Did you know that the concept of Organic Farming actually originated in India?

Now let’s go all the way back to 1500 BC…the Ancient Indians craved the “Sweetness of soil and atmospheric water”, as mentioned in various studies by historians and scholars. They essentially believed that Plant Fertility was dependent on three aspects, namely

These tenets are pretty much what makes up the foundation of today’s Organic Farming!

The Vedic Indians adopted manuring by using excrement from animals and cow dung pretty much was the manure used abundantly. Green manure like the husk of Barley and blossoms of Sesame were used to purify the soil and Terminalia Arjuna wood husk was used for nitrogen fixing by these ancient farmers.

The Vedic farmers also understood the importance of Crop Rotation- primarily between legumes and grains, that meant that these people knew about the nitrogen fixing ability of legumes, that would enrich the soil.

They practiced rainwater harvesting and had elaborate devices that would help pour water into streamlets from the wells. One such as example is water being lifted by wooden buckets or “droni” attached to a stone wheel. The Rigveda mentions a similar technique using earthen pots, described by Arthashashtra as “Udghatam”!

Researchers have even mentioned the use of Ghee or Clarified butter and honey as pre- seeding fertilizers.

Now, in 1905, The British Empire sent an eminent Botanist, Sir Albert Howard, who became the first westerner to document the Vedic techniques of sustainable agriculture, which later came to be known as Organic Farming. He himself admits to have spent a lot of time learning from Indian peasants and the pests present in their soil, whom he called his “two professors”.

Howard observed and came to support traditional Indian farming practices over conventional methods. Even though his initial motive was to come and teach the Natives Western Farming techniques, as Cotton and Indigo were hugely important to the British Empire’s economy in those times, he found that he had more to learn here than to teach! He observed the relationship between between healthy soil and the villages' healthy populations, livestock and crop. Patrick Holden, Director of the UK Soil Association quoted Howard as saying "the health of soil, plant, animal and man is one and indivisible." He was president of the 13th session of the Indian Science Congress in 1926.

Howard has been credited with title “the father of modern composting”, for his modification of a traditional Indian composting system into what is now known as the "Indore method".

He went on to document and develop organic farming techniques, and spread his knowledge through the UK-based Soil Association, and the Rodale Institute in the US. His 1940 book, An Agricultural Testament, is a classic organic farming manual. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining humus, keeping water in the soil, and the role of mycorrhiza. It was his first book aimed at the general public, and is his best popularly known work.

His 1931 book "The Waste Products of Agriculture", based on 26 years of studying improved crop production in Indian small farms, is considered by some as his most important scientific publication. His 1945 book "Farming and Gardening for Health or Disease"was republished in 1947 as The Soil and Health: A Study of Organic Agriculture. Howard's work influenced and inspired many farmers and agricultural scientists who furthered the organic movement, including Lady Eve Balfour (the Haughley Experiment, The Living Soil) and J.I. Rodale (Rodale Institute).

Howard advocated studying the forest in order to farm like the forest. He deeply understood the symbiotic relationship between farming and Ecology, and advocated a balance between the two systems.

It’s time now that we realize the importance of our Organic Heritage and embrace the Organic Agri- Lifestyle if we really want to save our environment and ourselves. The passing of time has shown us that the huge dependence on GMO crops and Chemical based farming ushered in by the so called “GREEN REVOLUTION”, has in fact hurt our soil, polluted our water reservoirs, caused mass desertification of erstwhile cultivable lands and added to our population’s woes with ever rising cases of dreaded diseases like Cancer! Be safe, be responsible, go Organic.