[This document is a collated version of all Nammalvar Fellowship related documents.

It
contains the following:
Nammalvar Bio
Fellowship Application
Fellowship Nomination
Talk (summary) at the Asha Fellows Conference, Timbaktu, Dec 2007
Minutes of conference call with Nammalvar, June 22, 2008
Asha Austin meeting minutes and answers to questions raised at the meeting
Minutes of conference call with Nammalvar, August 14, 2008 ]
BIO DATA
NAME : G NAMMALVAR
FATHERS NAME : S GOVINDA SAMY
NATIVE PLACE : ELANGADU, THANJAVUR DT, TAMILNADU
PRESENT ADDRESS : 17/9, 5
TH
STREET, SRINIVASA NAGAR
THIRUVANAI KOIL, TRICHY 620 005
DATE OF BIRTH AND AGE : 10.05.1938 68
EDUCATIONAL
QUALIFICATION : B.Sc (Agri)
INSTITUTION STUDIED : ANNAMALAI UNIVERSITY
GOVERNMENT SERVICE : 1963 1969 Agricultural Regional Research
Station Kovilpatti
SOCIAL SERVICE : 1969 1979 Island of Peace founded by Nobel
Laureate Rev. Fr. R P Dominic Pyre
ORGANISATION FOUND : 1979 Kudumbham

1990 LEISA Network

1990 Ecological Centre for Rain Fed Cultivation
- Kolungi Odugampatti Pudukkottai Distrct
ALL INDIA NETWORK : 1995 2000 ARISE Agricultural Renewal in
India for Sustainable Environment.

2003 2006 Organic Farming Association of India
YATRA CONDUCTED : 1998 Chennai to Kanyakumari Campaigning for
For Indigenous Crop Variety

2002 25 days Pada Yatra in Erode District
Campaigning for Organic Farming.

2003 25 days Pada Yatra from Poombukar to
Grand Anaicut Campaigning for Promotion
of Organic Farming.
2003 22 days Pada Yatra in Pudukkottai
Campaigning for Organic Farming.
ORGANISATION FARMED : 2002 Tamil Ina Vazhviyal Kazhagam

2004 Tamil Nadu Organic Farmers Movement

2006 Tamil Nadu Organic Agriculturists
Movement
SPECIAL TASK : Reclamation of Tsunami affected land in
Nagapattinam District

Establishment of 30 Model farms in Tsunami
affected area of Indonesia.

Establishment of more than 60 organic farm
cum training centre in different district of
Tamil Nadu.
FOREIGN COUNTRIES VISITED : 1985 4 Weeks in United Kingdom

1996 September and October, European Countries
like France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden and
The Netherlands.

1996 November Philippines One month workshop
on Sustainable Agriculture

2000 Appearance in EPO for hearing on Neem
Patent Case Germany.

2002 3 Weeks in Malaysia for training farmers in
Organic Farming

2004 Slow food conference in Italy.

2006 4 Weeks in Indonesia for Reclamation of
Tsunami affected land
LINKS IN ORGANIC STATES : Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra, Maharastra, Gujarat,
Orissa and West Bengal.
BOOKS WRITTEN : (1) Veylanmai Thozhila, Kalacharama, Vazhviyala

(2) Iyarkai Velanmai, Pannai Anubavangal

(3) Irulil Sila Velichangal

(4) Natchu Valaiyathugul Namathu Velanmai

(5) Vethaigal

(6) Thalanmai, Velanmai

(7) Orungu Inaintha Velanmai

(8) Iyarkai Vevasaya Vuthigal

(9) Kaalkani Velanmai

(10) Pesum Pannaigal

(11) Thai Mannae Vanakkam

(12) Valarchi Ukigal

(13) Melman Peruvoam

(14) Iyarkai Vazhvu

(15) Vazha Vazhi Manattu Malar
ARTICLES : Several articles in different Tamil Publications.
(G NAMMALVAR)


