Post-Navdanya Reflections from Dehradun

October 11, 2013 - Navdanya Reflections

I am currently sitting in an AC Chair Car on a rickety train running from Dehradun to Delhi.  I’ve just spent the last nine days and eight nights at Vandana Shiva’s biodiversity conservation farm and learning centre, Navdanya (Bija Vidyapeeth – “Earth University”).  Initially, I had intended to spend five weeks at Navdanya, which would have cut the cost in half from $20 per night to about $11.  However, after re-thinking my limited time in India and hearing from a number of sources who’ve spent time at Navdanya (including a former Watson Fellow), I decided that I could maximize my time and make the most of my research by only making a brief stop.  That being said, I have mixed feelings about it.  I can see how being at Navdanya for a while (one, three, or six months) would allow a volunteer or intern to really dig deeply into their work (no pun intended ;)).  He/she could either work on an independent research project or join a current project (such as the Seeds of Hope initiative to work with local farmers on organic farming education, seed saving, and follow up evaluation; or the program of visiting local schools to facilitate garden education and environmental awareness).  I can imagine that being there for a long time would have its pros and cons.  For instance, each day might not feel as precious (in contrast, being there for only about a week made me feel pressured to maximize each day, always be socializing etc., which was exhausting).  On the other hand, each day might start to feel monotonous and restrictive with the “loose” schedule of morning circle at 9 AM, farm labor in the morning, shram dan (“gift to the community” or essentially group cleaning) at 12, lunch at 1, “free time” in the afternoon, followed by dinner at 7 PM.  Someone described it as summer camp, which at times, it did sort of feel like camp.  Consequently, spending the majority of one’s time with fellow foreigners (students, researchers, travelers etc.) made it feel like it wasn’t the “real” India (whatever that means).  It was more like a bubble that felt like college; a distorted reality that has the potential to make one feel suffocated or trapped.  In terms of isolation and cultural insulation, of course there were Indian members of the staff in the office, seed bank, kitchen, fields, etc., but with significant language and cultural barriers, it was tempting to pass time with like-minded, English speaking, close in age westerners.  I feel somewhat guilty for relishing this aspect, but I figure that I am most likely not going to encounter this situation again for a while, so I might as well make the most of it.  Normal activities, which were not carried out this week because of the absence of the volunteer coordinator include: screening documentaries, skill share, learning about medicinal plants, lectures from the staff, cooking as a group etc.  And unsurprisingly, almost every book and piece of literature was written, edited, or co-authored by Vandana Shiva.  It would have been nice to hear the other side a bit.  Unfortunately, the language barrier prevented me from talking to any of the farmers or seed keepers; the traditional herbalist went home to his village for a week; and most of the senior staff seemed to be absent from the farm.  Despite some of these downbeat aspects, I should also focus on all the good things I got out of my brief stay at Navdanya:

• I met a ton of cool people.  I can see myself wanting to stay in touch with some of them for a long time into the future.  Everyone was pretty like minded but not clones of each other, which was refreshing.  There were less hard-core hippies than I expected and instead, people came from a wide variety of backgrounds and held different interests.
• I got to get my hands dirty and work in the field (we weeded the garden, cleaned the rice field by learning how to differentiate varieties and pulling out anything that wasn’t Basmati, transplanted lemongrass cuttings, and harvested peanuts).  I still find weeding very cathartic and therapeutic, as well as harvesting (getting to see the product), and planting (knowing that you are giving life).  The one activity I really didn’t like was the rice field cleaning.  It was difficult to differentiate between the varieties, so many times I was unsure of what to pull.  It required attention to detail in an annoying way.
• I learned how to clean/sort seeds, which required extreme attention to detail, good eyesight, dexterous fingers, and patience.  I enjoyed it because it was somewhat mindless but also found it a bit too chaotic and disorganized, since I felt like I kept sorting the same seeds over and over again.
• I exchanged resources and brainstormed research topics with many people, which helped me critically analyze my own research and modify my research questions.  This also gave me several new contacts in places I am traveling to in the coming weeks.
• I taught yoga for the first time, which not only made me feel physically good but the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the class has inspired me to want to become yoga teacher trained when I return home.  Before this, I had never considered teaching (I remember when Ally suggested it once and I laughed) and am actually really self-conscious about instructing others, especially for something in which I don’t feel like an expert.  However, people’s feedback and support have encouraged me to reconsider.
• I read materials and books that I otherwise would not have had access to, including one book about organic farmers speaking on economics (which doesn’t seem to happen too often!)
• We watched Bitter Seeds, which was beneficial since I am traveling to Maharashtra at the beginning of next month.  It contextualized and further elucidated the farmer suicide and Bt-cotton situation.
• Several of us started doing daily Hindi classes on the computer (Pimsleur audio program), which provided the needed incentive for me to get going on language study.  Although I can hardly say anything, I still feel better than before and motivate to continue to learn.
• I realized again how I should be conducting research for the Watson: independently.  After a really brief visit with Kartik today to the NGO/research institution, People’s Science Institute, I realized how annoying it is to be with other people.  I suddenly felt self-conscious of my questions, incompetent, and ill-prepared for the interview (in the same way I felt when I was traveling with Eren).  I was tempted to defer to Kartik and let him dominate the conversation, which he was either polite enough to refrain from or was simply disinterested in being there.  Lesson learned – do independent interviews!  At least I received some literature on the System of Rice Intensification, which is a very modern and innovative method but simple in that it requires few inputs (and can double yield).
• *****I’ve realized that my own mindset and attitudes have changed since I left for my trip.  I think that before the Watson, in the comfort of Hamilton and my extracurricular involvement in Slow Food etc., I was easily swayed and convinced that local, organic, small-scale, traditional, simple living etc. is the most desirable.  However, at Navdanya, I found myself annoyed with people who “just want to live simply” and believe that everything should be local, small-scale, traditional, and spiritual.  They seem opposed to anything remotely modern, globalized, and change-oriented.  Deep down, I want those same things: I want to live simply and in touch with the Earth, but I also don’t think we can ignore the other side, which I often found myself defending.  I don’t think I would have found myself in this position last Spring.  I hadn’t realized it until I was surrounded by people who seem brainwashed – it’s a huge step for me.  I want to continue to ask tough questions in the future and not complacently accept the “easy” answer, whichever side it may fall on.
• In contrast, I also felt the wonderful benefits of living communally, which helped me envision my future.  It was somewhat reminiscent of my study abroad experience in Australia in that I enjoyed sharing meals with people, doing collective labor, watching movies, playing games, studying, and just conversing with other people.  I realized that in the future, I would really like to have my own place (e.g. not have a roommate), but that having communal spaces such as a kitchen and garden and sharing responsibilities with like-minded people would be wonderful and nourishing.  This reminds me of my desire to try out cooperative housing or maybe even an eco-village/intentional community.

