Noted agricultural scientist and Padma Shri awardee Subhash Palekar has suggested a total U-turn in State policies on agricultural practices, not only to restore soil fertility but also to bring back the health lost by humankind.

The founder of ‘Subhash Palekar Krishi’, a form of agriculture using natural and cow-based techniques, interacted with The Hindu on the sidelines of a national seminar conducted in association with the Botany department of Sri Venkateswara University.

The five-day event, inaugurated by SVU Rector Ch. Appa Rao and Registrar M. Bhupathi Naidu, saw the voluntary participation of more than 850 farmers from across the southern States.

Demand of the time

Dubbing the Green Revolution a ‘demand of the time’ when India struggled to meet its food security needs, Mr. Palekar said tackling hunger had taken priority over human health in the seventies.

“Things have changed now and we have to trace back our roots, change the very concept of agriculture to restore soil health, and thus human health,” he said, insisting that the reform should start from the academic curriculum of agricultural colleges and reflect down to the level of recommendations to the last farmer.

He criticised the Central and State governments for making hollow claims over the spread of organic farming, rather than introspecting on its actual implementation. “If 10 lakh farmers are practising natural or organic farming, as claimed by the state government, why is this clamour today over urea shortage?”

He said the government was clueless about his concept of agriculture. “Their perceived knowledge of ‘Subhash Palekar Krishi’ is totally different from what I preach and practice,” he said, quoting officials and scientists who had attended his workshops.

Asked how long it would take to restore soil health from the ill-effects of urea and chemical fertilisers, he said: “Just one year. The chemical residue can be neutralised by the bacteria, fungi and protozoa formed by the humus created through our mulching practices in one year.”

Citing a lack of awareness and a sense of disbelief, he said it was difficult to convince farmers when even bureaucrats, scientists and the media were not ready to believe that ‘Subhash Palekar Krishi’ would work. “It is hammered into their brains,” he said.

Mr. Palekar also ascribed the widening gap between ‘Rich India and Poor Bharat’ to the expensive chemical inputs and technological tools thrust upon farmers.