Uttar Pradesh: Driven by organic farming ideas, Bhan Pratap is a role model for farmers

Modern farming using chemical fertilizers has not only reduced the fertility of land but also giving rise to new diseases among the consumers of food grain and other farm produce. Meet a farmer of Mahoba district in Uttar Pradesh who has become a role model for other farmers and shown the way by producing organic manure.

Mahoba (Uttar Pradesh): Amid this gloomy situation, there is a farmer of Mahoba district in Uttar Pradesh has become a role model for the farmers and shown the way by producing organic manure.

Bhan Pratap, a farmer not only uses organic manure in his farm but has taught his family members the technique to make it and selling the same to other farmers to earn a handsome profit too.

Modern farming using chemical fertilizers has not only reduced the fertility of land but also giving rise to new diseases among the consumers of food grain and other farm produce.

According to Bhan Pratap, “earlier, landowners used to till their land and fertilize it with the manure from the cow dung of their cattle. The use of organic manure in the farm would give better yield and the produce thus grown in their fields was also good for the health of consumers.

"Now the farmers have stopped keeping cattle and switched over to machines and chemical fertilizers for their agriculture. This is reducing the fertility of the land," Bhan Pratap said.

However, inspired by Bhan Pratap, many farmers have turned to organic farming. Earlier organic manure was made by keeping the dung and urine of the cattle in a soak pit for some days.

But now the technique of vermiculture is used. This is done by mixing cow dung, urine, leaves of neem and seeding the mixture with earthworms.

"Cow urine and dung kept in a pit for 15 days become an effective pesticide which sprayed over standing crops destroys all kinds of insects and pests. Bhan Pratap has created a network of seven groups of farmers. Each group has 40 farmers. His family provides training to the farmers of other villages in organic farming techniques," said Vir Pratap Singh, District Agriculture officer.

"The use of chemical fertilizer reduces the fertility of the soil. Soil needs 16 elements if three or six crops are grown in three years. With the use of organic manure, a farmer can take three to four crops in a year, " Singh added.