17th IFOAM organic world congress and INOFO general assembly at South Korea

NOTE OF THANKS

Dear Jennifer and Dr. Suh Chong-hyuk,
Very very Thanks and congratulation for the successful INOFO and 17th IFOAM OWC.
Also, My special thanks to our convenor, Mr Miguel Braganza for giving us opportunity to have wonderful interaction and experience at OWC.
I am vikram Singh Rawat from Himalayan region of India.Besides attending various sessions, we could interact with farmers from all over the world. We had very comfortable stay at Hanwha Resort .Moreover, All the organisers were very friendly .
I am a farmer growing apples and 20 different kind of vegetables and having an association of 360 Farmers in this small area. we have formed various small groups in the cluster of five six villages and marketing our produce at 500 kms away at New Delhi.
I hope in coming years more and more farmers will be able to participate in such events. Please give us opportunity to reciprocate the hospitality, generosity and warmth you provided us in Seoul .
Thanks again,

Regards,

Vikram Singh Rawat
Karsog Valley Farmers Group
Kalasan Nursery Farm P.O. Marothi, Tehsil Karsog Mandi ,H.P.
91-94184-55027. 91-98160-05027

Organic Stakeholders Workshop –Organic Policy for Himachal Pradesh

Karsog Valley Farmers Group was invited to attend a one day workshop at Hotel Peterhof on 18^th of August to chalk out an Organic Farming Policy for the state of Himachal Pradesh by the Department of Agriculture of the state. OFAI-KVFG was represented by Vikram Singh Rawat and Ashish Gupta . The agenda of the meeting was to bring all stakeholders of the state and carve out a suitable Organic Farming policy for the state. The basis for the discussion was a draft vision document titles “Organic Agriculture in Himachal Pradesh” prepared by Dr. Tej Pratap Ex-VC of Himachal Agricultural University.

About 50 attendees were present for the meeting which was presided by Secretary Agriculture Ram Subhag Singh, Dr. Tej Pratap. In addition notable members were Dr. A.K. Yadav Director at National Center for Organic Farming, Dr. J.C. Rana Director Agriculture Department Himachal Pradesh, Manoj Menon Director at ICCOA, Secretaries of Department of Environment and Forests. The meeting ended with an address and endorsement by Prof. P.K. Dhumal Hon’able Chief Minister of the state.

The premise set was that Himachal government had increased investment in agriculture from Rs. 10-20Cr To Rs. 150-175Cr, in keeping with the requirement of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna. In addition a recent visit by the CM of the state to the World Bank set forth a surprising requirement by the bank that if the state could come up with a workable Organic Farming policy by September 2011 to be eligible for a grant of Rs. 1000 Cr. A request from a body like World Bank towards Organic Farming was a surprise to the members of the state. The state on its part had been keen to promote Organic Farming and towards that end had issued soil health card free of cost to all farmers and were keen to have complete coverage by end of 1 year.

It was suggested that since a large part of Himachal is forest land the department should take steps to have tracts of meadows, pastures and forest certified so as to have a large part of the state as default organic already. That will leave the farm lands to be certified over a period of time. The agricultural department was open to the idea of having parts of the state declared organic such as Pangi Valley so that there is no need for any chemical agricultural inputs even be sent to that part of the state.

The day was closed by comments from the Chief Minister of the state Prof. P.K. Dhumal who said that apart from the World Bank grant the need of the hour was to get Organic Farming going and that he too was from a small holding farm family. All departmental support was promised by the CM and it was mentioned that a nodal body under his control shall ensure other departments align their policies so that Organic Farming is given priority of implementation. It was mentioned that a recent meeting with Ernst and Young a marketing opportunity existed to sell organic garlic and apple is large quantities and when good quality produce is available people will they come to purchase and the state will not have to create any demand for it.

KVFG-OFAI had a keen and meaningful discussion and many suggestions made by the members were incorporated in the draft. The key points which were strongly advocated by us were –

 To remove premium pricing for organic produce. It was a basic premise that organic food gets a better price by virtue of its certification. This was removed from the original draft, it was explained that Organic food should get a premium, if at all, by virtue of its quality and not its certification.

