Centre for Organic Farming : Returning to the roots for a fresh harvest
Start with shots of Dilli haat – bustling activity, then establish organic stall
VO1 -This is Dilli Haat, a commercial fair like venue in the heart of Delhi, aimed at keeping alive the country’s rich cultural legacy. Diwan Singh, a farmer from Uttarakhand has been coming here for the past 3 years and has seen a growing demand for his unusual produce.
Rajma, wheat, rice, finger millet – doesn’t seem particularly unusual, but it is – a hundred percent organic and cultivated strictly without any chemical fertilizers and synthetic inputs.
Bite of farmer – on revival of traditional crops- big platform to sell and revive purani parampara –
VO2 –In order to provide technical assistance to critical areas in the on–going state driven organic initiatives in Uttarakhand, In 2003 the Sir Ratan Tata Trust facilitated the setting up of the Centre for Organic Farming (COF) with an initial three year grant under the purview of the UOCB.
VO4– The current focus of COF is on developing an extensive human resource at all levels of the organic venture. Putting the manpower and systems in place to formulate a workable system, building rural institutions, brand establishment and more aggressive marketing of organic produce are priorities. Add to this, in-depth research and development of technical support to farmers.
VO5 -All this effort has been made despite the difficult terrain and logistical difficulties.
Small land holdings and scattered produce initially made it difficult for the Uttarakhand Organic Commodities Board (UOCB) to make the system viable for market linkages. With time, a “Cluster Approach” evolved where geographies based on altitudes were identified and farmers were motivated to produce specific commodities, These commodities are stringently checked and certified.
VO6– Certification is the backbone of organic farming. There is a painstaking attention to the minutest detail. A farmers diary” provided by the UOCB with details like( use text to re-inforce vo) exact area under organic farming, seed used, date and type of sowing methods, organic herbicides used, water source etc. These diaries are in turn checked by “Internal Inspectors” of the UOCB , and compiled into an Actual Farmer List. The Uttarakhand State Organic Certification Agency or USOCA carries out random inspection of the farmers on the AFL and issues a scope/group certificate to all the farmers under AFL.
Bite of UOCB expert- showing the form
VO7 A 14.3 million rupee grant to COF in September 2005 facilitated monitoring 1200 bio-villages, setting up a training centre, Research and development cell as well as product development for the market.
The State Training Centre for Organic Farming at Machkali, is 13 kms from the tourist haven Ranikhet. Spread over 15.6 hectares it was inaugurated in December 06.
3 hectares of this land has been set aside for research and development and specialists in Entymology, plant pathology and agronomy have been recruited to formulate and implement best practices in their fields.
VO8– So far 45 training programs have been organized successfully at the centre and more than 1,000 farmers, service providers, master trainers, extension workers and offices of various organizations have been trained in organic farming techniques.
VO9 A concerted effort is made to develop an ecologically viable organic package of practices for cereals, pulses and vegetables . The results obtained so far are encouraging and seem to have far reaching impact on mountain farming system.
VO10 – Here a master trainer is examining the pest infesting a potato crop and has taught the farmer Ganesh Mehta about how to use this indigenous trap to catch the insects.
.Bite – Binita ShahRohit, on the natural advantages for Uttrakhand – biggest advantage is farmers have become consolidated into groups.
When COF started, traditional crops like the Dehradun basmati for instance were near extinct, where even the original seed was difficult to find. With COF this variety has gained a new lease of life
Fade into map of districts
VO3-This is Tilvadi – a “seed village” for organic Basmati production. Here organic produce is bought by buyers and distributed exponentially to other areas to increase the area under organic basmati cultivation.
VO11– With a focus to promote direct marketing the UOCB has facilitated one-on-one-buyer-seller agreements between farmer groups and major companies/ export houses like Kohinoor foods and KRBL. Representatives from export houses come for regular inspection of crop and act as participatory stakeholders, providing inputs to farmer federations before cultivation. Their cost is adjusted in the final produce the company buys from the farmers. Beneficiary farmers are getting Rs. 34 per kg for organic as compared to Rs. 25 for regular rice.
Old farmer’s bite– increase in soil fertility
- Representative from Kohinoor- Certified beej
VO12- Tie ups with local organizations like the Central Himalayan Environment Association or CHEA has helped in implementing organic interventions in the chemical affected horticulture belt of Tarikhet block of Almora district. CHEA has started work on selection and field survey of villages.
Bite of husband wife team – chemical fertilizer had destroyed the soil- now revived.
Bite – old man – the taste of food is much better.
VO13-Traditional foods like the finger millet being harvested here has been revived. Finger millet or mandwa has been converted into a popular babyfood.
Another major development is the formation of cohesive farmer federations and transparency from the most grassroots level .This buyer for instance has come to get a transaction certificate from the head of the organic federation of Ramgarh.
VO14—Major Emphasis is given to finding markets for organic produce both locally and in big cities like Delhi .Certifying and marketing organic perishables, through avenues like the CHEA vegetable shop,organic food shops in Delhi or avenues like Dilli Haat.
VO15 – About 5,000 model organic villages or contract farms of strategic commodities are slated to be developed in the next five years. The most significant achievement to date has been changing the mindset of locals as well as the government officials to further the organic movement in Uttarakhand.
Bite of Binita – mindset gives a push to the farmers/ development of low cost tech.
VO16– Consolidating organic activities in Uttarakhand with a holistic vision that starts from R&D, manpower support and training, product development right through to supply chain and direct marketing initiatives has been a rewarding yet challenging experience, giving hope that creating an abundant manmade Shangri-La is possible.