Farmers Day
Today was a day with farmers, and I had thought that it would be more about Alex and him trying to develop some more of his idea for his project on ecotourism. I had planned to stay in the background to allow Alex to do what he needed to do, but I actually ended up getting included quite a lot and having a really good day!
We headed out with just Shammy, the driver, and he took us to do a couple of chores first, exchanging gas bottles and so on.
Once this was completed, we carried on. We picked up another SEDS fieldworker, Raj, from the
Sustainable Agriculture (SA) project. Along the way, we saw a lot of very large, very colourful Ganesha statues. I asked what festival they were for, and was told that there was a Ganesha festival coming up in mid-September. The statues are very cool to look at, but as they get put into the water I can't help but wonder what effect the colourful paint has on the water quality, especially as there are so many statues and the area is so water-poor...
We arrived at the village where we would be attending a farmer's group meeting, and we sat for a bit to wait for Imran, who is in charge of this project. Another of the SEDS SA fieldworkers who we met there, Hanumayah, said that Imran was held up and so we could start with a tour of the farm and Imran would catch us up and explain the project to us. First of all, one of the farmers was very keen to show us his sericulture set-up, then we headed to the fields. Hanumayah was ever so nice, and even though I am normally left out a bit, and this time I was actually trying to stay out of the way so that Alex could work on his project idea, Hanumayah took me under his wing and made sure I didn't miss out on anything.
We got to the first field, where a few women were working. Hanumayah and the farmers who were grouped with me seemed quite pleased when I recognised the crop as ragi (a type of millet). We walked through the field and a few of the farmers picked some of the ragi and gave me some to eat. It tasted very different when it was fresh from the plant, with a flavour that was part vegetable and part nutty. Hanumayah explained to me how long the ragi crop had taken to grow to this stage, but I am writing this up after having been busy and then ill for a while, so to my shame I have forgotten the details.
As we were talking in the ragi field, one of the farmers asked me a question with a friendly smile beaming on his face. Hanumayah translated for me - would I like a coconut to drink? It was a really sunny and hot day, so this sounded like a great idea to me, and I gladly accepted. We walked through some mulberry plants to come to a row of coconut palms planted between the fields. In an athletic feat that I think will always impress me, the farmer who had offered me a coconut shimmied up the trunk of the palm tree.
From the crown of leaves at the top, he spent a while selecting juicy looking coconuts to pick and toss down to us on the ground. The rest of the farmers, SEDS workers, and Alex had all joined us by now, and plenty of coconuts were thrown down so that everyone could have at least one.
Once there were plenty of coconuts, someone set to hacking the tops off with a sharp blade so that we could all drink the lovely water from inside. Everyone was in good spirits, the farmers were talking and laughing with each other, and even though I couldn't understand them the friendly mood was infectious. One farmer even made me a straw by stripping an intact sheath of bark from a young twig of mulberry bush!
After the coconuts were finished with, we walked on to another field, and Imran caught up with us. Imran had been really helpful to me during the meeting where we went through the translation of my final biogas survey version, so I knew him a little, but this was the first time I had heard him talk about his own area of expertise.
Imran explained to us about the farming projects at SEDS, which have evolved over time to meet funding requirements so that they can continue. He explained about the problems with water in the area, and talked about the negative impacts of over-fertilising the soil, leading to it losing its nutrients and becoming very degraded. He explained how difficult it is at first to educate the farmers about the importance of caring for the land and reducing reliance on chemicals. With very little educational background, the farmers here are not accustomed to hearing theory and translating it to practice; they are much more practically minded. There was therefore a long process of carrying out the Sustainable Agriculture practices, using organic methods, at the SEDS farm. The practices could then be demonstrated to the farmers, who could also discover the rewards of higher market prices for organic produce - and tastier food at home. It is more work to farm with these methods, but it also costs less if you are not buying increasing quantities of chemicals to try and keep crops growing in depleted soils.
The water shortage issues were starkly illustrated in one field where corn had been planted. The irrigation for the field flowed from one side, and the heights of the sprouts grew shorter and shorter as they got further from the irrigation inlet, until they petered out altogether due to lack of water. The farming methods here are labour-intensive and look like back-breaking work, and many farmers struggle to get by. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to invest in seeds and spend hours tilling the soil and planting the seeds, only for the rain to be absent and the crops to fail.
