Along with living among the farms and farmers, spending most of the day with them, and understanding the difficulties and challenges of farming, Delhi's youth Shaurya Thakur is also trying his hand at farming to get acquainted with the nuances of this sector. Shaurya has been looking after an agriculture farm in West Delhi for about 18 months. He is gaining a lot of experience from this, due to which he has started working towards finding solutions to all the problems related to the agriculture sector at a very young age.
Shaurya says that he is involved in a variety of activities from sowing seeds to post-harvest care. He has grown several crops in the field, such as rice, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and beans. With more than a year and a half of experience, Shaurya has understood that our farmers who practice traditional farming are far away from new technology and methods. This weakness of theirs pushes them far behind financially. For example, the monsoon of 2024 was so bad that it not only destroyed the crops but also destroyed the infrastructure that was built. Seeing the condition of the field, the farmers became frustrated and disappointed.
Of course monsoon rain is necessary for the growth of plants, but it also has many disadvantages, especially in a country like India, where farmers depend on traditional methods to increase production. Excessive rain in the monsoon has a huge impact on the supply chain of crops and causes loss in the market.
“I was shocked when I sat down with my team and understood the farmers’ perspective on the farm situation. Their source of income was destroyed, and this left them struggling to provide basic necessities for their household. However, they were determined to rebuild the farm economically and quickly. The farmers seemed optimistic while discussing this,” says Shaurya.
Heavy monsoon rains often lead to soil erosion, washing away fertile topsoil. It is estimated that 29% of India’s soil faces the risk of erosion due to extreme rainfall patterns, leading to a long-term decline in agricultural productivity. Excessive monsoon rains are a problem not only in India but across the world. But most countries have taken preventive measures to control the damage caused to farms.
For example, Southeast Asian and African countries use contour ploughing and terracing. The purpose of this method is to reduce water runoff and soil erosion by ploughing along the natural contours of the land or building terraces on steep slopes. This technique slows down water as it moves along the contours, allowing more time for absorption and reducing the risk of landslides or nutrient loss. Western countries, such as the United States and European nations, use cover crops for the same reason. Farmers plant crops like clover, rye, or legumes during off-seasons, which absorb excess water, improve soil health, and prevent erosion. This prevents soil erosion and improves soil structure during heavy rains. Lastly, a simple yet effective technique used by farmers in the Netherlands and Japan is water drainage systems. Farmers install underground drainage pipes (tile drainage) or surface ditches to redirect water to nearby ponds or drainage canals. This removes excess water from fields to prevent waterlogging and reduces damage to the crops to a large extent.
These methods are often used in developed countries or regions where farmers are more aware of the issue, but they can be used in India as well. Considering the contour plowing and terrace plowing method, farmers can use simple implements or tractors to plow along the natural contours of hills and slopes. In hilly regions like the Western Ghats or Northeast India, they can create terraced fields using local labor and stones to retain soil and reduce runoff. This technique is ideal for hilly regions of India. Additionally, farmers can take advantage of drainage systems. In waterlogged areas, such as parts of West Bengal and Assam, farmers can dig shallow surface drains along the edges of fields to channel excess water into nearby ponds or rivers. In areas with heavy rainfall, they can lay underground drainage pipes using inexpensive PVC material. This technique would be particularly applicable to my farm, as it is located in flat terrain.
Shaurya explains that underground drainage pipes can prevent excess waterlogging, causing minimal damage to crops. With government support and educational awareness programs, Indian farmers can learn to fight excessive monsoon rains and protect their crops. He hopes to rebuild farmers' fields and prevent future damage from excessive monsoon rains by adopting preventive measures used in different parts of the world.