Namaskaram!
Today I introduce Kurien sir to you. A native of Pallom in Kottayam district, he has played a crucial role in popularizing the Palekar method of farming in Kerala. His pupil Mr Abraham Chacko has successfully proved how cardamom plantations can be profitably managed without using chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
Sir, you moved from organic living to organic farming. Can you describe in a nutshell the reason for making the transition.
To speak briefly about it is difficult because organic living is related to food and health. It was in 1990 that I became close to Varmaji. I gathered knowledge from him through the gurukula system. When he passed on in 1999, it created a huge void in the hearts of his followers in Kerala. But it was our great fortune to get introduced to Swaminathan, his guru. He was a central government employee who resigned from his job for the sake of propagating science. After Varmaji’s demise, we grew close to him.
I would go to his residence in the morning and sit there till evening, and we would converse about several topics. It was he who told me that it instead of organic living we should promote the creation of farming sites where chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not used at all. When we were with Varmaji, we used to conduct workshops to propagate true food, pesticide-free vegetables and so on. That was how organic farming committees came up in Kerala. The organization was set up by John C. Jacob, Varmaji, Dayal and others. Under its aegis, although we experimented with many technologies, none of them took off. We could avoid use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides but not increase productivity.
This was where Fukuoka’s method also fumbled and did not reach perfection. In his last book The Road Back to Nature (which was translated into Malayalam by a friend of mine), Fukuoka himself confesses: ‘There is nothing left in my garden’. It was a farm that had been visited by tens of thousands of people. Finally it came to nothing. That is the defect of organic farming. One day a young man named Santhosh telephoned and invited me to a camp at Vazhakunnu where a farming method done without the use of fertilizers and pesticides was being taught. That was where I saw Palekar for the first time. The moment a pupil of Varmaji’s and I entered the hall, we could feel that Palekar was doing this selflessly, as a dharma. He was just like Varmaji. We spoke to him. And that was how we conducted a workshop for the first time in Kerala at Kottayam. It was attended by more than 500 farmers.
Can you tell us what you have learnt about the Palekar method? There are many who are interested in it.
That is simple. In traditional farming, the input is heavy. My dad had taken eight acres of land on lease to do farming. During those days, cow dung and ash were not easily available. We had to order it from Cherthala, and the loads came in a kettuvallom [big canopied boat]. There were agents to do this.
But Palekar farming method does not use this. There is no investment. With the dung and urine of an indigenous cow, you can cultivate 30 acres of land – that is the principle. Andhra Pradesh is now involved in a project whereby the entire state will come under Palekar farming by 2025. The former Chief Secretary T. Vijayakumar is at the forefront of this project. He has come here too. Before conducting a Palekar camp, he himself conducted an experiment in the farms by adopting a ward of a panchayat for agriculture without the use of chemical fertilizers. This was against the background of farmers’ suicide that had become rampant in 2000. He was then the head of the Agriculture Department. For one year, he did not permit the use of chemical fertilizer in that ward. And there were no suicides. That motivated him to adopted a panchayat next, and an entire block thereafter. The results were good. This made Palekar farming workshops possible. So by 2025, 85 lakh hectares of land will come under Palekar farming, according to the project.
Can you tell us about the methodology, sir?
Only cow dung is needed, as farmers of olden times used to do. What Palekar insists on is the use of indigenous cow. Just as Sosamma teacher does. There are two species – Bos taurus and Bos indicus. Our indigenous species is Bos indicus, a natural species that is found in Ceylon [Sri Lanka], India, China, Latin America and Africa. Bos taurus is found in other countries. Some say it is a mixed breed, others say it is not. There is a difference in the milk, dung and urine of the cattle of Bos taurus and Bos indicus. We need to take that into consideration. One gram of the cow dung of Bos indicus contains 300-500 crores of micro organisms, and all of them have a positive effect on the soil. But one gram of the cow dung of Bos taurus – Jersey, HF and others – contains only a few lakhs of micro- organisms. And they have negative effects too. That is the difference, a biological one.
