Bio-villages of Uttarakhand Emerging as Pioneer in Organic Farming

Srikot village a role model for bio-village in Pauri Garhwal:

A minion village called Srikot in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand has emerged as a surfeit bio-village. It all started with a project in which the farmers were educated about the harmful effects of the chemical fertilizers and the advantages of using biofertilizers. About 18 demonstrations were done on EM (Effective Microorganisms) Heap, BD Heap, CPP (Cow Pat Pit) and NADEP was also organized in Sirkot Village. NADEP is a process to make compost. It involves placing layers of different types of compostable materials in a simple, mud-sealed structure designed with brick and mud water. The system permits conversion of approximately 1 kg of animal dung into 40 kg of rich compost which can be applied directly to the field. The farmers who were not associated with this project also started producing their own NADEP compost.

Dhanpur Village in Kalsi block of Dehradun was termed as a bio-village in 2001:

Photo by Vinay.dhauni

In 2001, a tiny hamlet called Dhanpur in Kalsi block of Dehradun district was identified as a bio-village. The village consumed a total of 146 quintals of D.A.P. (Diammonium phosphate). When this village was selected as a bio-village, it reduced the use of chemical fertilizers to 10 quintals. Each household of this village now produces compost and bio-pesticide for their farmlands using cow urine.

The women of Danpur have also come up as a strong pillar for making their village a complete bio-village. Durga Mahila Swayam Sahayata Samuh, a Women Self Hep Group leads the village. The women of this group make baby pillows made out of millet husk and other organic produce such as organic ginger, organic turmeric etc.

Village Mankandpur of Ramnagar block in Nainital has become a fully saturated bio-village:

Photo by Abhishek Bisht

Mankandpur Village of Ramnagar in Nainital has become a fully saturated bio-village. The farmers of this village are producing a different kind of compost called ‘Matka-Khad’, a vermin-compost which is beneficial for the crops. The villagers are also using cow dung to make compost and are selling their organic wheat at Rs. 1,400 per quintal.

Success Stories of the farmers of Uttarakhand who had a profitable return from organic farming:

Girish Joshi of Jalut Village in Gangolihaat block of Pithoragarh district, a master trainer who is well aware of the benefits of bio-agriculture has grown 3 tons of onions using the bio-compost per acre, CPP, and liquid manures. Girish Joshi also recorded a rise of 15% extra onions and saw a hefty growth in bulbs.

Brijmohan Chauhan of Thadun Village in Purola block of Uttarkashi district has invented low-cost bio-pesticide by using bio-liquid obtained from aromatic leaves of wild plants. He used it on his 10 nali about 0.02 hectares land and earned a profit of Rs. 10,000 by selling the agricultural produce.

A farmer in Uttarakhand using traditional farming method to plough his field. Photo src: Sunil.chauhan01

Shiva Charan Singh, a farmer and gram pradhan in Mundakhedakalan village of Haridwar district has grown more than 70 kilograms bottle gourds in 60 days by using a single seed. He used 3 kilograms bio-compost to achieve this unrealistic result.

Anand Singh Bisht, a farmer of a quaint village called Jitpur in the glittering Nainital district has used 900-kilo bio-fertilizer on 4 hectares land for growing basmati crop. Consequently, he has witnessed a 10% rise in the crop by reducing the input costs.

The farmers of Sheel Village in Almora district are not lagging behind as they are using bio-composts to increase their agricultural produce. Umesh Singh, a farmer of Sheel village has effectively improved the quality of groundnut crops. He saw an increase in the grain density and size along with a significant decrease in its harvesting time. Umesh recorded a boost of 15% in the output.

Inputs from: organicuttarakhand.in

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