How a farm in Bengaluru is delivering fresh, organic produce on the same day as harvest

How a farm in Bengaluru is delivering fresh, organic produce on the same day as harvest
MAYA KILPADI , 14 MAY 2016 http://yourstory.com/2016/05/back2basics-farm/

Kiwis from New Zealand, Cattley guavas from Colombia, Chinese mulberries – exotic fruits that S. Madhusudhan was told would not survive in Bengaluru. But, they did not just survive but thrived in his organic farm in suburban Bengaluru.



Prior to starting up back2basics, Madhusudhan, an IIM-B alumnus, served three decades in advertising and marketing at Bharti Airtel (South India) and at Manipal Group, where he was a Senior VP of Global Marketing. Recalling the day he collapsed in the office, 55-year-old Madhusudhan says, “This incident forced me to re-evaluate my lifestyle and food habits.” While recuperating, he was advised to take up activities for rest and relaxation and found himself drawn to gardening. On a small plot he owned, he began chemical-free cultivation of greens, soon producing far more than his family could consume. He distributed the produce among friends and family, whose encouragement led him to turn to full-time farming.

Food with a bitter truth

In 2010, Madhusudhan began researching organic cultivation and studying the Indian organic produce market. He found that the level of ignorance about the source of food in India is extremely high and the inclination to find out about it is low, owing to low ticket size and repetitive, high frequency of purchase.

Organic retailers preyed on this, making specious claims about the exotic provenance of produce to quote premium prices. “The lettuce you eat in Bengaluru came not from Ooty or the Garhwal mountains, but most likely from a farm irrigated by one of Bengaluru’s polluted lakes,” he adds, offering an eyewitness account of carrots being washed in toxic Varthur Lake. He also learnt that organic retailers are largely distributors, not growers of the produce they sell, making them equally unaware of how and where it is grown.

In 2011, Madhusudan started back2basics farm, a unique Bengaluru-based farm-to-fork company that supplies locally grown organic food with same-day-as-harvest doorstep delivery.

Spread over 100 acres, the company practises chemical-free agriculture, selling 90 varieties of seasonal produce in four categories – fruits, vegetables, greens, exotics to clients that include large corporates, retail chains, independent organic suppliers. Its EU certified products are exported to Europe and Singapore.

Madhusudhan is part of a small but expanding breed who’ve left successful careers to start organic agri-businesses like First Agro, Lumiere, and Akshayakalpa Farms.  Organic farming received a boost with the latest budgetary allocation of Rs 412 crore and a promise to bring five lakh acres under organic farming in the next three years. State governments in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Kerala have pioneered programmes promoting food self-sufficiency and safe agriculture, and a growing wave of citizens practise organic terrace farming in cities. 

Estimates that India’s market for organic food will grow at a CAGR of over 25–30 per cent between 2015 and 2020 are an indication that the organic movement is not a fad, but a sign of better awareness of the right to safe, healthy food.
Going where the customer is

In late 2015, with growing production and a loyal clientele, all looked great for back2basics. But, on her annual visit home, Bhairavi, Madhusudhan’s daughter, realised that while it ran a successful B2B operation, there were gaps in how back2basics’ produce was reaching end consumers and thereby in the perception they had of it. Consumers were either unaware that the produce they bought came from back2basics or were doubtful about the benefits of organic produce. A graduate of the Huntsman Programme at Wharton School of Business, 25-year-old Bhairavi is the first Indian girl admitted to the programme. In January 2016, she resigned her job in private equity and joined back2basics to launch its consumer focussed operation. “Just 45 days post launch, we are fulfilling over 200 orders a day with 60 per cent repeat customers”, she gleams.

To meet this growing response, Back2Basics reorganised its delivery schedule from twice a week to six days of the week and supplies produce across Bengaluru. Currently, orders are taken only on their website, but a mobile app is in the offing.

Back2basics entered the B2C market to change the perception around organic produce, take people closer to the source of their food, and make organic produce available at a lower price point by going directly to customers. She adds,

We started the back2basics experiential farm that people can visit, see how organic farming is done, even pick and eat food off the plants.


Zero-waste farming

Back2basics uses natural farm-based fertilisers such as cattle and poultry manure, neem and oilseed cakes. Each farm is a raised unit surrounded by a moat that harvests the surface runoff from irrigation or rain. This raises the water table and reduces the frequency of irrigation to once a week. A borewell recharge system ensures water supply even in the dry season and all farm waste is composted. Stems and leaves of its sweet corn crop, known to enhance milk production in cows, are donated to an organisation rearing 5,000 heads of indigenous cattle and in turn gobar slurry, the chief fertiliser in organic farming is received. “Their waste is our wealth and vice versa”, explains Madhusudhan, alluding to an ancient farming practice that gives the brand its name.

Crops are grown in batches to stagger harvest over the month and avail fresh produce daily. Those not harvested on the day of delivery remains on the plant so it does not deteriorate. This explains why back2basics operates no storage facilities or chilling plants.

However, Madhusudhan realised that it was not enough to just grow quality produce, but to ensure it reached end consumers as fresh as it was when harvested. With this, back2basics launched its own logistics operations with staff and a fleet of delivery vans.



B2C and B2B orders are consolidated at the end of every day and sent to farm supervisors. Harvesting begins at 1.30 a.m. so that produce can reach the hub by dawn, where it is cleaned, sorted, segregated, and sorted client wise. It is then colour coded and loaded into GPS-enabled vans for delivery.

Controlling the supply chain from seed to last-mile delivery gives back2basics the distinctive advantage of being able to maintain uniformity and consistency in taste, colour, texture, and finish of its produce while reducing cycle time.

“Organic produce in India changes many hands, each adding their own markup, ultimately making it prohibitively expensive for the consumer, who often pays up to 200–300 per cent premium for it,” says Bhairavi. This bootstrapped venture sells its produce for a little over input cost.



