Futures in Farming?

As the stupid joke once went – Sikhs’ only culture is agriculture.

While farming and agriculture has been the backbone of the political economy of Punjab, questions regarding current practices and sustainability have become more and more common.  Impending water crisis, increasing cancer and mortality rates, and annual suicides related to crop successes and failures are all tied to the future of agriculture in Punjab.

Solutions come often.  Crop diversification is one that is common.  Here a CNN report calls for organic farming.  Still one cannot help but wonder even with these ‘magic bullet’ solutions, can there be sustainable increases in the standard of living for all citizenry in an economy tied to industrial agriculture?  Siphoning of Punjab’s wealth has for decades left state service (civil, military, police) as the most desired duty for all rural youth.  In such a command economy, Punjab will always be at the whims of puppet masters in Delhi.  Are there any alternatives?

Also here is a link to Umendra Dutt’s blog that does have some very interesting measures being taken by the Punjab organic movement, including many by women – the Kheti Virasat Mission.


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23 Responses to “Futures in Farming?”

  1. Harinder says:

    Knowledge generation ,acquiring and protecting its intellectual property rights in all spheres of life is the best way forward known to homo-sapiens as of now.

  2. Harinder says:

    Knowledge generation ,acquiring and protecting its intellectual property rights in all spheres of life is the best way forward known to homo-sapiens as of now.

  3. Harinder says:

    Statement 1 ) Impending water crisis,
    Ans1 ) Impending crisis cannot be the reason of todays suicide and mortality

    Statement2 ) increasing cancer and mortality rates, and annual suicides
    Ans 2) No statstics to support increase in cancer rate and its death therof.
    It is a hypothetical concern. On the contrary several large world wide clinical trials ( metaanalysis studies you may google it ) have found lowest incidence of cancer amongst farmers .

    Statement 3) Siphoning of Punjab’s wealth has for decades :–
    Ans 3 ) :–What wealth Punjab has except water. It will require a statistic analysis to compare the cost of tube well vs Canals irrigations.

    Statement 4 )left state service (civil, military, police) as the most desired duty for all rural youth.
    Ans 4 ) The Punjabi youth has such a big ego that he will not do 50 % of work Punjabs economy need eg house builders, factory builders, road builders , factory workers ,farm labours,domestic help in cities etc etc.
    He want to just aspires for office or a desk job with a scope of making extra money.

  4. Harinder says:

    Statement 5 ) This is In such a command economy,
    Ans 5 ) The whole world is under a low entropy system called command and control implemented through laws and technology .The only independent systems found in world are the animal kingdom ,aliens and the areas like Somalia or afghanistan
    .
    Statement 6 ) Punjab will always be at the whims of puppet masters in Delhi.
    Answer 6) In a Democratic society Punjab must know how to be strong in Delhi.
    Example Godharas genocide is being investigated and not 1984 genocide Why? The answer is simple 15 % votes cannot be ignored by any govt of the day compared to the 2 % votes.

  5. Harinder says:

    Answer to your question is :—
    a) Punjab need industries as most of the advanced world is industrlaized have 75 % population living in Urban areas as in2010 (this will increase to 85 % by 2050) and only 25 % in rural areas.
    b) Punjab needs higher centre of education like IIT ,IIM world class universities and research centers.
    c) Punjabi youth need to take a lesson in HUMILITY and KIRAT.

  6. Harinder says:

    Problems : –
    a) Most Punjabis have low skill in setting up industries even the soft ware indutry has not caught the imagination of punjabis the way it has done in south and rest of India.
    b) Even if some one else sets up industries it will be the Biharis/UP/Jarkhand who will be working in it given the ego , laziness and drugs addiction which will prevails among Punjabi youth .
    c) Given the low population of Punjabis in India its will never have a major say in indias democratic polity. They will face a natural neglect not given their bright history whose fruits we are eating till today.
    d ) Sikh youth have a anti centre trait given the qauntum reasoning I gave for religions and how it influences individual behaviour in my earliers posts.

    May Waheguru save and bless Punjab and its people.

  7. Harinder says:

    Statement 1 ) Impending water crisis,
    Ans1 ) Impending crisis cannot be the reason of todays suicide and mortality

    Statement2 ) increasing cancer and mortality rates, and annual suicides
    Ans 2) No statstics to support increase in cancer rate and its death therof.
    It is a hypothetical concern. On the contrary several large world wide clinical trials ( metaanalysis studies you may google it ) have found lowest incidence of cancer amongst farmers .

