After science failed to address their problems, women cotton farmers in Punjab and Haryana decided to take matters into their own hands. The state has been struggling with the issue of whitefly pest attack since a long time. The pest attack harms their cotton produce and results in massive losses.
Initially, when the problem was acknowledged by authorities, scientists were called upon to deal with the issue. But despite their sincere efforts, whitefly pest attacks continued to trouble cotton farmers.
Some 100 women farmers started a campaign which aimed at spreading awareness about inexpensive and natural ways of harvesting. The basic idea was to mitigate the use of pesticides and/or chemicals on crops. These women farmers decided to opt for cheaper, natural, and more efficient ways of protecting their crops.
Today, state agricultural department has confirmed that farmers in more than 12 villages have adopted the pesticide-free method of farming. The ineffective and harmful pesticides have been replaced by a homemade spray which provides additional strength to standing crops.
An agriculture development officer, Surender Singh Dalal, started this method of farming and two years after his death, this style of agriculture became immensely popular. Dalal also helped farmers identify ‘friendly’ insects which did not harm the crops. Today, farmers have identified some 200 insects which helps them plan the plantation of crops.
The technique is much cheaper than using pesticides. With this technique, farmers can control whitefly attacks at just Rs. 500 per acre. This is way less than the amount spent on controlling whitefly attacks using pesticides, which comes to around Rs. 5000 per acre. Lastly, special ‘Khet Pathshalas’ are organized to educate and inform more farmers.
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