Agriculture is not only about producing food that we require but it is a way of life that define our society value and culture, our health perspective and our consciousness towards the well being of our future generation and environment. Today, this value chain is at stake due to human greed and self-centred profit mongers. On the other hand, the pressure given upon our land and environment by the fast pace of so called development at the stake of our land and environment has also added to biodiversity loss and climate change.
Today, we talk of Sustainable Agriculture, Rain – Water harvesting, Bio – Diversity conservation and Preservation of Environment and Ecology and even these mentioned above hot topics have become a centre point of debate, discussion, government policy ( whether it may be a policy for name sake) and part of syllabus at school, colleges and universities. The modern generation today need to learn all the above mentioned topic by giving extra effort, time and even by investing additional resources but have we ever imagine that these problems were not a matter of concern when we introspect our traditional days or olden days, because giving importance to this issues were daily day to day part of life of our ancestors and our grand parents and existing together within the rules of nature was way of life. According to traditional belief, Hills or forest is our father, rivers are our mother and the paddy fields are resident of our grain goddess. Imagine how we can commit any mistake to harm our holy places which are life – line of our very existence and integral part of our belief for brighter future and blessed generation.
Our agriculture was far sustainable before the advent of modern agriculture as everything was within the control of our mother nature, who always has sufficient to give for the need of her children and in the custody to every community. But today, even the seed is out of farmer’s custody, which is one of the biggest threat of modern agriculture. Where has all our indigenous seeds gone. Should we take it just as a normal phenomenal or take it as a serious conspiracy played by the profit mongers to increased Zero’s in their bank accounts by putting the entire farming community and agriculture at stake and on the other hand, the entire human race is being poisoned slowly by the so called chemical fertilizers, weedicides, insecticides and pesticides on the pretext of helping to increase production and controlling diseases of our agriculture. We did not have to harvest rain water, as our existing environment itself was rain water harvester by default but that very harvester has been destroyed by us itself. Bio – Diversity conservation was never needed because our act never destroyed the beautiful diversity we had because it was our heritage and source of livelihood. Preservation of Environment and ecology was not required because we prayed to the forest god to give us hint and show us way that whether we should cut a big and mature tree or not. We act to the wish of nature. It can be termed as superstition by the modern agriculture but it is far better to live in that so called superstition environment instead of destroying every thing in the name of modern development and destroying even the essence of our very own existence.
Permaculture, which can be also called as permanent culture is a new interpretation of our traditional agriculture into modern term. The techniques, methods and design adopted in this culture are our very own traditional system with some new explanation. Ranging from seed preservation, using farm yard manure, preparing medicines from natural sources and pattern of planting are all synonymous to our traditional practice except for few modification and addition of innovative techniques added to suit the changing environment in the form of Vermi- compost manure and all.
Now, it depends on us whether to put at stake the entire world through slow poisoning or once again reclaim our healthy environment of our “Agri – CULTURE” for the betterment of our generations to come and the world.
(Contributor : Sana Khumukcham is a trained Permaculturist,she can be reached at sana.umathel86@gmail.com)