Bt farmer turns to organic practices in Karnataka

Nagappa Nimbegundi, 51, is no run-of-the-mill farmer.  Although dressed modestly in a bright white dhoti and shirt and green shawl, he has an innovative mind that helped him develop 23 varieties of cotton and seeds organically.
Hailing from Haveri, he once swore by chemical fertilizers for farming and realised his mistake 10 years after growing Bt cotton.

“My land was losing its life. Initially, I got a yield of 19 to 20 quintals of cotton per acre.  In five years, it was reduced to nine quintals. This further came down to four quintals and my land was dying. I began to feel depressed,” said Nagappa, lamenting his years of Bt farming.

Using chemical fertilizers, he used to grow millets, corn, tur dal and cotton on his five-and-a-half acre land.
 “My father, who is also a farmer, taught me farming when I was a boy. Initially, he never used chemical fertilizers. Some years later, when we saw advertisements of Bt seeds and chemical fertilizers, my father began to use it. He is still using the same technology even though he knows he is only ruining the little patch of land he has,” he said.
After noticing that his farmland yield was falling, Nagappa decided to switch from Bt to organic farming.
 

“I looked for organically developed seeds, but to my bad luck, everyone around me had switched to Bt crops and the shops also sold only Bt seeds. Hence, I decided to grow Bt seeds by using organic methods. This was a misadventure. The Bt seeds don’t germinate when organic methods are used. In this method, I got a yield of five quintals per acre,” he said.

Later, Nagappa began attending seminars and workshops along with some environmental groups. He finally joined hands with Sahaja Samrudha Organic Producer Company Limited.

“I got organically developed seeds and learned organic farming methods from
them. Now, I not only grow all my crops organically, but have also developed 23 varieties of cotton,” he said with a smile.

His farm has close to 50 varieties of crops.