The true fertiliser

SEVEN years ago Haribhai Patel of Alindri village in Gujarat's Junagadh district stopped using pesticides and chemical fertilisers in his fields because he noticed birds that ate pests killed by the chemicals, died in turn. He began experimenting with organic farming and after a lengthy process of trial and error, finally evolved ways to practice such farming on a large scale. "I have a huge amount of land, so I could set aside a part for experiments," says Patel, explaining one of his advantages.

He grows sorghum and groundnut mainly, and uses akra (Calotropis gigantica), a local plant, as a natural pesticide against aphids. Akra leaves are placed in irrigation channels at the edge of a field where they dissolve gradually in water that finally flows throughout a sorghum field.

Patel's groundnut crop is raised without recourse to chemical pesticides or fertilisers and he contends his yields are as high as those of his pesticide- and fertiliser-using neighbours.

"By using fertilisers, the yield tends to increase initially, but then declines with prolonged use," says Patel. He says his crops had declined by one-third after several years of fertiliser use. "Yahi asli khad hai" (This is the true fertiliser) comments Patel, noting happily that his land now has a greater variety of insects, earthworms, frogs and birds. "Using pesticides kills these useful creatures along with the harmful ones," he says.

Patel's success is contagious and other farmers in the area are gradually giving up pesticides and chemical fertilisers.