New Delhi:Nature does open pollination. Two plants of the same species get cross-pollinated. Insects, birds, wind etc. aid in open pollination. The open-pollinated varieties will produce seeds that are very similar to the parent. These seeds are also better suited to the local climate, soil type, water etc. Nature itself is the creator of seed. Therefore, Nature knows the seed best. She ensures that over time the seeds only get better. These seeds can be saved by the farmers as they produce crops similar to the parent. This is exactly what farmers across the world have been doing for generations.
Additionally, these seeds, as they are natural, don’t need any chemicals to grow. The crops grown from such seeds are rich in flavour also.
In the mid-1900s a man-made process of hybridisation called F1 (first filial) hybrid was created. Hybridization is a controlled method of pollination in which the pollen of two different species or varieties are crossed by human intervention to get the desired traits in the resulting seed. F1, the first generation of a hybridized plant generally produces a higher yield than the parent varieties because of a phenomenon called ‘hybrid vigor’. However, as the F1 seeds are not natural, the seeds produced by the F1 plants, called the F2 (second filial) seeds, are genetically unstable and cannot be saved for use in the following years. F2 seeds do not produce plants like those produced by F1 seeds.
Additionally, the yield of F2 seeds is also considerably less than that of F1 seeds. Both similarities with the parent and yield keep reducing with each successive generations, F2, F3.. Because of this, the farmers get forced to buy the F1 seeds, each season, from the corporates. The hybrid seeds generally are very costly as the man-made hybridisation process is not an easy one.
Genetically modified(GM) seeds are made in lab by directly altering the genome of the plant. To make such seeds, the genome of the GM plant can be made by adding DNA from any other animal, bacteria etc to the genome of the parent plant. These seeds are made so that these plants become resistant to an agricultural chemical such as pesticides etc. Given that the gene modification is done by humans and not by nature, we do not know the long term consequences of these.
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Some reports suggest that such modifications can get toxic to humans. GM seeds also need to be bought every season, from the corporates. Sometimes, in fact, it is even made illegal to save these GM seeds for the following seasons.
Both the hybrid and GM seeds, unlike the open-pollinated seeds need much more input such as water, nutrients etc. These seeds need chemical fertilisers. Also as these are often more prone to pests and diseases, agricultural chemicals are needed to grow these seeds. So, initially, these may appear to have a higher yield, but the cultivation cost is very high in terms of cost of seeds, water, fertilisers, pesticides, fungicides etc.
With time, because of the high usage of agricultural chemicals, soil health gets badly affected. The chemical onslaught done on soil kills the soil microbes, good pests such as earthworms etc. Soil microbes are needed for many things which ensure that the plants are nutrient-dense and healthy, such as decomposed organic matter; foster soil aggregate ability; recycle and regulate carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus; fix nitrogen for plant uptake; increase the available plant root area for nutrient uptake, help control diseases; improve soil structure. If we see closely, as the soil microbial health is lost so irrespective of much chemical NPK fertilisers we put in the plants, the nutrient will not reach the plants in adequate amounts. So with loss in soil health, the plant health is also lost.
Earthworms play a very important role in the soil ecosystem. They are not only contributing to the nutrients in the soil but they also make the soil soft and porous as they move through the soil. Some species make permanent burrows deep into the soil. Some species make horizontal burrows in the soil. These burrows can be a major conduit for soil drainage, particularly under heavy rainfall. These burrows also minimize surface water erosion. Urea kills earthworms. This has made earthworms rare now. This, in turn, makes the soil hard and non-porous. This is one of the major cause of waterlogging.
The above examples illustrate how biological diversity is being lost because of the use of hybrid and GM seeds which in turn mandate the usage of agricultural chemicals. Just like how the agricultural chemicals are harming soil health etc., similarly, these are harming human health.
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Chemical farming with such seeds was started in Punjab a few decades ago. Sometime later, the number of cancer patients increased so much that the train which goes from Punjab to Bikaner was named as 'Cancer Train’ as most of the passengers on this train were cancer patients visiting a cancer hospital in Bikaner for treatment. Because of the long wait time in the hospitals in Punjab, the patients prefer to visit the cancer hospital in Bikaner.
