Article courtesy : http://indiatogether.org |
Meghnath Bhattacharya and Bijoo Toppo have won two awards at the 58th
National Film Awards announced earlier this year. One of them is for Loha
Garam Hai, on the ill effects of
industrialization on environment, health and livelihood. The other one
is for
Ek Ropa Dhaan, declared the Best Film on Agriculture.
The 26-minute film traverses the fields of Bihar to explain, educate and
promote a new technology in paddy cultivation that the locals have
given the
name Ek Ropa Dhaan from which the film borrows its title. The
film takes a look at the basic problem of food . the first of our
survival needs -
and points to a way of solving the problem, known as the System of Rice
Intensification (SRI), to boost agricultural yields. The advantages of
this
relatively simple technique is that it needs less fertilizers, seeds,
insecticides, labour and most importantly, much less water than is
needed in
normal modes of cultivation. The water needed is only about one-third of
what is used in the traditional system of growing paddy.
The opening frame of the film shows a green farming field, with a
voice-over explaining the acute scarcity of food, mainly among the
farming
population. One of the farmers interviewed in the film says that most
farmers produce less than subsistence levels and can barely live for
three months
out of what they normally produce. The Ek Ropa Dhaan technique has bettered their lives in a significant way. This farming method was introduced
by a Catholic priest, Father Henri de Laulanie, in Madagascar, around 25 years ago.
The exorbitant prices of fertilizers, seeds, irrigation, electricity and
labour have adversely affected any possible profits from farming.
However, an
increase in productivity does not always require higher investment. Farm
yields can be enhanced by improving the methods of cultivation - and
this is
precisely what the film points out.
One striking feature is the proliferation of the woman's voice
throughout the film. Kunti Devi, who has adopted this method for her
farm, smiles into
the camera and proudly claims how numerous farmers took her example to
adopt the SRI method and got very good results. There are dozens of
rural women
who not only look after their own farms but also spread the message and
help.
In India alone, farmers in more than 100 districts have begun using the
SRI method. In Gaya district, Bihar, this method of cultivation has
taken the
form of a mass movement. The whole district is reverberating with
different sections of the people discussing SRI and the success stories
of many
women, who have adopted this method. More than 35 countries have adopted
this revolutionary method of paddy cultivation.
Some important features of the SRI method are:
-
The paddy seeds have to be treated before sowing.
-
For each acre of cultivable land, four nursery beds of 20 x 4 ft each have to be prepared.
-
18-15-day old seedlings are transplanted using this new technique
-
The principle of one seedling per hill is used in the transplantation lending itthe local name of ek ropa dhaan.
-
10-12-inches are maintained from plant to plant, and row to row.
-
A specially designed weeder is used for the weeding.
These methods are explained in detail graphically as well as through
voice-overs and interviews with an agricultural scientist, a district
magistrate,
an agricultural activist and other pioneers who are working to help
small farmers make a living with dignity. Instead of first educating and
persuading
the big farmers to use this technology, this movement begins from the
small and marginal farmer and moves upwards where big landowners and
farmers take
the example of practicing the method of cultivation.
The SRI technique of paddy cultivation can go a long way in providing an
effective answer to the challenges of sustainable agriculture and
addressing
food security concerns.
Our ancestors worshipped food, and did not see it merely as a commodity
to be sold in the market. Today, however, agriculture in India is
passing
through a crisis. Farming has become a loss-making proposition. Ek Ropa Dhaan
shows one way of resolving this crisis. Scientists, agriculturists
and others are convinced of the effectiveness of SRI method. This method
of root intensification has also been successfully introduced in other
crops
such as wheat, sugar cane and vegetables.
The film is aesthetically expressive too without being too pedantic or
filled with advisory oratory. The visuals capture the beautiful mosaic
of Nature
blue skies and green fields - and local women in colourful cotton
saris, their hair sprinkled with vermillion dotting the picturesque
canvas
beautifully. The music track runs like a living constant throughout the
film. The commentator often retreats to allow local voices to express
themselves freely in their local dialect. Towards the end, the music of a
popular Bengali folk song famously sung by the Indian People's Theatre
Association long back fills the sound track meaningfully because it is a
farmers' song.
The film drives home the point that an increase in productivity does not
always require higher investment. Farm yields can be enhanced by
improving the
methods of cultivation. That changing the method of cultivation from
broadcasting to transplanting will dramatically change the yield of
paddy is
common knowledge today.
The citation from the jury said "A succinct and well-researched film
that looks closely at an innovation in the farming of rice." What do the
directors
have to say? "It is nice to get national recognition," beamed Biju
Toppo, also a cinematographer. Meghnath adds, "It is more important to
spread the
message. Our films have been screened by universities in Germany and
Denmark, but Ranchi University didn't bother. This could be a very good
film for
use in agricultural colleges and institutes of agricultural technology."
source: indiatogether.org
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