In a country with low awareness of organic farming and a highly unorganised fragmented organic food market, businesses like back2basics help in educating farmers and consumers about sustainable farming and healthy food. “We are at the cusp something wonderful,” says Madhusudhan. He quotes an Assocham study that states raising awareness could boost the growth of India’s organic food market by more than 25 per cent annually to touch $1.36 billion by 2020. Back2basics occupies a unique position in this growth story with its experience with both ends of the organic food spectrum – quality production at scale and effective marketing to a growing, informed customer base.

http://back2basics.farm/

8 Vegetables You Only Need To Buy Once, Then Regrow Forever

8 Vegetables You Only Need To Buy Once, Then Regrow Forever

It’s easier to go to the grocery but growing these vegetables from kitchen scraps would be totally badass! It does require some time though but the benefits riding on the project are many. It will save you money and you need no farm; you can do it indoors. All you need to do is use fresh scraps. Do not use stuff that has been composting for weeks. When regrowing the plants, make sure you provide them with enough light and water.

1. ScallionsImage Source: wearenotfoodies.com

Regrow them using their discarded roots. Leave an inch of the scallion attached to the root then put them in a glass of water. Place the glass of water in a room that’s well-lit.

2. GarlicImage Source: www.endoriot.com

Garlic sprouts can be grown from the garlic clove and have a mild flavor from that of garlic. The sprouts can be added to pasta, salads and other dishes. When they begin to sprout, have them placed in a glass that has little water.

3. Bok ChoyImage Source: www.imgur.com

In a well lit area, place the Bok Choy’s root ends in water. Give them 1-2 weeks then transplant them to a pot that has soil. It will grow a new full head.

4. CarrotsImage Source: www.projectfidgetyfingers.blogspot.com

Carrot greens can be regrown from carrot tops. Have the carrot tops put in a dish that has little water. Place the dish in a room that is well-lit or on a window sill. Carrot greens are a bit bitter but when chopped up together with garlic and sweetened with vinegar, they can be used in salads.


5. BasilImage Source: www.cepsinthecity.blogspot.com

Basil cuttings can be used to grow new basil. Put basil clippings that have stems of 3-4 inches in a glass of water. Place them in direct sunlight and when the roots get to 2 inches long, transfer them to pots. With time, they will grow into full basil plants. Be sure to change the water constantly though, so they don’t get slimy.

6. CeleryImage Source: www.imgur.com

You can use the leftover celery bottom for this. Cut the base off and place it in a shallow bowl or saucer in the sun. The leaves will thicken and grow with time in the middle of the base. Transfer it to soil after 3 days.

7. Romaine Lettuce

Image Source: www.healthybodynow.net

Romaine lettuce can be grown from the bottom of a lettuce head. Put stumps of the romaine lettuce in a ½ inch water. Make sure the water level is at ½ inch. Few days after, transplant the romaine lettuce into soil once new leaves and roots appear. The leaves can grow up to twice the size. Cabbages can also be regrown in the same way.

8. CilantroImage Source: www.imgur.com

If you place the stems of cilantro in a glass of water, they will grow. Transplant them when the roots become long enough, to a pot that has soil. Place them in a room with ample lighting. The plants will be fully grown in a few months.

Genetically Modified Food People Already Eat in the U.S.

These Charts Show Every Genetically Modified Food People Already Eat in the U.S.

• David Johnson @davejohndc
 
• Siobhan O’Connor @siobhannyc
 

April 30, 2015

    

See all the GMOs you may already be eating

Chipotle announced Monday that the chain will no longer serve food containing genetically modified organisms (GMO), raising the bar for transparency in the United States, where there’s no requirement to indicate the presence of GMO ingredients on food labels or in restaurants. Likewise, biotechnology companies aren’t required to report which genetically modified seeds are used in production.

Yet the use of GMOs is undoubtedly widespread. Since GMOs were approved for commercial use, 

and then first planted into U.S. soil in 1996, their 

production has increased dramatically. More than 

90% of all soybean cotton and corn acreage in the 

U.S. is used to grow genetically engineered crops. 

Other popular and approved food crops include 

sugar beets, alfalfa, canola, papaya and summer 

squash. More recently, apples that don’t brown and 

bruise-free potatoes were also approved by the FDA.

Adoption of GMO Crops in the US, 1996-2014

Ht: Herbicide-tolerant  Bt: Insect-resistant

Source: USDA Economic Research Service

It's also instructive to look at permits granted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — the American GMO gatekeepers, together with the Environmental Protection Agency – though it's important to note that not all the issued permits are for crops that are approved for commercial use.

To produce crops commercially, biotech companies apply for "deregulated status", the green light from the USDA to plant and distribute without restriction.

The bar chart below shows all deregulated crops, sized by the number of genetic varieties approved for each. The ten crops in green are currently produced in the United States, and described in detail in the list below.

USDA Approved Genetically Modified Crops

Produced in US Not currently produced

Source:USDA Animal and Health Inspection Service

1. Corn

Genetically modified corn turns up in many different products in the U.S. — and corn on the cob

is the least of it. This crop is used to produce many different ingredients used in processed foods

and drinks, including high-fructose corn syrup and corn starch. But the bulk of the GM corn

grown around the world is used to feed livestock. Some is also converted into biofuels.

2. Soybeans

The second largest U.S. crop after corn, GM soy is used primarily in animal feed and in soybean

oil—which is widely used for processed foods and in restaurant chains. In fact,

  soybean oil accounts for 61% of Americans' vegetable-oil consumption. It's also

often used to make an emulsifier called soy lecithin, which is present in a lot of

processed foods, including dark chocolate bars and candy.

3. Cotton

Much of GM cotton is turned into cottonseed oil, which is used for frying in restaurants and in

packaged foods like potato chips, oily spreads like margarine, even things like cans of smoked

oysters. Some parts of the plant are also used in animal feed, and what's left over can be used

to create food fillers such as cellulose.

4. Potatoes

A new kid on the block, the very recently approved GM crop is resistant to bruising and may

produce less of a cancer-causing chemical, called acrylamide, when exposed to high heat.

