By: HG Indulekha devi dasi
The word agriculture is derived from a Latin word ‘agri’ which means soil, and ‘culture’ means cultivation of the soil. In modern terms, agriculture comprises “the art and science of cultivating the soil, growing crops and rearing livestock”. From the beginning, man has been doing farming to cultivate their own food. The techniques that they used were fully natural and didn’t depend on any type of chemicals. Agriculture is as old as the Indian culture. Bhagavad-Gita, Rig Veda and Atharva Veda contain very specific details on agriculture like crop, cultivation, manuring, classification of herbs and different varieties of plants.
Since the beginning, India has grown its own food without chemicals and fertilizers, using the laws of nature and the products of plants and animals to aid soil fertility and build crop immunity. Agriculture- krishi, finds extensive mention in many vedic texts such as Krishi Parashara, Kautilya’sArtha-shastra, the Sangam literature of early Tamils, Manusmriti, Varāhamihira’s Brhat-Samhita, Amarakosha, Kashyapiya- Krishisukti, and Surapala’s Vrikshayurveda. These texts provide information about agriculture, horticulture, arboriculture and plant biodiversity.
Since crop production depends entirely on seasonal monsoon rains, it was imperative that methods of predicting rainfall were developed by Krishi Parashara, detailed techniques of forecasting rains, the main technique are based on the positions of the Sun and the Moon in sky.
Rig veda identified productive and non-productive soils. The Amarakosha described 12 types of lands in its chapter on Bhumivargaha, depending upon the fertility of the soil, irrigation, physical characteristics and crops mentioned in relation to the soils. Krishi Parashara – Authored by Maharishi Parashar, grandson of Maharishi Vashista, consists of two hundred and forty-three verses. This agriculture expounded in this text is such that the farmers would benefit by its application. Treatise includes observations on all aspects of agriculture such as meteorological observations related to agriculture, management of agriculture, management of cattle, agricultural tools and implements, seed collection and preservation, ploughing and all the agricultural processes involved right from preparing fields to harvesting and storage of crops. Panchagavya, a mixture of five cow products is a fermented culture of cow dung, urine, milk, curd and ghee. Studies have shown that panchagavya works as a bio-fertilizer, enhancing growth and productivity of crops while increasing resistance to diseases.
One can consider farming to be a complete system which includes inputs, processing, and outputs. The inputs here are seeds, fertilizers, machinery, which then undergo several operations like ploughing, sowing, irrigation, weeding, and harvesting. And thus, we get the final outputs like crops, daily food products etc.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines organic farming as a system of agriculture that creates a production system managed to respond to site-specific conditions that integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. That’s a long way to say that organic farming uses natural practices instead of synthetic ones to grow healthy crops by using resources that create healthy soils.
To store water, one may make some storage tank or pond. It will store the rainwater in it and there will be no shortage of water in the future. This will also help avoid exploitation of groundwater. Ground water is one of the sources of drinking water. But most of it is used in agriculture. For this we should give priority to the crops which demands less water. There should be a proper recycling method for groundwater. Traditional natural water sources like waterfall, kuhals etc are disappearing today. This is due to more industrialisation, increasing population, shortage of forests etc. So, try to plant more trees. More trees also lessen the effects of natural disasters like floods and other natural calamities.Water from natural sources could also be conserved .So, it could be used later.Drip irrigation is also one of the methods which can save 50% of water. Farmers should be aware of such techniques.
So, Agriculture is a prestigious profession to be adopted. A farmer feeds the world. This is the field where you give back to nature, as it has given you. Also it is a creative source of earning. At the same time, there are lot of medicines made from plants and natural herbs so this is a place for such business also. A good knowledge of such plants gives you a useful job.You don’t have to sit 24*7 on a chair. Just give a few ‘seasonal’ time to your fields and enjoy the rest of time with your family or friend
“Vedic civilization is arranged so that you keep some land and you keep some cows. Then your whole economic question is solved … If you have got excess, then you can trade, you can send to some place where there is scarcity. But every man should produce his own food. That is Vedic culture. You get a piece of land and produce your family’s foodstuf. As soon as one has land sufficient to produce, he is safe. His food problem—that is the real problem—is solved”. (Srila Prabhupada, Lecture in Geneva, June 6, 1974)
In the Vedic system one last step is required. All the food a family produces they should offer with love and devotion to the Supreme Lord before eating. This final step ensures that all the work performed will lead to spiritual progress and happiness.
Srila Prabhupada wrote in Teachings of Queen Kunti, “Simple Living and High Thinking is the solution to economic problems. Therefore, the Krishna Conscious movement is engaging devotees in producing their own food and live self-sufficiently so that rascals may see how one can live very peacefully, eat the food grains one has grown one-self, drink milk, and chant Hare Krishna.”
The problem is that modern agricultural practices emit far more carbon. In addition to emissions from tractor fuel, cow burps and petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides, common practices such as slash-and-burn, and even old-fashioned tillage, release carbon stored in plants and soils into the atmosphere. But minor tweaks to production methods—including planting cover crops, employing no-till cultivation, and converting to rotational grazing—begin to reverse the flow of carbon from the sky back to the farm.
Agriculture in everyday life is very important because it is the source of living. Agriculture is a profession which is most close to the nature. It gives us peace and satisfaction beside income. This will not only increase your income sources but also give you inner peace and happiness. In the 21st century we are once again going back to our roots and Natural Farming is gaining momentum once again.
“A Krishna conscious culture entails a varnasrama culture. They both go hand in hand. As long as we are embodied and living in this material world, we must respect and follow Krishna’s system of varnasrama dharma. After all it’s His system for the conditioned souls. Srila Prabhupada speaks of two sva-dharmas, one material, varnasrama dharma and one spiritual, devotional service to Krishna. Modern society is devoid of both and hence doomed to failure and defeat”.
– His Holiness HH BRS
“And organic farmer is the best peacemaker today because there is more violence, more death, more destruction, more wars, through a violent industrial agricultural system,” said Vandana Shiva. “And to shift away from that into an agriculture of peace is what organic farming is doing.”
Although there are many ways to farm today, taking the traditional approach makes it possible to offer consumers products that are free from harmful chemicals. The procedures required of farmers ensures that animal welfare is a top priority. This process gives consumers an opportunity to make conscious choices that support the environment instead of promoting long-term degradation.