Story link: http://www.goodnewsindia.com/index.php/Supplement/article/holistic-farming
There are some who think that the hymns of the Vedas are irrational rants. At the other extreme are theologists who appropriate them all exclusively for Hinduism. But the majority sober opinion has it that the hymns express an integrated theory of the universe in sublime verse. At a minimum, there is no dispute about the rigourousness of mathematical theorems and solutions expressed in poetic form. So there was a time when art, science and spirit were together without being apologetic.
Separation of the spirit from the scientific may have come about in Indian life because of its encounter with the West. Agriculture too had to pay a price. An activity that was rooted in the veneration of the five elements of nature—the panchamahabootha— was splintered and the farmer became a yield extractor using products of ‘modern science’. We are not going into the politics of this debate. We are here to survey a whole clutch of developments that seek to redress the split.
A return to holistic farming is discernible in a series of connected trends. And because these are taking place in the West we may expect --and find-- clear how-to instructions shorn of fluff. Such a survey is relevant here because two whole generations of Indians have alienated themselves from traditional knowledge.
This survey is intended for them and not the great number of farmers who have remained close to proven knowledge. The idea of ‘modern farming’ never got to many, and several of those that did catch the bug, quickly did their sums and got back to ‘old’ ways. Almost everything we are going to say in English here will make ready sense to them. When ‘modern’ Indians become aware of the disconnection they have suffered they benefit society in many ways. For one, they view the unlettered farmer’s ways with kindlier eyes. For another, they become patrons paying a premium for his produce. Finally, they can persuade a farmer coming adrift to return to ways that endure.
Holistic farming is more than ‘organic farming’, the current buzz phrase. You have mostly done ‘organic farming’ when you have foresworn chemicals. Not enough to attain holism. For over seventy years, followers of Rudolf Steiner’s ‘Biodynamics’have been farming with an awareness of the cosmos. They believe it’s not enough to factor in the plant, its produce and its economics. You have to bring in the cosmos. A plant is a creature like you and me, not a mere photosynthetic mechanism. Steiner followers plant after consulting cosmic almanacs and care for the earth and not just the plant. They have also developed soil specific ‘remedies’ as in homeopathy.
If you are still here reading, it is not hard to make the leap to ‘homa farming’. The veneration of fire or agni was not due to any terror it held but because people believed it was central to clear minds, healthy bodies, cleaner environment—and profitable farming. The practice of ‘agnihotra’, is a simple but precise ritual; it has adherents across the world. Claims of benefit are somewhat staggering: “Anyone in any walk of life can do Agnihotra and heal the atmosphere in his/her own home. Thousands of people all over the world have experienced that Agnihotra reduces stress, leads to greater clarity of thought, improves overall health, gives one increased energy, and makes the mind more full of love. It is a great aid to drug and alcohol de-addiction. Agnihotra also nourishes plant life and neutralizes harmful radiation and pathogenic bacteria”. Here are precise instructions for practising Agnihotra.
Indians have genuinely believed music is auspicious, healing and can even bring down rain. They also believed animals and plants throve on music. Here’s an amusing American site that has taken the idea forward and is marketing it with panache.
American verve has been brought to bear on holistic agriculture on another front. Hugh Lovel was struck by the deplorable quality of food everyone ate. He wondered why there was “an intimate connection between fertilisers and pesticides”. Instead of dissolving fertilisers and applying them to the soil, if one caused living organisms to hold and release them as required, soil fertility would be sustained. Lovel was influenced by the Steiner thesis, but he felt there needed to be an easy-to-use applicator for soil ‘remedies’ developed by Steiner followers. His starting point was Galen Hieronymus’s Cosmic Pipe. Lovel’s Field Broadcaster is worth evaluating as an idea for Indians who wish to explore holistic agriculture. There is even a downloadable pdf file with construction details.
Exaggerated claims have often affected ideas originating in India. Theories couched in spirited poetry need to be evaluated rigourously if people would find then credible. The West is very good at clinical evaluation. Remember Benson’s work on meditation? For holistic farming, the Rodale Institute has run some definitive trials on over 300 acres for over 20 years. You can read its report here.
An Indian who has silently practised the Vedic way of holistic farming is Mohan Shankar Deshpande on his farm between Kolhapur and Belgaum. A mathematics graduate, Deshpande was inspired by a Sanskrit sloka in ‘Krishiparashara’. He took to ‘total’ or ‘Vedic’ or ‘holistic’ farming. After 30 years he is still at it quietly ploughing a lonely furrow. In Rajasthan Royina Grewal (author of “The Sacred Virgin”, a loving tribute to the river, Narmada) and her husband have been working on 30 acres of sand dunes in Rajasthan. They are holistic farmers too. You can read their story here.
V Lakshmi Narayanan longs to see more and more educated Indians take after Deshpande and the Grewals. He is a GoodNewsIndia enthusiast and has over time sent every one of the leads featured in this article. He beseeched GNI to carry these as ideas that a rapidly changing India needs. Narayanan is in fact a 35 year old, techno living in the US. Having had a great upbringing in India he is concerned that we are departing from our knowledge systems whereas the West is more aware. ‘I am fortunate to be in the US, where it is easy to buy organic produce. In India.. ?,’ he asks. You can contact him at
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Other useful India oriented links:
Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems
Navadanya