Asha for Education
Fellowship Application Form
SECTION I: Personal Contact Information
Name: GOVINDASWAMY NAMMALVAR
Address: 17/9, 5
th
street, Srinivasa Nagar, Thiruvanai Koil, Trichy 620005,
Tamilnadu, India.
Phone: +91-94426-24589/94425 31699
Email: nammalvar@gmail.com , sadhguru@gmail.com
Nominator:SIDDAMMA
Have you applied to Asha Fellowship Program before? If yes, when? -- No
Do you or your organization receive or has received any other form of financial
support from Asha? If yes, please give details -- No
SECTION II: Summary of Work
Name of Project (if any): Movement for Organic Agriculture
Location: Tamilnadu,Kerala, Andhra and Maharashtra.
Village/City/District/State
Which communities will your work serve? Both Farmers and Consumers
Socio-economic background Agri Graduate, Resigned from Agri-Research
station. Worked for different NGOs. In 2005 worked with Tsunami affected
farmers in Nagapattinam district. In 2006 worked for a month in Indonesia on
Tsunami affected model farms.
Type of work (Select 3 maximum)
Curriculum Development Environment Appropriate Technology
Teaching Methods Health and Nutrition Right to Information
Educational Reform Income Generation Peoples Struggles
Computer Based Education Food and Agriculture Civic and Human Rights
Adult Literacy Land Reform Other (Please specify)
SECTION II: Education
Degree, Certification or
Training Year
Institution Location
B.Sc (agriculture) - 1963 Annamalai
University
Chidambaram TN
India
Doctorate in Science - 2007 Gandhigram
University
Dindigul TN India
SECTION III: Experience
Please describe the top 3 most relevant experiences.
- Working with NGO 38 years, Working on Organic Farming Designing,
Training and Campaigning 27 years.
SECTION IV:
Organizational
Affiliations &
Memberships
Organization Your Role Dates
Tamilnadu
Organic
Agriculturists
Movement
President From June 2006
SECTION V:
References
Name Organization Address/Phone/Email
Oswald Quintal LEISA Kudumbam +91-98424-49125
Durai Singam FEDCOT - Chairman +91-94433-81816
SECTION Vi: Proposal
Please answer the following questions in the space provided. Please attach any
additional documents for clarity and better understanding of your work.
Name of Project (if any): - Promotion of Sustainable and Ecological Food
Production in India
Objective: - Transformation of Agriculture into a system of community based
self reliant and ecologically sound and sustainable, poison free food production.
Clearly describe the need for your work: - At present Indian farming is facing a
crisis. More than 0.15 million farmers are forced to commit suicide due to
commercial farming that has become economically unviable. Vast stretches of
farm land have become saline due to indiscriminate application of chemical
fertilizers and pesticides in farming.
According to a scientific study, all our food articles are contaminated with
pesticides above the limits prescribed by World Health Organization. Citizens
are suffering due to pesticide related diseases.
Direct benefits of bio-diversity in agriculture lie in the range of eco system
services provided by the different bio-diversity components. These include
nutrient cycling, pest regulation, pollination and others. (Gunr et all 2003). The
conventional industrial agriculture has resulted in negative consequences
affecting ecosystem services and agro ecosystem function.
The chemical based monoculture farming system has caused rural
unemployment, migration and malnutrition. Children are deprived of childhood
and education. To the contrary, organic agriculture benefits from decades of
using ecological principles based on diversification and traditional wisdom. It
will depend on low external inputs, resources conservation, and biological
services.
Clearly describe your proposed approach/solution: - 80% of Indian farmers are
resource poor, owning land holding of less than one hectare. Most of them are
less educated. They need demonstration and practical training in natural and
material resource management. In order to fulfill this object, we need learning
centres and trainers of both sexes. Organic seeds and cattle breeds are to be
collected and conserved. A number of farms are maintained by NGOs and
farmers. They need to be up graded more and more youth are to be trained.
Suitable learning materials are to be prepared.
Clearly describe any background work done so far in the location of your work
that will help towards your work. I am at present 70 years old. I am the son of
a farmer parents. Till I complete my school studies I lived in the village often
attending to the farming activities. It was organic farming. I underwent
agricultural course in Annamalai University. My experience for six years in an
agricultural research station from 1963 to 1969 enabled me to compare both
chemical versus organic farming and I resigned my job in 1969. my work with
NGOs from 1969 to till date helped to have a wider net.
From 1996 I have been involved in national level organic networks and
environmental movements. My participation in seminars & workshops
conducted by educational institutions and farmers movement has helped to
spread the message. My articles are published in the magazines and I have
published a dozen books and a few booklets. All India Radio and Televisions
are broadcasting my presentations. Already 50 farms are being used as
