If a farmer can raise vegetables worth around fifty thousand rupees or more in a year on a small plot of just 1/20th of an acre (approximately 200 square meters), it is great news for everyone striving to find a way to ensure adequate livelihoods and income for small and marginal farmers in India and elsewhere.
If this achievement is made using natural farming methods—meaning cash expenditure on expensive chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and weedicides is completely avoided—then the hope increases even further due to a significant reduction in expenses.
This is precisely what Gauradevi and Harcharan are achieving in Nayakhera village, near the town of Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh. They own about two acres of land. A small patch of this land, just 1/20th of an acre, is devoted to a multi-layer vegetable garden. Using bamboo, wires, and ropes, they have built a structure that makes it possible to grow a greater variety of vegetables in a healthier way on a small plot by combining crops that grow below ground, on the surface, and creepers that climb upward. As a result, they can grow over a dozen different vegetables on this small area.
Both Gaura Devi and Harcharan work in very creative ways. They have a cow, two calves, and a buffalo. They prepare organic fertilizers and pest repellents on their farm using cow dung, cow urine, leaves from certain trees, and other local materials. As a result, their dependence on purchased inputs is greatly reduced, and overall expenses remain low.
Practicing these low-cost methods, they achieved a production value of forty-five thousand rupees this year from this single small plot—excluding the produce from the rest of their farm—despite crop losses caused by excessive rain and adverse weather conditions. Gaura Devi is confident that in very favorable weather, they could double their earnings, approaching one lakh rupees (one hundred thousand rupees) worth of vegetables in a year. Even in moderately good weather, they can exceed the production value of fifty thousand rupees.
Gaura Devi adds that this is only part of the gain, as the healthy vegetables from their farm also help keep illness away from her family. She emphasizes that the good health provided by naturally grown vegetables should be considered in any appraisal of their work. What's more, she says, they also make healthy vegetables available to others, improving their health too.
Gaura Devi is a very spirited woman. When I asked if I would be able to see the higher yield in a good-weather year on my next visit, she replied, "I will show you the complete record of how we come close to increasing production value to one lakh rupees."
Then she opened a knot in the corner of her sari to take out the morning's earnings from selling vegetables. She counted the cash and said that morning's sales within the village had amounted to seven hundred rupees. She had left home about an hour earlier carrying a basket of vegetables from the farm, and because the other villagers know her vegetables are very healthy, they sold quickly.
She also often goes to Tikamgarh city with a larger collection of vegetables to sell. When the harvest is even bigger, Harcharan rents a vehicle and sells directly to traders. However, their earnings are higher when retailing directly to customers in smaller quantities.
Harcharan was hard at work on the vegetable garden during our visit but agreed to pause for a discussion. He explained that by providing support for more creeper-based vegetables to grow higher, the quality of the produce improves, there is less damage from pests and fungus, and excess water can drain more easily. He mentioned that they used a different version of this method before, which they called mandap. However, when a voluntary organization called SRIJAN came to the village, their help and advice enabled them to adopt this more advanced form, known as a multi-layer vegetable garden. SRIJAN also helped by providing bamboo and seeds. Following this model, several other farmers in the village and nearby areas have been encouraged to start similar vegetable gardens on small portions of their land.
Harcharan says their work would be further facilitated if they could get a power tiller. According to Kamlesh Kurmi of SRIJAN, this work is supported here by the Inter Globe Foundation, and the results for most farmers have been encouraging, despite adverse weather conditions.
Rakesh Kumar has been involved with this idea since its early days. He told me that on behalf of SRIJAN, he first went to study this concept in Gujarat. However, he found the technology being used there was too expensive, and its replication by many farmers in this area would not be practical. So, they decided to adapt it using low-cost, ecologically friendly methods. In this form, many more farmers are now coming forward to adopt it.
What's more, he adds, farmers continue to add their own innovations, sometimes quite successfully. Ideally, for local conditions, he would recommend growing about 13 types of vegetables per year, including turmeric and ginger below the surface; leafy vegetables like spinach, fenugreek (methi), and coriander; about half a dozen creeper vegetables like gourd, bitter gourd, cucumber, and turai (ridge gourd); plus one or two papaya trees. Rakesh explained that he excludes some popular vegetables in this model because they are more susceptible to pests. However, some farmers insist on growing tomatoes, chilies, and cauliflower, so there is a diversity of experiments happening all the time. Farmers share their results with each other, evolving what works best for them.
Rishu Mishra of SRIJAN said that while the model may vary slightly depending on resource availability and local conditions, the essence remains the same: improving the sustainable livelihoods of small farmers through the production of healthy vegetables.
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The writer is Honorary Convener of the Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include 'India’s Quest for Sustainable Farming and Healthy Food', 'Man over Machine', 'A Day in 2071', and 'Protecting Earth for Children'
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