Livelihood Augmentation in Rainfed Areas - Development Support ...

The difficulty with natural farming/Sajiv Kheti is that it that it is hard to practice. In
his own village, few farmers follow Save, euphemistically referred to as Krishi Sant
by farmers of the region (Box 6.5). The reasons are not far to find. Although termed
as the ‘do-nothing’ method of farming, natural farming is highly knowledge intensive
and calls for a close understanding of the natural processes as well as the agroecology
of the farm. It also calls for lifestyle changes and commitment to nature and
future generations. Such thinking is difficult to internalize in the present-day culture
of hankering after short-term gains.
Box 6.5: Krishi Sant: Saint Without Followers
As early as 1957, Bhaskar Save realized the long-term implications of chemical farming
and started experimenting with non-chemical methods. Over the next 30 years, he
developed and perfected Sajiv Kheti (living agriculture), the art and philosophy of an
indigenous method of natural farming.
In 1984, Ashok Sanghvi, an industrialist from Mumbai, requested Save to help reclaim
his wasteland, located in the same village. So impressed was he at the techniques used
by Save that he took upon himself the task of popularizing Sajiv Kheti. Save was happy
to take advantage of the support extended by his new partner.
According to Sanghvi, by 1994, they had received over 10,000 letters of inquiry from
India and abroad. Save and Sanghvi decided to make every Saturday a field day for
visitors. They also started accepting invitations to give talks at various farmers’ meetings
and public forums. Save argues his case both from a normative as well as pragmatic
view point: “It becomes our moral duty to leave behind soils in a living condition for future
generations to use.” Such a Sajiv Kheti can be practiced only with kindness and not with
cruelty or non-violence.” He is quick to point out the cost- and drudgery saving aspects of
natural farming. He also argues convincingly about the favourable, long-term economics
of his techniques.
In recognition of his achievements, Save has received various national and international
awards, the most recent being “ One World Lifetime Achievement Award” (2010) from
IFOAM, Germany. The farmers of Maharashtra informally conferred on him the title
of ‘Krishi Sant’ (agricultural saint). Strangely, the only followers of his technology and
philosophy are a handful of absentee landlords of Mumbai. In his own village, most
farmers continue to follow chemical-intensive methods. This may imply that although
Save has become a reference point for non-violent and clean farming practices, most
farmers still feel it will be too difficult to emulate him.
Source: Pastakia, 1998 and http://www.savesanghavi.com/awards.html (accessed Nov, 2010)
104 Livelihood Augmentation in Rainfed Areas: Volume I