URVARASA (“Procuring Fertile Land” in Sanskrit)
Urvarasa is a project that seeks to partner with farmers who volunteer and uphold a set of guidelines established by Jeeva Bhavana (see below) to grow their crops and link up conscious consumers seeking fair-trade of sustainably-grown,exploitation-free, healthy food.
• By fair-priced, we mean that farmers are duly compensated for their know-how, their labour and conscious farming practices.
• By sustainably grown, we mean that farmers take seriously their role as guardians of seeds and soil health; they use no chemical inputs and minimise external/bought-out inputs thereby adopting more “natural” farming techniques. This also entails minimum use of heavy farm machinery, possibly none. The cropping patterns chosen are the most suitable for the local soil, water and climate conditions.
• By animal-friendly, we mean that no animal living on the farm is ever bred, exploited, or sent to slaughter. Even when they grow old, the animals are given life alongside their human caretakers who ensure that their basic, species-specific needs are satisfied until their natural death. Natural farming techniques often make use of cow manure and urine as fertilizers; there is nothing amiss in making use of animal waste to maintain soil fertility as long as no animal is exploited.
• And by healthy food, we mean whole plant-based food that is as good for human health as it is for environmental health.
Transparency is the foundation of trust. To that end, Jeeva Bhavana will ensure that those farmers who adhere to the Urvarasa charter and sell their produce under the Urvarasa label, firmly comply with the guidelines. For each farmer interested in joining our ranks, there will be an in-depth interview and an initial review of the farm and farming practices. Every so often a team member will visit the farms, not to police the farmers, but to ensure that the farmer continues to respect the guidelines and seek out inadvertent errors or oversights. Honest mistakes are bound to happen but will be reduced to a minimum as farmers learn the value of the conscious, nurturing and holistic approach embodied in the charter. However, any farmer who deliberately disregards the charter will no longer be able to sell their produce using the Urvarasa label.
In its initial period, Jeeva Bhavana intends to launch Urvarasa with a select group of farmers in a manageable area to ease the coordination with farmers and to work on establishing suitable and reliable distribution channels for their produce. Jeeva Bhavana can thus stay closely in touch with the farmers in the group and be able to troubleshoot the challenges that may arise during the project’s initiation. After the success of this first phase, we plan to fan out to farther areas and attempt to reach the distant corners of this big country. Based on our initial work with farmers, we are convinced that the benefits reaped by farmers adhering to Urvarasa’s charter will enthuse the farmer to pursue this natural, more ethical practice of farming. Initial success stories will attract more farmers’ groups to adopt Urvarasa’s guidelines.
Concurrently, Jeeva Bhavana actively works with the public to inform them of the benefits of consuming products that are both healthy and ethically produced: products that are good for the growers, for the consumers, and for the animals on farms, and in fact, the entire wider Environment. We inform consumers that their food choices come at a slightly higher price than otherwise, and we stand convinced that every value-conscious consumer will appreciate that the price paid for healthier, more sustainable and more ethical food is their most important investment.
Jeeva Bhavana is an environmental non-profit. We aim for a world in which animals are no longer bred into existence for human purposes and where all animals can live free from exploitation, harm and death at human hands. However, we are completely aware that attaining that world requires a transition period. We recognise that for a plethora of reasons today, many Indian farmers rely on animals in their agricultural practices. Bovines are particularly used for bio-manure, for cow-dung/urine-based pest-control and also for traction.
While Jeeva Bhavana advocates for no-tilling techniques as the ultimate good practice, we understand that farmers who currently rely on bullocks to labour their fields cannot stop this practice overnight. Most old-school farmers also display a remarkable sense of understanding towards their animal labour and their mutual bonds are often palpable. Driving bullocks out of the system is no solution, as the animals would likely go to slaughter straight away. Replacing animal ploughing with heavy tractors is also harmful to the soil and the environment and may require unaffordable bank loans and interest payouts. These are larger evils and Jeeva Bhavana stands firmly against them.
At this moment in time, cows, and bullocks (sometimes other large & small animals) are an integral part of natural farming practices. As such, we must ensure a healthy, safe and non-exploitative relationship between the animals on the farm and the farmer. Any farmer who commits to not interfere with the animals’ natural functions and needs, and treats the animals with the respect that is due to all individuals of any species, becomes an eligible candidate for using the Urvarasa label.
