providing attentive care that advances health and wellbeing and meets the behavioral needs of livestock.
Organic Farming definition in Simple Words
Organic Farming refers to an agricultural practice with zero use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Methods of Organic Farming
Organic Farming is done to discharge nutrients to the crops for expanded sustainable production in an eco-friendly and pollution-free environment. It aims to produce crops with a high value of nutrients and minerals. There are different methods by which organic farming is practiced are as follows:
- Crop Diversity
Polyculture is one of the methods of Organic Farming in which several varieties of crops are cultivated simultaneously to meet the demand of a growing population.
- Soil Management
After the cultivation of crops, the soil loses its supplements and nutrients and its quality depletes. Organic Agriculture utilizes natural ways to extend the fertility and health of the soil. It focuses on the use of microscopic organisms that’s present in animal excretion which makes the soil nutrients more productive to upgrade the fertility of the soil.
Types of Organic Farming
Organic farming is divided into two types, namely:
- Pure organic farming
- Integrated organic farming
Pure organic cultivating implies avoiding all unnatural chemicals. In this process of cultivating, all the fertilizer and pesticide are obtained from natural sources such as bone meal or blood meal.
Integrated organic farming incorporates the integration of pest management and nutrients management to attain environmental requirements and economic demands.
Advantages of Organic Farming
- Economical
In organic agriculture, no costly fertilizers, pesticides, HYV seeds are required for ranching of crops. In this manner, no additional expenses are to be incurred.
- Good return on Investment
With the utilization of cheaper and local inputs, an agriculturist can make a great return on investment.
- High Demand
There’s a gigantic demand for the organic item in India and over the globe, producing more income through export.
- Nutritional
As compared to chemical fertilizer utilized items, organic products are more dietary, delicious, and great for health.
- Environment-Friendly
The cultivation of the organic product is free of chemicals and fertilizers, so it doesn’t harm the environment.