PUNE, India, April 11 (IPS) – Even when erratic weather and extreme temperatures increase pest infestation and affect harvest, a combination of traditional methods , integrated pest management through intercropping and multiple layers is helping farmers in the Ahmednagar and Aurangabad districts of Maharashtra, India.
The districts of Ahmednagar and Aurangabad in the state of Maharashtra, western India are semi-arid inland regions. Ahmednagar prone to drought with erratic rains. Aurangabad district is located in a water shortage area Marathwada region of Maharashtra. The average maximum temperature is high, and the region experienced severe drought in 2012 and 2014. With the exception of Godavari, there are no perennial rivers in the area. Farmers have a hard time during the summer months, trying to prevent the soil from cracking due to the intense heat. Irregular rain, with untimely downpours, exacerbates the attack of pests.
However, both districts lead the way in bean, maize and gram production. Since these crops are highly susceptible to aphids and fruit borers, high temperatures and erratic rains caused by climate change have prompted farmers to use a variety of chemicals to check for pest infestation.
This is where multi-layered farming using natural organic methods, integrated pest management and intercropping has proven beneficial to farmers in Gangapur, Shrigonda and Karjat. Gradually reducing the chemical content of their farms over three years, farmers are now opting for natural organic farming, with the help of technical expertise from the nonprofit Watershed Trust Organization (WOTR) and scientists from the WOTR-Center for Climate Adaptation (W-CRES).
The design incorporates a variety of vegetables and fruits grown in limited spaces. This means using trees and plants of different heights and maturation times side by side so that each depends on the other. Smaller trees grow under tall trees and give good yields, even tall fruit trees stretch out into the sun. It also ensures enough shade during the summer months to keep farms cool and conducive to growth. Water consumption is kept to a minimum by using a sprinkler that runs around the patch. This method also uses integrated pest management to control pests by choosing the right plants in a cluster, and natural pesticides, without the use of any chemicals.
W-CRES Senior Researcher Dr Nitin Kumbhar and Primary Researcher Satish Adhe explain: “Integrated pest management works at many levels. It works through a selection of natural and organic methods, trapping natural pheromones, intercropping (according to a formula we have developed) and the use of organic fungicides/insecticides that farmers use. farmers can easily do”.
A simple square design is used, where bananas are interspersed with marigolds, mangoes, corn and black (urads), and papayas are intercropped with black peppers, drumsticks and guava. Onions interspersed with ginger; tomato intercropped with spinach, pumpkin. Radishes are planted in a row, while cucurbits, lemongrass and coriander are grown on the outer slopes of the farm.
Coriander cilantro attracts pests. When attacked, the affected coriander stalks are easily discarded. Marigold destroys soil nematodes through its alkaloid roots and protects crops. It also attracts female moths that lay eggs on trees (leave other crops intact). Corn attracts beneficial insects such as ladybugs, which feed on aphids that destroy crops.
Integrated pest management also involves trapping pheromones to attract and destroy destructive pests. These traps can be used against leaf-eating insects, fruit borers, mealybugs, aphids, suckers or fruit flies.
For all crops grown on plots, it is mandatory to plant in the north-south direction. “This allows the plant access to sunlight throughout the day,” explains Kumbhar.
Once farmers have eliminated hybrids and opted for traditional ones, there will be less vegetative growth and less insect attack.
“Part of the problem with hybrids is more vegetative growth and softer stems. This makes it attractive to attacking pests. Traditional varieties are harder and can withstand the extreme temperatures common today due to climate change. It is not easy for farmers to lose their crops due to pests and diseases,” Kumbhar told IPS.
Dipali Bankar, the family owns a 3 acre farm in Ambelohol village in Gangapur (taluka) of Aurangabad district. A member of Savita Bachat Gat (Savita microfinance group), Dipali used her savings to expand the varieties grown on her family’s farm, using a layered model on a single plate. patch.