 While there was no need for a separate subsidy by the government. To have a level playing field as compared to chemical farming organic farmers should be provided incentives in terms of availability of seeds, inputs and infrastructure.

 Good quality organic seeds and other inputs should be provided to Organic farmers through the government infrastructure. Research in fundamental areas of seed and soil should be done at public universities and knowledge bases should be created by the government in forms of call centres to the aid of farmers.

 Water is an important resource for organic farming and policies should be devised keeping rain fed and irrigated farmer separate. Also it should be ensured that downstream organic farmers get quality water in case of irrigated lands so that their practices do not get polluted by upstream farming practices.

 Marketing should be strengthened by the government such as infrastructure within the mandis to ensure separation of organic goods , organizing haats and making available space for retail available for sale of organic farming produce.

 In addition to creating necessary branding for produce sold through Himachal Geographical Indicators can be created out of produce of certain regions e.g. Kinnauri Apple, Pangi Rajmash etc.

 Making and incentivising producer companies for sale of organic produce and processing. This will help producers organize better and make marketing suitable directly by their companies.

 PGS is ingrained as an acceptable legal certification requirement for organic food marketed within state and national level. It was argued that PGS be restricted to sale of produce within the state. However, we suggested that the restriction be removed since there was national as well as international demand for PGS certified food.

Organic Farming Centre for PGS for the Himachal State is in Haryana. It is suggested that all organic farming related departments be institutionalized so that a formal model for execution be developed.

 Starting Diploma and certificate courses for Organic Farming in universities and institutions.

The points which could not be raised during conference.

There should be effective easily available organic substitute against All chemical farm inputs.

As suggested in the conference, Package and practice for organic farming will be devised by Agriculture University, but it is our belief that spray schedule for major cash crops should be circulated by the department as Organic Farming is based on the phrase “prevention is better than cure”. Generally farmers have tendency to cure the problem.

Organic is a way of life, It is just not a practice but a culture. Hence organic terms and terminology can be used in our lyrics to make it more penetrating.

In the proposed committee for the execution of Organic Farming there should be at least 40 % representation from Farmers ( actually organic Farmers, not just the nominated Representative ). Though, In Madhya Pradesh, OFAI has suggested more than 50% farmers membership in the Committee, meant to execute the State’s Organic Policy.

Organic Farming School on Jaivik Techniques and PGS in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh

OFAI secretariat of Himachal Pradesh organized a 3 day organic farming school in the Kinnaur District at Tailangi village near Rekong Peo from 9th of June to 11th of June 2011 with a visit to meet growers of the neighboring Sangla valley. The meeting was attending by about 40 growers of the region. The school was held with farmers of Reckong Peo, Kalpa and member of OFAI met grower from the Sangla valley as well.


District Kinnaur of Himachal Pradesh is a high elevation region with average height above 2000m above sea level. About 30% if the district is a high altitude cold desert with little or no vegetation. Average rainfall is low as compared to the state average and is usually around 800mm. The only source of water in the region is the pure flows of glacier melts with which this region is blessed. The forbearing peak of Kinnar Kailash 6050 m above sea level cools the entire region and provides for all the needs of water. Crop growing season runs from June to October in a year. Main cash crop is apple and dry fruits such as almonds, pine nuts, walnuts,wild apricots (Chulli). In addition people grow local varieties of buckwheat, barley, vegetables for local consumption.
Day 1 –

About 40 growers attended this 3 day session which was presided by Vikram Rawat and Ashish Gupta of OFAI Secretariat from Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. In addition two scientist of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK of Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture) Dr. Bhupesh Gupta (Plant Pathology specialist) Dr. Rakesh Sharma (Soil Scientist) presented at the meeting. Rather than this being a lecture session, it was an interactive session with farmers leading the discussion and explanations offered by OFAI members and scientists. The session started with the discussion about the idea of Jaivik Farming and how the structure of the market works. There was a common misconception that Jaivik Farming is done only for a better price in the market. It was discussed that the idea of profit could also be understood in terms of input cost reduction and hence increase in net profit this was accepted as a valid explanation by the growers.