learning centres by farmers of the region.
What activities will be undertaken for your work? Establishment of a
community based Ecological Research and Training Institute in the farm
maintained by Barathi Trust, in Thiruvallur district in Tamilnadu.
Publishing 30 booklets (related to eco farming) in three years.
Publishing one trainers manual in 2008 and one field workers hand book
in 2008-2009.
Producing 12 video films related to organic farming to be used in
curriculam and campaigning.
Clearly describe the expected impact of your work: - Transforming Tamilnadu
state into an organic state. Emergence of organic markets in each district,
farmers will have a broad based market system. Farmers will have access to
knowledge and seeds for organic farmers.
Describe any innovative ideas & approach: - 1. There is a plan to work on field
schools for farmers on integrated pest management in the cauvery River Basin
which covers 60% of irrigated land in Tamilnadu.
2. Initial steps are being taken to roof water harvesting.
3. Steps are taken to convert city solid wastes into vermin compost involving
women self help groups.
4. Indigenous cattle breeds and crop varieties are to be preserved.
5. An All India millet network is being initiated.
Clearly describe why you will succeed: - The Rodale Institute of United states
have come out with success out of farming systems trails conducted for 19
years. Indian press is publishing a number of success stories. In the year
2008, with the motivation from the district collector 12 thousand hectares of rice
fields have been cultivated in organic way.
India is still an agricultural country wherein 65% of population depends on
farming and 80% of the farmers own less than 1.0 hectare of land and they are
resource poor. In this back ground organic agriculture based on traditional
wisdom coupled with todays environmental condition alone will succeed.
How do you propose to track the impact of your work (data collection,
interviews, etc)
- We will document the proceedings supported by photos and videos.
What are the intermediate milestones: 1. Training of Trainers 180 youth and
women.
2. Upgrading existing organic farms 20 Nos.
3. Promoting organic farms 25 Nos.
4. Publications of 12 Booklets on organic farming case studies and principles.
What learning from this work can be applied elsewhere & where: - Nowadays
Environmental degradation like global warming and water scarcity is threatening
even meager existence of life on this planet. In this situation organic agriculture
is applicable to any place on earth.
List the current financial resources, including any other grants or fellowships,
available for the project/work: - At present expenses are met with honorarium
given by NGOs for training and travel allowance met by farmer groups.
List any organizations, including universities, international agencies, NGOs,
etc., involved in the work: - 1. Tamilnadu Environmental Council.
2. LEISA movement in Tamilnadu.
3. Jeeva Jothi trust, Dharapuram
4. Sudar Sathyamangalam Erode district.
5. Venture trust, Pudukkottai.
6. Barathi trust, Thiruvallur.
7. Care trust Sivaganga.
8. Kudumbam (NGO) Pudukkottai.
9. Lead (NGO) Trichy
10. Voice Trust (NGO) Trichy.
11. Ahimsa trust (NGO) Trichy.
12. VCDS (NGO) Thindivanam.
13. RUC (NGO) Kanyakumari.
14. CREATE Athirangam Thiruthuraipoondi.
15. Gandhigram university Dindigul.
16. Pnadit Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural College Karaikal, Pondicherry.
17. Pollution control wing of PWD Coimbatore.
18. MSSS of Sivagangai, Tirunelveli, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Trichy,
Coimbatore, Thiruvanamalai and Pondicherry.
19. Earth Trust Nilgris.
20. Thanal (NGO) Kerala.
21. Centre for Sustainable Agriculture Andhra Pradesh.
22. ANTHRA (NGO) Andhra Pradesh.
23. Deccan Development Society in Andhra Pradesh.
24. Organic Farming Association of India.
What level of funding are you requesting from Asha for Education (stipend,
project funds, etc.). Please give details about amount requested per month and
duration. :-
1. Personal need Local Travel and Personal Expenses Rs.15,000x12 -
180000
2. Printing and publication Rs.50,000
3. Meeting and training expenses - Rs.30,000x6 -
180000
4. Exposure Visit for Organic farmers - Rs.5000x12 -
60000
4. Administration Expenses Personal Assistant - Rs.3000x12
- 36000
SECTION IV: Recommendation
My relationship with Nominee:
Work plan and Implementation
How long have you known Nominee? (Give an overview of the context and
nature of your interactions in the past with the nominee)
I know Mr. Govindaswamy Nammalvar for more than 20 years, attending his
meetings related to environment issues, government wrong policies on farmers,
Type of methodology in Farming, attending co-ordination meetings with organic
farmers.
Why should Asha support this Nominee as a Fellow?(Include your perspective
on the strengths of the applicant, key/unique aspects of the work being
proposed, how Asha can create a mutually beneficial relationship with the
fellow)
Asha has to support Mr. Govindaswamy Nammalvar due to the following
reasons:
1. He is becoming old. He need to take care of his other expences. He never
charge for his intervention to NGO. If NGO gives some money he just accepts
it. So he needs regular income to take care of his personal needs.

