Agro Rangers

DETAILS OF THE PROJECT

In 2016, the average age of an Indian farmer was 50.1 years. This is worrying because the next generation of the current farmers is quitting the profession. According to the Census of India, every day 2,000 farmers give up farming and every 30 minutes one farmer commit suicide. 50 years ago, farmers in the village of Kendur (60 km from Pune) earned a decent livelihood. The income was enough due to high yields. Nowadays, soil depletion through the overuse of pesticides has decreased crop production significantly. In order to prove the root causes of the problem, we tested the soil of every farm in our village, as well as farms of 10 other villages under the government’s Soil Health Mission. The result was shocking: more than 90% of soil is nitrogen deficient, with an organic carbon of 0.6% (>2% is considered normal). Over the years, the topsoil has degraded, resulting in much less crop yield.  Kendur is a drought prone village and has an average annual rainfall of 250 mm-350 mm. Industrial farming methods are the main cause of soil degradation. Unaware of the correct dosage and ill effects of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, farmers unintentionally depleted the quality of their soil over a period of 50 years. With industrial farming methods, farmers are continuously forced to use specific chemical fertilizers, chemical pesticides, and GMO seeds. These methods have affected the health of people, by polluting the soil and groundwater. Biodiversity has also been hugely affected as these farming inputs continue to decimate insect, bird, and microbe populations. Microbe deficient soil cannot hold water. In several areas, even during rainy seasons, agriculture is suffering from drought. All these issues have resulted in loss of livelihood and poverty. 

Most children of farmers don’t have opportunities to get an education. Because of poor economic prospects, becoming a farmer is not popular among youth. The new generation prefers industrial jobs instead of farming and this results in less innovation and unsustainability in the farming sector. Opportunities need to be in place to provide future prospects for young generations so that the farming profession becomes attractive and respectable again. Farmers need to be educated about the negative impact of industrial farming and unlearn about the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. They need to be financially secure through alternative farming solutions. The image towards farmers in our society needs a change. There is an urgent need for more Integrated Regenerative Organic Farming solutions to make organic farming profitable and sustainable.

Through the introduction of regenerative organic farming, the project will restore the topsoil and over time, the groundwater level will be rejuvenated too. Agro Rangers will be experts in organic farming, and they will assure that no more harmful chemical fertilizers and nor more pesticides are used on their farms. These Agro Rangers will be brand ambassadors of our organization, so they will help us to create awareness among other industrial farmers. The goal is to make them independent of our organization and will run their regenerative organic farms in a sustainable way. 

To make Agro Rangers brand ambassadors, we want to create a model farm that will help us to convince farmers and consumers. We can show them the benefits of regenerative organic farming. This model farm will be used to train farmers and youngsters in different aspects of regenerative organic farming like rainwater harvesting, soil health, composting, dry farming techniques, organic fertilizers and pesticide making, intercropping and mixed cropping model, contour farming, conservation of native seed bank, agroforestry, etc. We believe that regenerative organic farming practices will build soil health by sequestering more atmospheric carbon. Soil has potential to store atmospheric carbon 4 times more than plants. Therefore, we are creating awareness amongst farmers and training them into regenerative organic farming practices to rejuvenate our soil and increases soil organic carbon by this methodology.