Organic Farming

Organic farming is the solution to conserve the natural resources and prevent agrochemical contaminations (of food, water, and the environment). And Fair Trade practices add our social concern to the regeneration of the environment, by ensuring an equitable retribution to the food growers.

The Eco-Farms program was started in February 1999, at the outset of a 3 days workshop organized for the Water Users Associations Members. The topic of Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture raised and sustained high interest among the 30 participants, and compelled Harvest to launch its Ecological Farming program, Harvest Farms.

An agriculture scientist was hired to guide the first interested farmers and develop an experimental farm around the Naidu House campus. An outreach farm was also started as a demonstration site in Ulagapuram village 30 kilometers away.

An organic farmer of Maharashtra came to explain how to save 50% of water with negligible loss of yield. [a training course in February 1999]

In the course of time, it was understood that a demonstration farm is not an efficient extension tool. The outreach centre has been closed and attention given to demonstration plots within the farms of the interested progressive farmers.

Meanwhile, the research farm of 8 acres around the Naidu House campus (Harvest headquarters) is developed with the variety of local crops and systems: rainfed and irrigated field crops, coconut grove, sugarcane, vegetables and fruits. The purposes of this farm are to:

• field test and troubleshoot the problems in our climatic conditions.

• document  various cultivation practices in order to produce technical pamphlets

• research the most cost effective, labor & capital extensive, resource saving practices & technologies

Organic Agriculture Training Centre

The farm is on the verge of becoming an Organic Agriculture Training Centre. This added dimension is motivated by a simple observation: India is populated by millions of self-educated farmers, and scores of over-educated agriculture scientists. The in-between layer of adequately trained farmers and practical extension workers is almost inexistent, let aside when considering organic agriculture.

Hence Harvest projects to create the tool for preparing this new generation of farmers and extension workers.

Trainers, resource persons, experienced farmers and support materials are being identified throughout the region and India to design the curriculums. The main curriculum is foreseen as mostly experiential, calling for theories only as a support for understanding. Shorter courses will also be designed for specific publics (experienced farmers, estate managers, scientists, NGOs and administrations…).

The Organic Agriculture Training Centre needs funding to take shape.

Collaborations

Harvest Farms is associated with the Auroville Farm Group, is a member of Arise (Agricultural Renewal in India for a Sustainable Environment), and one of the founding members of the Bio-Dynamic Association of India.

Venues of collaboration are particularly developing with the French organic agriculture sector: CIRAD, CIVAM bio LR, CFPPA Loire et Cher, and Kokopelli.