He is full fledged resource person, where his role is very important to present
situation in India. He need to the farmers to bring back the system which was
existing in India. He is doing Noble service to the dying community. His role is
very important to bring changes in agriculture cultivation practice which brings
economically viable and sustainable organic farm.
Additional Comments:
Agrarian crisis and organic farming, Speaker: Nammalwar
Namalvar - He is an organic scientist. He was a professor in an agricultural university but he
resigned in 1969 and was working in the NGO sector. He is now traveling to try and get people
to change to traditional and organic farming.
If you haven't been living in a cave the last few years, you should know that there is a crisis in
agriculture in India. Duh!
He started by giving some statistics:
- 1/5 Indians are hungry
- 50% children are undernourished
- There has been a 12% decline in food consumption from 1990-2001.
- 2814 children died of malnutrition from Jan-July 2005 in M'shtra. Malnutrition is hidden
hunger, says MS. Swaminathan.
- 99% tribal household in Rajasthan, Jharkhand face chronic hunger. Their livelihood is damaged
by so-called development activities.
The productivity of land and human beings has been going down. 7.5 lakh hectares of
agricultural land is being diverted to non-agricultural purposes every year. Budget allocation to
agriculture is only 2%, whereas 65% of population depends on it for their livelihood. Annual
spending on irrigation is 0.35%. Wherever suicides are happening in Andhra and Maharashtra,
the places are drought-prone. Monsoon rains are predictable. But unpredictable cyclone rains are
damaging crops during harvest time. Only 11% of area is under forest cover, come down from
33% a few decades ago. So, no rains!
Conclusion: There are 2 defects in this model we have adopted - technical & political. After
independence, we gave importance to urbanization and industrialization. Rural areas have been
ignored. Agriculture is serving the industries. Heavy yield had been recorded during British
times. But we went to America after independence. We imported chemicals. Our own good
varieties have been replaced by dwarf varieties that consume more chemicals.
Wherever there was green revolution, the soil has become waste. In our culture, the land is
treated as goddess. In European tradition, it is treated as factory. Earth is a place of creation. In
America, organic farming is acknowledged with pride. But, they are pushing chemicals here.
One of the problems with chemicals is water and land pollution. Uma from Suyam Trust
mentions that her school area faces the same problem with water pollution.
Sir Albert Howard was a British botanist who came to India to teach people Western farming
practices but found many farming practices of people very beneficial to the soil, crops, livestock
and people (He wrote the book "An Agricultral Testament"). He later said that even the insects
were his teachers. There is a right time and place for farming. But, the dwarf varieties are
supposed to be poisonous to the insects. Not natural!!
Pesticides are called "Aushad", meaning medicine. But it is actually a poison. Didn't you know?
Why don't you try some! Grapes are dipped in pesticides, from flower to harvest they are dipped
14 times for 14 weeks. The white coating is actually poison! It is not fit for eating.
Technical difficult is more serious than the political one!
In Andhra, 3000 people committed suicide.
A retired person from Indian Council for Agriculture wrote a book called "Knowing the Insects".
There are 4 stages in the insect life. Eggs, caterpillar, pupa, adult insect - 28 days for a single
cycle. Only the caterpillar dies due to pesticides. After 28 days, the cycles continues. The insects
have become immune to the chemicals - pesticidal immunity. Indian Bollworm eats one part of
the fruit and comes out. American bollworm eats the whole fruit and moves onto the next fruit.
American Bollworm has acquired 300% pesticidal immunity. Bye bye fruit.
Sucking insect - only 3 stages. Only the adult insect sucks the sap. They have also developed
immunity. Kinda sucks.
Pestides are organo-phosphatic chemicals. If it enters into our body, it gets deposited in the fatty
areas in the brain. It leads to several forms of cancer, hearing disability, loss of memory.
Pesticides kill when consumed. But, when we take it indirectly, we get killed slowly.
All insects are not our enemies, there are more friends. To eat insects, there are four or five
predators. With pesticides, these are also killed. Don't believe my word? Try reading "Friends of
Cotton" by two American scientists.
