A handful of farmers from Karnataka have taken to the ‘no-till’ method of farming, known as the Saguna Rice Technique (SRT), enjoying a bountiful harvest despite fewer input costs, joining about 5,000 others from neighbouring Maharashtra.
“It is a climate-positive technique to grow rice that is being practised by over 5,000 progressive farmers in all the 16 agro-climatic zones of Maharashtra,” informs food scientist-turned-farmer, Chandrasekhar Bhadsavle, the Saguna Rural Foundation.
Recently SRT achievers—farmers from Maharashtra and Karnataka who have done exceedingly well—were felicitated by the Foundation.
What is Saguna Rice Technique?
SRT is being practised for over a decade now in Maharashtra. Following the preparation of raised beds, holes are made with a pre-designed iron frame, seeds mixed with granulated fertiliser are dibbled in the soil and weedicide is sprayed once the soil is moistened, by rain or irrigation.
Unlike the traditional cultivation practices, the raised bed is not disturbed for successive crops. The stubble is allowed to stand and the soil stays ready for the next crop, not just rice but also groundnut, wheat, soybean, maize, pulses, vegetables or sunflower.
Subsequent use for five to six years the raised bed ushers in an increase of soil carbon—evidenced by the presence of earthworms. The soil remains undisturbed for several sowing-harvesting cycles, making it congenial for the soil fauna to proliferate.
“As there is no puddling, and hand-hoeing in SRT, I have been able to cut the water use upto 50%, and 40% of the cost. As we do not require transplanting, I have been able to save 50% on labour cost,” says Rajanikant Huddar, who hails from Karadaga village in Chikodi taluka, Belgaum district. He is one of the achievers.
Huddar, a Botany Graduate with a diploma in Electronics and Information Technology, initiated this no-till method on six guntas (equal to 15 cents) farm plots in June 2021 with paddy. He harvested four quintals of paddy harvesting a whopping three quintals unlike the earlier two quintals using the traditional method. This translates to 18-22 quintals of rice per acre.
“In between, I tried growing moong but a bout of hailstorm destroyed my crop but months later I sowed wheat in November on the same plot after spraying it with weedicide,” he informs. Huddar’s success has encouraged Austin Pais, a farmer from Dandeli, to try the SRT method on his one-acre plot this season.
Gunwant Kudchikar (43) of Vijay Nagar in Belgaum, in February 2020, grew maize on 30 guntas for his cattle. It reached a height of 8 ft. Kudchikar wanted to introduce the SRT on his farm plot for over 10 years but didn’t as his family was not supportive of the idea. Finally, he took the plunge in 2021.
“In June 2021 I sowed paddy on 1.25 acres and harvested 26.5 quintals of rice. In January this year, I have planted maize on 10 guntas,” says Kudchikar who also works as a driver.
Farmers consider SRT as climate-resilient agriculture. They appreciate its redeeming attribute — the zero-till or no-till feature. During tilling, the soil breaks up and organic content or carbon rises to the surface. Bacteria and fungi at the surface feed on the carbon releasing nutrients that crops harness for growth.
“If farmers could keep the carbon locked inside the ground, they would be able to decrease carbon dioxide emissions on farms which SRT promises,” says Bhadsavle, a recipient of Krishi Ratan, Maharashtra’s most prestigious award given to farmers. He goes on to claim that with its application the soil’s organic carbon can be brought back to 2.5% from the present 0.5%.
Having closely watched farmers practising SRT in Maharashtra, Keerti Laxmi (35), who till recently worked as a hydrologist with Maharashtra’s Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture (POCRA)is readying herself this season to experiment with it on her family’s farm plot located in Bondantila village, 7 km away from Mangaluru. “I plan to sow red paddy on 40 cents of land, if it’s a success I will go for a large land holding,” she says.
Climate-friendly farming
Chandrasekhar Bhadsavle, now 72, graduated from Dr Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth. He acquired his master’s degree in food sciences and technology from the University of California and worked in various food-related companies there. Having returned to India in 1976, he went ahead to establish the Saguna Baug, spread over 55 acres, in Neral (Karjat), 75 km from Mumbai, and possibly India’s first agro-tourism initiative.
Bhadsavle and his team, tasked by the World Bank-supported Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture (POCRA), trained some 50 farmers on SRT in the drought-prone areas of Maharashtra. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation has added SRT to the list of Technologies and Practices for Small Agricultural Producers (TECA) terming it “conservation agriculture”.