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One day awareness camp on soil health management
Date: 05.10.2016
Location: Amtali Island, Gosaba Block, Sundarbans
NATURE IS RETALIATING. We have been, and are, manipulating NATURE to suit our
purposes and as a consequence, now, feeling the pinch of it. Green House gasses are rising at an
alarming rate and concomitantly the earth 's temperature. Results are polar ice cap melting and
sea level rise, climate shift and erratic monsoon. The future of the entire world seems imperfect
and more so for the Sundarbans - 'World Heritage Site's and 'Biosphere Reserve' declared by
UNESCO. Climate shift, courtesy of both anthropogenic as well as geogenic influences, is eating
out into the Sundarbans. Islands are disappearing fast, water as well as soil salinity is increasing,
unchecked coastal erosion is happening and the invaluable mangrove forest area is declining.
Mangrove ecosystems are invaluable since it attenuates wave energy thereby protecting the
shoreline and adjacent dependent ecosystems. As a result, mangrove dependent livelihood such
as, collection of fuel wood, forest fire, flood, erosion and other human activities have resulted to
the reduction of the mangrove forest in Sundarbans.
The principal livelihoods in the Sundarbans are agriculture and fishing. In so far as agriculture in
the islands is concerned, there is another paradigm of discomfiture. It is soil health. Apart from
the coastal environment, soil environment is in jeopardy - and so is agriculture in these islands.
Besides increasing soil salinity, soil fertility is deteriorating courtesy of irrational, imbalanced
fertilization and faulty management practices.
To stave off the ill effects and to continue with the agricultural livelihood of a major share of 5
million people those inhabit the Indian Sundarbans, there is a serious need to educate the farmers
and make them aware of the future consequences. The Society for Fertilizers and Environment
(SFE) felt the urgent need for the same and organised one mass awareness campaign to educate
the farmers about deteriorating soil quality and the ways to attenuate those in collaboration with
Sashya Shyamala Krishi Vigyan Kendra under Ramkrishana Mission Vivekanada University,
Belur and Sunderban Dream, one NGO working actively deep into the area on 05.10.16 in
Amtali Island of Gosaba (below).
Some 300 farmers and farm women from nearby
villages participated in the camp. Dr. N. C. Sahoo,
Sr. Scientist and Head, Sashya Shyamala KVK
welcomed the participants and briefed the need for
the camp. Dr. H. S. Sen, President, SFE, then, in
Amtali Island
his address explained the objectives of the society
and
the
environmental
indiscriminate
fertilizer
hazards
caused
application.
He
by
also
landbrought out the importance of soil biological
quality for production sustainability.
Dr. F. H.
Rahman, Pr. Scientist, - ATARI, Kolkata and Jt.
Secretary, SFE then informed the gathering of
KVK's role in the same regard and praised the
Sashya Shyamala KVK for their untiring effort in
improving the livelihoods of the farmers through
interventions in fisheries and agriculture.
It was then followed by the interaction session where participants posed some very pertinent
questions as below,
1. Why not ban inorganic fertilizers and protection chemicals if they cause so much harm?
2. What could be done to improve biological soil health?
3. Can fertilizers, plant growth promoters and pesticides be applied in conjunction with an eye to
reduce labour cost?
4. How to prevent leaf curl disease in chili?
5. What are the ways to improve shrimp productivity in more saline water?
Dr. Ghorai, responding to the questions, opined that in the present context of productivity
augmentation to maintain food security of the country, inorganics application can not be done
away with completely. Neither fully organic agriculture is feasible for want of sufficient organic
matters and the cost of production. He explained that inorganic fertilizers application, if done in
proper proportion and proper way do not deteriorate soil quality. The need is integrated
application and not exclusive application, either of inorganic or organic. Regarding application
of inputs in conjunction, he put forth that prior to application, comparability of the chemicals
must be checked. Dr. Sahoo remarked that for efficient pest management in chili, seedlings must
be raised in nets. Dr. Swagat Ghosh, SMS, Fisheriy SC., of SS KVK responded to the question
on fishery.
Prof. Biswapati Mandal of BCKV and Secretary, SFE pointed out that amelioration of soil
salinity can only be done through irrigation with fresh water. Since there are no such sources of
fresh water in the area, only option is to harvest rainwater and conservation of the same. Prof.
Mandal, Secretary, SFE explained briefly the role of inorganic fertilizers on soil health vis-à-vis
soil fertility and in turn their roles on crop production keeping in mind the need for future
increase of food production. He went with no holds barred on the sublime importance of
application of organic manure to rejuvenate soil health and as such urged upon the farmers to
produce organic amendments as much as they can for sustainability of production in the long
run.
The experts made pointed replies to the questions made by the participant farmers. However SFE
deeply appreciated the interest shown by the farmers to participate in the discussion. The role
played by Sundarbans Dream and particularly of Mr. Mustafa, their chief worker and his
associates, for their dedicated involvement for improvement of the area and for organizing this
programme was also very much appreciated. More detailed training-cum-awareness camp of the
intending farmers may be held by SFE towards sustainability in production by improving soil
health using as far as possible indigenous sources and adoption of integrated management
practices.
The programme ended with vote of thanks from Dr. N. C. Sahoo.