After hearing the speech of Narendra Modi at the Red Fort on Independence Day that "Yeh desh kisaano ne banaya hai..." that this nation has been built by farmers, the farmers of Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh, felt their hopes soar.
They felt that their efforts had finally been recognized, albeit in a roundabout manner. A sense of pride overwhelmed them, They had chosen to stay in the agribusiness when everyone around them has, or is planning to, abandon farming due to numerous challenges, they had even gone on to ensure others found their way to make it a productive occupation.
Bundelkhand has been in news for farmer suicides for nearly a decade. In 2011, official figures had confirmed 519 suicides in a cluster of seven districts, the worst hit in the ravaged Bundelkhand region. Even if one were to go by official figures alone, in 2009, there were 568 suicides in the seven districts against 519 in just the first five months of 2011. In 2010, 583 suicides were recorded. Between 2001 and 2005, there were 1,275 cases of suicide (the period includes 2002 and 2004, two harsh drought years).
However, in the last two years, a silent revolution has been taking shape in Bundelkhand. With scarcity of water and drought compounded by the issue of climate change dominating the traditional agriculture practices, farmers, administration and media have come together to tackle the situation. They have started a campaign under which two hundred new ponds have been constructed - a step that has showed immediate results on the green farms that had dried up earlier.
Recently Kajli Mela was organized in Uttar Pradesh where hundreds of farmers from various villages came together to share their experiences. Apna Talab Abhiyan Kisan Mahotsav was organized in cooperation with Mahoba Sarkshan Evam Vikas Samiti, Municipal Council and Apna Talab Abhiyan to honour the farmers. The event was attended by farmers who not only constructed ponds in their own fields but motivated their fellow farmers to construct ponds as well. Farmers were awarded with "Jal Prahari" honour during the programme.
This was happening in a region that has been facing such a severe scarcity of water that the government was forced to declare it a "Dark Zone," indicating an area where the outtake of water from the ground exceeds the water available underground.
The consequences of continuous drought and famine had increased the woes of public as the water crisis was not only affecting the farms but also the daily requirement of water for households.
People started migrating from villages to cities in search of employment, leaving behind only the elderly and frail. Youth preferred cities for their sustainability. News of farmers' suicides gained intensity. Livestock, another major component of traditional farming, had started dying in the absence of fodder and water. Villagers abandoned their cattle on the streets as they had no means to feed them. This made them prone to accidents, besides causing deaths due to lack of food. Famished cattle also posed problems for farmers as they would feed on the little crop in the field, leaving it damaged.
The blind usage of underground water through handpumps and submersible pumps has led to this grave situation. In the sixties, India had seen a dream of a prosperous country through the lens of the Green Revolution; that, to some extent, became a reality. However, as a byproduct, our farmers are facing some severe hazards.
Due to unwarranted use of chemicals, the fertile soil has lost its original texture, causing an alarming increase in the toxicity of the ground water. Crops too have turned toxic. The cost of farming has become unaffordable with the drastic drop in productivity, as a result of which the cultivators are driven to suicide, devastated by the burden of debt.
"With no solution in hand, we have no option but to look back, seeking answers in history. In ancient civilizations, people valued water. Bundelkhand had a prosperous tradition of pond culture. The Chandela and Bundela Emperors built many ponds during their reign. Besides fulfilling the daily water requirements, the ponds added to the beauty of the landscape. They also served as a source of livelihood for many families.
The neighboring states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh, still follow the tradition of pond culture. Charkhari in Mahoba alone has almost 18 ponds. It was in 2007, when the ponds started drying up, that people realized their importance and came together to conserve and maintain these water bodies," said Brijpal, a farmer from Village Barbai.
This campaign has the full support of the District Magistrate and the Agriculture Department. The District Magistrate declared that he would personally inaugurate all the ponds being built by farmers in their villages. Social activists and activists from India Water Portal (Hindi) went from village to village, mobilizing people. The Charkha Development Communication Network is glad to report that the hard work paid off. In a short span of time, hundreds of farmers constructed ponds in their villages. In the last two years alone, nearly 400 ponds have been constructed; and the flow continues.
The views expressed in the article are of Baba Mayaram, a freelance journalist based in Madhya Pradesh.
