Self-reliance in food production is a myth: natural farming expert

Subash Palekar, promoter of Zero Budget Natural Farming, who was in Madurai recently toconduct a workshop.— Photo: R. Ashok

The mismatch between increasing food needs and decreasing land and water resources is a puzzle everybody is trying to solve. Subash Palekar, who was in Madurai recently to conduct a workshop on ‘Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF),’ has some clues to solve this puzzle.

He offers not only technology but also the philosophy to get farming out of the shackles of exploitation. His model is for everyone, including traditional farmers, consumers and even IT professionals.

The current food production and consumption pattern, according to him, breeds disease among urban people and drives farmers to commit suicide. “Today, the farmer has no honour in society. In the absence of a secure future, rural people are migrating to urban areas, creating more social tension,” he says.

Mr. Palekar dismisses the contention that India is self-reliant on the food front. “Food means not only rice and wheat. It includes cereals, millets, pulses, edible oils, fruits and vegetables. If we are self-reliant, why should we import wheat, edible oil and fruits,” he queries.

“We have a duty to provide food for an ever-increasing population. We have to preserve the shrinking cultivable area for food production alone,” he says. “In the name of development, farm lands are taken up for construction of industries, dams and mega cities. The demand for food is going up and land availability is coming down.”

Mr. Palekar is firm that there is a bright future for farming. “That is the reason why many people, including software engineers and IT professionals, are ready to leave their jobs and take up farming.”

The agriculture graduate from Maharashtra is unhappy about the “development madness” prevailing all over the world. “We are not anti-development. We are for sustainable development; development without destroying natural resources.”

He points out that even our routine activities pollute the environment. Unmindful use of chemicals leaves the soil barren. “Food cannot be manufactured in factories. Only the soil can give food.” He is confident that there is a way out. “Everybody has a role to play in my movement. You can work to stop destruction of land by continuing with your service. We can stop use of materials that destroy the land in a non-violent way,” he says. More details about ZBNF can be found inwww.palekarzerobudgets piritualfarming.org.