सर्वस्यालये सर्वसस्याढ़ये सर्वसस्यदे||
सर्वसस्यहरे काले सर्वसस्यात्मिके भवे|
O Mother Earth! In your bosom all life, all crops dwell. You are the living soil which gives birth to all crop diversity and in your caring lap they shall rest after their life. You are the soul of all agriculture. Bless us with your invaluable gifts.
This humble prayer mentioned in the 9th chapter of Shrimad Devi Bhagwat Purana is indicative of the reverence which the ancient Indian culture had for land and soil. Land was never considered a lifeless piece of ground; rather it was known to be a living system which was the foundation of the vast crop biodiversity. Contrastingly, the Post - Green Revolution period saw a digression from the fact that soil is living and home for rich biodiversity. As a result, intensive farming practices, heavy use of chemical fertilizers, regular flooding of farmlands were proposed as popular measures for yield enhancement. But over the years these very practices have proved to be soil degrading and yield depressing practices. Today, we stand amidst the worst agrarian crisis at the core of which lies degraded, impoverished and lifeless soils. This in turn comes as a major setback to food security, human health, and environmental health.
Upholding the fact that soil health stands fundamental to sustainable agriculture, DJJS Hitkari Kheti turns back to Vedic wisdom for sustainable recovery of soils. His Holiness Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji, reviving Vedic agricultural science, has revealed farm- based scientific remedies for low to zero budget soil health restoration and maintenance. Based on this ancient knowledge we have devised a special Farm- based Soil Health Restoration Model. Acknowledgement of soil as a self- regulatory living system lies at the core of this model practiced at Hitkari Kheti.
Hitkari Kheti Farm- based soil Health Restoration model entails:
- Harnessing natural remedies for de- poisoning lands. To bring life back to agriculture lands poisoned with chemical additives, we have devised special de- poisoning methods using the natural medicinal plants like tulsi, neem etc.
- Using Cow- based manures and soil enrichers. Indigenous cattle have been central to the traditional Indian farming system not just for ploughing the land but for being natural sources of soil enriching manures. Reviving the same practice, DJJS Kamdhenu Gaushala, a home for Indian breeds of cows like Sahiwal, Tharparkar, Kankrej, Gir and Hariana serve as station for production of the soil enriching natural manures like cow dung and urine which are building the soil strength of Hitkari Farms. With the regular addition of special cow dung and urine based manure preparations and soil enriching cultures, in a very short span, the soil at Hitkari farms has become a comfortable home for rich soil biodiversity including soil microbes, earthworms, termites and ants.
- Stop farm burning. Annual practise of burning of farms is a leading cause of degraded soils. Widely, farm burning is considered the easiest way of getting rid of the farm waste, the beheaded stumps left behind after harvesting. However, the reality is that farm burning completely ruins the top soil and kills the soil biodiversity. Therefore, as a very first step towards soil health restoration, a full stop was put to farm burning at Hitkari farms. Driven by the Vedic wisdom, we practise mixing of the farm waste back into the soil, which plays an important role in soil enrichment. Moreover, mulching with paddy and sugarcane waste, helps retain soil moisture thereby building soil strength.
- Crop rotation & Mix cropping. Nature has always been a propagator of diversity, it is this diversity which bestows resilience to natural systems and beholds balance. Learning the same principle from Mother Nature, we practice techniques like crop rotation and mix cropping to maintain soil strength and richness.