It has not yet seen adoption in the food supply, but is expected to be.

5. Papaya

Bred to withstand ringspot virus, which can destroy papaya plants, these genetically engineered 'Rainbow Papayas' were first commercially produced in the late 1990s. Much of the yield is 

grown in Hawaii.

6. Squash

Zucchini and yellow summer squash have been commercially available in the U.S. since the mid- to late-'90s, though GM squash accounts for just 25,000 acres of farmland, by some estimates.


7. Canola

GM canola is used to make oil for cooking, as well as margarine. It's also used to produce emulsifiers that are used in packaged foods. By some estimates, 90% of canola grown in the U.S. and Canada is GM.


8. Alfalfa

In a controversial decision in 2011, the FDA approved the commercial use of GM alfalfa that contains a gene making it resistant to herbicide. The crop is used mainly as hay for cattle.


9. Apples

Another newly approved crop, this apple from a Canadian biotech companydoes not brown even after it's been sliced. It recently received FDA approval. The agency said it is safe to eat, which means they may appear on supermarket shelves.


10. Sugar Beets

More than half the granulated sugar in the United States comes from GM sugar beets, which have been in production since 2008. Though their use was temporarily halted due to safety concerns, production resumed in 2011.

Monsanto found an able adversary in the Sangh parivaar

How Monsanto found an able adversary in the Sangh parivaar
By Naren Karunakaran, ET Bureau | Mar 29, 2016, 06.53 AM IST
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A file photo of a Bt Cotton farmer in Gujarat. The Bharatiya Kisan Sangh and the Swadeshi Jagran Manch are laying the ground for a transformative change in Indian agriculture.


The Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) — an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological fount of the Modi government — which lobbied hard and helped skewer agribusiness multinational Monsanto with a price control regimen recently on genetically modified (Bt) cotton seeds is girding up for a long battle ahead.

The move riled Monsanto to an extent that it issued a dire warning: a re-think on its position in India. ET reached out to Monsanto for an engagement on this issue last week but the company says it's not planning any interaction just yet.

The BKS, along with compatriot, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), is unmindful of Monsanto's 'audacious threats' and is actually laying the ground for a transformative change in Indian agriculture. The larger idea is to foster growth or development that is sustainable, socially responsible and not root for a 'growth at any cost' framework.

The attitudinal shift was evident in the recent budget proposals for 2016-17 which, in the agriculture domain, attempted a going back to roots of sorts. Some small, early measures on soil health, organic farming and certification through the Paramaparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana are visible. The revival of indigenous breeds of milch animals has found traction.

These significant wins — curbing corporate monopolistic proclivities through pricing measures and a belated, still subdued, focus on organics — has emboldened the BKS and its ilk to keep pushing for policy changes like never before. As insiders, they have the access, they have the will to catalyse change.

It is now pushing the government to create a network of six new agriculture universities entirely focused on organics implying that the existing research and extension network is compromised. Genetically modified (GM) crops do not figure in its grand plans for the future although the BKS makes it clear that they are not against science, as some would put it, and that they are only keen on a robust regulatory regime to ensure safety and environmental concerns are upheld.

"The government is responding to some of our suggestions, but slowly, gingerly; not at the pace we would like it to," says Dinesh Kulkarni, the Pune-based organising secretary of the BKS, which claims a nationwide membership of 2.1 million farmers.

Kulkarni is aware that the road ahead is tortuous and that well-entrenched interests of years, within and outside government, is difficult to dismantle. Yet, he believes, low-input sustainable agriculture can make it to policy documents if "we work on the mindsets of bureaucrats and scientists". Many, he says, are merely misled by multinational propaganda.

Scientific approach
Scientists are key to BKS' strategy and it has been reaching out to them. The debate on genetically modified (GM) crops has often been characterised as a contest between science and Luddite activists, ignoring the fact that the aversion to GM crops also stems from robust science and conscientious scientists.

Even the first-of-its-kind International Assessment of Agricultural Science & Technology for Development (IAASTD) report produced by over 400 of the world's best scientists over a three-year period, and ratified by 60 countries, has indicated that GMOs are no solution to the agricultural challenges facing the world. In the same vein, Kulkarni describes the so-called inevitability of GM adoption for food security as 'false propaganda' by lobby groups.

The perception that there is a supply-side productivity problem is being increasingly questioned by experts. The UNCTAD, in a recent report — Wake Up Before It Is Too Late — has tried to examine this contentious issue. The growing need for a sustainable 'ecological intensification' approach in place of high external-input industrial agriculture is being recognised. It's borne out by many studies; even organics are good enough to address the food situation.


The Farming Systems Trial (FST) at the Rodale Institute in the US is the longest running side-by-side comparison of organic and conventional agriculture. Over 35 years of yield data clearly indicate that organic practices match or outperform conventional systems. "We go to government with alternative solutions," says Kulkarni, indicating that they refrain from raucous attention-seeking protests. "Our style is different."

It's apparent that the coalition of Sangh Parivar outfits are making headway given the way they have thrown rings around the powerful Monsanto. The multinational, known for its legendary lobbying prowess, has been bridled on the pricing issue. It didn't happen overnight.

Crafty campaign
The BKS looked for weak spots in opponent Monsanto's armour and accordingly crafted and orchestrated a silent yet effective campaign. At various fora, it systematically chipped at the superior yields argument and also highlighted Indian and foreign studies establishing the connect between farmers suicides and Bt cotton adoption.

"Introduction of Bt cotton in dry, rain-fed areas was a mistake. Farmers have been wiped off," laments Mauli Tupe, President of the Maharashtra unit of the BKS. "Desi kapaas or indigenous cotton varieties are ideal for regions like Vidarbha and Marathwada." This region has seen a spate of farmers' suicides.

The duo explain that better yields have occurred largely in 'newly' irrigated lands in Gujarat and that the same results were difficult even in the traditionally irrigated stretches of Punjab, Haryana and parts of Rajasthan. They maintain that the yield argument is "nothing but jugglery".

