Baduria visit and new experience

Yesterday (3rd Nov.2009), I met almost 30 farmers engaged in sustainable agriculture procedure. Debalina Chatterjee and me went there with the help of Shri Neelangshu Gain. Shri Gain is running one NGO named
'Swanirbhar'. The NGO aims at spreading education about sustainable agriculture system among rural poor farmers. Through the Secretary of DRCSC, Shri Anshuman Das, I get opportunity to interact with Shri Gain.
Shri Gain is versatile person having vast knowledge about sustainable agriculture. In SA, focus is on engineering education about organic instead of chemical fertilizers and germinated seed transplantation. He told us about diversified education and affiliation ranging from software engineering to agricultural education to health sciences. He did some researches on mangroves of Sundarban, AILA etc. His research method usually follows evidence based model rather empirical statistical data analysis.

We collected data from a training center managed by Swanirbhar. Shri Gain was with us despite his active involvement in different areas. The place from where we collected data is 10/15 Kms away from Baduria.

There I have learned that successful plantation requires biodiversity. Farmers who engineer biodiversity are effective in the followings:
1. Multi farming
2. Land utiliization
3. Leadership development in marketing
4. Innovation

These farmers are not anxious at all for availability of fertilizers, pesticides and weedicides. All the three are under their control.
Another advantage is killing bad insects and rearing good insects.
They are using vermicompost system with knowledge getting from local training centers managed by NGOs.

On the other hand non biodiversified plantation farmers are using pesticides and others in considering their own assumptions. If they get poor result, they are asking for advice from the local fertilizer shops. These local fertilizer shops are also not well educated.


Mr. Gain assisted us to visit one successful farmer. Below is his life style:


Here is a farmer, commerce graduate, 60 years old, has one small plot of land (4 bighas) and one small pond. He himself is farming land using traditional instruments - 'kurul', 'kaste' etc. He constructed some 'macha' around the pond and cultivated vegetables. Pond is used for fishing. Many crabs are making their shelters around the pond. So his earning comes from the crab also.
He has some hens they are using for making the land more fertile. Their excreta help to make more insects. Insects are taking shelters in the land. This makes the land fertile. Besides, the farmer prepares own vermicompost. He is using organic fertilizers in the land and selling them to local farmers.
He cultivates land for 3 times rice crop production. He has some mango trees. Beneath the trees, I have seen some vegetable plants. He is not using any pesticide or weedicide. Rather, he is telling about plantation of some medicinal plants in such a way so that insects are misguided. He is earning through medicinal plants also.
He told me his own shop in the market. Buyers who can afford more buy from his shop.


Baduria
Baduria is a city as well as a municipality located in the North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal in India. It is a part of the Basirhat subdivision and also has a police station. The administrative hub of the North 24 Parganas district is Barasat. The district is located between latitudes 23°15` North and 22°11` North and longitudes 89°5` East and 88°20` East. The district is a part of the Ganges- Brahmaputra delta. The river Ganges flows parallel to the entire west border of the district. There are numerous over rivers. Ichhamati, Jamuna, and Bidyadhari are a few to name. The soil type of this region ranges from sandy to clayey loam. This district experiences tropical climate similar to the remaining part of the Gangetic West Bengal. The characteristic feature of the climate is the Monsoon, which lasts from early June to mid September. The weather conditions range from dry during the winter (mid November to mid February) to humid during the summer. The annual rainfall is normally about 1,579 mm. The people of the North 24 Parganas district are primarily farming or service people. Important towns of this district include Barrackpore, Barasat, Habra, Bongaon, Gobardanga, Duttapukur, Naihati, Madhyamgram, Sodepur, Jagulia, Belgharia, Basirhat and Khardaha.

The town of Baduria in this district is located at 22.74° North and 88.79° East. This town is situated 8 meters (26 feet) above sea level. In accordance with the 2001 India census Baduria has a population of 47,418. Males and females respectively comprise 51% and 49% of the population. The standard literacy rate of this town is 67%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. 55% of the male population and 45% of the female population are literate. 13% of the population is less than 6 years of age.
Ref: http://www.indianetzone.com/6/baduria.htm