Till a few years back, the name Mrs. Papama was unknown to many in Karnataka. But after the State government conferred the prestigious Rajyothsava award for her work in conserving native seeds and practising organic farming, at the famous annual Krishi Mela held at Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra (GKVK), University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore, she has become a household name.
The farmer as scientist, a Karnataka example
by M.J. PRABU, The Hindu, 11 December, 2008

Maha leads in organic farming

Times News Network, 21st December 2009, Time of India

Pune: With the state government aggressively promoting organic farming, nearly 10 lakh farmers, out of the one crore in the state, have now shifted to organic farming.

Krushnarao Deshmukh, divisional joint director of department of agriculture, recently said this was the highest number in the country in terms of farmers participation .

 

Mankulam , by  2011 is set to become the first certified organic village in the country. To get the organic  ertification, farmers have to pass the C-1,C-2 and C-3 tests. I1,063 farmers are already eligible for the certification after passing the three tests.
Organic village: first phase completed, The Hindu, 01 June 2009
Farmers have been urged to switch over to organic farming practice as it promotes soil health, biodiversity and environment. There is always a huge demand for organic farm produce in the market. As small plants take up nutrients from top layer and trees from bottom layer, maintaining fertility and productivity of this top one metre layer is very vital for food productivity. It is found that soil fertility is depleting rapidly owing to careless use of inorganic fertilizers. The need of the hour is to concentrate on revitalizing the soil to sustain its productivity by using organic manures. To popularise the organic farming practice, it has been proposed to create an awareness among farmers through a series of training programmes and demonstrations with an assistance of Rs. 5.45 lakh received from the Department of Agriculture.
Focus on organic farming practice
by , Hindu, 13 March, 2009
What attracts one first to the stall was the variety of vegetables with that unmistakable healthy and natural glow. Even as one admires the array, a quick glance at the signboard explains it all. The produce is from an organic farm. But there is more to the stall at the Horticulture Expo in People’s Plaza than meets the eye. The vegetables were grown by the inmates of Cherlapally open air jail. And standing in a corner, quietly taking in the appreciation of visitors for their toil, were two inmates in prison uniforms. In tune with the rising demand orfor natural grown vegetables, 150 inmates- lifers and those serving long-term sentence- toil on a 20-acre vegetable farm at Cheralapally prison that stands on 130 acres.
Organic vegetables up for grabs
by , Hindu, 28 January, 2009
This Republic Day will see 20,000 farmers from different districts of the State gathering in front of Vidhana Soudha to take an oath not to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This will happen in the presence of former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. In the backdrop of farmers’ suicides, the assembled farmers will also take an oath, administered by 82-year-old organic farmer Meerathaayi Koppikar from Mudhol, that they will never resort to suicide. Mission The farmers are from among the 51,760 farming families who have enrolled as members of the Karnataka Organic Farming Federation, under the Organic Farming Mission set up by the State Government to promote organic farming in the State.
Farmers to take oath to shun chemical farming
by , Hindu, 22 January, 2009
But what has become popular now as Organic Farming or Natural Farming is a little too different from Fukuoka\'s methods. The organic farmers prepare compost, vermi compost, Panchagavya, Bio fertilizers, Bio pesticides etc. These methods are foreign to Fukuoka–who just left the soil to do its own work. Yet, a word of caution would be in order. In some place in his book Fukuoka says \"the geography and topography of the land, the condition of the soil, its structure, texture and drainage, exposure to sun light insect relation, the variety of seed used, the method of cultivation etc. are essen-tial factors. These vary from place to place. Fukuoka\'s own farm was somewhat exceptional. It had a humid climate with rain dependency falling throughout the spring months. The texture of the soil was clayey. The surface layer was rich in organic matter and retained water well. If Indian farmers tried to follow Fukuoka\'s do nothing after scattering the seeds in the dry belts of central and southern Tamil Nadu, or for that matter in any part of the world with scanty rainfall, or a sandy or loamy soil, the results would be disastrous.
One Straw Revolution
by M.R.Rajagopalan, Frontier, 31 December, 2008
Questioning the rationale behind establishing organic farming mission, he said that earmarking Rs 100 crore to promote organic farming and establishing a separate mission for the same is a futile exercise. Organic farming is not better than chemical farming. In fact companies involved in organic and chemical farming are exploiting the farmers, he alleged.
Ban organic farming totally, says expert
by , The Deccan Herald, 26 December, 2008
Byadagi chilli is a famous chilli variety grown mainly in North Karnataka. Named after a town called Byadagi, large areas in Karnataka are growing this chilli variety. “The chilli is world renowned, similar to the Guntur chilli in Andhra Pradesh and is used as an important spicy ingredient for preparing foodstuffs and for extraction of a red coloured oil called Oleoresin.
A premium on organically grown Byadagi chilli variety
by M.J. PRABU, The Hindu, 27 November, 2008
The worldwide recession has hit most industries. Yet, one industry that seems to have escaped it has been the Organic products industry in Uttar Pradesh. The units engaged in organic foods, especially, have been relatively safe from the downturn.
Organic products unaffected by global recession
by Siddharth Kalhans, The Business Standard, 17 November, 2008
WHAT A SURPRISE to learn that the government has gotten serious about pushing organic fertilizers and organic food production. This is indeed a major policy shift. I heard bells ringing and farm animals rejoicing and I imagined the citrusy, earthy smell of composting matter. Yes, all that and suddenly feeling the peace of wild things that Wendell Berry, prophet of rural living, spoke about. The skeptic may view this government move as turning the public attention away from the raging multi-million fertilizer scam which is one of most toxic this country has ever seen. One journalist was murdered because of this and the brains behind it have yet to be brought to justice.
Going organic, better late than later
by Ma.Ceres P. Doyo, Philippine Daily Inquirer,11/12/2008, 12 November, 2008
The importance of good soil and clean water for raising any crop can hardly be overemphasised. A soil with low fertility and a contaminated water source can make life very difficult for farmers. “When both soil and water are polluted, we farmers are left with no alternative but to either sell our land or move out and seek some other work to save our family from hunger and starvation,” says Mr. R. Subbaian of Kanakkan thottam, in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu.
Multi-cropping, organic practices overcome soil, water problems
by M.J. Prabu, The Hindu, 16 October, 2008
The cultivation can\'t be simpler. As Sridevi explains, the urine is applied once in 15 days. She is now comparing the benefits of application of cow\'s urine and human urine. However, the collection of urine is considered to be a difficult task. No problem, says Vishwanath, who has now come out with a solution.The rain water expert has designed a new commode to collect urine. This was on display at the Krishi Mela- 2008. The commode is a detachable three-part equipment, and can collect urine and fecal matter separately.According to him, a person urinates about three litres every day.What better way to use it than fertilizing crops and ensure a cleaner and greener environment. So, when nature calls, just feed nature!
A truly natural farming method!
by Subhash Chandra, The Deccan Herald, 18 November, 2008
As a western woman, there are few places I can imagine feeling more out of place than the paddy field day and rice crop improvement workshop in Kambalure, Harihar taluk, but after seven hours of travel from Bangalore by bus, train and foot, that’s exactly where I was. The farmers who attended the workshop that day invited me into their homes and heaped my banana leaves to the sky with local organic foods. They showered me with hospitality and in addition allowed me to participate in their gathering.
Two days in a paddy workshop
by Rebecca Brenneis, The Deccan Herald, 02 December, 2008
  1. Organic is the way to go
  2. Getting full mileage from small acreage through diversified farming
  3. Native paddy varieties go well with organic farming
  4. A boon for small farmers