Grow Further Founder and CEO Peter Kelly and Vice President Venkat Pegadaraju recently traveled to India to hand off the first M.S. Swaminathan-Grow Further Award in a special ceremony and to lay more groundwork for the forthcoming expansion of our activities to that country.
Between their meetings and battles with traffic, Peter and Venkat found opportunities to connect with farmers in their fields. This is important because communication with smallholder farmers is an essential part of Grow Further’s mission—we insist that our partners work directly with farmers to better understand their needs and find solutions to their problems.
During their visits to the fields, India’s smallholders shared with Peter and Venkat their insights, wisdom, advice, and views on agricultural science and how to propel Indian agriculture forward. They also shared their thoughts on the support farmers like them are receiving in India, in particular the assistance they get from research centers like the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
What follows is a summary of discussions Grow Further’s leadership had with Indian farmers during their travels. Peter and Venkat’s talks with India’s smallholders (conducted in Hindi, later translated to English by a dedicated Grow Further team member) reveal how knowledgeable they are and what the farmers believe are Indian agriculture’s greatest challenges.
Not enough hands in the fields
Smallholder farmers in India face the same enemies that farmers in the West contend with—pests, crop diseases, fungal diseases, weeds, and other plant and soil-level threats. They also struggle with labor shortages, a problem felt in Western agriculture, as well.
During Peter and Venkat’s field visits, a number of farmers told them that they sometimes have difficulty hiring the workers they need to complete harvests. It’s a problem on the minds of many Indian smallholder farmers, especially for farms close to cities where there are other income-generating opportunities to lure workers away.
One solution is mechanization. The farmers said they will often try to get their hands on farm machines like tractors. Sharing is common, they said—they’ll share tractors, solar-powered irrigation equipment, and other tools that help make their work a little easier.
They also have each other to rely upon. One farmer described how he and other farmers in the area would rush to help one of their own whenever a tractor got stuck in mud. “This tradition of helping each other has continued since our ancestors,” the farmer explained.
In a sense, this spirit of cooperation and sharing is enlightened self-interest. Farmers who help a neighbor will see that same neighbor and others helping them when they run into trouble. There’s also the risk of work getting delayed throughout a community. If trouble holds up one farmer’s work, that could impact others waiting their turn to use equipment or to get their food to markets, as the farmers explained to Peter and Venkat.
Farmers as scientists in their own fields
In their conversations, farmers stressed to Venkat and Peter over and over again how important it is that their agricultural activities co-exist with the natural world and natural processes.
This ethos was described by one as “bio-happiness.” Said to be unique to Indian agriculture, bio-happiness emphasizes farmers living in harmony with nature. Farmers noted that the concept is so important that India’s prime minister even references bio-happiness in farming frequently in public.
Farmers recalled how self-sufficient their ancestors were in the past, only going to the market to purchase things they couldn’t make themselves, like iron or salt. Today, they must rely on markets for a variety of farm inputs, even for seeds. But the farmers said their spirit of living with nature persists even if they’ve lost some of their self-sufficiency as farming has become more complex. “It’s also important to fall back on traditional practices for success in farming,” one of them told Peter and Venkat.
But just because they like traditional methods doesn’t mean India’s farmers aren’t technicians in their own right.
The talks revealed how India’s farmers understand complex topics like disease outbreaks in fields and the effects certain fertilizers have on plants. They had sophisticated knowledge of the various seed varieties available to them and their benefits. In fact, when thinking about their farms, they say they first focus on seed qualities and seed health. “Healthy seeds have disease resistance, good quality, better yields, and good marketability,” one told Venkat and Peter. “If farmers have such seeds, they will have strong stores for the future.”
These farmers get many of their seeds from ICAR. They are used to cooperating with scientists and research centers and are grateful for any outside assistance they may receive from ICAR and other organizations–so long as they are consulted and involved in the process.
The farmers Peter and Venkat spoke with shared their sophisticated understanding of the technical differences in seed varieties supplied by ICAR, demonstrating in one visit how drought-resistant varieties of rice were saving them water and helping recharge groundwater reserves. “Most of the time, we use ICAR’s seeds,” as one farmer explained. “Whether it’s in rice, wheat, pulses, mustard, or even vegetables, their varieties are very good.”
Appealing to the next generation of farmers
India is now the world’s largest country in population and among the world’s fastest-growing economies. Change is happening at a rapid clip.
India’s smallholder farmers are keeping up, but they need support. Meanwhile, many revealed to Peter and Venkat their concern for the next generation—how to keep their children and other youths engaged in farming and away from cities and India’s expanding job market.
One thing the farmers tell their young is that success in farming comes from selling. “If he learns to sell, he will thrive,” as one of them explained. The point is meant to emphasize how farming involves more than just working in dirt. Peter and Venkat’s talks with farmers revealed how much of what they do is experimental and observational—it’s sophisticated work, thus farming can be interesting and exciting for India’s youth, as well.
“Every farmer needs to work hand in hand,” as one explained, “learning not just farming skills but also entrepreneurial and business skills. That way, you can be more successful and profitable.”
Another farmer said there’s an even better way to entice young people to agriculture and farming in India—explain how it’s a chance for them to be their own boss.
“Look, it’s better to be a small owner than a big servant,” he said. — Grow Further
Photo credit: Screenshots from video footage of Grow Further CEO Peter Kelly and Vice President Venkat Pegadaraju visiting with farmers in their fields.