Organic experiments

The recent cotton harvest was a good one for the residents of Lahan Mowada village in Maharashtra. “We had sprayed cow urine on the growing crops, which completely deterred pests that commonly attack cotton. I did not lose anything,” says Sangita Naresh Parchake of the village, located in Yavatmal district. Now, Parchake and other women of Lahan Mowada are discussing strategies for the upcoming sowing season.

For the past eight years, about 20 women in the village have been meeting regularly to discuss their experiments with organic farming, and what results these have shown. This system has been in place ever since the women decided to try chemical-free practices. “In 2016, a number of non-profits such as the Foundation for Ecological Security came to Yavatmal district. They told us about the benefits of organic farming in reducing reliance on chemicals and expenditure on inputs. They would also demonstrate different practices of organic farming,” recalls Mamta Ramnath Dhurve, another resident of the village. “This was a time when the men of the village did most of the farming. Women did not even attend many of the village meetings,” she says.

However, to increase their income, the women decided to take charge. “We convinced our families to try organic farming as a ‘pilot’ on a small part of our land. The first year, I implemented it on 0.8 hectares (ha), and doubled the area every successive year,” explains Parchake, who grows pulses and vegetables, along with cotton, on her 8.09 ha. “Organic crops began to grow well. There was also less damage due to pests and diseases,” she says. Encouraged by the results, the residents also began to modify common organic practices to suit specific issues their crops were facing, she says.

After about three years, farmers recorded improved earnings. “Earlier, reliance on fertilisers and pesticides had greatly increased our input expenditure, for which several farmers had to take loans from moneylenders. After harvest, most of the profit would go into repaying the loans and buying more inputs. This practice was done away with due to organic farming,” says Dhurve.

Now, apart from farming, the women of Lahan Mowada are also taking an active role in other developmental activities of the village. “We are trying to improve water availability by building infrastructure around the village and in farms. This will also provide employment opportunities for residents who otherwise left home to seek work,” says Parchake.

This was first published in the 16-30 April, 2024 print edition of Down To Earth

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