“Before that, we would plant cotton from June to October, Jowar in the summer, soybeans and pigeon peas in the monsoon, chickpeas and onions in the winter. Limited availability of water limits our options. In February 2020, I took the advice of experts from WOTR and started multi-layer farming on 4 gunthas (400 square meters of our land. We grow papaya, moringa (drumsticks) , bananas, mangoes, guava, lemons, figs, tomatoes, brinjal, peppers (curry leaves) and marigolds.Despite the closure caused by Covid 19, this family has made a substantial amount of money from the fruit. plants and vegetables are grown. Bankars has its first chili crop in April 2020 and has been selling a large amount every 15 days, helping the family earn Rs 15000 so far. Papaya ripens in 9 months, while bananas Fruiting after 8 months and Moringa fruiting drumstick in 7 months This helped Bankars earn Rs 70,000 from papaya, Rs 28000 and Rs 56000 from two banana harvests, respectively and Rs 40,000 from selling Although the market was closed during the closure, the family managed to sell through the local grocery stores and use the rest for their own consumption. projects part of his production in Surat and Mumbai, where he traveled after the embargo eased.
Sindhubai Ramnath Desai of Ambelohol village in Gangapur taluka in Aurangabad was skeptical. Initially, she chose to test just over 100 square meters, growing moringa, banana, papaya, lemon, mango, fig, tomato, chili, brinjal, lemongrass, spinach, coriander, curry leaves and sorrel . But the income was so substantial that she soon revised her views on raising multiple children.
“We made Rs 7000 from bananas, Rs 5000 from papaya, Rs 2000 from chicken thighs, Rs 1500 from chili and Rs 2000 from selling spinach after the first harvest, besides saving Rs 2000 each months when using vegetables and fruits for consumption”.
The Desais used to hire gaurs for their ranch – with the extra money they made, they bought cattle, which they fed with home-grown forage.
“Now we have one cow and two bulls. The special forage bags we now make, using jaggery, salt and (corn) forage grass, are very nutritious and have helped them produce good milk. Cattle love it too, as you can see,” she pointed to her cow, greedily gobbling up the contents of the forage bag from a feeding bucket. Now the family has decided to double the acreage of multi-layered arable land to 200 square meters (two gunthas).
Sangita Krishna Ballal and her family have grown cotton as a monoculture on their farmland until recently. Their fortunes changed when they chose to cultivate multiple layers on a single guntha tree (about 100 square meters). With chicken thighs, papaya, mango, guava, figs, lemongrass, cilantro, chili, lemongrass, melon, tomatoes, curry leaves, marigolds, water spinach and dill to increase income, family fortune begins head goes up. Lemongrass has proven to be an excellent money-maker, with factories regularly gathering it to produce aromatic essences.
Dipak Dattatraya Mandle and his wife Mangal Mandle of Mahadulwadi in Shrigonda taluka in Ahmednagar district found that among other achievements, marigolds were successful. With marigolds costing Rs 200/kg, sales during the festive season in September-October reach around Rs 7000/month.
Kavita and Aruna Bhujbal used the money they earned to buy livestock.
“We now have 20 goats, in addition to two buffaloes and seven cows (four Guernseys and three local breeds). We sold milk to local dairy farms. Goat milk is in great demand,” says Aruna. Others are redirecting their additional income to diversify into other livelihood options. For example, Kausar Sheikh used the money to expand her bracelet business, while Mira Mahandule and Sangita Popat Birekar started raising goats.
In this, FarmPrecise application developed by WOTR was of great help. A multilingual app, FarmPrecise helps individual farmers give advice regarding how much water, fertilizer, fungicides or pesticides to use for every crop and at what time intervals. Farmers are also taught organic recipes to stimulate growth and keep their crops pest-free.
For example, farmers use Bengal gram flour, jaggery, cow dung and cow urine to make Jeevamrut fertilizer, while Neemastra is made from neem leaves, cow dung and cow urine to make pesticides. Amrutpani (pesticide) spray, made from a mixture of neem leaves, Bengal flour, jaggery and cow dung. Dashaparni spray – a preparation using ten different types of leaves along with garlic, chili peppers, cow dung and cow urine is another useful biopesticide used as an insecticide and growth stimulant. chief.
A combination of traditional, time-tested methods and a modern application is helping farmers combat and overcome climate change, the latest disaster on the block.
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