Next the farmers needed information on how marketing is done for Jaivik produce. The PGS mechanism was explained. Firstly, how third party system works and the costs and expenses associated with it. Then It was explained how PGS work in the level of a community as well how transparent peer review could be used effectively to counter issues of non-compliance. In addition it was also explained how direct customer marketing could be achieved by linking with green shops across the country such that customers interested in buying organic food are made available at affordable prices. This was followed by a lunch session.
After the lunch session the farmers wanted to get some information on the idea of Genetically Modified foods. It was explained how genetically modified food may risk human health far more than any war or famine since the technology is not yet validated for food safety. A movie , “Poison on the platter” was played to drive home the point. After the movie session the growers were taken to a nearby orchard to have a live demonstration of the Biodynamic Cow Pat Pit compost method on how good quality compost can be made with cow dung at each farm and how this compost could help in improving humus in the soil and help in increasing water capacity. In addition biodynamic methods would increase helpful microbial activity in the soil as well as improve the vigour and health of the plants. This concluded the meeting on day 1.

Day 2 –


Day began with explanation on how Panchgavya can be formulated on each farm. The growers listened with intent and were happy to know that something which is easily available at each farm could be made as an effective decoction for use as a pest repellant and plant growth promoter. In addition the farmers were also explained the formulation of Sanjivak, which was an easy and effective alternative in case products of panchgavya were not available.
The session was followed by a lecture by Dr. Rakesh on how to effectively make and use vermicompost and how it can be used to effectively increase soil organic content manifold. He advised the farmers that if they use raw cow dung applied directly to the fields they might as well not use it at all. Cheap and local methods on making vermicompost heaps were discussed such as how could the heap be kept moist by using local pine needles as a covering over the heap. As well as that a suitable height for the heap is kept to no more than 1.5ft to allow good decomposition. It was also discussed that the current government subsidy in making pucca cemented vermicompost was a complete failure and farmers should not wait for any subsidy before beginning the composting unit.
In addition it was found that a type of Artemisia (locally Byur) a local weed which grows in high altitudes could be used as an effective pest repelling agent such as fleas. Methods to make a solution and filter it were discussed. It was also discovered that as per local people Artemisia had anti fungal properties and was also used to treat fungal infections in humans. OFAI members got some of the weed back at their farm to test extraction of the plant as well as discover its anti fungal properties.
After this the farmers needed information on how apples and other cash crops could be grown effectively. To this end Vikram Rawat of OFAI explained on how cultural practices such as mulching and vermicompost usage could effectively increase apple tree health. In addition, application of panchgavya could help in pest-repelling as well as provide vigor to the tree. This was followed with a discussion on apple specific techniques such as proper pruning practices, growing types such as central leader, spindle and vertical axis. A presentation on the same was shown to the growers. It was expected that growing trees in this manner could increase the per hectare yield manifold.
The day was followed by a visit to a nearby government owned orchard to see the condition of the trees and how terracing, mulching, pruning and other cultural practices could help in easy eradication of many of the problems faced by the growers of the region.


Day 3 –
OFAI members travelled to the lush Sangla Valley to meet growers and study model of sustainable agro-tourism. The members met with 32 farmers lead by Sh. VidyaKaran Negi of Sustainable Himalayan Development Movement who was a well known grower of the region as well as nodal person for promotion of farm home stays and Organic Farming. The farmers of Sangla valley grow herbs, flowers in addition to apples and other staples. Local varieties of wild buckwheat and barley are also grown. The area being beautiful as it was is also prone to frequent cloud bursts leading to heavy land sliding remnants of which were present throughout the valley. The shepherds of the valley leave for the fall months to graze their herds and also bring back with them some forest produce such as edible ferns, wild garlic and mushrooms. As it is that synthetic inputs are used sparingly by the farming community of the region however it was the endeavor of the group to completely avoid using the pesticides altogether.


The trip ended with meeting some specific growers of Himachal who had practiced Organic Farming with Third party certification but had not abandoned the movement since they could not sustain the yields and their orchards became susceptible to pests. Member of OFAI understood the problem to the likelihood of sudden movement towards organic farming from chemical farming. The growers were yet positive only if an effective marketing supply chain exists and were open to exploring the idea of revisiting Jaivik farming in case the environment is conducive for it.