So the dung of indigenous cattle is the best fertilizer. But we do not need tons of it. Plants, like us, have biological clocks. They have a time for taking in nutrients. So it is erroneous to think that if we dump loads of fertilizers at their base, all the plants will shoot up immediately. We need to supply only as much as they need and when they need it. That is where you see the perfection of Jeevamritam. We need to give it only once in two weeks. If we spread more, the plants will wither and die. Just like too much of NPK mixture kills plants.
Can you tell us how to prepare Jeevamritam?
This is the proportion of ingredients for one acre of land, to be given once in two weeks. Ten kilos of cow dung of indigenous cattle only. The freshest dung will be the best because it will have a lot of micro-organisms. Seven to ten litres of cow urine, 200 litres of pure water, one kg of dark jaggery (if you do not have jaggery, you can substitute it with two kg of any fruit – mango, jack or banana) – you can use coconut water also – one kilo of any variety of pulse, either ground or powdered, and one fistful of the soil of the farm. All these ingredients should be mixed and churned in a clockwise direction for three minutes. People at all camps ask him about the logic of the clockwise churning. He says it adds positive energy to the mixture. It seems all celestial bodies spin in that direction. Then the vessel containing the mixture should be kept close using a jute bag or any other bag in order to permit aeration. Plastic should not be used to cover it. After 24 hours, open it and stir the mixture again. After 48 hours, this mixture is a treasure chest of micro-organisms.
Jeevamritam is not a fertilizer. It is a kind of cover meant to increase the fertility of the soil. The popular belief that it is a fertilizer is a mistake. But a certain protocol has to be followed. The soil should be mulched. Only then will there be a forest-like ambience in the area. Micro-organisms will increase only in such an environment. Too much of heat will destroy it. So Jeevaritam should be spread over the mulch.
Sir, how long have you been in this field?
I attended his camp in Kottayam in April 2010. I came into this field only after I succeeded in my experiment with this method on two acres of my father’s farm land. I have conducted 14 camps all over Kerala. I do not follow any other method in my own land. I do not even use Jeevamritam now. Palekar himself says that such a treatment is required only for two or three years. With that, the soil has become ready.
Our administrators introduced chemical fertilizers in the name of Agricultural Revolution, and destroyed the very constitution of our soil. Until then, there were no other interventions. We used only cow dung, ash and dry leaves. That was all we had. This land, which belonged to my father, is gravelly. But my father used to raise sesame here. Unbelievable, isn’t it? Sesame grows in sand. So my father removed all the gravel himself, ensured it was only sand, and raised sesame. After the harvest, he took the seeds to the oil press. The taste of that oil cake is still fresh on my tongue! So farmers can do all that. Hari, you say you raised a forest on rocks. Only a farmer can do that. No one else can pull it off. That is the result of a mindset. We get insights even without our knowing. Here, even if I plant a banana plant, I don’t do anything other than give cow dung, urine and waste water.
That is evident. All the plants are healthy.
True. There is no human interference. That is the hope that Palekar generates, Hari. Once we start the Palekar method farming, we need not worry about the soil. Other states have also adopted the method – Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat. Let us leave politics aside. Five square kilometre area on each side of the Ganga has been set apart for farming, using indigenous cows only. Provisions have been made in the budget introduced by Mrs Nirmala Sitaraman. It is high time we made such legal changes.
We received a lot of inputs from you, Kurien sir. I wish to conduct experiments based on what you have said. And I shall inform you of the results.
As Kurien sir said, our greatest worry revolves around the expense of farming. Labour charges are high. Then, there is expense on fertilizers and pesticides. Subhash Palekar’s method avoids both. We should internalize these methods and customize them to suit our needs. Kerala can move forward only by following this method because such is the condition of our land. May I sign off in the hope that Kurien sir’s talk will inspire many people to turn to this style of farming.