Along with every step of the conception and growth of the Urvarasa label, Jeeva Bhavana has worked in close collaboration with organisations dedicated to allied causes.
Punarbharan Foundation, a registered non-profit organisation. Their approach to groundwater conservation & advocacy takes the soil health and biodiversity route. Punarbharan means “(groundwater) replenishment” in Hindi. Realising that soil toxicity leads to hard-panning, the founders aim to move farmers away from chemical farm practices and switch over to natural farming, with an emphasis on cultivating native varieties of crops to reduce water dependence and improve climate resilience.
By integrating a pillar of Jeeva Bhavana’s vision – the elimination of animal exploitation – the Punarbharan Foundation seeks to move closer to the essence of environmentalism. To this end, robust, dependable direct-market linkages have been cultivated over the past years for several farmers by creating a demand within the urban community (in Pune) for farm produce grown using “nature-friendly” farming practices. The founders of both organisations share a history of interacting with farmers; assisting farmer communities to establish a cyclic, independent, self-sustaining model of farming; and a track record of creating dependable consumer circuits for farm-produce. These are all invaluable assets for the success of the Urvarasa label.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of the guidelines for farmers:
✔ Farmers will understand their role as caretakers of the animals currently living on their farm and treat them with respect. This means:
1. The animals, though domesticated, will never be bred; but would be allowed to exist with dignity.
2. If bullocks are used to labour the fields, they will only work within their capacity, to keep them active and within healthy limits. The rest of the time, they will be left untied and have ample food, water and shelter at all times.
3. Cows present on the farm will never be milked. An initial exception lasting a certain finite duration could be made for home consumption, but milking for commercial purposes shall have to be stopped right at the outset.
4. Calves will never be separated from their mothers.
5. A single (or a minimal number of) cow or bullock is sufficient for tens of acres of land if the farmer is using dung and urine for fertiliser. There is no problem if more are present, as long as the previous guidelines are followed.
6. A farmer having no animal of their own shall be encouraged to not seek animals just for the sake of manure but to adopt better composting techniques using the leaf litter and biomass available on the farm.
✔ Farmers will understand their role as caretakers of the ecological balance on their farm and treat it with respect. This means:
1. Farmers will transition to low-till farming and aim towards no-till farming eventually.
2. Farmers will use absolutely no chemical inputs, nor any inputs coming from outside their farm.
3. Farmers will replace water-intensive crops with crops that require low water usage.
4. Farmers will put into place rainwater harvesting systems under the guidance of the Punarbharan Foundation.
✔ Farmers will understand their role as caretakers of their own and their family’s nutritional health. This means:
1. Farmers will learn the basics about nutrition and the importance of good nutritional health for themselves and their families.
2. Farmers will dedicate one acre of their land to plant and grow a food forest, ensuring the perennial availability of seasonal fruits for their household.
3. Farmers will dedicate a portion of their land (minimum 2000 sq ft) toward cultivating a home/kitchen garden with a diversity of nutritional crops for their household.
Jeeva Bhavana, together with Punarbharan Foundation and other partner organisations overseeing Urvarasa, will be responsible for putting in place market and consumer channels for Urvarasa farmers. To that end, we will educate and inform consumers about the importance of:
1. Supporting natural and ethical farmers.
2. Consuming foods that are healthy and nutritious, grown with the greatest attention given to environmental sustainability.
3. Striving towards a waste-free lifestyle.
4. Participating directly in farmers’ well-being and positively impacting agricultural communities.
Aside from regular onsite monitoring Jeeva Bhavana and partners will organise and/or oversee various programmes for the betterment of farmers’ health, finances, practices, and such:
✔ Online Workshops:
1. Financial Management
2. Health Talks
✔ Onsite Workshops:
1. Training on good soil, water and crop practices
2. Crop resource management: green manure, biochar, green manure crop covers, no-till farming, plant-based alternatives for disease control, etc.
We plan to also create personalised farm-specific calendars for farming activities on individual farms, and find channels of distribution and marketing for farm produce and other value-added products derived therefrom. We also aim to organise farm visits to encourage direct relationships between consumers and farmers, creating a direct link between what we eat, and how it is grown and rekindling the invaluable annadata bond.
Finally, we aim to document each step of the process so that the Urvarasa model can be replicated in other farming groups in Maharashtra and subsequently across the country.