More images of the visit -

Sabarji S Sabharwal, Shrila Agro Products

‘Northharvest’ is a non profitable group floated by Karsog Valley Farmers Group- a registered society for the welfare of the farming community. Mr SARABJIT S.SABHARWAL (DLI), N-248, Greater Kailash-1,, New Delhi-48 is one of the trader from Delhi who picked the material from our main collection centre at Churag.

Mr Rajender Kaushal, president, KVFG had meeting with Mr Sabhawal at his resort , He waived sixty five thousand rupees with intent to receive settlement amount of rupees one lac twenty five thousands only in single instalment in settlement terms it is called one time settlement(OTS).Rs 190000 was due and compromise was done on Rs 125000/ for vegetables supplied in May-Sep, 2009
But this is really a matter of surprise that instead of giving one cheque of the settlement amount he issued cheques of rs ten thousand each for every month till May 2012. First Cheque Dated 20/5/2011 presented by Mr Rajender and it bounced back twice .Second Cheque Dated 20/6/2011 again returned unpaid by the bank.

Now as per meeting of the executive member on dated June ,29, 2011. It has been decided in the meeting to recover the full amount of Rupees one lac ninty thousand from u and no amount will be waived.

Farmers of the area are being cheated this way , We(KVFG members) are also thinking to stage a DHARNA at his RESORT at Naldehra . The action will be completed within next 30 days after July 5th.The intimation of all the action shall be legally communicated to
Onkar Sharma, DC,Shimla, Sonal Mohan Agnihotri, SP Shimla. All the press and media shall be informed accordingly.

Farmers in distress and farming in stress.

Farmers of INDIA are still the second grade citizen of India and it seems that it will remain like this for a long time.

Recently a farmer friend of ours Sh. Ramesh Ganeriwal has had to go through serious tribulations against big non-Himachal corporates in just simply trying to save farmers standing wheat crop. All this happened due to a Micro Hydel project laid out by the "Raheja Group" of Gurgaon. This is a post of the details as analyzed by Sh. Ramesh. He has run from pillar to post with the executive wing of the state government giving up on him and leaving him no choice byt to fight a lengthy and costly battle in courts. This is what the plight of the farmers is in todays time. Thie following is what has transpired with the farmers of his region -

Direct Negative Impacts of Micro-Hydel Projects on Poor Farmers – A Farmers’ Perspective

Ramesh Ganeriwal, a Farmer

Unknown to most, Micro-Hydel projects in the hilly states like Himachal Pradesh are doing enormous harm to farmers in terms of either completely taking away the irrigation water or in some instances, changing the ever-flowing water schedules to that which suit the upstream power producers, thereby causing a great deal of disruption to the farming operations. This paper describes the plight of farmers, who are too poor and unorganized without the wherewithal to obtain redressal for the gross injustice that these relatively recent water diversions are inflicting on the farmers who have enjoyed the rights to irrigation waters for generations. The nodal agency designated by the H.P. Government, Himurja is less than forthcoming in providing requested information by the aggrieved parties to be able to monitor the compliance of stringent environmental and other norms imposed on the project builders and the operators.

Even the “run-of-the-river” projects, which every one imagines to be innocuous to ecology and human population, the water diversion causes dry or much lowered water level stretches of rivers/nallah’s that take away traditional water sources from the age-old water channels [called ‘kuhls’ in the local parlance], thus causing severe hardships on poor and marginal farmers. The 15% water “rule” that is supposed to be left in the river by the power producers is arbitrary and serious debate is the urgent need of the hour so that appropriate amount of water is provided in accordance with the irrigation water needs of the farmers – otherwise, the farmers are literally left “high and dry” without their day in the court! prospects of losing their standing wheat and other crops and have made an urgent appeal to the DC, Kangra for the immediate restoration of their water while the matter is taken up in appropriate forums. The following pictures show the river when the river was in full flow followed by a picture of dried “kuhl”

1. Introduction

2. Water Diversion Hardships imposed on the Farmers

3. Evasion of Statutory Information to be provided under the RTI Act

4. Efficacy of the 15% “Rule”

5. Conclusions

3.Evasion of Statutory Information to be provided under the RTI Act

This subsection illustrates an example of how a State Government agency, namely Himurja, stonewalls and evades request for legitimate information under RTI act. Exhibit I at the end of the paper shows the original request by a concerned social activist for the above project during its construction phase. Exhibit II shows the first response of Himurja to this request wherein the agency essentially denied this request under the guise of this information being “3^rd Party information” requiring the consent of the company. Exhibit II shows the stern follow up letter by the applicant saying that most of the information requested is public in nature because it deals with diversion of public goods. Finally, Exhibit III shows the final response where Himurja partially (and reluctantly) provided partial information while awaiting the consent of the project owner.

