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Gandhinagar, Feb 27 (IANS) Natural farming was described as essential to safeguarding soil, water, the environment and public health at a state-level seminar held at the Gujarat Legislative Assembly complex in Gandhinagar under the National Mission on Natural Farming.

The seminar was chaired by Governor Acharya Devvrat and attended by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary and Gujarat BJP President Jagdish Vishwakarma.

A natural farming fair was organised within the Assembly premises, and the Governor and Chief Minister visited stalls set up by practitioners before the formal proceedings.

Addressing legislators and participants, Governor Devvrat said, “To save water, soil, environment and human health, natural farming is the best option.”

He added, “It is a matter of satisfaction that such a serious subject has been given a place in the Assembly.”

Explaining the distinction between organic and natural farming, he said, “In organic farming, around 300 quintals of farmyard manure are required per acre, whereas natural farming is the cultivation of micro-organisms. One gram of dung from an indigenous cow contains more than 300 crore micro-organisms, and cow urine is a storehouse of minerals.”

Through preparations such as jeevamrut and ghan jeevamrut, he said, “The number of earthworms and friendly insects increases, making the soil fertile naturally.”

Raising concerns about public health, the Governor said, “Years ago, diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart attack were negligible, but today even small children are suffering from cancer.”

Referring to research findings, he added, “Studies have indicated the presence of urea and pesticides even in a mother’s milk, which is considered nectar for a newborn.”

On soil degradation, he said, “At the time of the Green Revolution, the organic carbon content of our soil was between 2 and 2.5 per cent, but today it has fallen below 0.5 per cent in many places.”

He warned, “Soil with organic carbon below 0.5 per cent is considered barren.” In Gujarat, he said, land under chemical farming had reached that level, leading to hardening of soil and reduced rainwater percolation.

“In natural farming, earthworms create pores in the soil, which help in storing rainwater,” he said.

Devvrat also referred to fertiliser subsidies, stating, “Crores of rupees are spent on urea and DAP subsidies. If we adopt natural farming, this expenditure can be reduced.”

Referring to the implementation of the National Mission on Natural Farming under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said more than eight lakh farmers in Gujarat had adopted natural agriculture with state support.

He urged farmers to begin by practising natural farming on a portion of their land and appealed to legislators, saying, “Every MLA should adopt one village in their constituency and develop it as a ‘natural village’.”

Chief Minister Patel described natural farming as “a necessity for the present and the future.”

Quoting the traditional saying, he said, “‘Pehlu sukh te jat nirogi (the first happiness is good health)' and natural farming is the solution to achieve this.”

Referring to the Prime Minister’s “Back to Basics” mantra, he said it signified a return not only to natural agriculture but also to conserving all sources that affect human health.

He called for wider adoption of initiatives such as water conservation drives, efforts to address global warming, increasing green cover and promoting chemical-free cultivation.

--IANS

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