After successfully converting his land to organic over 20 years ago, Aniruddha Patil hopes that his farm can now be seen as a blueprint for others to follow.

ANIRUDDHA’S JOURNEY

Aniruddha comes from the small town of Manur in the Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, India, where he and his family have been farming as their main occupation for many generations. 

His decision to make the move from conventional to organic agriculture started with spirituality. It was a journey that began at Shantikunj, the world-renowned ashram in Haridwar, Uttarakhand which forms the main headquarters of the social-spiritual movement All World Gayatri Pariwaar (AWGP). Here, he was first introduced to the concept of organic farming and how it could build on traditional rural practices.     

Aniruddha began to understand that while conventional agricultural methods are often designed to increase yield, this comes at the detriment of both the quality of the crop and the land itself. He became aware of just how important it was to make the shift to organic practices, growing and nurturing his crops without the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides.

“After realising how beneficial, safe and well suited organic farming is, I made a decision to practice it,” Aniruddha explains, recalling how he and his brothers took training programs and joined a government group in which conventional farmers are taught how to prepare their soil for growing without the use of chemical inputs – a process that takes three years.

As farmers make this transition, they often experience a period of suppressed yields in the first year due to the changing chemical, physical and biological properties of soil. Aniruddha explains how the locals urged him to use chemical fertilisers to avoid heavy losses, but he stood by his decision with the support of his family. 

Today he is proud of reaching this stage, recognising that the struggles were worthwhile. He and his brothers have been successfully using organic practices for almost 20 years, and what started with organic cotton has since spread over their 50 acres of farmland where they grow around eight to ten acres of cotton alongside jowar, maize, pigeon pea and mung bean.

THE PROBLEMS ANIRUDDHA IS TACKLING

Shifting the widespread use of Bt Cotton in India. Maharashtra is the largest producer of cotton in India and the use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton, a genetically modified seed variety that was developed for its resistance to bollworm, is widespread. “Cotton is a cash crop in India and the easy availability of the Bt cotton variant is attracting farmers for its high yield and easy money, but they can’t completely ignore the negative environmental impacts that this practice involves,” Aniruddha explains, citing soil erosion and long-term threat to human health as side effects from farming that relies on the genetically modified seeds.

Raising awareness among other farmers about transitioning to organic. Moving to organic farming was new not only for the brothers, but for the whole village, meaning that educating the neighbours was a challenge itself. “Farmers weren't aware enough, but that is all in the past, and I am slowly seeing a shift happening.” Aniruddha also supports the controversial new bill recently passed by the Indian government to move the sale of agricultural produce from a state-controlled market in which government buyers pay Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, towards a free one where farmers are encouraged to sell to private buyers instead. He hopes that the move will break the traditions of monoculture that lead to disturbance in the soil quality and encourage farmers to produce a variety of crops instead. 

Finding buyers for smaller quantities of cotton. Before selling their organic cotton, Aniruddha and his brothers research the rate in the local market and the payment methods, before choosing whether to sell to the government or a private buyer, depending on where the price is better. But the organic cotton market buys in bulk, and as Annirudha doesn’t produce huge quantities of cotton it makes it difficult for him to find buyers. He is now planning to branch out to medical organisations that will buy it for making cotton bandages.

Reducing the amount of GM seeds that find their way into edible oils. After picking, the cotton is sold to ginners, and the ginning mill has further tie-ups with other traders. The seeds are used for oil, as well as in making food for domestic animals and birds. There are no firm rules or practices to separate the seeds after ginning organic versus conventional cotton, and the resulting oil is also mixed with the edible oil sold in markets. So, the worry is that the seeds from Bt cotton have been in contact with chemicals that could be harmful to health. 

ANIRUDDHA’S SOLUTIONS

Developing a practical model of organic farming for others to follow.  When asked how we can improve agricultural practices in India, Aniruddha expresses gratitude for the young people who are actively trying to understand the issues on the ground and working towards solutions. 

He believes that to convince the farmers to make the transition, a successful organic farming model will help. His mission to create a blueprint for fellow farmers harks back to his time at Shantikunj, with similar core principles as the All World Gayatri Pariwaar ‘Ideal Village Development Program’–a movement that aims to create one ‘ideal village’ in every district which adheres to a set of social, ethical and ecological principles. The movement deems organic agriculture an essential element in the development of these self-sufficient rural villages, and the Patil brothers’ farm is a great example of what this could look like.

Beyond simply creating a blueprint, Aniruddha is taking steps to actively share his knowledge. “I faced all the challenges first hand, and now I want to help others by developing a solution-focused, practical model for them to follow, organising workshops and training camps too,” he summarises. 

ANIRUDDHA’S TIPS FOR A SMOOTHER TRANSITION TO ORGANIC

Replacing conventional fertilizer with ‘Amrutpani.’ When Aniruddha started out, he began using Amrutpani– a liquid manure that improves the fertility of the soil. It is prepared using the Ahimsak Rishi-Krishi Despande technique, which you can learn more about in this guide. 

Following the Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) methodology. He now follows ZBNF, which is a method of chemical-free agriculture drawing from traditional Indian practices. It was originally promoted by Maharashtrian agriculturist and Padma Shri award recipient Subhash Palekar. This article explores it in more depth.

Introducing boundary crops to avoid chemical spread from neighbouring farms. “If the neighbouring farm is practicing conventional farming, the pesticides spread and chemical fertilisers used can have an effect on the land,” he advises. “To avoid this, it is suggested to use different boundary crops so that the soil remains chemical free.”

Finding an alternative to stubble burning. When the crops are harvested, Aniruddha learnt that the remaining stubble should not be burnt – a major problem leading to increased air pollution in North India. He began to explore new technology which makes the stubble into a mixture which is used as manure and helps nourish the soil.

Gaining certification from the Ministry of Agriculture. “When I sell organic cotton, the buyer will only know its authenticity through certification,” he explains. “The Ministry of Agriculture issues certification and documentation for organic farm produce if the farmers have followed all the set norms.” There is also an application to be filled and a fee to the government to get the certification.

Learn more

• I am interested in buying raw organic cotton, can I contact Aniruddha directly?

• Where can I read more about the controversial MSP Bill that has divided farmers across India?

• How does the transition from conventional to organic work? 

• What is genetically modified Bt cotton?

• What are the long term effects of Bt cotton in India? 

• Which organisations can teach me more about organic farming?

  • Sarg Vikas Samiti is a non- profit that promotes organic and biodynamic agriculture systems in India.

  • The Art of Living’s Sri Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Trust is promoting natural, sustainable farming techniques across India which promise low expenditure with improved productivity and profits.

  • Fivefold Path Mission is working in rural villages to spread awareness about Agnihotra and Home Organic Farming.

  • Navdanya is a women-centric organic program started by world-renowned scientist and environmentalist Dr. Vandana Shiva.

Greetings from: Manur & Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

This article was written by Cotton Diaries Youth Ambassadors, Pooja Phalak in collaboration with Amruta Shroff and the editorial support of sustainability journalist, Beatrice Murray-Nag.

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