First Magazine SCFCA OCTO-1 | Page 14

Farming of Dabholkar Shripad A. Dabholkar was an educationist. He aimed to shape education as a tool for total change in the life situation of an average worker in rural areas. Dabholkar realized the limitation of conventional academic system in which he played a part as a teacher for 25 years. He left it to undertake the task of educating farmers through demystification of science, adopting non-formal methods of knowledge communication.Dabholkar was a lone campaigner. He claims that farming in 25 cents of land is enough to live in the standard of a professor. But till now he could not prove it . If he could prove it would be better mode of farming for the small sized farming plots in Kerala. Natueco Farming It is farming developed by late Prof. Sripad A. Dabholkar and the word “Natueco” is born from a combination of two words: “Natural” and “Ecological”! Natueco method of farming - See more at: Natueco farming is a method of holistic farming. Its goal is to maximize carbon or biomass and not necessarily maximize economic gain in the narrow sense. It is also about maximizing output with minimum input in energy terms. It is not organic farming The fundamental belief system in Natueco concept is that it is a science of life and life is all about energy. Natueco is not about farming and definitely not about farming for production and distribution. It is a lifestyle .Amrut Mitti is the key ingredient of the Natueco farming. Also called as ‘Nursery’ Soil, ‘Masala Mitti’ or ‘Living Soil’, Amrut Mitti is a form of compost which forms the basis of the Natueco process of building fertile soil. While Nature takes centuries to produce fertile soil, a farmer can create this soil in his own farm in the form of Amrut Mitti in less than five months. Same as other farming methods this also not proved scientifically. Organic farming in Cuba Friends of Scientifica, October 2016