Lessons in biodynamic farming
I
consider myself fortunate that in spite of not looking to expand my knowledge base by signing up for courses and workshops etc, I am always directed to the best of them. When a subject or topic interests me, I would rather read about it than enroll for a course or study programme. This is because over a period of time I found most teachers wanting in expertise on the given subject and bereft of holistic perspective.But I acknowledge there are exceptions. Almost a decade ago a friend persuaded me to enroll for a feng shui course. The teacher Kajal Sheth, although very young at the time, turned out to be surprisingly good. She gave me a proper grounding in the subject which I have used effectively to enrich my life, without becoming involved with the mundane complications and commercialisation of this science.
Intuitively, I have been fascinated by biodynamic farming for a long time. Therefore I was lucky that just as I purchased my first piece of earth recently, I was informed of a workshop at Basil (Bhaktivedanta Academy for Sustainable Integrated Living), Mysore. Being a Krishna devotee myself, I knew it was not a coincidence that the timing was so perfect. Moreover all three teachers at the academy turned out to be more holistically well-informed than I could imagine. Some of the other resource people who had been invited for the inauguration of Basil were also knowledgeable, with plenty of insights to share.
Having just returned from the Basil workshop, I’m not sure whether I’m happy armed with all the information, or overwhelmed. Applying this information requires loads of energy for someone like myself, who is also compelled to be involved with activities other than farming. I am letting the experience sink in gradually as I prepare to apply some new precepts. The first is procurement of a cow horn and ensuring that it is from an old animal which died naturally. My friend, Latika Malik, who tends 42 cattle on her farm in Roha, Maharashtra, rejects biodynamic practices because she is a staunch believer in animal rights. She feels only a small minority will ensure that the horn is ethically purchased. Therefore even biodynamic practices will encourage business in cow horns, at a time when animal-parts trading is bad enough already.
Why cow horns? Because one of the canons of biodynamic agriculture is empowerment of land by inserting cow dung in the horn and burying it in the soil for four-six months. When the horn is dug up, the dung has converted to sweet smelling earth. According to Rudolf Steiner, the father of biodynamics, the retrieved earth, when swirled in water for an hour in clockwise and semi-clockwise directions to form a vortex, and sprayed on the land in small doses as in homeopathy, helps roots grow deep and strong. Similarly cow horn filled with silica (similar process as above but differing time frame), when sprayed in the air, facilitates photosynthesis and leaf growth, resulting in sweeter, more nutritive fruit.
Peter Proctor, a 78-year-old New Zealander who has devoted his life to teaching biodynamics and now lives in India, explained these complex practices with great zeal. His enthusiasm is infectious, his voice loud and clear, the clap of his hands wakes anyone who dares to doze off. Moreover when David Hogg, another New Zealander based in Kodaikanal, demonstrated biodynamic techniques on the farm, Peter wasn’t content to remain behind in the classroom. He’d be with us, watching, backing David’s words and making them come alive. Also making us believe, just with his words, that these simple applications can transform soil into a healthy living organism, capable of producing nutrients-rich raw food for superior health.
These esoteric, quasi-spiritual activities apart, biodynamics is also about composting, mulching, green manure, liquid manure, crop rotation, intercropping, adding flower preparations, cow pat pit and peppering. In less than four days, all these were explained and delegates were made to try their hand at various techniques.
But perhaps the most important of all biodynamic practices is timing — when preparations are applied, seed sown, when the fruit is harvested, etc. This was explained by another great teacher Rachel Pomeroy, who has also made India her home. A botanist and astronomer, she lucidly explained the connectivity between humans, animals, plants and planets which constitute the universe. There are rhythms of the earth that need to be respected if we want to keep our soil, trees, plants, healthy.
What made this workshop (conducted by ISKCON’s dynamic J. C. Das) on the banks of the Cauvery even more special, was Proctor’s prediction that of all the countries in the world, India will be among the first to switch to organic farming as a way of life. That’s why the cow is revered in this country, which has a rich but forgotten tradition of Vedic agriculture. These teachers know what they are talking about since they have travelled from village to village, spreading the message of biodynamic farming practices. They have great stories to tell of a silent revolution that is happening in rural India. If you want to learn more about earth heroes and biodynamic agriculture, I recommend Proctor’s book Grasp the Nettle (Random House, New Zealand).
(Kavita Mukhi is a Mumbai-based eco-nutritionist and director of Conscious Food)