The Angadi family, owning 125 acres of ancestral farm land in Kiresur village of Hubballi taluk, has been doing joint family farming for several years.
Hubballi :
True role models they are. They live under one roof and work together on the field. All the 50 members of this joint family are at work in their fields at the first light. What’s more, they have converted nearly 70 acres of farmland into organic farming fields and are aiming to do more. They believe that this ‘green’ cultivation produces nutritious food without destroying the environment.
The Angadi family, owning 125 acres of ancestral farm land in Kiresur village of Hubballi taluk, has been doing joint family farming for several years. Elders of the family state that they have been cultivating since last seven decades and they switched over to organic farming five years ago due to drought in the region. And the results were surprising.
Kiresur village, located about 18km from Hubballi, is taking a leaf out of Angadi brothers’ method and trying to switch over to organic farming. The neighbouring farmers have realised that this type of farming requires less amount of water.Basavaraj Angadi, one of the family members, says that they have stopped using chemical fertilisers for four years now. “We grow chilli and chickpea (chana) on our land by using organice manure. We use the decomposed vegetables and other kitchen waste as manure. After we switched over to organic manure, the yield has increased by 20% every season. We are happy with both quality and quantity,” he says.
The village comes under the irrigation map of Malaprabha river basin. But as the area is facing drought for last few years, the farmers are not getting water in time. Several times the water released in the canals does not reach the village, or it is too late for the standing crops when the water arrives.“We are able to address the water scarcity issue by using organic manure. Usage of chemical fertilisers kills the soil strength. But the organic manure strengthens the soil and improves the yield as well. We are getting additional 5 quintals of harvest every season,” Basavaraj Angadi says.
Hanumanth Nagavi, another family member, says that after attending a seminar organised by the Agriculture department, the family decided to go in for organic farming. “We have no labour issues as all the women from the house help us in fields. They lend a helping hand whenever required. During harvest season, we do take labourers from outside. But as 50 members of the family do farming together, we have never felt a shortage of hands,” he adds.
This doesn’t mean that youngsters in the family are only occupied with farming. While they do help on the farm, they are also excelling in studies. Two of them are studying engineering in Bengaluru and daughter of Basavraj Angadi is pursuing MBBS in Davanagere college.“We used to spend a lot of money on chemical fertilisers. But after switching over to organic farming, we are saving money and also getting good yield. Already a dozen farmers in our village have adopted organic manure for their crops,” says Basavaraj Angadi.
Many in the village agree that this family is indeed an inspiration. Says Pradeep Badiger, a farmer from Kiresur village, that he was inspired by the success story of Angadi brothers and wanted to adopt organic farming in his field. “I am motivated by the Angadi family and have stopped using chemical fertilisers since one year. This year I am hoping for a better harvest,” he says.
GREEN CAUSE
The joint family in Kiresur village near Hubballi has been practising organic farming for the last five years The family has largest farmland in the village with 70 acres under cultivation out of 125 acres
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Kiran Balannanavar / Express News Service / February 10th, 2019