Bengaluru: Heard of lemon-flavoured cucumber or basil with a hint of cinnamon? You may not spot them in the market but these exotic veggies are available at agricultural scientist D Prabhakar Rao's sprawling farm. Even wasabi mustard and the nearly-extinct Bangladeshi long brinjal can be found here.
Rao, a trustee of Sri Sri Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, has a passion for collecting exotic desi seeds of vegetables from across the globe. He has preserved over 142 seedsfrom more than 25 countries.
"These exotic species are not new. They are old varieties, which are native to India. We may have lost them over the years, but they are found in various other parts of the world. For example, I got the seeds of lemon-flavoured cucumber and cinnamon basil from east European countries like Bulgaria. A rare variety of tomatoes, which are big in size, is from Romania," he said. Blue tomatoes, Hanuman Ghada lauki (a desi variety of bottle guard that weighs 1.5kg per piece) and purple lady's finger are among the exotic varieties grown at Rao's farm near Kanakapura, over 35kms from Bengaluru
Farmers from many parts of the country have benefited from Rao's 20-year-long quest, as he has shared rare seeds with them. "A farmer in Nelamangala sells red romaine tomatoes for Rs 300 per kg, and they're in demand," he said, adding that none of the varities is hybrid.
Rao, who practises natural farming, believes a farmer should visit the market only to sell and not to buy. An advocate of natural farming, he has trained more than 5,000 ryots — adivasis in Chattisgarh, and farmers in Shiggavi and Belagavi — through his audits on drought-hit areas.
According to him, organic farming is not the same as natural farming. "I practice and train farmers on natural farming. "In organic farming, cow dung from 20 cows is used annually for one acre of land. But in natural farming, the same amount is enough for 20 acres of land. In organic farming, farm yard manure is not very helpful for plants. But in natural farming, the Jeevamrutha mixture — consisting of fresh cow urine, cow dung, jaggery and gram flour — is more effective as the living microorganisms help improve soil quality," Rao explained, adding that organic farming is a European concept.
Summit on food security
Rao, who has a specialization in climate-resilient agriculture, will address the crowd at a two-day national summit on 'Innovative Approach to World Nutrition and Food Security' at the Art of Living Intenational Center in Kanakapura on May 9 and 10.
Drought-proof farming: 2 crops at a time
In Karnataka, sowing is done in June since rain is expected in July and August. "But owing to climate change, we have been receiving copious rain only by September. So in North Karnataka, we have trained farmers to sow both tur dal and chickpea at the same time in the same farm so that they don't suffer crop loss even if one fails," Rao added.
Courtesy: The Times of India
