Natural Farming and Livestock Training Camp
India is regarded as land of granaries due to a majority of the population living in villages and practicing agriculture. Various kinds of crops are grown all the year around due to the suitability of climate, availability of water and fertile soil. But in the past few decades, human beings have posed a huge threat on the land used for agriculture. The rampant rise in population and urge to satisfy their needs is creating widespread disturbance in land uses, of which negative impact can be seen in diff erent forms.
In order to satisfy the various requirements of increasing population, the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides has further deteriorated the soil quality and turned the crop produce into toxins. Therefore, to tackle this pressing issue, Surya Foundation has been working to encourage farmers to adopt natural and organic farming methods which are eco-friendly as well as budget friendly and can save time as well as eff orts of the farmers.
Livestock Training Camp
The incorporation of natural and organic farming methods is highly benefi cial. It helps in the restoration of soil fertility and improves the groundwater quality. Surya Foundation has been doing various eff orts to encourage farmers to adopt these methods in their farming. One of the eff orts was seen in Jhinjholi village located in Sonipat district of Haryana when the village was created as a Village Development Centre, and natural farming initiatives have been launched in 20 nearby villages. As a result, farmers are turning toward cost-eff ective, profi table, and toxin-free farming.
In this regard, a three year pilot project was initiated jointly by Surya Foundation and Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare of Sonipat district with a primary focus on increasing the area under natural farming and moving toward toxin-free food by identifying and training farmers interested in natural farming. The one-day training programme for such enthusiastic farmers was started in May 2024 in Jhinjholi village.
Experts from Natural Farming Training Centre of Gurukul located in Kurukshetra of Haryana came and demonstrated on the ways to make natural and organic fertilisers like Jeevamrut, Ghan Jivamrut that will help in retaining the nutrients in the produce and further improve its quality. The instructors talked about Organic Certifi cation at length. Around 100 farmers from the blocks of Rai, Kharkhoda, Ganaur, and Sonipat in the Sonipat district participated in the training.
Later on, these farmers were offi cially sent for attaining Certifi cation from Natural Farming Training Centre of Gurukul located in Kurukshetra in 4 diff erent batches comprising 25 farmers in each. In the future, these farmers will also be taken on exposure visits to other states to observe and learn about innovative natural farming practices being used by farmers elsewhere.