Even KR Kranthi, director of the Nagpur-based Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), while conceding that in the initial years yield did show a rise due to a rein on bollworm pests, has maintained, in an opinion piece earlier this month, increased yield can also be attributed to several factors: "a 36 per cent spike in fertiliser use; doubling of area under hybrids; increase in irrigated cotton area in Gujarat; effects of seed treatment; introduction of at least six new insecticides to control a variety of sap-sucking insects".

The BKS, in the recent past, has made at least two presentations to the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, the regulator for transgenic crops, on this and related issues. Meetings were also held with former GEAC co-chairman CD Mayee. Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, who also hails from Pune as Kulkarni, was also briefed on the finer nuances involving GM crops by BKS and SJM.

So, when an opportunity presented itself to corner Monsanto, BKS naturally seized it. The organisation reveals that sources within the government had let it on that the company had no patent for the BT cotton seeds in India. The BKS worked on this piece of information. "We built on the negative perception of the company that had begun to pervade," says Kulkarni. Bollgard II, introduced in 2006 was, however, patented in India.

The patenting claim by Monsanto became public last year when ET's sister publication The Times of India reported on the issue based on RTI filings by activist Vijay Jawandhia in June 2015, indicating that the huge sums mopped up from farmers and seed companies as royalties or fees from 2002, when Bt cotton was introduced till 2006, was an alleged deception.

Ashwani Mahajan of the SJM, on March 17, hinting at the recent threat by Monsanto, told a news agency that the government ought to avoid a Vijay Mallya type of escape and that "Monsanto should not be allowed to quit India without compensating the farmers who suffered severely because of the wrong acts of the company". The SJM has computed the amount collected by the company from farmers at Rs 6,000 crore.

Even as the farmers' organisations lobbied for regulation of cotton seed prices, the Competition Commission of India in a February 10, 2016 order made an observation that Mahyco Monsanto Biotech India (MMBL), the Indian unit of Monsanto, was abusing its position as a dominant player in the Bt cotton market and that it is a "fit case for investigation by the director general". The probe is expected to be completed within 60 days. Over 90 per cent of the cotton acreage in India is of the Bt variety.

This is also relates to a running feud between several members of the National Seeds Association of India (NSAI) and Monsanto over trait value — which is largely a licensing fee paid by the seed companies to Monsanto for using its Bollgard II technology. The NSAI has been bristling for long over what it describes as the company's restrictive licensing norms and rooted for regulatory oversight. It has welcomed price controls.

All of this was happening as disturbing news from the fields started emerging. In 2015, an insect called the pink bollworm started displaying resistance to Bt. Large tracts of cotton crops are now infected by the pink bollworm prompting Kranthi to indicate that it may well be 'the end of the road' for Bt cotton in India and that it's about time to reconsider the entire gamut of issues governing cotton.

Writing for the Cotton Association of India mouthpiece early this month Kranthi, in his personal capacity, has called for a strong political will to address issues on cotton farming. He wishes to see the emergence of a system of 'good science sans corporate greed.' Like Tupe, he too is a votary of desi cotton in rainfed regions and insists traditional varieties can be as profitable to farmers as Bt cotton.

The fraternity has latched on to the pink bollworm misfortune of Monsanto too. The BJP's Kisan Morcha highlighted the resistance vulnerability of Bt in a representation to the Ministry of Agriculture which in turn reached out to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotions (DIPP) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It led to the recent issuance of a notice to MMBL asking why its patent on Bt cotton should not be revoked.

The Ministry of Agriculture under Radha Mohan Singh has been quietly supportive of farmers' organisations seeking a relook on India's stand on Bt and other GM crops. Rajnath Singh, home minister, has been quite vocal about his opposition to GMOs and apparently played a stellar role in orchestrating the Sangh affiliates into a forceful influencer on agriculture issues.

Kulkarni hints that Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah, president of the BJP are also beginning to see some merit in the arguments of the BKS. Shah apparently grows Bt cotton in his native Gujarat and, in mirth, Kulkarni says that it won't be long before the pink bollworm gets to him too.

Both Mauli Tupe and Kulkarni are clear that GMOs are an unnecessary technology being imposed on Indian farmers. A few weeks ago, BKS representatives even met with members of the Niti Aayog and pointed out inadequacies in the Aayog's recent policy brief on agriculture which expectedly promotes GMOs.

The Sangh and its affiliates are strong votaries of swadeshi. Would the BKS change its stance if swadeshi or Indian Bt technology seeds are developed and offered to farmers?

"A knife whether made of gold, whether Indian or foreign, when wielded, will only lead to loss of life," says Kulkarni.

A tangled legal web
The government, acting on the recommendations made by a nine-member cotton seed price control committee, has capped the maximum price of Bollgard II Bt cotton at Rs 800 for a packet of 450 grams. It was sold for Rs 830 to Rs 1,100 a packet. Royalty or trait fees that seed firms pay to access this technology was also reduced; from Rs 163 to Rs 49 per packet.

Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (India) Ltd (MMBL), a joint venture between Monsanto and Mahyco Seeds, has contested the price control order of December 2015, the basis on which the Ministry of Agriculture, on March 8, announced Bt cotton seed price for the year 2016-17. MMBL has moved the Delhi High Court.

The Karnataka High Court, based on a plea by the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises - Agriculture Group (ABLE-AG), on March 21, said that the government can fix prices on seeds but cannot meddle with royalty fees. The fixation of trait value is not be given effect, the court said. The central government, on March 23, told the Delhi High court that Monsanto was trying to approach different legal fora for a favourable order. The Delhi High Court had earlier refrained from a stay on the price control order. The case is scheduled to be heard on April 7.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/how-monsanto-found-an-able-adversary-in-the-sangh-parivaar/articleshow/51592441.cms

Zerobudgetspiritualfarming-organic farming is to be banned

Organic farming is preplanned conspiracy.


Fiends, today we will discuss about black face of organic farming.

