Gorakhpur (UP), Mar 25 : In what can be termed as agricultural boom, a group of women in Bahrahmpur village in Gorakhpur have started manufacturing organic compost in their houses, which now appear like mini factories in every nook and corner of the village.
In what can be termed as agricultural boom, a group of women in Bahrahmpur village in Gorakhpur have started manufacturing organic compost in their houses, which now appear like mini factories in every nook and corner of the village.
They felt that chemical fertilizers did more harm than good to their cropields and shifted to making organic compost in their own houses for use in the fields.
The movement has spread to the adjoining rural areas of Gorakhpur district where more than one thousand homes are making organic compost.
"Chemical fertilizers used to make our lands infertile. When we started using the organic compost, the fertility has increased. Now, we make our own manure and bio-pesticides at our homes and use it in our fields," said Prabahvati Devi.
The blend of ingredients includes earthworms, vegetable wastes, and fodder. They are put in a tank and sprayed with water. The mixture turns into organic compost in three-four weeks of time.
The use of organic compost has not only helped in improving crop yields but also saved money. The farmers used to incur on chemical fertilizers. Moreover, it has benefited financially the organic compost producers who sell the worms that are left after compost is made at about 500 rupees per kg and also the surplus manure at five rupees per kg.
"They (villagers) noticed that dependency on fertilizers was increasing. Besides, expenditure was also rising and gradually the production was also falling. The rationale of buying and putting the fertilizers was not matching with the amount of yield that was produced. So to reduce the expenditure and to increase fertility, they started manufacturing organic compost," said Ram Nivas, Convener, Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group.
The village women, who make the organic compost, pointed out that extensive use of chemical fertilizers had not only adversely affected the soil fertility but also spread diseases among humans and cattle.
It has been a win-win situation for these villagers who introduced the innovative method to better their lives By Vipul Goel (ANI)
© 2007 ANI
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