The One-Straw Revolution - Multiworld India

all needed resources to grow plants. Human beings should watch closelyand the little they do should be done with great caution.In this sense, where on earth can rishi kheti not be practised? India isin fact a far better place than Japan to practise natural farming for twomajor reasons: one, we have a longer growing season and, two, a largervariety of flora and fauna. During his visit to Rasulia in 1987, Fukuokatoo agreed.We practised rishi kheti at Rasulia for about eight years. I can statewith full confidence that the community gained in every conceivableway. Let me first talk of the financial and material benefits.From day one our net gain from agriculture began to expand. In threeyears, our farm became a healthy producer of surplus and our net incomecontinued to improve till 1987 when I left. As an institution, FriendsRural Centre became financially self-reliant for the first time in ahundred years. We stopped taking money from QPS in London whichhad been the Centre's benefactor every single year since its inception.All this is fairly easy to explain. Our input costs had gone downwhile productivity had remained relatively high. By not using chemicalfertilizers and by selling the tractor we made a saving of at least Rs.50,000 per year. Our labour costs were less than before. Self-reliance incattle feed saved us considerable amount of money. Open grazing ofcattle improved their health, thereby reducing our costs on veterinarycare. Much expenditure was saved on seed and implements. Our totalproduction of grains and milk remained more or less constant, but themoney realised from their sale was higher.All this was, of course, not easily achieved. There were many bigand small failures, criticisms, and much strain. For instance, when weabruptly stoppedxvi