Village Kedia- An Inspiring Story About What We Can Do for the Environmentby Asmita Pramanik | 28-01-2018 02:52 |
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Agriculture is what mainly drives the Indian economy. More than half of the Indian population depends on farming for their survival. In spite of its great significance to the Indian economy, the share of agriculture and its allied activities in India?s GDP is continuously declining over the years. In 2009-10, it was 14.6% which declined to 13.9% in 2013-14 (Agriculture 2013). The following figure depicts the trend in the agriculture growth from 2007-08 to 2013-14 as compared to the overall GDP growth.  What is causing this decline? -Lack of infrastructure and soil contamination by the increasing level of river and canal pollution -Lack of awareness about the recent developments in the field of agriculture -Inadequate finance, untimely finance and inconsistent or contradictory policies of government -Rudimentary policies and old fashioned equipment?s and practices used by farmers in India are not sustainable, resulting in low yield for many agricultural commodities In order to lead India to a greener and safer path of making the agricultural community flourish again, Kedia village in Bihar, India, has set a milestone for thousands of farmers in the country. With their utmost brilliance,the local farmers of Kedia have found safe and sustainable methods of farming effectively. In little over 20 months, farmers in Kedia have constructed more than 282 vermi composting units, where they convert 'waste' into nutrient-rich, organic fertilisers. The pits also receive slurry from the 11 biogas plants that have been installed alongside, providing a safer, healthier alternative to the burning of biomass as cooking fuel. The farmers have also built ecological toilets that provide safe, clean sanitation while making it possible to convert human excreta into ecological fertiliser. India has begun to visualize the farmers of this village as pioneers of an agricultural revolution. This is becoming a time of transformation for rural families and localities where food security in enhanced, families and communities are empowered, and carbon footprint is reduced. It is working towards sustainability and resilience in the face of the threat of climate change, biodiversity loss, poverty and hunger. It is an amazing sight to see common farmers take upon themselves the responsibility of impacting their village in a greater and greener way. These ecological practices have zero negative impact on the environment, and have helped biodiversity return to this village. This truly is a fine example of what we can do for the environment and how putting simple methods of sustainability into practice, may lead to the beginning of a greater revolution. |