The first milk is given by a mother to a child, it contains pesticides. Excessive spraying reaches
the land, the grass, the cow, the rivers, the cow's milk, into the mother's body. All these are
scientific facts, not just activist propaganda. All our agri subsidies are going towards these
chemical companies.
There are enough predators to protect our crop. Once a farmer sees these, he doesn't know. He
panics and sprays pesticides. Also, the predatory birds stop coming after pesticides are applied.
With such extensive use of pesticides, the net profit is reduced because the input costs are high.
Unscientific business!
Instead, all you need to do is to put a chair for the drongo (predatory bird) as a look-out point to
look-out for caterpillars! Dragon-flies, wasps are our friends. Even the ones that "Fly like a
Butterfly and sting like a bee" like Mohammed Ali. They prey on caterpillars.
75000 tonnes pesticides are thrown around into the environment every year. There is a picture
that shows the diff. between a fertilized soil and an organically grown soil. The soil that used
fertilizers is hard, water runs off it and erodes away the top soil. The soil under organic farming
is spongy, with plenty of aeration. This encourages the movement of water and the growth of
micro-organisms that release essential minerals for plant growth.
In nature, certain plants like beans and legumes have the ability along with the rhizobium
bacteria to do nitrogen fixation that helps produce urea naturally. There are 12000 such plants
that could be used as inter-crop or crop rotation.
Now, don't even get me started on the problems of fertilizer factories. Okay, you asked for it. I'll
just tell you a couple. The fertilizer factories dig borewells 1000ft deep and suck all groundwater.
The effluents cause huge environmental problems.
If you plant a single seedling of paddy, it produces a lot of root and branches. Each paddy grain
has capacity to produce 20000 grains. Take a new grain, not more than 15 days old. There should
be only a film of water. Flooding the field with water weakens the roots. The all India average
yield of rice is 2.5 tonnes/hectare. Madagascar, poor old Madagascar, undeveloped non-nuclear,
space technology deprived Madagascar, gets 21 tonnes/hectare. They use a system called System
of Rice Intensification. Some of the aspects are planting single single seedlings, rather than a
clump; not flooding the paddy fields.
Germany gives $2 per cow as subsidy. Skimmed milk imported here from Germany is sold at the
lowest price. Sri Lanka exports coconuts to us. Other countries give export subsidies to promote
export to India.
Farmers are taking to organic farming in a big way. Even the University of Agriculture is picking
up. Amruthpani - cow dung, cow urine and jaggery mixture that could be produced within 24
hours is an excellent fertilizer that could be applied topically and also along with the irrigation
water.
A company called WR Grace packaged neem extract. They crushed the neem seeds, and
processed it. The extract, when sprayed, is a good fungicide. They have a patent for the extract.
This is used extensively in India and in 2000, 5 people from India (along with Namalwar) fought
the case. Neem grows only in India, not growing anywhere. People have known this for a long
time. Its uses are common knowledge. 3 criteria have to be present for patent - novelty, invention,
industrial application. In India, we didn't have industrial application - i.e. not packaged neem
crushed seeds, not available in low-fat, non-cream varieties with no MSG. Our argument was
that they didn't have an invention. Case dismissed! Patent revoked! Same case with turmeric.
About Genetically Modified foods, farmers, NGOs are resisting. But, politicians, judges are
corrupt and all GM seeds have been allowed. Especially, the Bt-cotton seeds. Farmer cannot own
the seeds. GM plants produce sterile seeds. So, new seeds have to be purchased every time. Only
the mill owner can supply. The shops sell only GM seeds. There is a trap right there. Only field
trials are allowed for certain GM crops. The agitation is to destroy the trials.
The session ended in some humor and a health tip to drink Panchakavya (a mixture of cow dung,
cow urine, curds and jaggery. Apparently, it is distilled too, so it should be ok!) daily!
Minutes of conversation with Siddamma and Nammalvar.
June 22, 2008.
Siddamma (Bharati Trust), Nammalvar, Palani (Asha UFlorida), Shivshankar, Shrawan (AID
Austin), Savitha, Gaurav, Ganesh, Bharath, Itisha, Rahul, Vinod (Asha Austin).
Siddamma gave an intro on Nammalvar. Nammalvar is very interested in working with folks
who are concerned about working with society. When we decided to start the model farm at