    Statement 3) Siphoning of Punjab’s wealth has for decades :–
    Ans 3 ) :–What wealth Punjab has except water. It will require a statistic analysis to compare the cost of tube well vs Canals irrigations.

    Statement 4 )left state service (civil, military, police) as the most desired duty for all rural youth.
    Ans 4 ) The Punjabi youth has such a big ego that he will not do 50 % of work Punjabs economy need eg house builders, factory builders, road builders , factory workers ,farm labours,domestic help in cities etc etc.
    He want to just aspires for office or a desk job with a scope of making extra money.

  8. Harinder says:

    Statement 5 ) This is In such a command economy,
    Ans 5 ) The whole world is under a low entropy system called command and control implemented through laws and technology .The only independent systems found in world are the animal kingdom ,aliens and the areas like Somalia or afghanistan
    .
    Statement 6 ) Punjab will always be at the whims of puppet masters in Delhi.
    Answer 6) In a Democratic society Punjab must know how to be strong in Delhi.
    Example Godharas genocide is being investigated and not 1984 genocide Why? The answer is simple 15 % votes cannot be ignored by any govt of the day compared to the 2 % votes.

  9. Harinder says:

    Answer to your question is :—
    a) Punjab need industries as most of the advanced world is industrlaized have 75 % population living in Urban areas as in2010 (this will increase to 85 % by 2050) and only 25 % in rural areas.
    b) Punjab needs higher centre of education like IIT ,IIM world class universities and research centers.
    c) Punjabi youth need to take a lesson in HUMILITY and KIRAT.

  10. Harinder says:

    Problems : –
    a) Most Punjabis have low skill in setting up industries even the soft ware indutry has not caught the imagination of punjabis the way it has done in south and rest of India.
    b) Even if some one else sets up industries it will be the Biharis/UP/Jarkhand who will be working in it given the ego , laziness and drugs addiction which will prevails among Punjabi youth .
    c) Given the low population of Punjabis in India its will never have a major say in indias democratic polity. They will face a natural neglect not given their bright history whose fruits we are eating till today.
    d ) Sikh youth have a anti centre trait given the qauntum reasoning I gave for religions and how it influences individual behaviour in my earliers posts.

    May Waheguru save and bless Punjab and its people.

  11. Harinder says:

    The Farmers amongst the Punjabis need to learn new skills especially in field of engineering and technology to over come the limitations mentioned in farming.
    For the naive farmers let hem start with reparing simple tools humans use in every day daily life .
    Manafacturing can come later .
    1) Scooter mechanics
    2) Car mechanics
    3) Airplane mechanics
    4) Space ship mechanics
    5) Computer repairers
    6) Home applianes reapirers eg ; fridge, telephone , electrical devices,electronic devices like mobile ,ipod TV etc etc

  12. Harinder says:

    7) Industrial factory machines repairers
    8) Farm technology gadgets like harvester, pumps , tractors repairers
    9) Construction technology like bridges , metros, flyovers , sky scrapers etc etc
    10) Hospital technology reapirerrs like Ultra sound ,cT scan , MRI PET CT scan , lab gadgets etc etc
    11) Defence gadgets repairs : Like guns , Submarines ,radars , vehicles
    12 ) energy gadgets maintenece and repairs : Thermal ,solar , hydro ,and nuclear power plants.
    We live in a infinite universe limited only by our
    1) "PREJUIDICES " ,
    2) "THOUGHTS"
    3) "past way of life" and
    4) our "sense of helpleseness".

  13. Harinder says:

    The Farmers amongst the Punjabis need to learn new skills especially in field of engineering and technology to over come the limitations mentioned in farming.
    For the naive farmers let hem start with reparing simple tools humans use in every day daily life .
    Manafacturing can come later .
    1) Scooter mechanics
    2) Car mechanics
    3) Airplane mechanics
    4) Space ship mechanics
    5) Computer repairers
    6) Home applianes reapirers eg ; fridge, telephone , electrical devices,electronic devices like mobile ,ipod TV etc etc

  14. Harinder says:

    7) Industrial factory machines repairers
    8) Farm technology gadgets like harvester, pumps , tractors repairers
    9) Construction technology like bridges , metros, flyovers , sky scrapers etc etc
    10) Hospital technology reapirerrs like Ultra sound ,cT scan , MRI PET CT scan , lab gadgets etc etc
    11) Defence gadgets repairs : Like guns , Submarines ,radars , vehicles
    12 ) energy gadgets maintenece and repairs : Thermal ,solar , hydro ,and nuclear power plants.
    We live in a infinite universe limited only by our
    1) "PREJUIDICES " ,
    2) "THOUGHTS"
    3) "past way of life" and
    4) our "sense of helpleseness".