Since ten thousands year, agriculture is continued . In the initial 5000 year, there was no utilization of farm yard manure means cow dung manure in farming. There was shifting agriculture. 

The forest was cut down,the land was dug,seeds were broadcasted and crop was taken. But, there were thousands of cow with the farmers. When, because of continuous heavy rains,the cultivated soil was lost by flooding water, then,to maintain the fertility,utilization of cow dung manure was started,which is today also continued . 

I have started to verify the actual utility of cow dung manure with my research trials, by testing variable quantities of f y m. 

At last I found that if we want better yield,we have to utilize 18 cart loads means 9 tonne of f y m per acre per year . 

For that purpose we have to keep 10 cows per acre. In India,we have only 350 million acre land for cultivation. 

That means, we want 350 multiplied by 10 cow is equal to 3500 million of cows means 350 crore deshi cows. 

We in India have only 8 crore means 80 million local cows. Now ,it is cleared that it is not possible in dream also to continue this ancient Indian method of agriculture. What is alternate ? 

Only our zero budget natural spiritual farming. Because,in this my zbnf technology, no farm yard manure is purchased and utilized as a manure.

Organic farming word was utilized first by British agricultural scientist Dr.Albert Horward to compost manure. This compost manuring technology was developed in England,not in India. So compost technology is not swadeshi farming.

The British Government has sent to Dr. Horward to its colony India to promote this compost manure technology to Indian farmers.

Dr.Horward came in India, studied well ancient cow dung manure based Indian farming technique and at last he suggested to British Government in his study report that the Indian ancient cow based farming is too much superior than this European compost organic farming. 

So, not necessary to promote organic farming to Indian farmers,but,it is very essential to promote ancient Indian cow based f.y.m.technology to European farmers. 

What a situation is ? European scientist promote Indian ancient farming and our Indian scientists are promoting European farming technology.

Vermi compost technology is not swadeshi means an Indian technology, it 100 percent videshi means foreign technology. 

In western countries,there was big problem was created that how cadmium, arsenic, mercury ,lead like very poisonous heavy metals are coming in human food chain ! 

After wide spread research,they found that these heavy metals are coming through chemical fertilizers.

Then they started to find out technique by which they can find out the quantity of heavy metals in the farming residues of crops biologically. 

At last, they found one worm from European soil,they have given name Eisinio foetida to that worm In initial period they have utilized this worm as a biomonitor to find out quantity of heavy metals. 

But, afterward,they found specific characters of this worm as collecting the heavy metals from crop residues while eating straw and restricting the Humas creation in the soil and doing the soil compact by its surface feeding activities. 

At same time,there was a big mass movement in Europe America against chemically grown poisonous food. Because of great pressure of this peoples movement,the input industrial sector of chemical farming was under pressure. 

As a result,at last,that universal exploiter system had decided to give the alternative technology against chemical farming. They started variable experiments on this worm and its activities and at last they became successful to develop vermi compost technology.

Now,there was a problem with exploiter system,how to promote this new brand organic farming vermi comoost technology through the world. 

At last, they found that some creative social workers have started their non government organizations. These ngo s want to give their best services to the people,but, they have limitations of financial funds. 

So,the system has proposed to NGOs that it will give the lot of funds them, only condition will be the NGO's should promote organic farming to the farmers. 

The NGO's were became very happy that they are getting best organic farming technology in the form of compost and vermi compost technology,and also big funds,they accepted this proposal and started a big campaign of promoting organic farming in the world including India. 

At that time the NGOs were not known that this organic farming is preplanned conspiracy. They were and now also are thinking that they are doing good job because of ignorance. 

In initial period,no government was promoting organic farming. But,when the world trade organization started to pressurize the all governments in the undeveloped countries to reduce continuous subsidy of chemical fertilizers,then,under pressure,governments started to reduce subsidies and as a alternative to chemical farming,they started to promote organic farming through department of agriculture. 

At that time the Indian Government was giving 1 lakh 40 thounds crore Indian rupees subsidy for chemical fertilizers. It was and is a big part of Indian total budget.

Friends,this is the history of organic farming. How this organic farming is dangerous,poisonous,and exploiter, also how it is a preplanned conspiracy to exploit India economy and natural resources, we will discuss in second part of this article post. So, please, wait up to tomorrow...............
..........subhash palekar 
palekarsubhash@yahoo.com


Organic farming ( गो आधारित जैविक खेती ) is more dangerous than chemical farming, it is a conspiracy. How ? We will discuss.

Friends, when we always discuss about the soil,we prominently discuss about the fertility of soil. We know that how much the soil is more fertile, the productivity of that soil is more. This fertility and productivity of soil is given to the soil by Humus. That means humus is the fertility and productivity of the soil.

This humus is created in the upper most soil surface by decomposition of the straw. Straw means residues of the crops and weeds. This decomposition process is done by variable species of aerobic beneficial effective micro organisms. 

The roots secretes the sweet sugar to feed the micro organisms ,so that, they get the energy through that sugar for their activities. 

For Humus creation 60 percent organic carbon is taken from the air by photosynthesis process and 6 percent organic nitrogen taken from the atmosphere by nitrogen fixing bacteria. 

That means, for humus creation,three inputs are required...
1 ) .carbon saturated monocot straw and nitrogen saturated leguminous dicot straw. Monocot means all cereals and millets crops straw. Dicot means all pulses crops straw. 
2 ) presenc of roots of selected crop. 

And 3 ) culture of humus creating micro organisms. 

If all these three are present together then humus is created, otherwise no ! I have tested all cultures of micro organisms, at last, I found that the best culture is the dung of indigenous local cow ( Bos indicus ) belonging to zebu family that means pure Indian local cows or pure African local cows. Not European cows. 

I have developed the best culture of these local cow dung based micro organisms in our zero budget natural spiritual farming and I have given the name to that culture JIWAMRITAM and GHANAJIWAMRITAM.