Bharati Trust, Nammalvar was very happy to be part of it, and has given a lot of direction, and
has planted a lot of trees, and gives us instructions and actually works with us instead of giving
theoretical inputs. He has committed to working here and is working towards making this farm a
model farm. He is interested in working with very large number of groups. He communicates in
a very simple and straightforward way and easily communicates with all. He's one of the very
rare people we have in India and we should take care of him. He travels a lot. It would be good if
he has the flexibility of resources. He wont be very worried about who supports him or not.
Siddamma thinks he should be supported becuase providing the flexibility to him would really
help. Nammalvar thinks that the center should become a university (or a learning institute) for
everyone including farmers and to their children. At the same time, he wants to do the same
things in other areas. He is conducting training for farmers and is happy with how it is going on
in this area. He has many publications on this work as well. Murali travels with him
regularly. Murali is very committed to documenting Nammalvar's knowledge. So he also has a
very important role in this.
Soil is contaminated with pesticides. Immediate need is to educate the farmer to be ecological.
Very few people in this country know how to do ecologicaly good farming. Farmers are
committing suicides. Creating model farming practices. And creating publications. Through out
India there is a request to develop an organic farming network. Farmers are in isolation. Creation
of models are very important. Everything needs
to be consolidated.
Regarding the license to sell organic materials in the market There is a "participatory gaurantee
system" recognized by the IOF and UN. The farmers themselves are organizing and guaranteeing
they are producing Tanjavoor, Coimbatore, Erode etc. -- farmers and consumers are coming
together and creating a green shop which is guaranteed organic food. 80% of farmers in TN are
small farmers under 5 acre land, so they cannot spend on larger certification. We need to appoint
an inspector who can review and certify for these farmers. These inspectors dont have to be any
experts. They can be farmers themselves. Kerala, Andhra, Karnataka, Pondicherry, all are part of
this. They will be selling all the produce, the millets, rice, the vegetables and fruits, etc. Will get
a good price for their products.
The suicides came about after the debts became too high. Solution is to not have any costly
inputs from the western methods. The only way to solve the food crisis is to have local and
ecologically good way -- mixture crops, crop rotations etc. are working efficiently.
Rice crop needs focus. Not enough farmers. Another area is to work on low-rainfall area where
they are working on millets. Involvement will be in TN. and concentrate on low-rainfall area.
The food crisis is fueled by cash crop conversion. Every farmer wants some cash. So every farm
can have a component which can provide the cash part. The ecological farm will have multiple
areas with different crops.
How easily are folks changing to organic farming -- already some 10000 have converted, while
some 20000 are in the transition stage. Only during the last 5 years farmers are changing over
because the crisis is too hard, plus the prices of other commodity is forcing the farmers. If the
farmer is committed and well trained, within 3 months he can change over. There are some 20
aspects to this transition.
How is the fight against GM seeds? Bio-diversity leads to prosperity. GM seeds are eliminating
bio-diversity. Cotton is very prevelant and spreading. But the GM vegetables are being resisted
(brinjal, tomato), because of health risks, while cotton wont be eaten.
How different is this different from Subhash Palekar method? Not much. He says switch to Zero-
Budget natural farming. He comes from the process side. Nammalvar comes from educating the
farmers side.
What is hard about asking farmers to switch to organic farming -- farmer is very worried about
economy. So ask him to work out what is the income and what are the costs. Natural farming is a
method which will regulate the cost of the inputs. Whatever you get in the field can be used for
farm need and home need. That argument alone works really well.
Are the organic products sold at a higher price? -- we have the green shops in many cities
(kumbakonam, chennai, trichy etc.). Where-ever we have green shops we sell through it. In the
green shop, the wholesale market price goes to the farmer, while 20% goes to the administration
of these green shops. So the farmer gets a very good deal on these.
