Kashmir’s Anantnag district is well known for its lofty mountains with snowy peaks, candy waters of its springs and streams, whereas apple and walnut orchards have been dotting its fertile valleys for many years.
Nevertheless, indiscriminate utilization of chemical fertilisers and pesticides began degrading soil high quality and water our bodies within the area. “Whereas farmers relentlessly used chemical substances to get extra manufacturing in much less time, it progressively destroyed our soil to an extent that it began shedding its richness,” Abdul Ahad Lone tells The Higher India.
Abdul’s household was amongst one in every of these farmer households till 2002 when he transformed his 40 kanal (5 acres) land into an natural farm. To realize this, the progressive farmer realized to make vermicompost – worm manure that enhances soil construction, fertility, and drainage.
With vermicompost, not solely did Abdul enhance his farmland fertility but additionally turned it into a further supply of revenue. In the present day, the farmer makes vermicompost in 1,000 beds with a each day manufacturing of 5 tonnes, incomes him a each day revenue of Rs 50,000. Final yr, his annual turnover was Rs 1.5 crore!
Boarding the gravy practice
It was in 1996 that Abdul first heard of natural farming. On a practice journey from Mumbai to Kashmir, Abdul met an natural farmer from Sikkim who defined the long-term perils of inorganic farming. Though the practice journey got here to an finish, he launched into a brand new path to undertake natural farming in his household farm.
“I remained in contact with Swagata. Again then, there was no YouTube, so we might talk about natural farming strategies on the landline community. In 2002, she suggested me to arrange vermicompost to get extra manufacturing from the natural farm,” he says.
“Vermicompost is wealthy in nitrates and minerals resembling phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. These work as wonderful natural fertilisers and improve soil high quality,” he says.
The progressive farmer went on to take a 15-day coaching from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Anantnag, to know the nitty-gritty of vermicompost making. “I used to be a curious farm boy. The coaching elevated my curiosity to implement the learnings,” he says.
Utilising uncooked supplies – cow dung, agricultural and kitchen waste – out there at dwelling, Abdul started getting ready vermicompost for his natural farm. For this, he spent Rs 10,000 to ascertain a small shed, a pit, and tarpaulin sheets. He used natural manure and far to his expectation, Abdul obtained double manufacturing from his farm of apples, walnuts, paddy, greens, maize, and peaches. The manufacturing saved growing daily.
Empowering unemployed villagers with waste
Seeing his success, native farmers began frequenting Abdul’s manufacturing unit to know the advantages of vermicompost. “Steadily, they began shopping for vermicompost in small portions from me. The demand grew once they noticed good manufacturing in comparison with inorganic farming,” he provides.
Abdul felt that the vermicompost had the potential to be became a enterprise. By 2009, he scaled up the work to a business stage and began promoting worm manure underneath the label Ahad Agro Farms. Quickly after, his gross sales surged and he began getting repeat orders from native farmers.
To cater to the demand, he constructed 350 vermi beds. “I put together vermicompost utilizing the mattress methodology the place composting is finished on the kaccha ground by making beds of natural manure. Earlier, I used to arrange it in cemented pits however needed to discard this methodology because it didn’t present a secure atmosphere for worms to thrive,” he says.
“Worms require optimum warmth to outlive within the harsh winter of Kashmir. There was a time when I discovered most of my worms to be lifeless. Nevertheless, there was one cemented pit that was kaccha in a single nook. The worms had discovered their manner into the soil by way of it and survived the winter. This gave me an concept to maintain them in open beds in order that they seep into the bottom when it snows outdoors and are available out in summer season,” he provides.
Abdul manages to promote a minimum of 5 tonnes of vermicompost each day to native farmers in Jammu and Kashmir. Along with his efforts, virtually the whole Simthan village has discarded chemical fertilisers to make use of natural manure.
Yearly, he manufactures 36,000 luggage of 50kg every. “However there’s a large demand for vermicompost in whole Kashmir. With the present manufacturing, I’m catering to solely 10-15 villages. I’m planning to spice up manufacturing to 1 lakh luggage now,” he provides.
Utilizing his enterprise mannequin, Abdul has additionally inspired unemployed residents in his village to take up the vermicompost enterprise by giving free coaching. As of now, round 25 rural youth and 150 ladies homemakers skilled by him are working their items throughout Kashmir.
For his work, Abdul has obtained a number of national-level awards together with the Progressive Farmer and the Entrepreneur Award by the Authorities of India.
He has additionally obtained the most effective farmer award by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sher-e-Kashmir College of Agricultural Sciences and Expertise of Kashmir (SKUAST-Okay), and recognition by the Haryana, Delhi, and Gujarat governments.
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“I’m humbled to get recognition from so many states. As a part of it, I met many ministers and governors however my actual award is to empower these homemakers and rural youth who at the moment are incomes char paise (extra revenue) from what was a waste to them. Earlier, they’d get Rs 100 by promoting 50 kg of cow dung, however now they’re incomes Rs 400 by simply changing it into vermicompost. It offers me immense satisfaction after I pay them,” he provides.
Edited by Padmashree Pande. All pictures: Abdul Ahad Lone.