Such evasion clearly puts a question mark on Government’s sincerity in allowing independent as well as the aggrieved parties to be able to monitor the compliance of the norms that are imposed on the project builders to safeguard environmental and other sensitive issues.

4. Efficacy of the 15% “Rule

In the official circles concerned with issues of permitting water diversion for hydel projects, there appears to be a belief that there is a “15% rule” whereby the project builder is supposed to leave 15% of the water volume in the river for downstream users and can lift as much as 85% of the water.

The efficacy of this “rule” needs serious debate and consideration in light of the fact that most of the times, the downstream users are farmers who have enjoyed the rights to irrigation waters for generations. In the interest of fairness and justice, it is absolutely important a serious debate, involving all stake-holders takes place where all aspects of this conflict of water use is brought to the forth. On the face of it, it is clear that 15% water is not adequate for the farmers to maintain their traditional cropping patterns. Further, it must be investigated what the exact definition of this water quantum is – for example, if it is taken to be the average of the water flow over a year, then, it will absolutely not serve the farmers because the irrigation requirements are concentrated over certain time periods in the crop cycles whereas there is lot of overflow of water during rainy season for example. It would seem fair that the consideration of this matter begins with the actual water requirement of the farmer and then guidelines are developed to provide the “surplus” water to the power project. In these deliberations, it may evolve that there are potential water conservation techniques that will provide more water for power generation but the burden of financing and implementing those measures must not fall n the farmer, but rather, this investment should be Government’s and Power Generator’s responsibility.

5.Conclusions

Even mini- and micro-hydel projects, which were considered to be relatively harmless to the humans and ecology, are causing great deal of hardship and injustice to the farmers. The rules and regulations framed for diverting water for power generation are flawed and are not implemented and monitored properly. It is the urgent need of the hour for urgent actions at all levels of the Government so that the poor and marginal farmers are driven into further hardship and displacement.

Exhibit I The Original Request for Information under RTI

To

The Public Information Officer

Himurja

SDA Complex,

Urja Bhawan,

Kasumpti, Shimla-171009

Subject: To seek all information regarding Gaj II (Project #84 on Himurja list on the internet site)Raheja Hydel Power Pvt. Ltd. on Gaj River, Village Diyada (near Village Bhitulu), Tehsil

(1) Information Required: Kindly supply a photocopy of the entire file of the above referenced micro-hydel project. This RTI requests photocopy of all documents and correspondence starting with the application for the project site allocation, the MOU, Detailed Project Report, all Environmental Impact Assessments, all NOC's, along with any correspondence throughout the process from application 'till date. Please include all material concerning any objections raised by either Himurja, any other public agency, or from public.

(2)The applicant is not below poverty line.

(3) IPO number: 83E 033121 for Rs. 10 enclosed with this application.

Yours Sincerely,

Date: June 18, 2009 Atul Bhardwaj

Adarsh Bhawan

Shamnagar

Dharamshala,H.P.

Exhibit II Evasive Response by Himurja

Awareness camp for Solar Drying of Organic Agri. Products

Awareness camp at the office hall of OFAI, at kalasan Nursery Farm, Himachal Pradesh.

Demonstration of Finished Solar Dryer to the farmers of the area

Three days training programme was organised by H.P. state office of the Organic Farming Association of India at Kalasan Nursery Farm in Karsog. The training was given to the local carpenters for making wooden eco friendly solar dryer. Seven carpenters were trained from 28th of March to 31st of March.The training was concluded with a awareness camp on 1st April,for solar drying of Organic farm products. Dr R.K Agarwal of Environment Science department from Dr. Y.S Parmar University of Horticulture and forestry, Nauni was the main speaker for the topic. The camp was participated by 46 farmers of Gram panchayat kalashan,Dharmaur,Churag,Mahunag and Pressi of Karsog Block.The training and camp was sponsored by Him-utthan Pariyojana, Rattan Tata Trust, Dehradun.

