Are you a farmer?

[Rituu B. Nanda]

We enter a spic and span house of a couple who are organic farmers. My colleague Vikrant​ from Avani has been having SALT conversations with the ​male farmer, Mr Sanjay Chavan from Village Kandgaon, Maharashtra. The farmer has also contributed to the village's dream during this process which included a dialogue with village adolescents and children on organic farming.

When we asked him about the good things he has been doing, Mr. Chavan guided us to the back of his home, pointing to the piece of land where he cultivates. Outside his home, I saw his nephew diligently caring for the cows, providing them with chemical-free leftovers from the fields.​ The little boy in the video is the nephew's son.

These cows play a vital role in the household, as their dung is used to produce gas that fuels the kitchen stove​ through the gas pipe. Mr. Chavan's wife, an integral part of this sustainable work, heated the milk from their cows with organic turmeric and homemade jaggery before serving it to us. In their home, every resource is thoughtfully used and recycled.

Mr. Chavan is a treasure trove of wisdom, a skill he is trying to pass down to his son and nephew, who ardently support his mission. His wife admitted that initially, she had been skeptical of organic farming, but her husband's conviction had swayed her. She now takes pride in their efforts, even though the productivity isn't as high, and the costs are greater. Their hope lies in the younger generation, trusting that they will come to appreciate the value of consuming organic food

.Mr. Chavan pointed out that the soil in his field is soft and pliable, unlike the chemically treated ones. It does not require heavy digging, with less disturbance to the soil.  With less digging, plant roots are more stable and stronger, as over-digging can bring in more air into the soil than required. Such soil tends to drawn more carbon from the atmosphere. A few years back, when a massive flood struck the area, every crop was washed away, except for his fields, nurtured with indigenous knowledge. This unique success attracted scientists from around the world, who came to study his exceptional methods and understand why his fields were not damaged. The lesson is that his approach is more resilient to climate crisis related changes.

As we expressed gratitude and prepared to leave, he inquired about my background, "are you a farmer?" When I responded, I wasn't. He laughed and commented, "Then you must have studied agriculture and are here for research." With a smile, I confessed that I wasn't a farmer but had a background in public health. However, I was eager to learn about the journey of organic food to my table and the various techniques employed in its cultivation.

I couldn't help but notice Mr. Chavan's rubber shoes, with dried mud, placed outside his home. It struck me just how close he was to the soil and how distant I was from it. The SALT mindset allowed us to discover such a remarkable individual, and I fervently hope that Mr. Chavan's dream of more people in his village adopting organic farming will indeed become a reality.​  To conclude, I would say that we need teachers like Mr. Chavan in universities​ so that students can learn from experiential knowledge.

SALT visit with Avani Smile team- Imran( he clicked the picture), Koushalya, Vikrant, Jayshree & Shahrukh (he recorded the videos)