UCA News
Contribute

India

CATHOLIC´S NEW APPROACH HELPS HINDU FARMERS FIGHT DROUGHT

Updated: January 18, 2001 05:00 PM GMT
Support Asia's largest network of Catholic journalists and editors
Support Asia's largest network of Catholic journalists and editors
Share this article :

Some Hindu farmers in western India have doubled their crops, despite the worst drought in generations, by taking a priest´s advice to use a fertilizing method invented by a Catholic scientist.

Mogha Manath, a maize farmer in Gujarat state, said that after using Jagdish Nazareth´s "pro-biotic" fertilizer, not only did the yield increase but the nutritional value as well -- at less than half the former cost.

Manath told UCA News that he is one of about 10 farmers in Gai Vacharda village of Sabarkantha district who adopted Nazareth´s theory of "indirect nutrition" on the advice of Father Peter D´Souza.

The Jesuit priest, pastor of Ahmedabad diocese´s Meghraj Church, and Nazareth, head of the Institute for Studies and Transformation, have helped the farmers experiment with pro-biotic fertilizers and sustainable organic agriculture for the past 10 years.

Nazareth says that as Sabarkantha has no irrigation facilities, nitrogenous fertilizers and use of pesticides have depleted the land´s nutrients leading to biological degradation and lower micronutrient levels in plants.

According to the Catholic scientist, the lower micronutrient levels leave plants more vulnerable to disease and lowers their nutritional value, causing animal and human populations to suffer.

His remedy is selective composting of agricultural residues and animal manure to create a pro-biotic fertilizer that is applied in small quantities to compensate for soil deficiencies. The soil is first tested for 18 elements.

Nazareth acknowledged that his theory has "few takers," but he attributes this to "heavy pressure" from the fertilizer lobby.

He claims that India uses 40 percent of its natural gas, 50 percent of its naphtha and 25 percent of its furnace oil for nitrogenous chemical fertilizers that it subsidizes to farmers at 8 billion rupees (US$174 million) a year.

Some scientists at Gujarat Agriculture University disagree with Nazareth.

"We had such experiments conducted by so many, but none could sustain it for long," said Nanubhai Shah, a retired professor.

Shah said that India became self-sufficient in food grains only after its introduction in the 1960s of the Green Revolution, which relied heavily on fertilizers and a vast irrigation network.

Nazareth, though, counters that were his theory wrong, farmers in 41 Gujarat villages in five districts could not have produced such "remarkable results."

A farmer who has experimented with Nazareth´s formula said he has found the process smooth and reaped thrice the normal yield. "With no water around, this has come as a great boon," he added.

The Gai Vacharda farmers say they will continue to use Nazareth´s model.

Manath said his maize plants have survived flooding and now drought since Father D´Souza gave him a pro-biotic fertilizer tank.

Sabarkantha, a tribal-dominated area that grows cotton and maize, usually witnesses an exodus to cities when rains fail.

It faced its worst drought in 100 years this year, leading neighboring Rajkot diocese to buy water for the poor.

Father D´Souza said he stepped in a decade ago to stop people from migrating. "If some stay back, it will be an experiment worth investing in," he told UCA News.

The Jesuit began the pro-biotic experiment with 10 farmers, who he said agree that the results, despite recurring drought, have been "outstanding."

Father D´Souza added that if crop yields continue to increase, he will recommend the method "on a large scale" in the drought-hit area around him.

Several nurseries and gardens in Gujarat have now adopted Nazareth´s theory. His center has worked in 15 villages to help communities recover 490 hectares of land through afforestation.

END

Help UCA News to be independent
Dear reader,
November begins with the Feast of All Saints. That month will mark the beginning of a new UCA News series, Saints of the New Millenium, that will profile some of Asia’s saints, “ordinary” people who try to live faithfully amid the demands of life in our time.
Perhaps the closest they will ever come to fame will be in your reading about them in UCA News. But they are saints for today. Let their example challenge and encourage you to live your own sainthood.
Your contribution will help us present more such features and make a difference in society by being independent and objective.
A small donation of US$5 a month would make a big difference in our quest to achieve our goals.
William J. Grimm
Publisher
UCA News
YOUR DAILY
NEWSLETTER
Thank you. You are now signed up to our Daily Full Bulletin newsletter
 
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia