Jawar (millet) crop insurance planning

 हा लेख मराठीत वाचा

Jawar (millet) crop insurance planning: part 1

Date_20th February 2015

Farmer_ Deepak Barde

Address_at Bawapur, post Hamdapur, taluka Samudrapur,dist Wardha .

Deepak Barde is 'progressive farmer' in real sense. Now a days growing crops according to market demand and value has became the only definition of progressiveness in farming; but Deepak bhau have transcended these barriers of money and market, and has been always in search of finding solutions to nature's fluctuations.

We definitely know that we'll get to see and learn something new every time we visit his farm, and today exactly that same thing happened.

From past 2-3 years farmers are experiencing hailstorm and malaprop ( inappropriate or inconvenient ) rain. But not being depressed by the adversities caused by nature, Deepak bhau started a new experiment in his field this year.

Deepak bhau is famous for his rabbi jawar (millet). And if natural calamity occurs at the time of harvesting in mid January, whole crop of jawar will be ruined. This is a very concerning matter. So he did some changes in (jawar) sowing pattern in terms of time of sowing. He did the sowing in three stages, first sowing in October, second sowing after one month i.e. in November, and third sowing was done again after one month i.e., in December.

Hailstorm, malaprop rain don't occur continuously 2-3 months. It occurs only once or rarely twice between January to March. So when that will happen, the only harvesting jawar will be damaged and other jawar, which is not sowed at regular sowing time won't be damaged. This was Deepak bhau's main thought behind changing regular sowing pattern.

Now some so called experts doing experiments only in closed laboratory will call it as a total absurdity. How can anybody do this? Maybe that expert's opinion be correct. But through Deepak bhau's experiment, we'll come to know whether changing sowing pattern is going to be beneficial or not.

To discover new method is not what probably Deepak bhau intends to do, but rather following points to be taken into consideration:

One should be aware of nature's cycle and agriculture science, and should make constant efforts to coordinate between them accordingly.

Agricultural laboratories and universities should get first hand results by doing experiments in actual fields instead of in closed laboratories.

Instead of making bots (robots) by giving ready-made solutions developed in closed laboratories by Agro-service Centers to farmers, it's important to create an awareness & cultivate scientific, progressive vision in them.

At the same time, experimenting shouldn't only be the farmer's responsibility, but it should be collective responsibility of consumer, universities and government, and they must support experimenting farmer if there happens a loss during experiment. And if experiment goes successful, everybody be benefited, i.e. profit also be collective!

Jawar (millet) crop insurance planning: part 2

Date_ 4th March 2015

Farmer_ Deepak Barde

Address_ at Bawapur, post Hamdapur, taluka Samudrapur, dist Wardha.

Last week there was a hailstorm & rain. Deepak bhau informed us about the current condition of his farm. He really is benefited by his crop insurance planning (policy). Regular harvesting jawar is blackened due to rain, but jawar sowed on changed pattern (timing) is totally safe!

So, Deepak bhau's progressive agricultural thinking and vision show ray of hope in these depressing news of natural calamities & grieving farmers!!