43-year-old Sunita Kasera is the only female member of the 150 member strong Karauli Press Union in Rajasthan. Sunita feels that Karauli is a backward district that offers little opportunity to local residents. Although Sunita completed her graduation from Jaipur University, after marriage, her in-laws insisted she stay at home. In her spare time, Sunita joined an NGO, Sathya Naval…

Sunita Kasera

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The Government of Rajasthan supports farmers to learn new techniques of farming

About the video:In Karauli district, Rajasthan about 50 farmers are convinced that organic farming is much better than using chemical fertilizers. Their reasons comes the the fact that even after many season, the soil remains fertile. Their yield of wheat, bajra, mustard and potatoes retains more flavor than chemically grown produce. Consumers and farmers are both enjoying the merits of this new and 'green' farming.

Previously, the use of artificial fertilizers increasingly have harmed the environment and the people. And after an initial increase in yield the outcome of the production decreases. Reports say that the use of chemical fertilizers can result in various diseases such as kidney failure, calcium deficiencies and bone diseases.

The regional agriculture department in Karauli is well aware of the negative side-effects from chemical fertilizers. To safeguard the soil health and the quality of the products the government promotes the use of harmless organic fertilizers. On a regular basis they offer workshops to local farmers to introduce them to the method.

Thanks to these efforts at awareness, farmers from the Karauli area report that they have learned to make their own organic fertilizers purely from natural ingredients like cow-dung, water and worms. The process involves a more time, work and resources, but it is worthwhile as in the long-term, the crops, soil and people stay healthy.

Our Community Correspondent says: For our Community Correspondent Sunita Kasera the maintenance of the environment is crucial for a healthy future. In her video she not only highlights issues of pollution but looks for alternatives and solutions.

"I hope organic farming will be increasingly used throughout my district to keep our land and people well. I avoid buying chemicaly grown vegetables. Apart from being unhealthy they taste like water. I much prefer purchasing vegetables from farmers who use organic manure. My curries taste much better and I like my children growing up on healthy nutritious foods."

Sunita went to the regional agricultural office to show them her video. The officials liked her video and with her permission started to use it in their training workshops on organic farming. Sunita says: "The video has been shown in six other villages and I am very happy that farmers in the surrounding areas are introduced to this sustainable farming method. We will all profit from this."