The cheerful chirps of house sparrows have again started making the day for the residents, thanks to an increase in green cover in and around Ongole and the return of farmers to eco-friendly agricultural methods in Prakasam district.
Sparrow population in the district had shrunk during the past decades owing to the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. However, awareness among farmers on the need to return to organic farming reversed some of the damage; sparrows were now being spotted in large numbers, said Samyukta Kisan Morcha Prakasam district convenor Ch. Ranga Rao. He said farmers in the drought-prone district now understood the importance of pheromone traps and nature-friendly bio-fertilisers.
V.V. Prasad, a farmer from Mangamoor, said sparrows could now find enough insects to feed on. Mr. Prasad has also coloured the pots on his tobacco field to keep pests away. ‘’It is a win-win situation now,” said Yellamanda Reddy, a farmer from S.N. Padu who grows organic fruits and vegetables.