Plowing on the farm

Cleaning and sorting seeds, a truly monotonous job (photo credit: Sara)

Courtesy of Sara

Navdanya campus - living quarters and permaculture garden (Sara's photo)

Seed bank

Spices at the market (courtesy of Sara)

(Sara's)

Photo credit goes to my lovely friend Sara

Harvesting peanuts (aka groundnuts here) on the farm

Navdanya has more than 600+ varieties of indigenous rice (Sara's photo)

On my way back to Delhi from Navdanya, I stopped at a research NGO called the People’s Science Institute to meet with a scientist named Ravi Chopra.  PSI does work on water management methods in the Himalayas (e.g. traditional water harvesting structures), as well as the development and diffusion of appropriate technologies, including Village Information System (VIS) GIS-based applications software and development of intermediate-sized hydrams.  They do consultancy, training, and development support, especially in the areas of environmental quality monitoring, natural resources mitigation, and disaster mitigation and response (which is especially relevant after the disastrous floods that devastated parts of Uttarkhand in June).  During my visit with Dr. Ravi Chopra, I learned more about rainwater harvesting and the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) to double paddy production.

SRI alters transplanting, weeding, water and nutrient management to yield an impressive harvest; uses traditional organic techniques and requires less external inputs (less seed and water and manure is cheaper than urea), so decreased input costs.  The most important technique is the preparation of a nursery where paddy saplings are grown, which are then transplanted to a field free of any weeds.  SRI focuses on root rather than plant, since ensuring healthy roots ensures healthier and more productive plants.  Another crucial factor is seed sowing time, transplanting age of paddy seedlings (e.g. can’t be too old), and fewer seedlings are planting per unit area, reducing competition for nutrients and instead of keeping the fields flooded, SRI drains water out after 3-4 days.  This increases the supply of air (e.g. nitrogen) to the roots.  SRI recommends use of organic fertilizers (also applicable to wheat, maize, finger millet (mandwa) and kidney bean (rajma)) and the systematic sowing of seeds at fixed planting (compared to conventional broadcasting method) saved 60-70% of seeds and reduced plant competition.  Because digging and sowing is reduced, this saves time.  And in terms of yield increases: “In SRI, paddy plant is six feet long and has around 600 grains.  Conventional paddy is 3.5 feet long and has about 350 grains.”  One challenge is the labor intensity and expenses involved in weeding during the first month, however, after this period, weeds subside significantly.  To help address this,  PSI has developed prototype single and double row seed drills and an SWI (System of Wheat Intensification) weeder, which have a mixed response among farmers.  In terms of farmer feedback according to PSI literature, in spite of higher labor inputs in sowing and weeding, farmers have expressed immense satisfaction with higher SCI (System of Crop Intensification) grain and straw yields.  In fact, the much higher SRI/SWI/SCI crop stalk volume provides more fodder for cattle, leading to increased milk production and increased FYM for fertilizing fields.  “SRI/SWI increased crop production while enhancing intrinsic productivity of land with minimum use of external inputs.  Healthy roots and more productive plants were ensured.”  
So in short, benefits of SCI include:

• Less seed requirement
• Saving in water
• Early maturity
• Decreased chemical application
• Improved soil quality and health
• Higher grain and straw yield
• Reduced women’s workload

Concerns and challenges:

• SRI technique needs to be extended to other crops
• Thorough cleaning of weeds from the field is an arduous but necessary process
• Farmers find operating the weeder very cumbersome and would like it to be made mechanical.  This would increase the cost of the machine but would ease the work of the farmer; Design modification of the seed drill to ensure fixed spacing of seeds while sowing
• Farmers accessibility to quality weeders
• Capacity building of farmers in the adoption of SCI
• Availability of water under rain fed conditions, especially during weeding operations, transplanting, and after milking stage

While at Navdanya, a few other volunteers/interns and myself took an afternoon and visited Clement Town, where there is a Buddhist community and an enormous stupa.  According to Wikipedia, Clement Town houses "A large Tibetan settlement and the World's Largest Stupa, of the re-established Mindroling Monastery fromTibet, is situated in Clement Town, which was inaugurated on 28 October 2002 and is surrounded by a 2-acre (8,100 m2) garden. There is also a 103 feet (31 m) high statue of Buddha is dedicated to the Dalai Lama."

Taking a vikram taxi to Clement Town

More Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags :)

Visiting a Buddhist community in Clement Town nearby Dehradun

Made me feel like I was back in Ladakh

A few other volunteers and interns from Navdanya