Now we can conclude , the humus is created by decomposition of straw near the root zone of crop by micro organisms, not out side the root zone ! That means, for creation of humus, three inputs are required...straw, roots and jiwamritam or GHANAJIWAMRITAM. 

Without presenc of roots,humus will not be created.
Now, we will see what is happened in dangerous organic farming . 

Cow dung manure ( Farm yard manure ) is not prepared near the root zone, is prepared outside the rootzone in pits. In this stage humus is not created, manure is created. 

That means,the utilization of cow dung manure is not useful for Humus creation.

Compost manure and vermi compost manure and biodynamic manure ,all three are not prepared near the root zone, are prepared out side the root zone, in the pits, in the factories or in the tanks. 

In this situation,humus is not created, manures are created. That means , the utilization of compost, vermi compost or biodynamic manures is the preplanned conspiracy of universal demon exploiter system to restrict the humus creation in the soil, so that , that roots of the crops will not get nutrients through the humus, the deficiency of the nutrients will be created in the crops, as a result, the farmers will commit to purchase chemical fertilizers and more costly organic fertilizers from the market and money will towards that exploiter system. This is the preplanned conspiracy !

Organic farming and chemical farming, both are responsible for global warming and climate change . How ? We will discuss in next part of this my article........please wait......for few days...........

..........subhash palekar 09850352745, palekarsubhash@yahoo.com, 
palekarzerobudgetspiritualfarming. org

Organic farming ( गो आधारित जैविक खेती ) and chemical farming both are responsible for global warming.....How ?

In last parts of my article post,we have seen how these both technologies are dangerous and are preplanned conspiracy to exploit our national economy and natural resources. 

Today we will discuss how both are responsible for enhancing the global warming and climate change. 

Organic farming is having four inputs...cow dung manure , compost manure, vermi compost manure, and biodynamic culture. 

These manures are having 46 percent carbon. Before monsoon ,winter and summer season start, in april,may or september october or january february, these manures are spread on the surface of soil in truck loads. 

In entire India,at this period , there is hot temperature ranging 40 to 48 degree centigrade . When day temperature starts to increase above 28 degree cent., the existed stable carbon in these manures starts to convert in to unstable carbon. 

When day time temperature starts to increase above 36 degree centigrade, this unstable carbon is converted in to volatile carbon, and then this maximum volatile carbon is released in the atmosphere due to high temperature, it combines itself with atmospheric oxygen,as a chemical combination of both, by oxidation process,carbon di oxide is created,and then it goes in the upper layer of atmosphere and deposit itself there.

Simultaneously,at the same time, other nitrous oxide gas and methane gas, both, which are other green house gases, are emitted and deposited in the atmosphere.

This carbon di oxide is more dangerous green house gas and other two green house gases are not destroyed,but are stayed in the upper layer of atmosphere for thousands of years.

Then these three green house gases are combined with our environment protector ozone gas and destroy it. 

As a result very hazardous radiations like ultra violet rays are coming on the earth and damage natural resources in huge scale. 

These emitted green house gases by organic farming absorb the heat from in coming sunlight, and also outgoing heat from hot soil surface. 

As a result, atmospheric temperature is increased and we say global warming is increased, and finally,because of global warming, there are very hazardous and dangerous changes are happened in the climate,then we describe these changes as climate change. 

Now, all global leaders and organizations have decided in Paris, France, in global conference to reduce these green house gases level down up to 1750 year level means up to preindustrial revolution level. 

That means, it the legal commitment of every Governments and people to ban organic farming and chemical farming.

The all organic manures manufacturing industries and organic bio pesticide manufacturing industries are emitting huge quantity of green house gases through smoke in the atmosphere, which are responsible for global warming. 

These organic input industries are taking raw material from the Nature and are destroying natural resources. 

Also the transportation of these raw materials of organic input industries and transportation of organic fertilizers,biopesticides, cow dung manure, vermicompost, compost manure, biodynamic cultures are responsible to emit huge quantity of green house gases by burning diesel,petrol,rockel,natural gas. 

These all organic farming input industries require electricity,which is coming by burning the coal in thermal power stations,. 

These power stations are emitting huge quantity of green house gases, which are responsible for global warming. These organic farming input industries require huge quantity of cement, bricks, steel, wood, sand and water to build up their infra structure. 

These raw material manufacturing industries are also emitting huge quantity of green house gases ,which increase global warming.

Friends,now you are well aware about the fact that why organic farming is to be banned,  otherwise, future generations will not survive. Thank you .........................subhash palekar, 09850352745
palekarsubhash@yahoo.com,
www.palekarzerobudgetspiritualfarming. org
How chemical farming is responsible for global warming ? We will discuss here on Tuesday morning.

Why does India need GM Mustard at all?-Devinder-Sharma

WHAT IS GMO?

A GMO (genetically modified organism) is the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. The foreign genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans. Because this involves the transfer of genes, GMOs are also known as “transgenic” organisms.

This concept of genetic modification brings about alterations in genetic makeup and in the properties of the organism developed.  This technique using genetic engineering is highly mutagenic and leads to unpredictable changes in the DNA and the proteins produced by the GMO that can lead to toxic or allergic reactions.

The methods used to transfer the genes of modified DNA of a genetically modified plant are imprecise and unpredictable.  These unintended changes are possible differences in the food’s nutritional values, toxic and allergic effects, lower crop yields and unforeseen harm to the environment that cannot be recalled. http://seedsofdeception.com/

Why does India need GM Mustard at all?

http://devinder-sharma.blogspot.in/2016/01/why-does-india-need-gm-mustard-at-all.html

Thirteen years after the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) had ‘deferred’ commercial approval for genetically-modified (GM) mustard; the genie is once again back. Costing Rs 70-crore of taxpayer’s money, which could have helped set up at least 3,000 new schools, the new GM mustard awaiting approval for commercial cultivation this time comes dressed up in public sector attire.


