Conversations

The kind of agriculture being practiced in the country can be largely classified under non-organic farming that involves usage of genetically modified seeds, chemical pesticides and fertilizers and farming that is done organically, the former being the one that is more widely preferred.

Non-organic / synthetic farming is chemical intensive and cultivates monocultures for the benefit of harvesting a greater produce and getting government subsidies. Organic farming, on the other hand, uses no chemical based pesticides or fertilizers but is not supported by government subsidies. The importance of biodiverse farming where nutrients from one crop benefit the ones around it, is one that cannot be appreciated by chemical aided farming. Non-organic farms work towards the growth of a single crop by eliminating the growth of other native or seasonal varieties, poisoning the soil and affecting microbes and insects who form the biodiversity on the farm.

Organic farming is directed towards the use of natural means to meet the needs of pest-control and fertilization of the soil. Biodiversity is a benefit for organic farming through mixed farming as it provides a balanced environment in the farm where different crops support each other around the year, the farmer benefits from a fall back crop in case of a poor harvest of the cash crop and pests are controlled by their predators. What can be inferred from this is how biodiversity can be promoted along with organic farming. To understand if biodiversity is prevalent in organic farming, I decided to look at the organic food system.

Organic food minimizes processing, additives and preservatives. However, it is more expensive as the production costs of organic farming is high and is labour intensive. Though it is recommended for its nutritional values and sustainable principles, organic produce is only afforded and consumed by the higher and upper-middle classes. It was only among these classes that I was able to identify the prevalence of organic food and could discuss the inclusion of biodiversity in their processes:

Places and People:

Fabindia Organics, CMH Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore.

One of the most popular names in organic food in India, Fabindia call their system Inclusive Capitalism, one that gives a fair share of the profit to the farmers and producers. Fabindia introduced me to organic certification.

Phalada Agro Research, Magadi Road, Bangalore.
Phalada Agro process and package the food products sold by Fabindia, 24 Letter Mantra and other organic food industries. Their website mentions a traceability option through which one can get in touch with farmers. Their initiative strives towards "contributing towards the conservation and restoration of biodiversity."

The Farmer's Market - Indiranagar, Bangalore.

The market was a congregation of people who grow and produce organic food and lifestyle products and is held once a month in Indiranagar. I was able to speak to Vishaklakshi of Buffalo Back Organics, who has broken the myth that organic farming cannot meet the productivity attained by non-organic farming. She collaborates with several farmers who maintain biodiverse, organic farms and markets them under her brand.

John Fennessy runs Hamsah Organic Farm in Sarjapur, Bangalore and after the first year of low productivity, his patience was rewarded with a great, green bounty in the years to follow. According to him, his only pest-control is biodiversity. The farm has developed an eco-system in which each pest has it's own predator and the produce does not suffer. He uses herbal pesticides such as neem extract instead of chemicals.

Finally, Govind Shivkumar, Investment Manager at LGT Venture Philantrophy, had lots of useful information to share about consumption patterns in cities. He maintains that it is not a matter of quantity but quality of food that affects the health and well-being of city dwellers. Processed food is largely consumed while horticulture is in the decline. Farm area around cities that was used for growing fruits and vegetables is now being used for building townships. As a result, fresh fruits and vegetables are absent from our daily consumption and are sold at prices that cannot be afforded by all.

Here's a gist of all that I could gather from these conversations:

These opinions, experiences and insights will be most useful in shaping the stories as examples of how biodiversity can become part of industry, livelihood and lifestyle in the city. Living with bio-diversity is not that hard to achieve, it is merely a matter of how we choose to shape our food systems.