More about organic
On my last trip to India, I took a 60-minute flight from New Delhi to Ahmedabad to talk to people working local cotton farms there.
Q. What is good about raising organic cotton?
The first two years were hard. It was so bad I regretted planting it.
But from the third year, the soil gradually got better and tall cotton began to grow.
When I think about our children in an environment without pesticides… I feel good.
Q. Is it difficult to raise organic cotton?
Making our own fertilizers and pesticides is hard work.
It takes time and effort.
But now I think that because we make our own fertilizers and pesticides, we don't have to pay for them. Above all, we feel that our living environment is better and our health is very good because of this.
There are no real problems with our children’s health or the environmental impact on the land.
The biggest advantage is that our food is more delicious.
Q. Are your fertilizers handmade?
We make them by fermenting cow dung and weed cuttings for about 45 days.
Then, for our soil to be healthy, we need earthworms living in it.
It takes at least three years to create healthy soil.
With chemical-based synthetic fertilizers, no living organisms can breathe in the soil. The soil also needs to breathe. Through the use of natural fertilizer, our soil was able to change from inorganic soil to organic soil.
Q. Are your pesticides handmade too?
We let neem leaves, cow urine and water ferment for 45 days to make 200 liters of pesticide.
And we keep repeating this process.
This pesticide and our way of making it was discovered through trial and error. It’s very important because it helps to stabilize our cotton production.
This plantation is also equipped with bug catchers to trap small flies and other insects.
A. Organic makes everyone involved happy.
When we changed from inorganically grown cotton to organically grown cotton, we were actually able to hear the voices of the people actually working there. Many said it was great, not only for their own health, but also for health of the next generation.
Organically grown products are good for the environment because they don't use pesticides and fertilizers. But that's not all.
We would like to continue this chain of happiness by supporting the use of organic products.