Padma Awardees Propose Establishing Poison-Free Farming Schools to Enhance Soil Health

Farmers and agricultural experts, recognised with Padma awards, have urged the establishment of poison-free farming schools and the development of gaushalas for organic manure production. They also emphasised the need for village-level compost availability to promote balanced fertiliser use and prevent soil degradation. This call was made during a brainstorming session organised by the Department of Fertilizers at Shastri Bhawan.

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Experts cautioned against the mindset that more fertiliser leads to more profit. They stressed the importance of educating farmers on balanced fertiliser application and crop diversification. The session was chaired by Rajat Kumar Mishra, Secretary of the Department of Fertilizers, under the leadership of Union Minister JP Nadda. This initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to "Save Mother Earth" by improving soil health nationwide.

Promoting Sustainable Farming Practices

Umashankar Pandey, a Padma awardee, proposed launching a Poison-Free Farming School to educate farmers on sustainable practices. He expressed willingness to collaborate with the department across different states. Ram Sharan Verma highlighted crop rotation and diversification's importance, recommending green manure promotion and rationalising fertiliser bag sizes.

Bharat Bhushan Tyagi advocated for scientific crop management and ensuring compost availability at the village level. He emphasised that the message "crop residue is the foundation of prosperity" must reach every farmer. Seth Pal Singh pointed out that pressure for excessive fertiliser sales contributes to soil issues and called for accurate estimation of maximum fertiliser requirements.

Organic Farming Initiatives

Kanwal Singh suggested developing gaushalas as organic manure production units and forming clusters to promote organic farming through a structured chain for health-oriented agriculture. Chandrashekhar Singh called for strict quality checks of organic products, transparent consumer information, and village-level awareness campaigns led by farmer-producer organisations.

Nek Ram Sharma stressed identifying model farmers to lead by example in soil protection. He noted that traditional Navgrah rituals using nine types of grains symbolise crop diversification and should be encouraged. Shyam Sundar Paliwal advocated natural farming practices to revive soil vitality and suggested establishing natural fertiliser plants at the Gram Panchayat level.

Expert Recommendations and Implementation

Welcoming participants, Mishra said their guidance would provide valuable direction to the department. He emphasised that expert recommendations could be implemented as pilot projects towards balanced fertiliser use. He underlined the deterioration of soil health over time due to imbalanced fertiliser application.

The experts also observed that ensuring local availability of manure and fertilisers at the village level would encourage balanced and responsible usage. This approach aims to transform farming practices into more sustainable methods while protecting soil health for future generations.

With inputs from PTI