CLIMATE CHANGE
CONTRIBUTION OF HOSHANGABAD FRIENDS
Friends Rural Centre (FRC) Rasulia Hoshangabad played a significant role in combating "climate change " in 1970-80, when Marjorie Sykes was there. Partap Agerwal was manager and Ramamurthy, Samuel James, Devdas Shrisunder and many friends were on the Governing board.
FRC was in crisis due to "Tilling based agriculture " and was not in a position to sustain its operations. The board appointed Partap Agerwal as a manager and appointed Marjorie as trustee.
They stopped deep tilling of tractors and started experimentations of zero tilling. They published "The One Straw Revolution " written by Masanobu Fukuoka of Japan who started NO till natural farming.
No till Farming is a ecological farming which stops emission of carbon dioxide. It stops run-off and stores soil carbon. Actually emission of carbon through agriculture is greatly responsible for green house gas emission. This is creating global warming and climate change problems. This was noticed by the Peace Nobel prize winner "The International panel of climate changes ".
President Obama also got the Peace prize this year, partly because he put up legislation dealing with climate changes to the congress. This is based on No-till farming and many ecological concerns.
I was also doing damaging agriculture. Marjory and friends of Rasulia guided me for No- till natural farming through their experiments and publication. Now our farm is a pioneer in India. We are continuously following this technique since the last 25 years and preaching of it to others.This is a Friendly way of farming. It is based on "Do nothing " principles.
Actually houses of earth worms, rats, snakes etc. are broken by tilling which are responsible for rain water absorption. Rain water flows fast and erodes the soil. The drought and floods are due to this. India is suffering greatly due to this. Many farmers are committing suicide. Poverty, unemployment, many diseases and violence is spreading, due to this very single cause. Most of the forest, permanent grazing lands, and orchard are converting in to deserts due to tilling.
Raju Titus