When we finished in the fields, we went back to the village square for the farmers group meeting. The farmers groups each have official membership, and a literate farmer will be responsible for maintaining the group's records, such as minutes of meetings etc. The groups discuss issues that arise for them, receive training and education, save money together, and more. Non members are also welcomed to sit in, so that they can see how valuable the groups are, and hopefully spread the program. They also share innovations, for example a few people have smart phones, and a weather app can be downloaded and used to see if it is likely to rain. The information can be shared with others who don't have smart phones - as people live nearby in the small village - which means that scare and precious water can be conserved by reducing irrigation if rain is likely.
The main thing that the farmers were discussing today was the drought. People in this village have insufficient water, and have to either buy water or request to take water from the wells and pumps of other villages. Many crops have failed, the lack of plant growth also means less fodder for animals, and lots of people have been forced to migrate to the cities to find labour work while the farming isn't fruitful. Uneducated village people who migrate to the cities are at risk of living rough, and being exploited, so this is a necessary but risky step for many.
After the meeting was concluded, we all signed our names to record our attendance, we were joined by biogas worker Radha, and were taken to a village house for lunch. On the way, we passed the familiar sound of children reciting their school work, and looked into a house to see one room being used as a balwadi (nursery school) and one room used for teaching the children. The school was so small that all children from kindy to class 5 were in the same room with the same teacher.
We headed out with just Shammy, the driver, and he took us to do a couple of chores first, exchanging gas bottles and so on.
Once this was completed, we carried on. We picked up another SEDS fieldworker, Raj, from the
Sustainable Agriculture (SA) project. Along the way, we saw a lot of very large, very colourful Ganesha statues. I asked what festival they were for, and was told that there was a Ganesha festival coming up in mid-September. The statues are very cool to look at, but as they get put into the water I can't help but wonder what effect the colourful paint has on the water quality, especially as there are so many statues and the area is so water-poor...
We arrived at the village where we would be attending a farmer's group meeting, and we sat for a bit to wait for Imran, who is in charge of this project. Another of the SEDS SA fieldworkers who we met there, Hanumayah, said that Imran was held up and so we could start with a tour of the farm and Imran would catch us up and explain the project to us. First of all, one of the farmers was very keen to show us his sericulture set-up, then we headed to the fields. Hanumayah was ever so nice, and even though I am normally left out a bit, and this time I was actually trying to stay out of the way so that Alex could work on his project idea, Hanumayah took me under his wing and made sure I didn't miss out on anything.
We got to the first field, where a few women were working. Hanumayah and the farmers who were grouped with me seemed quite pleased when I recognised the crop as ragi (a type of millet). We walked through the field and a few of the farmers picked some of the ragi and gave me some to eat. It tasted very different when it was fresh from the plant, with a flavour that was part vegetable and part nutty. Hanumayah explained to me how long the ragi crop had taken to grow to this stage, but I am writing this up after having been busy and then ill for a while, so to my shame I have forgotten the details.
 |
| Harvesting the ragi |
 |
| Hanumayah and the farmer who offered coconuts to drink |
As we were talking in the ragi field, one of the farmers asked me a question with a friendly smile beaming on his face. Hanumayah translated for me - would I like a coconut to drink? It was a really sunny and hot day, so this sounded like a great idea to me, and I gladly accepted. We walked through some mulberry plants to come to a row of coconut palms planted between the fields. In an athletic feat that I think will always impress me, the farmer who had offered me a coconut shimmied up the trunk of the palm tree.
From the crown of leaves at the top, he spent a while selecting juicy looking coconuts to pick and toss down to us on the ground. The rest of the farmers, SEDS workers, and Alex had all joined us by now, and plenty of coconuts were thrown down so that everyone could have at least one.
Once there were plenty of coconuts, someone set to hacking the tops off with a sharp blade so that we could all drink the lovely water from inside. Everyone was in good spirits, the farmers were talking and laughing with each other, and even though I couldn't understand them the friendly mood was infectious. One farmer even made me a straw by stripping an intact sheath of bark from a young twig of mulberry bush!
