'Gandhi' of organic farming Bhaskarbhai Save passes away

Nonagenarian Gandhi of organic farming, Bhaskarbhai Save passed away around 12.45 after brief illness. The cremation will be Sunday, at 10 am at Save's farm, Kalpavruksha, along the Coastal Highway, off Umergam, near Dehri village, on the southernmost tip of coastal Gujarat.

Born on 27th January, 1922, Bhaskar Save inspired and mentored 3 generations of organic farmers. Masanobu Fukuoka, the legendary Japanese organic farmer once described Save's farm – a veritable food forest and a net supplier of water, energy and fertility to the local eco-system, rather than a net consumer – as “the best in the world, even better than my own!”

Bhaskar Save’s 2006 open letter to MS Swaminathan, then chairman of the National Commission on Farmers, on the unrelenting wave of farmer suicides in various parts of India, was widely circulated all over the world, and translated into several languages. It presented a devastating critique of the government’s agricultural policies and called for urgent and fundamental re-orientation. Save had strongly averred: “It is only by mixed organic farming in harmony with nature, that India can sustainably provide abundant wholesome food and meet every basic need of all – to live in health, dignity and peace.” 

Swaminathan replied, “I have long admired your work and am grateful to you for the detailed suggestions, valuable comments and recommendations. We shall take them into consideration in our final report.”
 
Five years ago, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) – the world-wide umbrella body of organic farmers and movements – honoured Save with the ‘One World Award for Lifetime Achievement’. Its jury declared, “He is one of the most outstanding personalities in the organic world.”  
 
Save’s way of farming and teachings were rooted in his deep understanding of the symbiotic relationships in nature, which he was ever happy to share freely and enthusiastically with anyone interested. 

About 10 acres of Bhaskar Save’s farm are under a mixed organic orchard of coconut and chikoo (sapota) with fewer trees of numerous other species. Two acres are under seasonal field crops (rice, pulses, etc) cultivated organically in traditional rotation. Another 2 acres is a nursery for coconut saplings that are in great demand. The farm yield – in all aspects of total quantity, nutritional quality, taste, biological diversity, ecological sustainability, water conservation, energy efficiency, and economic profitability – is superior to any farm using chemicals, while costs (mainly labour for harvesting) are minimal, and external inputs almost zero.
 
Since 2014, a residential Natural Farming Learning Centre ( has been offering 6 day long introductory courses (in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati & English) at Bhaskar Save’s farm.