Can you tell me about your career journey?

I grew up near nature, and my father is a farmer. So I was always exposed to the struggle of farmers, and grew up with a deep understanding of those.

The input costs are very high, and we disrupt nature in the normal process of farming… Some farmers are progressive, they want to do things sustainably. But in general - like, for example, most of the people I graduated with - they end up working for one of the big chemical companies. These companies are spread across India, it’s easy to be there.

I did my B. Sc. in Agriculture in Bangalore. The syllabus is outdated; I clearly understood that. What they teach is conventional farming, which is mostly out of touch with the needs of farmers on ground.

With this in mind, after my B.Sc, I started my consultancy startup, Agriculture Design Development Solutions (ADD). We develop agroecological solutions for self-sustaining farm systems. Agroecology overlaps agriculture and ecology, meaning sustainable farming. It is based on a set of thirteen principles, like saving water, soil, and nature.

So the things I learned from my father, in farming, and from the books I read, I applied it here in my startup.

At the same time, I was writing scientific articles, and I presented a paper as well. My professor sent that paper to some university in Europe, and from there I got the opportunity to pursue my Masters in Europe.

And you know how the Indian attitude is - my mother insisted that I should pursue higher education, why let go of such an opportunity? So I packed up and decided to pursue my Masters. I did my masters in Agroecology in Horticultural Crops.

That was the right time, around 2017-18, and “sustainability”, “agroecology” were just becoming buzzwords.

But the ancient Indian practices, the indigenous knowledge, had always done things like this; it was nothing new for us. I learned that this is called Indigenous Technical Knowledge - ITKs. 

After my masters, I started working in the organic certification sector. This is the industry that builds the standards, and decides what is organic. The third party verification is done by the certification agencies - so, they decide what is organic, they communicate it to the farmers, they decide if the farmers are meeting that standard. 

Because of this accreditation, the companies or agencies make a lot of money - but not the farmers. These standards are all bullshit. There is no proper monitoring. Ultimately, the farmer sees none of the money involved in this. Even the consumer doesn't know what they’re eating, what is in the food, nothing.

Then, I started getting involved in regenerative agriculture programs, in Europe. I volunteered, got involved in different farmers’ groups…

After this, I had to return to India because of some family issues.

Now, I work as a full time consultant in IFHD - the India Foundation for Humanistic Development. I am the thematic lead for one of our projects in natural farming, nature conservation, working as an agroecologist.

So many interesting threads to pick up here - let’s start with your startup. Agricultural Design Development - what did the company do?

We did consulting for people who wanted to do natural farming. Our clients were for example, IT folks, doctors, specialists in Hyderabad - this was during the COVID-19 lockdown time; there were a lot of people who wanted to chill in their own farms on the weekends.

So we would tell them how they can do sustainable agriculture. How to best use the water, build up the healthy topsoil…There are many methods in agroecology, like trench budding for example. We helped clients implement these methods.

The idea was that we will first establish the model of sustainable farming for these clients, then we can also demonstrate these to other small scale farmers for their livelihood, and maybe help them convert to natural farming as well.

Small-scale farmers are the ones who actually feed the world. Not the large farmers. But if we can convert the large-scale farmers to agroecological methods then the small-scale farmers will also follow them.

That’s very interesting - especially since, I think, conventional knowledge goes that only large-scale farms can “feed the world”. And I think that is used as one of the main arguments against wider adoption of agroecological farming - that you just can’t produce enough for the whole world. 

Actually, it is the small-scale farmers who produce the food we eat. When I talked to some of the large-scale farmers - they will have a minimum of 50 acres, 100 acres [in India]. They won’t cultivate it all the time - they will become completely industrialist. They won’t like to take the risk that comes with farming for food crops. So either they will grow timber [a monoculture of timber trees across the entire land] or fruit trees, or go for some business, things like that. They will think about the long-term investment, and they won’t do farming. 

But small-scale farmers - those who have 10 acres or less - they have to cultivate the entire land for the maximum yield, throughout the year. So the small-scale farmers, in countries like India, are very, very productive.

The problem however, is that the farmers here have become very dependent on chemicals - fertilisers, pesticides…They are applied indiscriminately.

Even if the companies [pesticides/ chemicals companies] send a marketer or representative, they will also not know how to apply correctly, if two substances are supposed to be mixed and applied only on the leaves or soil…so the farmers buy it and spray it in much much higher amounts. 

So of course, over time the insects and pests become extremely resistant. 

One of my friends - who is an entomologist - told me, we are actually making the insects resistant.

It’s possible, if you test the planthopper from my area and from some other area - the planthopper in my area will not die, no matter how much you spray the pesticides. From the indiscriminate chemical pesticide use - the farmers are also facing many problems, like cancer, reproductive issues.

We need to invest more in solutions that mimic nature. Nature also has production, right? There is a balance in nature, no one is spraying that much pesticide. But no one is funding research for biomimicry solutions. 

