Traditional wisdom and modern innovation

Traditional farming sees the plant and the soil as one system. The soil, with farmyard manure, feeds the plant. Bacteria and fungi in the soil turn its nutrients into forms the plant can take in. In return, the plant feeds those tiny organisms through its roots. It is a partnership, not just taking from the soil.

Traditional farming is usually small-scale and closely tied to nature. Terrace farming is an example: farmers cut steps into hillsides to make flat fields, which stops soil erosion and saves water.

A striking finding: ICAR has recorded almost 5,000 traditional practices and tested over a hundred of them. More than 85 per cent were found to be supported by modern science, and could help reduce chemicals and improve soil health. Old knowledge, tested by new science, holds up.

Traditional farming follows natural cycles such as the ṛitu chakra (the cycle of seasons) and relies on the family and farm animals. Two examples:

• Kulāgar — from Konkani kula (family) and āgar (storehouse): a homestead farm where a family grows many crops around its home, common in the Konkan plains of Goa.
• Gokṛiṣhi — cows give manure and bullocks plough the fields.

A big turning point was the Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. It brought:

• high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds, which give a much bigger harvest;
• more irrigation;
• chemical fertilisers and pesticides;
• farm machines.

Food grain production — especially wheat and rice — rose sharply, and India became self-sufficient in food: it could feed itself. Agriculture became the 'backbone of the Indian economy'. The scientist who led it, M.S. Swaminathan, was awarded the Bharat Ratna.

But over the decades the problems became clear: the soil grew poorer, groundwater was used up, pesticides and fertilisers polluted soil and water, and the health of people and animals was harmed — scientific studies have linked it to more cases of cancer in rural areas. More and more scientists ask whether this kind of farming can go on (whether it is sustainable).

So today people are trying to combine modern productivity with traditional wisdom. Organic farming avoids chemical fertilisers and pesticides, using compost, seed cake and manure, and neem-based pest control. Sikkim became the world's first 100 per cent organic state, banning chemical fertilisers and pesticides in 2014. The UN's food organisation (FAO) has recognised three special farming systems in India: saffron farming in Kashmir, forest-linked farming in Odisha, and Kerala's below-sea-level farming that combines crops and fishing. The challenge is to find the right balance.