Organic Agriculture and PGS in Bhutan

Bhutan Prime Minister’s priority is promoting Organic Agriculture and PGS for GNH

Three members of the Organic Farming Association of India [OFAI], Mr. Ashish Gupta, Mr. Vikram Rawat and Mr. Miguel Braganza visited Bhutan for the promotion of organic agriculture and PGS on the invitation by Samdrup Jonkhar initiative executive Tashi Ronald coleman and Dasho Tashi Dorji, The OFAI representative met with the Bhutan Prime Minister H.E. Jigme Y. Thinley on 25 February, 2011, during his visit to Samdrup Jongkhar town for the Mid-Term Review [MTR] of Bhutan’s 5-year plan to evaluate the progress of Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative [SJI] activities to promote Organic Agriculture and collective marketing groups. Dasho Tashi Dorji and ‘Tashi’ Ronald Coleman represented SJI for the meeting along with the OFAI Resource Persons from India in an interaction scheduled for 15 minutes but that lasted almost one hour due to the keen interest of the PM in organic agriculture that was to be also dovetailed into the tourism policies of this Himalayan country. The Prime Minister was flanked by the Finance Minister, Mr. Wangdi Norbu; Health Minister, Mr. Zonglay Drogba; Secretary for Agriculture, Mr. Sherup Dorji, and the Protocol Officer.

Speaking on behalf of the OFAI team, Miguel Braganza, Additional Director at the OFAI Central Secretariat in Goa, drew attention to the fact that Organic Agriculture was compatible with the Bhutanese national objective of Gross National Happiness [GNH] and the Buddhist culture of protecting all living creatures. Organic Agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soil, ecosystems and people, combining tradition, innovation and science, and it promotes fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved.PGS helps build Local Groups of organic farmers to achieve it. Poison-free food also reduced the pressure on the healthcare system by reducing incidence of ulcers, tumours, migraine headaches and cancers due to toxic chemicals used as insecticides, herbicides, etc. Thus OA has complete convergence with the objectives of GNH in Bhutan.

Ashish Gupta emphasized that organic agriculture was ahimsa in practice and this connect was understood by all the farmers immediately in Bhutan. The connect between spirituality and farming was emphasized as the journey from the “Soil to the Soul”. In addition to soil health, chemical-free OA also enhanced the health of the consumers. Since OA and PGS promoted local consumption of the organic produce, health of the organic farmers was also ensured as they are the first consumers. OA will promote a healthier nation. He also emphasized the urgent need for Bhutan to attain self sufficiency in the produce that it currently imports.

Vikram Rawat informed the PM and others that he was a farmer speaking from personal experience. In Himachal Pradesh, his apple-based production system also had other fruits and vegetables on the farm that catered to the market in Delhi. The Karsog Valley Farmers’ Group had about 500 farmers networked through a number of farmer-managed micro-collection centres and five bigger collection centres for locally produced exotic vegetables that were marketed collectively. He volunteered to help create similar capacities in farmers of a village that may be identified by SJI in Bhutan for collective marketing of organic produce.

oswal pumps ltd-most unreliable submersible pumps

I did a blunder when I bought oswal pumps for my lift irrigation scheme from M/s Devraj & sons ,Karsog.The first pump didn't work due to manufacturing defect. It was replaced by another defective pump.I lost 430 new imported apple plants as I was unable to irrigate these plants . Now I am going to sui the Karnal based company in consumer court not only for pump replacement but for my all damages and mental harassment .Before that I wish people come to know the reliability of company.


Here is the video at UTUBE for defective pump

Kalasan Nursery Farm, a view.

On spot training

Water conservation

Rajani with Lettuce iceberg

Four years old apple tree, scarlet spur on MM106 (photo taken on 15th june 2010)

" The NEST " Farm house and office of Karsog Valley Farmers Group

Awareness camp,at Karsog with Marc Caine, Mickey Foley on exotic vegetables and mushroom production

When Mr Ajay Srivastava and his family visited us on Holi, the day was also celebrated by planting Cedar (deodar)