ZERO FARMING FILM TELECAST ON DD-I
( produced in collaboration with EMMRC, University of Mysore)

India treasured more than 35 thousand varieties of rice strain a century ago. The rice diversity no longer exists and thanks to science. Only a hundred varieties exist today.

The so called pest resistance, disease resistance and genetically modified seeds have taken over the market. And ironically the self reliant framer of the by gone era is heavily dependent on the hybrid seeds, chemical fertilizers and pesticides of the multinationals.

Under these circumstances the saga of kailasa murthy begins. A decade ago kailash murthy too, like all other farmers, and used fertilizers and pesticides as specified by the agricultural experts. He proudly displayed a record yield in his neighborhood. But to his dismay, he observed that the yield grew less and less each year.

Kailas murthy a bank employee by profession and farmer by conviction observed that the savages brought about by intensive artificial inputs like fertilizers and chemicals decreased the soil fertility. Increased soil erosion and destroyed the food chain of predator and prey population.

During this period  the inquisitive murthy stumbled upon the book, one straw revolution, written by a Japanese farmer Masanobu Fukuoka a pioneer in natural farming and ramon Magsaysay award winner. The book inspired him to further read the shastras. And reading the shastras reveled that India was not new to natural farming. Many Rishes grew their entire food around the ashram with out ploughing. They believed food grown without ploughing is healthier. Manu discusses in his famous manusmrithi and assert that deeper the digging, the more harmful for the soil.

So Mr. Murthy gave the established farming a break and left the Land to itself, no tilling, no chemical fertilizer, and no use of pesticides, in short, nothing accept scattering of seed at random.

The farmers in the neighborhood were aghast with the idea of not ploughing or digging the land, before sowing the seeds. Placing the seeds or scattering them on the ground was totally unconventional and hard to accept it.

But surprisingly within two years. The transformation was remarkable. The natural balance of soil was restored and the 6.5 acres of land transformed itself into a mini forest, a self sustaining eco system.

More than 3000 varieties, Including many  medicinal plants spurt out. The interplay of natural forces and the presence of a variety of species enhanced the soil fertility.

This silent revolution in the field of agriculture, with the use of established methods, not only attracted the near by farmers but also scientists from various discipline. They were flabbergasted to notice. Baring electricity to lift water; no outside agents were used to raise crops.

Mr. Murthy by using natural seed has grown a record 33 quintals per acre as to 18 quintals by his neighbores who are using modern tools and techniques. Mr. Kailash murthy Proudly says that in zero farming. The input is zero and the out put is Plentiful. After one decade, he is completely self-sufficient. He no longer invests money on seeds. Fertilizers or pesticides.

The remarkable results have proved wrong all the agriculture scientists who claim that yield is directly related to use of hybrid varieties, chemical fertilizers and pest control techniques.
The farmer critics who laughed and ridiculed him are today slowly converting to natural farming.

Foregners and experts in natural farming are frequent visitors at Murthy’s farm. The mini forest in a dry terrain is being treated as a research laboratory. Kailash Murthy Spends most of  his free time in grooming the new generation, to create awereness on the hazards of chemical farming and the innumerable benefits of  natural farming, he strongly believes that going back to nature is the only answer to all the present farming problems.

The voice of the naturalists is louder and clearer. They vehemently declare that the  conventional knowledge of agriculture is not only worthless but actually harmful to the soil, plant and the environment as a whole. So they are Strongly recommending the fore principles to be adopted in natural farming:

                 No cultivation
                 No chemical Fertilizers
                 No weeding by tillage or weedicides
                 No dependence on chemicals.

NO cultivation

               The  earth cultivates itself naturally by means of the penetration of plant roots and the activities of microorganisms, ants, earth worms, reptiles and small birds. Tilling also causes soil erosion, besides destructing soil microbes and biomass that retains moisture.
               When natural area is bought under the plow, very strong weeds such as crabgrass and docks sometimes come out to dominate the vegetation. When these weeds take hold, the farmer is faced with nearly impossible task of weeding each year.

No Fertilizers

                 Organic remains are decomposed on the surface by bacteria and fungi with the movement of rain water. The nutrients are taken deep into the soil to become food for the microorganisms earth worms and small animals.

            Plant roots reaches the lower soil straits and draw the nutrients back to the surface. A tree that grows on a mountain side or forest is ideal example. The fertility of nature, as it is, is beyond reach of the imagination. Hence the stray, dead leaves chaff that covers the earth must be left undisturbed. All these not only turn into natural humus but also retain moisture from evaporation.

No weeding
  
                  Mr. Kailash Murthy plants radish between the mulberry plants to curb the weeds. The radish acting as a natural weedicide. These are many more such edible plants that act as natural weedicides.

              And some weeds can be brought under control by natural balance and diversity of plants. Gentle measures such as spreading dry straw and sowing clover are practiced instead of using man made chemicals and machinery to wage war of annihilations.

          Sowing seeds while the preceding crop is still ripening in the field also controls weeds. Hence timing the seeding, such a way that there is no interval between succeeding crops gives the grain a great advantages over the weeds.

No Pesticides or Chemicals

                     Pesticides are quit effective in the short run but cause great harm to the plants, soil, animals and humans when used consistently.

                  Mono culture of one or two crops a year lead to pests menace, as the food supply is restricted, Hences natural way of controlling pests is to grow multiple crops. in a perfect ecosystem predator –prey population is well balanced and loss by pests is negligible.

            Pratap Aggarwal, a naturalist, says that in the last five decades, we have inflicted tremendous damage to land as a result of which Agricultural out put world wide is stagnating and the yield is declining.

Zero farming or Rishi farming is the only answer. If even a fraction of ordinary farmers adopted Rishi Kethi it could have Catastrophic affect on the agro-business establishment and the entire Urban-industrial Structure might collapse. But will the powerful forces allow the silent revolution to Prosper?