The same claims, the same language (almost the same) and the same fears. Earlier it was Pro-Agro Seeds India Private Ltd, a subsidiary of multinational agro-chemical giant Bayer, which claimed its GM variety containing four foreign genes, would raise the productivity of mustard by 20-25 per cent, and improve oil quality. The new GM mustard that has been developed by the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants, University of Delhi, and contains three alien genes – Bar, Barnase and Barstar -- also makes strikingly similar claims. At the same time, for reasons that can be explained, the promoters of the earlier Pro-Agro GM mustard as well as Delhi University’s new GM mustard deny the expression of herbicide resistance, although both use a gene known for it.


The country is importing Rs 60,000-crore worth of edible oils every year and therefore there is an urgent need to increase the production of mustard, which in turn means producing more edible oils, goes the refrain. In several panel discussions and public debates on this subject in which I have partcipated, I have heard Dr Deepak Pental, a former Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University and the lead developer of the new GM mustard, repeatedly assert on the need to cut down on the foreign exchange outgo and also how much would be the resulting saving for a developing country like India. This is exactly what the promoters of the GM mustard developed by Pro-Agro used to claim some 13 years back. Edible oil imports at that time were also around 50 per cent of the domestic requirement, costing the state exchequer Rs 12,000-crore.


To any educated person, the argument on the need to reduce the huge import bill on edible oils sounds very appealing. But very cleverly, the GM lobby has used this argument to give an impression as if it is because of the a shortfall in mustard production. In reality, it is not so.


Let me explain. Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was piqued over India’s rising imports. He was desperate to cut down on what the macro-economists call as the Current Account Deficit. Fuel, fertilizer and edible oils topped the import chart. The annual import bill for edible oils then hovered between Rs 1500 and Rs 3000-crores. Knowing that edible oil imports could be stopped since India had the ability to raise domestic oilseeds production and also undertake processing, he launched a Technology Mission in Oilseeds in 1985.


In less than ten years, between 1986 and 1993, doubling of oilseeds production was remarkable indeed, and was later dubbed asYellow Revolution. From 11 million tonnes in 1986-87, oilseeds production jumped to 22 million tonnes in 1993-94. From a net importer, India became almost self-sufficient in edible oils. With 97 per cent self-sufficiency, India’s imports were reduced to only 3 per cent of the requirement. The downslide began a few years later when India deliberately began to lower the import duties allowing cheaper and heavily subsidized edible oil to flow in. The more the edible oil imports, the more the domestic processing industry pulled down the shutters.


In 2002-03, when Pro-Agro was trying to market its GM mustard, the imports had touched Rs 12,000-crore at the then prevailing prices. Thirteen years later, when Dr Pental is trying to push the new GM mustard – DMH 11 -- the annual import bill has soared to Rs 60,000-crore. But the rising import bill, as is evident, is not because of any shortfall in domestic production, but resulting from a flawed import-export policy that had brought the import tariffs to almost zero. What is therefore needed is to raise the import tariffs to about 70 per cent or higher (WTO allows India a maximum of 300 per cent import tariffs on edible oils) and then provide a high price and an assured market, farmers would do the rest.


At the same time, the claim that GM mustard increases productivity by 20-25 per cent is simply absurd, and if I may say so is motivated. First of all, there is no known gene (or a cluster of genes) that can increase productivity. Secondly, any GM variety is known to be as good as the hybrid in which the alien gene is inserted. Even if a gene simplifies the process of hybridization it does not mean it raises crop productivity. To compare the yield of GM mustard (which essentially means hybrid mustard) with traditional varieties therefore is only unfair. On the related issues of gene flow, contamination and the growth of super weeds, the response so far has been unscientific.


In the past 13 years, I have not heard of any complaint about the quality of mustard oil that is available. Mustard has traditionally been used for food (its leaves cooked as sarson ka saag) and should not be viewed only as edible oil. I sometimes use mustard oil for taking care of my ear and nose ailments, for regular body massage, and it is also used in several traditional medicine formulations. It is therefore crucial that the concerns raised by the Ministry of Environment and Forests at the time of imposing a moratorium on Bt brinjal in 2010, the Parliamentary Standing Committee report on GM Foods, as well as the recommendations of the Supreme Court Technical Committee are followed in letter and spirit.


The common problem that consumers encounter with mustard oil is its rampant adulteration with cheaper oils. Nowadays I find that even the adulterated mustard oil (mostly with cheaper cottonseed oil or palm oil) that is being openly sold contains a sprinkling of red chilly solution so as to satisfy the taste and smell at the time of cooking. ABLE would do a remarkable public service if it were to launch a consumer campaign demanding the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to ensure availability of genuine and pure mustard oil. I still can’t understand why the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (as it is called now) wants to sweep under the carpet the conclusions arrived in the excellent 19-page report the then Minister for Environment Jairam Ramesh had submitted at the time of announcing a moratorium. Is the GM industry so powerful that the GEAC is willing to scuttle a scientific debate spearheaded by a former minister and is even willing to ignore the resulting health and environmental concerns for no apparent benefit resulting from commercializing GM mustard?

Why does India need GM Mustard at all? BioSpectrum. Jan 19, 2016

http://www.biospectrumindia.com/biospecindia/views/223161/why-india-gm-mustard#sthash.AbjFlJ0G.uxfs&st_refDomain=www.facebook.com&st_refQuery=

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Thanks to Modi's push, GM mustard set to hit Indian markets

June 22, 2015 15:21 IST
http://www.rediff.com/business/report/thanks-to-modis-push-gm-mustard-set-to-hit-indian-markets/20150622.htm

Activists are aghast that at a time when the entire nation is concerned with laxity in food safety regulation as seen in the Maggi case, the Modi government is pushing GM food crops without adequate safety assessment and transparency

Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have opposed BT brinjal in his earlier avatar as chief minister of Gujarat but at present he is batting hard for genetically modified crops.

Launching the Doordarshan Kisan channel for farmers earlier this month, Modi came out strongly for GM crops. declaring that this would give a major boost to farmers’ incomes.

