As I look back at my 9-month fellowship experience with the SAFAL (Sustainable Agriculture, Forest, and Land) project at Jagori Rural Charitable Trust, I realize that through my participation and contributions, I have learned much and also grown as an individual. The experience has been enriching. It has brought me closer to my interest areas in climate justice and agroecology.
The SAFAL project seeks to revitalize all natural and life-giving aspects of human production and creativity and also address the various injustices that exist within the agricultural sector. SAFAL utilizes data-driven, grounded insights to design interventions in the areas of sustainable development, agro-ecology and climate justice in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. Primary and secondary research are conducted in various villages across the Kangra to identify possible areas of intervention. The insights are translated into action via workshops, training events and other programs organized through a number of farmer groups.
Jagori currently works with nearly 60 farmer groups in Kangra district. Monthly meetings are organized at village, panchayat and cluster levels. Discussions, demonstrations and training workshops are organized on topics such as preparation of bio-fertilizers and pesticides, Millet cultivation etc. In this blog I have tried to summarize some of the key events organized by Jagori under SAFAL during my fellowship period.
Kisan Sammelan
On December 14, 2022, Jagori organized a Kisan Sammelan at the Icchi Kisan Bhawan. Around 80 farmers from the Rait, Kangra, and Nagrota Bagwan blocks of the Kangra district attended the meeting. The Sammelan hosted Gurpreet Singh Dabrikhana, an expert in natural farming. Gurpreet Singh is a popular figure these days. He conducts training for farmers and also has a popular YouTube channel for the same. The Sammelan was a closing event for the three-day training programs conducted in each block by Gurpreet himself. At Icchi he held talks on various aspects of agriculture, from soil treatment to the different challenges posed by the Indian market.
Gurpreet Singh addressed the violence inflicted upon the soil through the usage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that deplete the nutrient quality and slowly render them infertile. The declining health standards caused by lifestyle diseases can also potentially be attached to modern practices in food production. Gurpreet Singh discussed the importance of organic carbon in agriculture, and why it is necessary to always maintain good levels of the same in our soil. He also explained how the current market is set up to exploit the farmers, giving an advantage to the merchants and third parties involved. While explaining the different stages in agriculture- production, processing, packaging, and marketing, Gurpreet Singh encouraged the farmers to come together to form groups and take ownership of all stages of production. Towards the end of the program, many farmers expressed their opinions and also voiced their commitment to producing organic manure at home.
Traditional Food Festivals
We at Jagori organized the annual Traditional Food Festivals in the month of January in each of the Rait, Kangra and Nagrota Bagwan blocks. The Traditional Food Festivals aim to generate awareness regarding the importance of local traditional crops and food varieties in our everyday life, and to encourage more households to produce food from locally grown organic produce. There is special emphasis on Millet based food items. It is an open platform for farmers to come together and share recipes and nutritional values of traditional crop varieties with each other. Through these festivals, Jagori also attempts to enable intergenerational knowledge exchange of traditions.
The events were held on 7th, 9th and 11th of January in Kangra, Nagrota and Rait blocks respectively. The festivals were organised with the support of local schools to ensure participation of young students who have little access to knowledge regarding traditional farming and crops. Professors from the Palampur Agricultural University, officials from the Health Department, School Teachers etc. participated and spoke to the students. The food items prepared by people from the community was shared among everyone present. Some of the dishes I am able to recall are Babru, Bhaturu, Gheegha, Lassi ka Saag, Khaddu Halwa, Nade da Saag, Makhi Roti, Chawal Roti, Rajma Khichdi, Khodre Roti, Gulgula and Rai Pakoda.
Workshop on Millet farming
As part of Jagori’s initiatives for the International Year of Millets 2023, we arranged a workshop on Millet cultivation at the Jagori campus on 12th May. The most active farmers in our farmer groups were invited for the session which was handled by Padma Shri Nek Ram Sharma and Sukhdev Vishwapremi. Nek Ram Sharma, the Millet man of Himachal Pradesh, was recently awarded the Padma Shri by the government of India for his achievements in promoting organic farming practices, especially around the cultivation of Millets. Sukhdev Vishwapremi is an activist and Convenor at the Rural Technology and Development Centre (RTDC), Palampur.
Both the facilitators spoke in length with the farmers and exchanged experiences. Nek Ram Sharma’s session went into detail on each millet variety, their health benefits, and which millet seeds are suitable for Kangra’s climate in each season. He also talked about the changes that agriculture has undergone in recent decades. I remember him saying how we are now trying to compete with nature and defeat its rules- we must instead live according to its rules. He suggested five Millet varieties that will be suitable for the climate of Kangra. As a continuation of programs under the International Year of Millets, Jagori enabled a supply of Millet seeds to farmers through Nek Ram Sharma’s organization. A number of farmers came forward to experiment with Millet farming. It seems apparent that the lack of accessibility with regards to Millet seeds is still a major hindrance to Millet cultivation in Himachal.
World Environment Day programs
I was part of organizing various Environment Day programs in the Rait block on June 5th. We organized programs at panchayat level and also at schools. Rallies were undertaken by the students with slogans and placards on plastic waste management. It was a very typical Environment Day program which included rallies, plantation of saplings, poster making activities for students etc.
The events on June 5 were to set off various activities and programs on environmental conservation to be organized by Jagori in the following two-month period, eventually leading up to the annual ‘Van Mahotsav’.
These events and pictures provide a glimpse into the activities organized by Jagori in Kangra. By participating in the planning and execution of these events and also numerous other monthly meetings and programs, I have grown much as a development practitioner. I believe that I will look back on the fellowship and my experience at Jagori with much fondness and gratitude.
