Celebrating Farm-to-Table: How Farmers Connect Us to Nature
Expert Speak | Post : TATA Shaktee
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We, as humans, are merely borrowing our space here on Earth. What we do today must not affect future generations. Therefore, we have a responsibility to take care and accountability for our actions that will affect our planet and do our best to preserve it.
The most important players in this preservation attempt are the farmers—they are our greatest conservation allies. The role of farmers in farm-to-table is underestimated. They produce the crops that help fuel, feed and clothe an expanding world. Meanwhile, they are also caring for the waters and lands on which their livelihoods depend. As the global population keeps growing, farmers will be under more pressure to produce even more without harming the environment.
By embracing conservation practices, farmers can create fertile, rich soils that will grow strong crops while saving water sources, accumulating carbon, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and building fields that are more resilient to severe weather events. It’s a win-win for farmers and nature, and it improves agricultural development in India.
Along with farmers and Indian agricultural experts, steps have been taken to address this. Let us take a deeper look at one such initiative.
System of Rice Intensification (SRI)
The SRI initiative involves transplanting young single seedlings wide apart instead of the traditional method of transplanting several mature seedlings close together. SRI does not rely on consistent flooding of rice fields—it only requires the fields to be wet.
This initiative aims to improve cropping patterns for enhanced yields. The initiative also aims to improve soil fertility and health and encourage less water, seeds and chemical use in rice cultivation.
The first phase was launched in 2008, targeting marginal and small farmers in select districts across many states. The project is being implemented with a consortium of NGOs and has resulted in a significant increase in food security and productivity in the covered districts.
The SRI programme has covered over 170,000 farmers in 3,500 villages, spread across 104 districts in Odisha, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Manipur, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Similar programmes aim to improve overall soil health and promote sustainable farming in India. This will be an ongoing process and Tata Shaktee is pleased to know that many farmers have chosen us to build their boundary walls, sheds and more to improve overall conditions on their lands!
