Beacon of hope for distraught farmers

With private money lenders offering loans at a whopping 30 to 50 per cent, Indian farmers are left with no choice but to jump into the flames. Those who still choose to till land for a living huddle into self-help groups that hardly receive any support from the government.

Now it is left to the few helping hands like those of Dr G V Ramanjaneyulu, a Good Samaritan who chose to transform Indian agriculture sector and bring smiles on the families of both the tiller and the consumer. The Executive Director of Centre for Sustainable Agriculture(CSA), Ramanjaneyulu has been working in collaboration with farmers and self-help groups to formulate workable, environment-friendly and affordable solutions for the past decade.

Thanks to CSA, close to 35 lakh acres of agricultural land is under non-pesticide farming and many farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have direct access to consumers. Young Hans caught up with the renowned agricultural scientist, who spoke of his journey, mission and most importantly his discontent with the Indian education system.

“All my family members were railway employees. I had no idea about agriculture till I decided to do my Masters in the field”, reminisces Ramanjaneyulu, who in 1995 entered the Indian Revenue Service (IRS). “I had a keen interest in Civil Services and by the time I completed my PhD in agriculture I was inducted into IRS.” His association with farmers during this period helped him understand the requirements of the average farmer and the government’s role in food production.

He was so moved by the spate of farmers suicides in 1996 that decided to quit his cozy job in the Agriculture Department to go fulltime into agricultural research in order to improve the lot of farming community. “Both my Masters and PhD were in the field of agriculture, which came in handy.” The scientist in him noticed a huge disconnect between the agricultural department and the rural development department.

“The technological solutions provided by the departments rather than help the farmers actually added to their production costs hitting them even more adversely. I realized I had to move out of the system in order to better work with them. It was this understanding that gave birth to Centre for Sustainable Agriculture in 2004.

“We needed manpower to improve conditions and I wanted to work with farmers directly and bring solutions to the ground, which would have otherwise been languishing as files on government tables because of red-tapism”, he said, pointing out that they had also helped women farmers along the way.

“I realized during this period that the farmers have and are capable of conducting their own research. They are actually very innovative. Unfortunately, the sorry state-of-affairs is attributed to their illiteracy and ignorance whereas in actuality there was terrible absence of governmental support, despite the tall claims and budgetary allocations”, he says, stressing that it is all about skillful management and not technology.

Dr Ramanjaneyulu has also been working with many government bodies to bring about a change in the educational curriculum of several states. “Our system does not promote a scientific temper among students. Throughout their education, they are tested for their conformity”, he laments.

“We have little respect for agriculture,” he says while lamenting that the present system of education is rendering more harm. “I was fortunate to have better education, something that many of the present generation hope to have. There is a qualitative downfall is my conclusion when I interact with students”. Furthermore, he takes potshots at the ‘graduates’ emerging from every nook and corner.

“There are many engineers who cannot fit a screw and many MBA graduates who fail to make meaningful practical applications of whatever they crammed all those years”. He should know having been integral to the education commission that was established by the Madhya Pradesh government. He is credited with successfully restructuring the curriculum of the school system.

“We noticed that students do not have any scope of applying their classroom knowledge. This dichotomy in people’s thinking has to be addressed and that can only be done through education”. The education commission has now successfully integrated the subject of agriculture into primary education and has made it mandatory for children to grow at least two crops before completing their tenth standard.

“Education today is a money-spinner. As a result we are producing machine-like laborers instead of ‘qualified’ products”, rues Ramanjaneyulu. “We as a system are averse to questioning the establishment. And therefore even our children do not question the trends but blindly follow it. For instance, we raise a hue and cry when the cost of vegetables skyrocket but none wonders why we need 30,000 acres for a capital city.”

Despite brining in a difference, Dr Ramanjaneyulu realizes that he has an arduous journey ahead, which has more pitfalls than any sane man can imagine. CSA is looking to promote agriculture as a way of life and profession. Spearheaded by a scientist who has been there and done that, the institute is looking to bring eco-friendly technology to the farmers’ reach. “When I started CSA, I received no help from the government or any organization. Ten years and numerous measurable results later, I remain a lone ranger.”

By: Mythili Sankara