Nammalvar is administrator for OFAI which recognizes the participatory guarantee system.
Regarding publishing: planning to publish a monthly newsletter in Tamil. It can be printed in
English also for the benefit of other states once in 3 months. It would be possible to translate
these manuals and booklets -- already they have some requests from Karnataka and Andhra.
The different aspects involved in converting a field from chemical fertilizers to organic farming
include:
1. vermiculture -- earthworm
2. green manuring -- composting or growing in the soil
3. amrutha paani -- cowdung, cow uring and jaggery. 24 hours tonic is ready and
successfully used by farmers.
4. herbal pest repellent -- cow urine based
5. panchagavya -- healthy tonic. Dr. nagarajan used it on agriculture
6. farmer's cytosum(?) -- coconut milk and buttermilk fermented and diluted with water
7. manure tea -- cowdung, leaves, jaggery, 200 litre drum of water -- 1wk to prepare.
8. gunabasalam -- waste of any dead animal and mix with jaggery and keep for 25 days
1% solution to be used
9. 10 eggs in a plastic container and lemon juice is added until eggs are completely
submerged. add jaggery and 20 days you have egg-lemon extract.
10. Multiple cropping for greening purpose. maharashtra 4 millet, 4 rice, 4 oilseed, 4
green manure crops -- grow with the above methods.
How make vermicompost, vermiwash, importance of crop-rotation, mixed-cropping, integrated
farming, relay cropping, no tilling farming by choosing coconut, banana etc. are what the farmers
are taught in the workshops.
Each farmer's field may not need them all. So they follow a method of farm-specific agriculture.
The aim is for the farmer to learn what is needed in their field.
Minutes of Asha Austin meeting of June 29, regarding Nammalvar's fellowship, and
follow-up Q&A in the Asha-Fellows weekly conference call.
(http://data.ashanet.org/datastore/data/Focusgroups/Fellowships/Proposals/Pending/Nammalvar/)
[NOTE: Questions from the meeting are in RED and answers to them are in BLUE]
The fellowship is currently being discussed in the fellowship-group
Asha-Fellow: a grass-roots worker whose personal expenses are taken care of by the
chapter. Asha Fellows group does not take financial decisions
Austin currently supports two Fellowships Siddamma and Nandlal
Nammalvar is an organic scientist. He has been working in the area of natural farming for
the last 45 years
He was working with government until the Green Revolution came along (and pesticide
and chemical use) and since then he has been working with NGO's and other
organizations
He primarily works in Tamil Nadu and in some areas of Karanataka, Kerala, Andhra
Pradesh
He has managed to get 100,000 acres of rice to be grown with natural farming methods
He was part of the team which visited Germany to fight the neem extract patents
He worked on desalinating land after the tsunami
Organic farming, mixed farming is useful because of the low input costs
He is working in areas of low rainfall now
He has currently got good support from the TN government
Last week there was a conference call with Nammalvar as part of the fellows group
A farmer can restore the soil fertility for organic farming within three months by using a
twenty point method
He will be closely working with the resource center
As part of the fellowship the support is needed for - his personal expenses and also for
publishing booklets about organic farming. His assistant Murali will help in translating
the booklets to English
Since Nammalvar is 71, there may be many more medical expenses. We need a method
to support increased medical expenses
o May not be necessary - not the kind of guy who will go to a hospital. Will be
accounted through the personal expenses part of the budget he is in really good
health, does yoga, has many potions of his own concoction including
panchagavya.
Q: Why do we need to discuss this in the fellowship group? A: Asha-wide this has
become the process of supporting new fellowships
Q: What is the current method of support? A: It is ad-hoc right now. He is supported by
the different groups he visits
Q: Does he hold training camps? A: He typically travels to the NGO to organize camps.
Q: What about support for his personal assistant?
o More of a honararium - is an engineer. Mostly doing the driving/documenting
voluntarily.
Q: Are there other members of family he needs to support?
o We dont know about this yet.
We are supporting a Fellow, so we should also be supporting their activities, otherwise
what use is the Fellowship In case of Siddamma, it is not easy to imagine how we can
support all her activities as we support her Fellowship
