Farmer shows the way in water management

CHANDIGARH: His name doesn’t ring a bell. Even if you see, you wouldn’t probably bother to give him a second glance. You would probably turn around and ask someone "what’s he doing here?"
But then he has a done what no one has ever thought of.
A farmer from a nondescript village in Rajasthan’s Sikar district, 44-year-old Sunder Ram Verma has left scientists from all over the country gaping with his innovation.
Recipient of the prestigious Jagjivan Ram National award for being the most innovative farmer, Verma has developed a model whereby a plant can lead its entire life with just a litre of water.
A godsend for areas like Gujarat and Rajasthan that are perennially plagued by water scarcity, his model has evoked wide interest among agriculturists and the government machinery.
In Chandigarh at the invitation of the National Innovation Foundation, Verma spoke to The Times of India at the 91st session of the Indian Science Congress.
"The technology adopted for plantation is very simple. In areas where there is water scarcity the basic problem which surfaces is that plants dry up after the monsoons since enough water is not available to the roots," said Verma.
"The fault lies with the way the plantation is done. What generally happens is that new plants are sowed in the fertile upper soil which is moist on account off the rains. Since the soil layer is extremely fertile and most, the roots develop in parallel direction. However after the monsoons when there is water shortage, the roots want water and unable to get it from the soil layer, they die. This is what we have avoided in this new method," he added.
Explaining the method he said, "Unlike traditional methods of plantation where plant is sowed during the first monsoon showers, here plants are sowed after about seven-eight days of the last monsoons. This after the land is properly deep-ploughed either by hand or by bullocks to remove weeds which might surface."
Adding, "After the first showers of monsoons, the weeds which crop up are removed. This is because there are two methods by which water goes out of the soil apart from solar radiation and infiltration. These are through weeds and capillary action. Water is drawn by the weeds and after they germinate after the first showers of monsoon, we remove them so as to ensure that water loss from the soil is checked. The left over weeds are destroyed by deep ploughing after the last monsoons and plant is sown about 8-10 inches deep in the soil. Since the upper soil layer has been subject to deep ploughing, there is no water loss as ploughing breaks capillary action in the zone."
The plant survival rate is about 90 per cent and as per estimates of the forest department, the cost of plantation is cut down by half. "This is because there in no need to irrigate the soil and dig pits to water the plants. By utilising the water in the soil, a plant is able to survive with just one litre of water whole its life. Additional water is required only when the plant bears fruit," noted Verma.
Fifty thousand plants have been sown by this method in Gujarat already.