After the coconuts were finished with, we walked on to another field, and Imran caught up with us. Imran had been really helpful to me during the meeting where we went through the translation of my final biogas survey version, so I knew him a little, but this was the first time I had heard him talk about his own area of expertise.
 |
| Imran |
Imran explained to us about the farming projects at SEDS, which have evolved over time to meet funding requirements so that they can continue. He explained about the problems with water in the area, and talked about the negative impacts of over-fertilising the soil, leading to it losing its nutrients and becoming very degraded. He explained how difficult it is at first to educate the farmers about the importance of caring for the land and reducing reliance on chemicals. With very little educational background, the farmers here are not accustomed to hearing theory and translating it to practice; they are much more practically minded. There was therefore a long process of carrying out the Sustainable Agriculture practices, using organic methods, at the SEDS farm. The practices could then be demonstrated to the farmers, who could also discover the rewards of higher market prices for organic produce - and tastier food at home. It is more work to farm with these methods, but it also costs less if you are not buying increasing quantities of chemicals to try and keep crops growing in depleted soils.
The water shortage issues were starkly illustrated in one field where corn had been planted. The irrigation for the field flowed from one side, and the heights of the sprouts grew shorter and shorter as they got further from the irrigation inlet, until they petered out altogether due to lack of water. The farming methods here are labour-intensive and look like back-breaking work, and many farmers struggle to get by. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to invest in seeds and spend hours tilling the soil and planting the seeds, only for the rain to be absent and the crops to fail.
 |
| Group shot of the farmers and the SEDS fieldworkers |
When we finished in the fields, we went back to the village square for the farmers group meeting. The farmers groups each have official membership, and a literate farmer will be responsible for maintaining the group's records, such as minutes of meetings etc. The groups discuss issues that arise for them, receive training and education, save money together, and more. Non members are also welcomed to sit in, so that they can see how valuable the groups are, and hopefully spread the program. They also share innovations, for example a few people have smart phones, and a weather app can be downloaded and used to see if it is likely to rain. The information can be shared with others who don't have smart phones - as people live nearby in the small village - which means that scare and precious water can be conserved by reducing irrigation if rain is likely.
 |
| Membership records in the group's book |
The main thing that the farmers were discussing today was the drought. People in this village have insufficient water, and have to either buy water or request to take water from the wells and pumps of other villages. Many crops have failed, the lack of plant growth also means less fodder for animals, and lots of people have been forced to migrate to the cities to find labour work while the farming isn't fruitful. Uneducated village people who migrate to the cities are at risk of living rough, and being exploited, so this is a necessary but risky step for many.
After the meeting was concluded, we all signed our names to record our attendance, we were joined by biogas worker Radha, and were taken to a village house for lunch. On the way, we passed the familiar sound of children reciting their school work, and looked into a house to see one room being used as a balwadi (nursery school) and one room used for teaching the children. The school was so small that all children from kindy to class 5 were in the same room with the same teacher.
 |
| The balwadi |
 |
| The school |
In the house we went to for lunch, there was an upstairs room that had been prepared for us. Mats had been laid on the floor for us to sit on, and we were each given a plate made from leaves stitched together and dried, and women served us rice, daal, pickle, and bajis to eat. Sitting together to eat like this was a lovely experience, and I enjoyed it a lot more than when we eat at cafes and end up sitting separately.
After lunch, Imran had an important meeting to get to, so Shammy took me, Alex, and the other fieldworkers for some visits. We were supposed to visit some textile works, but when we arrived at those places they wouldn't let us visit. We carried on with the rest of the day instead, dropping off the sustainable agriculture fieldworkers, dropping off Radha as she was feeling ill, and continuing on to another village. There we met with Anil Kumar, another biogas fieldworker and the older brother of Ananda Vidyalayam school's maths teacher. With him, we conducted some biogas maintenance, and I also guided him to conduct the first data collection of my biogas project.
It was an incredibly hot afternoon, and after a morning outside with no shade and then an afternoon of biogas maintenance sessions, I felt ready to go back and sit in the shade for a while!
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