Shakuntala Devi, a dedicated woman farmer from Uttar Pradesh, has not only saved the fertility of her land by adopting organic farming but has also taken up the task of spreading awareness in her community. Her use of natural methods in farming, such as vermicompost and indigenous pesticides, makes the agriculture chemical-free and rich in nutrients.
Unique Initiatives of Natural Farming
The specialty of Shakuntala Devi’s farm is that she uses vermicompost and indigenous pesticides. Vermicompost units have been installed in her fields, where high-quality manure made from earthworms is used. Apart from this, she uses neem, yellow mustard, and other medicinal plants as organic pesticides, which keep the crops healthy and chemical-free. She follows crop rotation for every crop, which maintains the fertility of the soil. Also, she uses water conservation techniques so that water consumption is reduced and irrigation is more effective. All these efforts also increase the quality and nutritional level of their produce.
Family efforts and awareness
Shakuntala Devi’s family is fully involved in her efforts. Her husband and children also help in farming. She has explained to her family and nearby farmers that chemical farming gradually reduces the fertility of the land, whereas organic methods keep the crops productive for a long time. She is constantly using her fields as a laboratory, where crop production is being increased by combining traditional methods with modern science.
Training and expansion of knowledge
Shakuntala Devi has received training in organic farming from the Central Soil Research Center (ICAR) located in Bareilly. In this training, she learned how to increase profits by reducing the cost of organic farming. She also taught the farmers that the taste, nutrition and market value of organic produce is much better than the crops obtained from traditional farming. Apart from this, they were informed about the importance of crop rotation and natural fertilizers to maintain the quality of the soil. She also learned how crop safety can be ensured without pesticides, thereby increasing the long-term sustainability of agriculture. This knowledge gained by her is proving to be helpful in making her farms a successful organic model today.
Challenges and Prospects
Shakuntala Devi faced difficulties in the beginning, such as not getting the right price for organic products in the market and lack of awareness. But she did not lose courage and continued to make efforts to promote organic farming. Today she is selling her products through nearby farmers and agricultural institutions. However, her products are still not registered at the government level, which is a big challenge. Apart from this, climate change and traditional farming habits also take time to change, which makes it difficult for farmers to shift to organic farming. But Shakuntala Devi believes that adopting organic farming can ensure environmental benefits and long-term economic security.
Future Plans
Shakuntala Devi also wants to expand organic farming of fruits in her farms in the future. Her dream is to make her farm a model farm where farmers come and understand organic farming techniques and implement them in their fields. She says that organic farming is the way to increase farmers’ income and save the environment in the future. Along with this, she is planning to face the uncertainties of weather by increasing crop diversity and wants to develop her farm as an educational center where innovations can be exchanged.
Government schemes and support
The Government of India is running many schemes to promote organic farming, such as “Parampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana” and “National Organic Farming Mission”. Farmers like Shakuntala Devi can make their farming even more effective by taking advantage of these schemes. Although, she has not got the direct benefit of these schemes yet, but she is hopeful that in the coming time, her work will be even better with government support.
This story of Shakuntala Devi is not just a farmer, but it is the story of the confidence, dedication, and hard work that is seen every day in our rural India. Her dedication to organic farming and her continuous awareness campaign has not only made her farm fertile but also set an example for other farmers. Her journey of adopting organic farming makes it clear that with the right approach and determination every farmer can not only make his farm profitable but also contribute to building a healthy and balanced environment.
The efforts of farmers like Shakuntala Devi can be the new face of agriculture in the future, where there will be a perfect blend of tradition and modernity. Her story inspires that for self-reliance and sustainable development, we have to give priority to organic farming.
Contact details: If farmers want to share information or experiences related to farming with us, then they can do this by calling us on the phone number 9599273766 or by writing an email to [email protected] or by sending your recording. Through Kisan of India, we will convey your message to the people, because we believe that if the farmers are advanced then the country is happy.