The prime minister lobbed the ball to the farmers by asking them, “Today, the country has to import pulses. Let’s resolve that by 2022... we will no longer have to import pulses… I have been telling our universities, especially our agricultural universities that, each of them, should take up a specific variety of pulse … how to do research in it, how to do genetic engineering in it, how to increase productivity, how to increase protein content so that farmers get good prices."

Modi’s concern for increasing production in edible oil and pulses is completely justified given that India has emerged as a major importer of both the commodities. At present, India’s import bill on edible oil alone stands at $10 billion per annum. In fact, edible oil is its biggest import item after (crude) oil and gold.

Modi is convinced a second green revolution will be triggered by GM crops just as the first was triggered by high-yielding wheat and rice crops.

Gujarat has been in the forefront of a similar revolution in Bt cotton with 96 per cent of its farmers having switched to this new technology, which has propelled India to become the second largest exporter of cotton in the world.

Union Minister of Environment Prakash Javadekar has supported prime minister’s stand insisting, "We cannot say no to science…. We are not living in Galileo’s time. Galileo was speaking the truth and he was punished. Nations that do not believe in science are on the path of backwardness."

Deepak Pental, a scientist at the Delhi University, has been heading research on GM mustard for nearly a decade now. Pental believes increased mustard production will immediately reduce India’s import of edible oil as it will help increase production by over 30 per cent. He also claims that GM mustard will have a vitamin that will permanently resolve the problem of malnutrition in India.

Almost on cue, after the prime minister had made clear his mind on GM, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gave a green signal to field trials of rice, chickpeas, corn and brinjal.

The Anil Kakodkar committee appointed by the earlier United Progressive Alliance government to study the entire issue of GM crops had recommended holding field trials, but with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch vehemently opposing the move, Fadnavis was forced to beat a hasty retreat and had put on hold all confined field trails 'until all doubts are cleared.'

Maharashtra had given no-objection certificates to 28 companies for field trials. Unfortunately, these companies had not sought prior clearance from the GEAC (Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee) and so the tests could not start.

Maharashtra has not stipulated any time-line as to when these field trials will be resumed.



Punjab, ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party-Akali Dal coalition, had also given a green signal to field trials in mustard as has the Union territory of Delhi. Karnataka, too, has okayed confined field trials in universities, but a majority of the states are against field trials.

Ashwani Mahajan, national convenor of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, believes that with a PIL (public interest litigation) on GM crops pending before the Supreme Court, the Centre should wait for the court's direction before giving the green signal for field trials.

Mahajan also asks why no certification system has been put in place for GM seeds, and also why the government has failed to conduct any scientific study on the impact of the field trials that had been okayed by GEAC in 2014.

Activists opposed to GM crops are also watching the recent developments with dismay. The Coalition for a GM Free India approached GEAC for its bio-safety research dossiers on GM mustard developed by the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants, Delhi University, with support from the Department of Biotechnology and the National Dairy Development Board, but these requests have been turned down.

The requests were filed under the Right to Information Act in which they asked for data on environmental and toxicity studies done on GM mustard.

Kavitha Kuruganti, convenor, Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture, noted that the DMH11 hybrid mustard has been created by genetically engineering bacterial genes of selected mustard parental lines to create male sterile parent plants. This is used for the production of hybrid seeds which are then sold to the farmers for cultivation.

Along with these genes for hybrid production is another bacterial gene for herbicide tolerance in the guise of a marker gene.

"At a time when the entire nation is concerned with laxity in food safety regulation as seen in the Maggi case, it is outrageous that GM food crops are being pushed without adequate safety assessment and transparency," said Kuruganti.

Kuruganti also maintains that GM mustard comes up for consideration for commercialisation approval at a time when there is an increasing number of scientific evidence on the adverse impacts of GM crops and herbicides including a recent World Health Organisation study pointing to the carcinogenic potential of herbicides like glyphosate. Contamination is inevitable from the GM mustard and even the developer of the GM mustard, Dr Pental, had accepted that, which becomes a matter of grave concern, she claims.

Kuruganti questions the claim that GM mustard will see a 30 per cent increase in mustard production. "The yield increase is more in the domain of 15-20 per cent and that will come about through the use of high yielding seeds," she said.

Activists also warn that while India has more varieties of mustard than any other nation in the world, and a large number of these will be sidelined if GM mustard is introduced. The same story would have been repeated in the case of brinjal, especially since India has between 300 and 400 varieties of brinjal.

"We expect GM mustard to be the first such crop to come in for commercial cultivation because of the claim that it will help reduce the burden of payment on imported edible oil," Kuruganti added. This will make it the first GM food crop to come in for commercial cultivation after Jairam Ramesh ordered a moratorium on the cultivation of GM brinjal five years ago.



What activists find hard to swallow is that despite the Supreme Court having ordered that all bio-safety reports be placed in the public domain, the GEAC’s unwillingness to provide information is a flagrant violation of this order.

The Coalition for a GM Free India has also lodged a complaint with the environment ministry about how the trials of GM mustard held in Bhatinda were done in violation of the protocols laid out by GEAC.

Pankaj Bhushan, a co-convenor with the Coalition, from Muzaffarpur, pointed out, "We visited Punjab University two months after the GM mustard had been harvested and found plants still lying around in the field. The stipulation is in clear violation of the rules which state that all plants must be burnt. We have given photographic evidence of this violation," said Bhushan.

Other environmental groups including Greenpeace oppose field trials and claim that without proper regulatory mechanisms in place, the public will be vulnerable to contamination with untested and potentially hazardous GM food.

Modi is batting for increased food productivity. He asked farmers to increase foodgrains productivity from two tonnes a hectare to three tonnes and also adopt a three-pronged farm approach that would balance farming, animal husbandry and tree plantation.

“Our average farm productivity comes to two tonnes per hectare against the global average of three tonnes a hectare. We must strive to reach the global levels," he told farmers in order to help ensure food security for the country’s rising population.

He, however, did not spell out whether GM food and its subsequent fallout would help provide this food security.

Photographs: Reuters

Rashme Sehgal in New Delhi