Experts says natural farming key to combat desertification, drought
Natural farming is the key to combat desertification and mitigate drought conditions, said experts at a meeting organised by Accion Fraterna-Ecology Centre to observe the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought on Tuesday at RDT Inclusive High School premises.
Around 500 farmers attended the programme to get tips on natural farming from their peers and experts in the field.
Speaking on the occasion, Accion Fraterna-Ecology Centre Director Y.V. Malla Reddy gave a call to farmers to adopt natural farming practices to restore the soil health and reverse the consequences of climate change.
'For the past several decades, we have been abusing the soil health by using chemical fertilizers and, more recently, weedicides also. Infusing large quantities of chemicals into soil was affecting the food grains' productivity and also leading to several health problems, which need to be reversed,' Mr. Malla Reddy said.
District Revenue Officer A. Malola said that there is a need to conserve the Ecological Balance in nature, and only by adopting natural farming methods can we ensure proper public health and food security. Conveying a message from District Collector V. Vinod Kumar, Mr. Malola said that the district administration was aware of the kind of programmes the AF-EC takes up and was always ready to support the organisation in its endeavour to combat climate change and desertification.
Agriculture Research Station Principal Scientist Vijay Shankar Babu said that Green Revolution was a boon once, but its over-exploitation, had spoiled the soil health. 'Drought is not only due to less quantity of rainfall, but also due to a lack of soil permeability or storage of overflowing rainwater. Only when we consume food products sans chemicals can we protect our health,' he added.
Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) State Head Bhakthar Vali said, 'We should not think of conquering nature, but live in ways that protect all elements like water, soil, hillocks, so that nature protects the human race'.
The soils are of three types – healthy, degraded, and heavily degraded – and our approach should be a holistic one, protecting all elements in nature, bringing in the right ecological balance, he added.
There were 20 stalls put up by AF-EC and other NGOs, along with some government departments and research stations to showcase the latest advancements/models of sowing/ agriculture practices on the RDT Inclusive High School premises.
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