Hukumchand Patidar, a class 10 drop out from Rajasthan, will prepare organic farming courses for agricultural universities in India. A farmer from Manpura village in Jhalawar district of Rajasthan has been awarded Padma Shri in 2018 for his work towards promoting organic farming at his farm Swami Vivekananda Organic Agriculture Research Center.
He has also been a consultant to four agricultural universities of Rajasthan on the subject of organic farming. Patidar started organic farming in 2005, though his family and friends were against the fear of loss. He started organic farming in a small farm of 25 hectares. Now, he has helped convert his native village Manpura into a completely chemical free farm.
As per the IANS report, Patidar’s organic produce fetches him 40 per cent higher rates than crops grown by the traditional method of farming. He claims to use ‘Panchagavya’ or five elements derived from cows to improve soil quality and make crops healthier. School dropouts now earn millions and export products to Japan, Germany and Switzerland.
He is currently working on the modules to be covered in the curriculum. This includes natural and cow dung related agriculture which is currently in the works and will be introduced in schools, colleges and universities, Patidar said. “Our ancient texts and manuscripts have taught me facts on organic farming and I will share it with my colleagues on the panel,” he told the news agency.
He started organic farming after realizing that the traditional methods of farming were proving to be dangerous for the health of the people and the environment. “I realized that the productivity of the land is falling due to traditional agriculture, which uses chemicals and is damaging the soil and getting the crops toxic,” he told IANS.
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The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has now included him in the National Curriculum Committee because of his expertise in growing organic oranges, pulses, onions, coriander, and fennel, most of which are exported to Europe. They had taken a number of measures to increase the carbon cycle of their farm, and their land conditions “have become more conducive to the growth of microorganisms and insects that are making the soil fertile,” he said.
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