‘Jasn-a-jaivik’ was organised in Kedia village of Bihar to celebrate organic farming

We remember the Green Revolution, a revolution that changed the way farming was done before. It increased the yield by many times and gave farmers a new hope. It introduces to us high-yielding varieties (HYVs), advanced machinery and chemical supplements (fertilisers and pesticides).

Everyone realised the multiplied profit, but no-body noticed the increasing use of chemicals in soil ecology. The use of chemicals started acidifying the soil and killing the nutrients while providing us with a poisoned yield.

Kedia, a village in the Jamui district of Bihar, realising this devastating situation decided to work against it. They started returning to their traditional course. Under the guidance of Greenpeace India, farmers in Kedia made it a success to become the 100% organic-farming-village. To celebrate the victory, Jasn-a-jaivik (celebrating organic) was being organised. The event celebrates the organic farming and spread the message to accept organic farming as one’s course of agriculture.

It attracted people from all over the country. Prem Kumar, the agriculture minister of Bihar, was the honourable guest of the event with many other renowned personalities. In his speech, he said, “Kedia has put up an example in organic farming for other villages to follow, and the present government had been continuously working to promote organic farming”.

 

Jasn-a-jaivik was entirely organised by the villagers. Folk performances like ‘Morpankh Shopbana’, a traditional like dance, which is being performed with dhol, ghungru and many physical acts. Another performance by a group which was consist of only-women artists was to a please to the eye.

The event has several exhibitions, including an exhibition of numerous organic vegetables. There were more than five varieties of maize, all organically produced. It also had varieties of wheat, rice with multiple spices. It had a chain of stalls where you could have bought organic saplings, seeds, fertilisers and spices.

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A play showcasing the plight of farmers was performed by Lokpanch, a theatre group from Patna. It was written by Mohammad Isteyaque, a campaigner of Greenpeace India. The play talked about how innocent farmers fall for these chemical supplements without realising the adverse consequences.

Greenpeace India first approached Kediya, a drought-affected village in 2014. They worked with the farmers for five years by establishing ‘Kisan Jivit Maati Kisan Samiti’ to October 2019. According to Mohammad Istiyak, “It was a little challenging in the starting to convince the farmers of the village for organic farming, but later they didn’t just support but made it a promise to never go back to chemical farming. They even connected themselves with various government schemes which helped the farmers to get government support.

 

Anand Yadav, a farmer of Kedia said, “As we have now started organic farming as our agricultural practice, it has reduced our expenditure as well as resulted in a more profitable crop.”

Started with a very small area, today the village has a total of 45 acres of land dedicated to natural farming. They make their compost by collecting and segregating the waste and taking it through the decomposing process. They even have bio-toilets where all the generated waste gets accumulated, which later get used to producing nutrients for the soil. They do the same with animal waste. They have many varieties of natural fertilisers. Like Bijamrit (a mixture of cow dung and cow urine as their main component). They compose a unique kind of soil by decomposing the waste. It is very productive. They have a solar compost, 250 vermibed units and 22 biogas plants in the village.

Located at a distance of about 25 km from Jamui, Kedia has around 600 residents. Sikkim, an organic state of India, has recognised Kedia as an organic village. People from many parts of the country visit the village to explore more about organic farming.

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Quote of the day-“The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of 
the environment in which you first find yourself.”– Mark Caine