http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120214/punjab.htm#1
Amritsar Pingalwara assumes a dual role
Besides serving the destitute, the charitable society now leads the way in organic farming
Perneet Singh
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, February 13
The All-India Pingalwara Charitable Society here has donned a new role: that of a torch-bearer for the farming community. It has set up a farm at Dhirakot village and has convincingly exhibited that farming can be done without the use of chemical fertilisers that are injurious to health.
Spread over 32 acres, the farm is being looked after by society member Rajbir Singh. Talking to The Tribune, he said: “At our farm, we use cattle urine/dung, pulses, jaggery, garlic and green chilli in different combinations to prepare fertilisers which we mix with water.” He said only 15 per cent insects were harmful to crops. “When the farmers use chemical fertilisers, they end up killing also the insects that are beneficial to the crop. However, this does not happen in case of natural fertilisers.”
Rajbir Singh said they had adopted bed farming as “crops need moisture and not a lot of water.” In this way, they could save water up to 60 per cent as compared to other kinds of farming.
He said the indiscriminate use of pesticides by farmers had had dangerous repercussions for human life. “It is unfortunate that a country like Israel, which doesn’t have water fit for irrigation, has turned farming into a profitable venture, why is our country, which have everything required to make it a flourishing endeavour, finding it economically unviable.”

The farm has produced some ground-breaking results in sugarcane production. Highlighting the feat, Rajbir said spending not more than Rs 30,000 per acre as input cost on cane, the first-year production was an impressive 400 quintals per acre. This was expected to go up to 600 quintals in the second year.
Rajbir Singh said various sugar mill owners, along with farmers, had visited the farm to “learn our technique and replicate the same.” He said they had provided sugarcane seeds to the farmers. “The quantity of seeds used by us per acre is much less than normally used by farmers,” he said.
The farm boasts of a research centre where peasants from other states come to learn farming practices sans chemical fertilisers while also saving on water. Talking of the crops grown at the farm, Rajbir Singh said they sowed almost all seasonal vegetables, apart from wheat, basmati rice, maize, and sugarcane. “We are probably the only one producing broccoli in the state. Nutrients in broccoli help in fighting cancer and heart ailments. We also produce cauliflower, peas and tomatoes.” Jaggery is also produced at the farm.
Rajbir Singh said a part of the produce was consumed by 1,500 inmates of the Pingalwara and the rest donated to the Golden Temple for langar (community kitchen).
He said a huge quantity of animal fodder was produced, which fed their own cattle as well as those of farmers of nearby villages.
He said they conscientiously followed the guidelines of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, to achieve the desired results. He lauded the help extended by Subhash Palekar, an agricultural expert from Amravati, for starting the farm in 2005.
Society president Dr Inderjeet Kaur said the aim behind establishing this model farm was to set an example for the state’s farmers in organic farming. She said they had published literature on environment conservation, which they distributed at the Golden Temple and other religious places free of cost. “We have planted at least 10 lakh saplings,” she added.
About the project
n The Amritsar chapter of All-India Pingalwara Charitable Society has set up a farm at Dhirakot village near the holy city
n The society has convincingly shown that farming can be done without the use of fertilisers that are injurious to health
n Spread over 32 acres, the farm is being looked after by society member Rajbir Singh
n The farm has produced some ground-breaking results in sugarcane production
n Spending not more than Rs 30,000 an acre as input cost on cane, the first-year production was an impressive 400 quintals per acre
n The production is expected to go up to 600 quintals in second year
n The farm boasts of a research centre where peasants from other states come to learn farming practices. All seasonal vegetables are grown