Ever since he learned about organic farming and began using organic manure on his farm, Ram Avatar’s yield has improved by a considerable margin. “My expenditure on chemical fertilisers has become almost nil and the yield has improved a lot,” he said. Happy at the way things have turned out to be, he now advises all his fellow farmers to choose organic farming as well.
Ram Avatar hails from Harnoo village in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur district. Like most other farmers in his village, he would use fertilisers to increase the yield of his land. Until a community mobilisation initiative by WaterAid India with the support of Water.org helped farmers like him understand how organic farming, with the usage of organic manure, could benefit him as well as the environment immensely. Organic manure is made from cow dung and other biodegradable kitchen waste that can be easily collected in the village, the process made sense to him and he planned to switch to organic farming.
“With organic manure and organic farming, my yield has been very good. There is no use of chemicals so I know that my produce is healthy and safe to eat, plus it is beneficial for the soil as well,” Ram Avatar said.
Along with better yield, the cost of production has also gone down, he added. “Unlike chemical fertilisers which cost more, organic manure is inexpensive, hence we are saving a lot of money.”
Ram Avatar now advises all his fellow farmers—those who have not yet switched to organic farming—to do so. “It is beneficial for all of us in the long term,” he said. He advocates water conservation and has been advising farmers on how best they can reduce or utilise the surplus flow of water and improve their yield.
