Send in your write ups:

Maati.com Editorial team is on the look out for industry experts/consumers/enthusiasts to write on their experiences with Nature. Organic produce, Natural foods, Great eco-getaways- anything. We'll feature the article on the site- and you can have your 15 minutes of fame (well- the fame might be forever, because we won't pull off the article in a hurry- if its good!)

Articles on Real life experiences:

• Organic farming : a tool for social and ecological development of Indian Arid zone by Arun K Sharma of Jodhpur, India

"... Although this region is rich in term of organic input availability e.g. animal manure, botanicals (neem, calatropis, karanj etc.), natural minerals (gypsum, rock phosphate), yet the research and development on the efficient and integrated use of these inputs is the need of the hour to get the advantage of the market of organic produce, besides long term sustainability..."

• Read the fascinating Story of "Kasbai Rice" by Venkat Iyer

"...The mere mention of Kasbai and Devu Handa drifted into the past. His eyes turned dreamy and with a tremble in his voice he told us how the entire village at one time grew only Kasbai. He said, "There was a time when people passing our village during lunch time would be forced to stop and ask for a meal. Such was the alluring aroma of Kasbai." The entire area would have this heady aroma hanging in the air as all the houses cooked the same rice. Today he said he had to force himself to eat rice. It was so insipid and tasteless! "

Send in your articles on life(at)maati(dot)com

Trivia

Trivia Source: Times Of India Online

PUNE: The growth possibilities for Indian agriculturists through organic farming are tempting. The current global market is estimated to be worth $26 billion, set to grow to $102 billion by 2010. It is an inviting opportunity, especially for exporters. And there are parts of the country where this can be promoted without compromising national food security, a White Paper by the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), released here today noted.

By one estimate, India has 2,775 hectare of land under organic farming. This amounts to about 0.0015 per cent of its cultivable land mass. The sector is plagued by high cost certification processes and there are 1426 certified organic farms, producing 14,000 tons of produce. Of this, 11,925 tons is exported.

The White Paper notes the twin objectives of the move towards organic farming: sustainability and environmentally benign. Strict rules and standards have been evolved to meet these conditions. However, the current situation in which the productivity is lower using organic means is due to constraints its practitioners have put on themselves, the White Paper notes.

Recommendations which emerged from a workshop in New Delhi last November, on which the White Paper is based, include the development of an integrated plant nutrient supply system (IPNS) involving organics, inorganics and bio-fertilisers. Sustainable productivity requires a combined use of organic and inorganic sources of plant nutrients.

It has recommended that niches need to be identified for organic farming which should be practised in regions not so well endowed rather than in resource-endowed regions.

A worrying trend has been noted, of the reducing amounts of
organic manure availability at affordable costs. Increasing
mechanisation has led to a further reduction in the availability of manure with farmers, a problem set to become more acute in the future. Hence, post harvest residues must be used to the fullest extent and the mindset of farmers should be changed regarding the use of non-traditional organic sources like slaughter house waste.

It has recommended that organic farming should be practised
in low volume,high value crops like spices, medicinal plants, fruits and vegetables.

Since certification isa critical issue, farmers should be made aware of the stringent phyto-sanitary measures which apply to this sector. Adequate provision should be made for the grading, packaging, storage and transportation of this produce. Marketing outlets on the lines of milk unions could be established.

Questionining the popular consumer perception of potential health benefits of organic foods, the White Paper has suggested in-depth research into this area.

Agri Business Incubator

ICRISAT (International Center for Research on Semi Arid Tropics), Hyderabad has recently started Agri Business Incubator.

The aim is to provide entreprenures with technology, infrastructure, management support to commercialise their novel ideas.

ABI has linkages with nation`s and world`s well known research institutes so it is one stop shop to provide every thing from inception to marketing.

SO if you have any novel idea in any facet of agriculture and if you want to incubate it, this is the most suitable place.

All members are requested to spread the word among society so that we can benefit a idea to become reality.

Anyone who is interested plz contact Prashant, giving reference of www.maati.com on this mail ID:

prashantec@sify.com

Sub: Reference www.maati.com

Earlier Trivia

Organic Workshop in December 2004

Organic Workshop in December 2004 SNS Foundation, Gurgaon, is organizing a 4 day training program on `Organic Farming- Production, Certification and Marketing’ between 25th-28th December 2004 that aims at training about 100 participants – farmers, NGO functionaries and grass root activists- from Haryana, Punjab & Himachal Pradesh.

The objective of the program is to train the participants in organic farming techniques and to familiarize them with certification and marketing procedures. On December 28, the participants will be taken for an exposure visit to Grewal Farms, Sirsa, Haryana.

The resource persons will be eminent people from the field of sustainable agriculture such as Dr Sultan Ismail, Chennai, Dr Priti Joshi, Wardha, Mr Umendra Dutt, Punjab etc, Dr Prabha Mahle, Naturland, Mr HS Grewal, Sirsa etc.

NGOs/activists/opionion leaders/ trainers committed to promoting organic farming at grass roots level in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are invited to send in their applications to Deepta for participation (at the address given below or by email), giving brief information about their background, work and organization (if applicable). The programme is sponsored by CAPART, National Horticulture Board and SNS Foundation (Anand Group of industries).

Interested people can contact (giving the referance of Maati.com) at:

SNS Foundation,88-89, IDC, Mehrauli Road, Gurgaon- 122001 Email: deepta@snsf.com

(This information is through a Group post by Ms Nivedita Varshneya)

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