Also as the Bikaner hospital is covered for benefits under the Mukh Mantri Punjab Cancer Raahat Kosh Scheme (MMPCRKS) the patients find it convenient to travel and get treated. It is reported that because of the pesticides being used in that region cancer has become so widespread there. These agricultural chemicals and industrial effluents are contaminating water also. In addition, the farmers store food and water in the pesticide cans leading to high heavy-metal toxicity of food and water. All these are making the situation worse.
Something similar is happening in Vidarbha, Maharashtra. There too, industrial agriculture was started on a large scale, a few decades ago. Now instances of kidney failures are becoming very rampant in that area. It is reported that pesticides, insecticides and contaminated water are among the causes of the increase in kidney failure cases. Many people in this region also consider agricultural chemicals to be the reason.
Industrial agriculture was also started in Saurashtra, Gujarat. Initially, it seemed like a very good move, considering the increase in GDP. However, after some time diseases such as kidney failure, cancer etc. started to rise. It’s reported to be caused by the use of agricultural chemicals in that area.
In places where industrial agriculture has been taking place for some time, there are serious diseases in children right from birth or from childhood. A reader of my blog informed that there is a village Rajnand near Bodh Gaya, Bihar. This village supplies vegetables to the hotels in Bodh Gaya. Chemicals are used to grow vegetables in this village. Now, there is a large number of mental disability even among children.
Hybrid and GM seeds are made to appear very attractive for farmers through various means. These propaganda sources indicate that such seeds lead to an increase in yield, economic benefits etc. Due to all these reasons, people start to do cash crop farming, very easily. It is important to understand that when the mouse has to be trapped in the mousetrap, it is mandatory to keep some attractive food as bait. However, once the mouse is trapped, then it is difficult for it to get out of the trap. Therefore it is necessary that we be cautious of such temptations.
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In industrial agriculture, it has also been observed that after some time that the pests get resistant to chemical pesticides. By this time, the farmers lose all the indigenous seeds that were diligently stored over generations. The strength of soil and water also goes away. The cost incurred in the treatment of complicated mental and physical diseases also keeps increasing. Overall, the farmer is such a situation that at times he is unfortunately forced to commit suicide.
When the incentives are given for cash crops, then it is not said that there may be probably no one left to enjoy the money got from cash crops. Traditional agriculture was done by understanding nature. Human is made of five elements which are called the panchbhooth. Panchabhoot means nature. Our ancestors had the wisdom that we will be physically, mentally and spiritually healthy only as long as nature is healthy.
Therefore, traditional agriculture was done only with native seeds. Agriculture was also organic. Desi cow dung, urine was also used. Mixed farming was done, in which many types of indigenous grains, oilseeds, pulses, spices, vegetables, fruits, flowers, fibre, animal husbandry were all included. This was done keeping in mind the health of the entire living world. All the processes of nature are cyclical. Keeping this in mind, the land was sometimes left fallow so that the nutrient cycle, water cycle etc. would benefit. As a result, the farmers were automatically self-sufficient.
Today we get fall into the trap and get attracted to cash crops ending up cultivating mainly one crop only. Far from the traditional understanding of generations, we have become so subservient to the propaganda system that we are not able to understand our good. For example, wheat was eaten in very limited quantities, if at all. In fact, in some places, it was even considered a complaint to eat wheat. Wheat has even been genetically modified today, yet we now consider it healthy and consume it almost in meals. Science is now indicating that our ancestors' understanding of wheat was right and that wheat can possibly cause mental and physical health issues. It can even damage our immunity.
It’s time we free ourselves from such propaganda and re-connect with nature. We are mentally and physically only as healthy as nature is. In the quest for making money, which is a man-made thing, we have forgotten nature and ready to exploit her to whatever extent as long as memory-grown. We have been led to see the world upside down. GDP, a measuring system has been developed to measure development to make this view look valid. So while we are falling fast in a well, it is made to appear that we are flying high into the sky! Let’s arise and take charge before it’s too late.
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