CVR [Chintala Venkat Reddy] is a well known organic farmer in Telangana. His solution for pest management was so simple - just mix soil and water, and spray that liquid on the leaves. So when the insects come, they are tricked - they think they are eating soil, not leaves. This is an example of ITK. This comes from nature itself.

Since you’ve lived in India and Europe, can you tell us some of the differences you’ve observed regarding in agriculture practices and systems?

Sustainability in Europe vs India 

In Europe, everyone is concerned with the environment. They are very conscious. They don’t even buy juice in the plastic bottles - they get the cans. Their life expectancy is also longer. You’ll see 80-90 year olds bringing their baskets to the supermarkets. 

A big problem is we copy-paste European solutions in India without thinking of local systems and climate conditions. We need to think about what works for us. Europeans also have a fantastic recycling system. You can drop off used bottles and earn subsidies or coins in return. It’s a great way to get people to recycle. But this needs government involvement. It’s hard to do this individually.

We need to create a passion for sustainability amongst the youth. We need to teach sustainability in all the schools.

Agriculture 

Agriculture in Europe is very strict, by the rules. Milk can’t be directly sold to consumers. It has to be sold through industries after a lot of processing. It is a largely monopolised sector. 

There aren’t many big farmers in Europe. They usually hold small lands and employ heavy machinery. But there are farmers, who own large areas of land in Mexico, South America and Africa. They prefer to invest in non-perishable crops - cacao, sugar etc.. And there’s heavy exploitation in these developing and under-developed countries. 25 kg of cocoa is sold for just 50 paise!

What are the different projects you are working on right now? What does work look like for you on a daily basis?

I am the thematic lead on a natural farming project by the IFHD [India Foundation for Humanistic Development]. The project is based in Koratagere taluka, Tumkuru [in Karnataka], and funded by the Ashraya Hastha Trust - an Infosys philanthropy initiative.

We are working with the farmers to implement agroecological methods. The area is Anantapura - India’s largest drought prone area. Most of the farmers are trying conventional farming, like areca nut or other crops, and they buy food from others [not growing their own food]. Some of the crops they grow for their families, like ragi. Earlier, ragi was grown without any chemicals but now they apply chemicals for ragi as well.

We have field teams that visit the farmers, show them case studies of agroecological methods, and help interested farmers to implement them.

We are also trying to build a system to define what is organic. Some important points are, for example, having different crops and animals on the farm; you also need to consider the nutrient quality of your crops, not just the yield. We call this bionutrient foods. Consumer patterns also need to change, and for this “organic” should become more than a commercial branding word.

Apart from this project, I also freelance for a carbon company called Chaturveda, as an agroecology consultant. There I advise farmers on how to grow horticultural crops along with the regular food crops, for better livelihood throughout the year.

I also take clients - again from the IT sector or others who want their weekend farms or are interested to explore sustainable living. For them, I am also exploring different types of natural building - like ecobricks, efficient water harvesting on the land, and soil conservation.

What areas or sectors in sustainability are you personally excited about, and where is the potential for most growth?

I’m very excited about recycling and closing the loop. The urban waste from the cities needs to be managed carefully. Circular economy and closing the loop. These are buzzing fields.

And this concept can be applied everywhere. In the case of agriculture, it would mean self-sustained farms. No “waste” is generated. It’s all put back into the loop as manure. 

Things like sustainable offices, buildings and construction are buzzing  topics but are not gaining enough traction in India. And few people who are aware of it might not have the resources to develop such projects. 

What tips or advice would you give to students or professionals who want to start in the climate space? 

Don’t just let sustainability be in your career! Regardless of your profession or career, think of sustainability in your everyday life. 

If you think of it only as a career, you might work in the space for some 5-10 years. What after that? It’s so important to make it a part of your life, in your every choice!

There’s also not enough awareness about sustainability. Maybe in the metropolitan cities, but it’s not enough. So talk to people. Motivate them to bring about changes in their lifestyles. Even if it’s one person per year. ∎

Dr. Vandana Shiva, an Indian scholar and environmental activist, writes about global food systems, and how agroecology fits in.

If at all you find yourself with an inkling of interest in agriculture, how it’s been shaped - in India and across the world - by history and culture, what problems face us and what agroecology can do - this is a book you must pick up.

Some key ideas covered are:

• Arguments for agroecology, permaculture etc.

• Historically - how did agriculture become “agribusiness”? The post-WW2 progression of agriculture into “petrochemical” inputs dependence.

• The fine points behind the definition of “more” yield: environmental costs, chemical inputs, GMO/ hybrid seeds. (No fear-mongering. But why is there some apprehension behind hybrid seeds still?)

• Biopiracy: the wild, wild West trying to “patent” seeds and crop varieties - up to and including Basmati rice.

In this reader’s opinion, the book - although with good arguments and well-explained especially for readers new to the subject - becomes a little repetitive. But overall, very well worth the read, especially if you are beginning to get into agroecology, its philosphy, and wondering about its practicality. This book makes for a great starting point. ∎