Q: How do we support his Fellowship? A: Most probably we will get this supported
through the Bharathi Trust
AID Austin was interested in working with Siddamma's efforts and Asha and AID had a
conference call with Siddamma. That was when the fellowship proposal for Nammalvar
came up and is now currently being discussed by Asha and AID.
Exposure visits are for farmers to visit Resource Center and other such efforts. The cost
typically covers the traveling expenses for neighboring farmers.
Q: What does "Meeting and training expenses" cover?
o When we had fellows conference, in parallel bharati trust had organized a local
meeting with farmers for Nammalvar - so that he could explain the economics of
going organic to the farmers. The first step of convincing is where he is extremely
good at. So in this phase, if there is a group that is organizing his talk, the part of
the farmers having to come and stay at some place etc. the travel and food etc. and
training expenses - are paid for by the group. If there aren't any organized groups
which can do that, then he would do that on his own using these meeting and
training expenses.
We should look at connecting up different projects
We should also look to buy the material generated by Nammalvar.
Murali needs a used laptop. Vinod will check with the SV chapter on laptop give-away
by Infosys in Bangalore (upto 40 of them every year)
He is trying to make farming viable that is the fairer way to look at it (how the farmers
perceive it). All things along the lines of organic, renewed land, no soil erosion, multi-
culture, no GM etc. are part of his philosophy, but what the farmers are looking for is low
cost. In the context of the current farming crisis low cost is an important solution.
Conversation with Nammalvar [Aug 14, 2008]
Q. About future work. What Nammalvar plans to do in the coming months.
-- Agriculture crisis situation is very serious.
-- We are campaigning and training the trainers.
-- Creation of training & educating materials is very important in the near future.
-- Currently 65 ecological centers in TN. Wants to promote more.
-- Want to set up 1000 training centers all over Tamil Nadu in the next 3 years. Also extend to
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
-- Plan to work in the low-rainfall areas on TN: Thiruvallur, southern part of Erode and Dindigul
and part of Cuddalore.
Q. More about his plans for promoting Integrated Pest Management in Cauvery River
Basin (mentioned in Project Proposal).
-- Cauvery Delta produces the maximum amount of Rice in TN.
-- Even though Rice is the staple food here, farmers are still in debt.
-- Knowledge of Pest Management is very limited here.
-- Need to conduct continuous training programs for the farmers.
-- Currently lacking some instruments and preparation materials.
-- Meetings are going on, but monetary support from Austin is required to proceed.
Q. Where he is based.
-- Travelling most of the time throughout South India (mostly TN).
-- Spend 3 days every month in Trichy
-- Will be spending more time in Cuddalore where we are setting up a training center
-- Will be visiting Bharati Trust in Thiruvallur frequently
Q. Is the support needed for his family as well?
-- Support for family is not required. Family is not dependent on Nammalvar, or on this
Fellowship
Q. On the role of Murali, for whom a monthly stipend has been requested.
-- Murali communicates with everyone through email/phone and helps with interlinking all
programs and elements
-- He is a software engineer by training, but works with Nammalvarji and has no other source of
income
Q. Topics he plans to publish on.
a) Madagascar method of growing rice - This method produces 2-3 times the yield of rice.
b) Biomass and Green-leaf manure - This is available everywhere, but not used.
c) Amruthapaani
d) Herbal Pest Repellant
e) Panchagavya
f) Vermi-compost
g) Herbal tea preparation. This works as growth promoter
h) egg juice [the concoction with the lime and the fermenting]
i) Navadanya - Mixture crop-pattern ensures fixed amount of income
j) Mulching - Important organic farming practice used world-over.
k) Double-Digging - Improves fertility of soil.
l) Azola - Algae used in cattle-breeding and weed-control in paddy fields
m) Crop Rotation
n) Honey-bee rearing
o) Mushroom Cultivation
p) Fish culture
q) Rain-water Harvesting
Q. Who will this material be given to? And published in which languages?
-- This material is meant both for trainers and farmers
-- Free for farmers, but NGO's can get it for a small fee
-- Publish first in Tamil, then English, then in Kannada and Telugu and other languages
-- Enough material is already available for these, as he teaches this on a daily basis. Needs to
publish.