Understanding Agro ecology: Learning and Sharing of Experiences
UBINIG || Monday 03 February 2025 ||
Nayakrishi learning and sharing of experiences event was organized by UBINIG in Ridoypur Biddaghor, Tangail during 19 to 21 January 2025. There were 21 participants including 12 women and 9 men from five agro ecology based organizations participated in the event. The participating organizations were Caritas Bangladesh (CB), Bangladesh Krishok Federation (BKF), Bangladesh Association for Sustainable Development (BASD), Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), and UBINIG (Policy Research for Development Alternative). These five organizations has a platform known as “Bangladesh Agro ecology Platform (BAP). As lead organization for BAP seed sub sector UBINIG organized the event.
UBINIG has enrich experiences of agro ecology known as Nayakrishi Andolon (Biodiversity based ecological agriculture). Nayakrishi Andolon – the agrology is the farming practices that is grounded in such agro agro ecological spiritual traditions to solve practical and cultural questions of life, living, and livelihood strategies of the people. To build strong and resilient communities this agro ecological movements reinvents and reconstitutes farming as the art of regeneration of life and nature through life affirming interventions. It is now widely recognized that undermining the sustainability of a nation by causing environmental and ecological destruction and climatic disaster could quickly lead us towards planetary destruction. Agro ecology demonstrates how we could live differently. We invited these likeminded agro ecology practitioners for sharing the experiences and all alternative lifestyles of immense joy by living in harmony with nature and our inner selves.
The event was designed for theoretical discussion, sharing of experiences and visit agro ecological practices of Nayakrishi farmers both at in situ and ex situ conservation of Plant Genetic Resources (PGR). The key areas of discussion included Nayakrishi ten principles, Nayakrishi seed management, soil management, mixed cropping, inter cropping, crop rotation, pest management etc.
Discussions, observations and experiences of agro the ecological practices
Availability of farmer seed system is the key to the farmer led innovation that has historically contributed to the agro ecological evolution and generation of agriculture knowledge. Farmers must know about various crops and the right time to seed and steer through the seasonal and climatic variance. Access and availability of community knowledge functioning through oral communication, community memory, and conservation of popular wisdom through stories and narratives related to ecological diversity.
It was observed Nayakrishi (NK) Farmers field and Nayakrishi Biiddaghors that the practicing of Nayakrishi following the 10 principles. Mixed cropping, inter cropping and crop rotation are the common practices of the NK farmers in their production practices. In mixed and inter cropping practices farmers have been selecting crops based on root, nitrogen fixation and height level (root, nitrogen giving, leafy, fruits, smell corps) plants. These diversified combination of crops takes different type of nutrients from the soil and legume crops fixing nitrogen into the soil. As a result the practices help to conserve soil fertility, good productivity and plant health.
Rupushi Begum, NK farmer, Maushakhathalia village, Tangail said that Nayakrishi practices reduce the dependency on external resources. In an example she described that the flood plain agro ecological regions of Tangail farmers have been practicing inter cropping followed by mixing of broadcasting Aus and Aman rice – black gram/ lentil. After 90 days farmers harvesting Aus rice and Aman rice remaining as standing crop. Before harvesting aman rice the farmers broadcasting pulses crop seeds into aman rice. After 15/20 days harvesting aman rice and pulses crop remain standing crop. As pulses are nitrogen fixing crop that enrich soil fertility and farmers no need to use any external synthetic inputs.
It was learnt from that the Nayarishi farmers through their long experiences of biodiversity based ecological agriculture practices have identified diverse species and varieties crops for different agro ecological zones in the context of changing climatic condition. In order to cope with changed climate situation the farmers have identified drought resistant, water logging resistant and saline resistant rice varieties with the experiences of their agro ecological practices.
The agroecology practices of NK farmers producing food crops in Kharif 1, Kharif 2 and rabi season without using pesticides and chemical inputs. The crops includes cereal (local rice, millet, barley, wheat) pulses, vegetables, oil seed, spices etc. These diverse types of crops growing by the farmers based on seasons. The consumption pattern is based on different communities with their cultural and social practices. Like in the char land of the Sonatoni, Sirajgonj the peoples use to grow barley, millet as regular practices in the summer season. The community also use to sesame oil (considering to enrich calcium) for cooking as part of their cultural practices.
In Nayakrishi experiences, farmer exchange programmes from one area to the other have been proved to be very useful learning and sharing among the farmers to increase their knowledge. Nayakrishi experiences shown that farmers' exchanges are very effective means of sharing knowledge and innovations and disseminating the ecological farming practices more rapidly than other means. Therefore Nayakrishi always encourages visits of farmers from other areas.
Initially flood plain agro ecological region of Tangail NK farmers started NK practicing. Later on the farmers from dry –drought and coastal regions visited Tangail farmers. The learning from Tangail farmers being replicated in dry and drought prone regions of Chapai, Pabna, Natore and coastal region of Cox’sbazar including compost, mixed and intercropping, crop rotation practices. During farmers exchange visit the farmers always sharing the seeds to each other’s that contributes their biological diversity and knowledge system.
Nayakrishi farmers avoiding monoculture and producing diverse crops through mixed and inter cropping practices. The diversified crops in mixed and intercropping practices help for crop failure. It is because if one variety / species may fall through any natural disaster the others remain as success standing crop. In an example of inter cropping between aus and aman rice , if aus rice fails due to early or sudden flood the aman rice will remain as success standing crop tolerant to flooding situation. The diversification cropping practices is also helpful for increasing the total productivity. Nayakrishi experiences shows that agro ecology always encourage social organization and networks. The particular role of biodiversity-based ecological agriculture plays in enhancing food production and improving health and nutrition of the community rather than individual households. Secondly, Nayakrishi demonstrated the need to appreciate agriculture an ecological system where community plays a significant role in enhancing life and life support systems.
The seed resource conservation is organized through a very innovative form of seed network organization, called the Nayakrishi Seed Network (NSN). The responsibility of the NSN, within the ecological food production practices and organizational activities of Nayakrishi Andolon is to ensure collection, conservation, distribution and enhancement of seeds/germplasm among the members, who are primarily women. Therefore, the NSN is the active farmers' network within Nayakrishi Andolon with specific responsibility of ensuring both in-situ conservation of biodiversity and genetic resource in the farming field and ex-situ conservation at the household and community level led by women farmers.
