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Skip Navigation Links Skip Navigation Links Acheivement It is evident that state of Punjab is pioneer in bringing green revolution in India. Today, Punjab is producing highest amount of wheat and paddy for whole nation. But from last decade Punjab is facing adverse impacts of this green revoltution and highly chemicalised, mechanised and resource intensive agriculture. Punjab is paying ecological , environmental, social, cultural and economical cost of revolution. The fact behind is that man has acquired the habit of playing with nature in order to exploit it for his selfish ends, forgetting that for a healthy and sustainable life there has to be interdependence with nature and not its exploitation. In his greed he is ready, guided by his short term vision, to squeeze out all that is given by mother earth, all its resources and all its riches. Unfortunately he has only the illusion that he has succeeded- he closes his eyes to the fact that instead of gaining he is actually in the process of paying a very heavy price. After the GreenRevolution, with the coordinated effort of the policy makers, the scientists and the farmers of India in general and of Punjab in particular. India may have become self sufficient as far as the production of foodgrains is concerned but, the aftermath of this exercise was never thought of. The Green Revolution, which was unsheared with such fanfare, necessitated a very heavy use of synthetic and chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Over four decades of their indiscriminate use is posing today a distinct threat to mother nature, man and the environment. The advocates and proponents of the Green Revolution are today speaking in terms of Evergreen Revolution. ILL EFFECTS OF AGROCHEMICALS In the sixtees was first drawn by some scientists to the adverse effects the pesticides and agro-chemicals so necessary to the advent of Green Revolution. Further, recently it has been scientifically demonstrated that long term exposure, even if the exposure were low, whether direct or indirect, to these chemicals is linked to. ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT These pesticides are also creating a threat to the ecology and environment . The massive use of these chemicals has provided to be a disaster to the ecology and agricultural friendly birds and insects. Today, you will not find in Punjab any earthworm or crow or humming bird or vultures . Fireflies and butterflies have disappeared. They have all become extinct due to extensive use of harmful pesticides. Biodiversity of Punjab has decreased drastically and dangerously. HEALTH HAZARDS The excessive uses of chemical fertilisers like urea, DAP, NPK and other pesticides, have resulted in the disorders of the endocrine glands. Incidence of occurence of cancer, kidney failure, asthama, skin problems and diseases of digestive track has increased by 20-25 % in Punjab. Youngsters at the age of 25-30 suffer from heart ailments and there is an increasing loss of male and female fertility, setting of an early puberty among girls, immuno suppression, harmone disruption and reproductive abnormalities. Food, water and milk, including breast milk are contaminated with some of these chemicals. Mean levels of total DDT in breast milk are 17.18 parts per million in Ludhiana and 26.66 ppm in faridkot. In Punjab traces of endosulphan, a dangerous chemical, already banned in Europe and other pesticides like DDT, BHC and HCH have been found in the most safe and sacred substance like the mother's milk. Over use of endosulphan, especially in Punjab and Kerala has resulted in the birth of MR children. It has also resulted in increase of genetic disorders in children. SOIL DEPLETION Due to contamination the topsoil is also sick, with severe deficiency of micronutrients.Due to decreasing carbon content the soil is losing its water and nutrients holding capacity. Organic matter such as bacteria and fungi cannot thrive and earthworms are dying. These primitive life forms are essential to sustain the health of the soil. The selenium levels in Punjab are in a range that it is crossing the toxic limits.

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WATER The ground water table in the past 20 years has recorded analarming decrease from 15 feet to 100-150 feet or even more. Ruthless over exploitation of this precious life giving resources has lead to this situation. Over use of these resources cannot be avoided in mechanised , chemicalised and industrialized agriculture. The severioty of this situation can be guessed by the fact that 11 development blocks in Punjab have been declared as Dark Zones and further 72 blocks have been declared Over-exploited Zones. Secondly, use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides has lead to the pollution of water resources of Punjab. Theground water of Punjab contaminated with nitrates, chromium and salinium.

ECONOMIC VIABILITY Intensive use of pesticides and fertilisers has also gradually increased the cost of production. Farmers are forced to increase the doses of fertiliser and pesticides to maintain the previous level of productivity. The fertiliser consumption has increased from 0.52 Kg/ha during 1950-51 to 94.72 Kg/ha during 1999-2000. With the rise in prices of inputs the cost of cultivation has gone up enormously. To cope with the increased expenditure on production, farmers of Punjab are compelled to take more and more loans . The tragic string of recent suicides by the farmers has its genesis in the policies initiated decades ago. punjab is known for its agricultural prosperity but suicidesby these farmers has left a big question mark on this so called prosperity.

The Only Solution : Go Back To Nature The only long term solution for sustaining our coming generations and to protect the nature from the ill effects of these chemicals is to alter our agricultural activities to a more eco-friendly, pro-nature practices. Kheti Virasat is working with the objective of propagating and publicizing this basic vision of sustainable agriculture, availability of water resources resulting from its conservation, sustainable development and eco-friendly life systems. Through its multi dimensional activities. Kheti Virasat is creating strong awareness among farmers of Punjab about sustainable agriculture systems, organic farming, cultivation of native seeds and indigenous varieties and biodiversity. It provides training to farmers in various systems of sustainable agriculture.

We inherited our healthy natural resources from our forefathers but, what will we leave behind for our future generations ?

Development of a 5 acre farm to demonstrate and to train farmers in various techniques of organic farming at Centre for Sustainable Agriculture and Development at Nabha, Punjab.

Kheti Virasat had organised about 40 training camps all over Punjab to train farmers about the practical concepts of organic farming in different villages.

Kheti Virasat had organised 3 workshops and 2 seminars for medicos and agricultural scientists to sensitize them on the issue of ill effects of pesticides on human health, livestock and environment.

Development of study circles among farmers and students to spread the knowledge of organic farming and traditional methods of farming.

Kheti Virasat has provided technical assisstance to the farmers for construction of structures for NADEP composting for organic manure in the adjoining villages of Tanda toen of Hoshiarpur district