  15. Harinder says:

    For the farmers lookig to diversify out from traditional profession of farming and soldering .
    Here are some tips.Please start teaching from 08 th class onward following subjects vigorously

    1) Mathematics :- –Which is the language of science and gives rist to creation throgh measurement=creation" principle .
    2) Physics and Chemistry :- –Which gives us smart technology products.
    3) English :——–Which is the global language of communications and trade.

    To quote the importance iof Arithmetics by one of the greatest 20 century scientist "Werner Heisenberg" :–
    He adopted an operational "measurement=meaning" principle according to which the meaningfulness of a physical quantity was equivalent to the existence of an experiment purporting to measure that quantity. Similarly, his "measurement=creation" principle allowed him to attribute physical reality to such quantities.

  16. Harinder says:

    For the farmers lookig to diversify out from traditional profession of farming and soldering .
    Here are some tips.Please start teaching from 08 th class onward following subjects vigorously

    1) Mathematics :- –Which is the language of science and gives rist to creation throgh measurement=creation" principle .
    2) Physics and Chemistry :- –Which gives us smart technology products.
    3) English :——–Which is the global language of communications and trade.

    To quote the importance iof Arithmetics by one of the greatest 20 century scientist "Werner Heisenberg" :–
    He adopted an operational "measurement=meaning" principle according to which the meaningfulness of a physical quantity was equivalent to the existence of an experiment purporting to measure that quantity. Similarly, his "measurement=creation" principle allowed him to attribute physical reality to such quantities.

  17. Oren Rengers says:

    This valuable is one of the most advantageous piece of writing that My spouse and i have study till date on this specific issue. Essentially all-inclusive yet still to the point devoid of just about any nonsense.

  18. Oren Rengers says:

    This valuable is one of the most advantageous piece of writing that My spouse and i have study till date on this specific issue. Essentially all-inclusive yet still to the point devoid of just about any nonsense.

  19. iSingh says:

    (Reproducing an excerpt from the article available at http://www.countercurrents.org/dutt070710.htm

    Punjab: A Dying Civilisation?
    By Umendra Dutt
    07 July, 2010
    Countercurrents.org

    “Of course, it is a degrading environment and a dying civilization in Punjab; a whole community has been put to slow death” affirmed Dr Amar Singh Azad, my senior colleague in Kheti Virasat Mission. “It is a crime committed against humanity and nature by our own governments, that too in the name of Development”, I said, endorsing his observation. All of us were very upset and angry after visiting villages near Dhakansu drain and Ghaghar River in Patiala and Sangrur districts.

    This was our third visit to a river or drain area to educate ourselves on environmental toxicity and its multiple impacts. About eight years ago, we did a padayatra along the Jayanti River in Ropar district. I found several similarities between the disappearance of Jayanti and Ghaghar rivers. Both rivers have lost their relevance after society forgot and neglected the significance of these rivers. The river eco-system was ruined at both places by the developmental activities carried out by “modern society”. Our latest Yatra was a field visit to learn more on the crisis of water, environmental toxicity, condition of agriculture, biodiversity, the unfolding health crisis and the socio- economic fallout of this ecological disaster.

    The entire picture is extremely frightening. There has been a lot of debate on the severe health and water tragedy apparent in the districts of Malwa region. But we should correct our view point – it is the whole of Punjab that seems to be under deadly devastation now. Some of our well-wishers ask us again and again that – “Why are you activists bent on such scare-mongering around these things?” I would like to repeat the words of Dr Azad here – “Yes, we want to create a scare, because the situation is far more destructive and scary than our government and people can ever imagine.

    (….continue reading at http://www.countercurrents.org/dutt070710.htm)

  20. iSingh says:

    (Reproducing an excerpt from the article available at http://www.countercurrents.org/dutt070710.htm

    Punjab: A Dying Civilisation?
    By Umendra Dutt
    07 July, 2010
    Countercurrents.org

    “Of course, it is a degrading environment and a dying civilization in Punjab; a whole community has been put to slow death” affirmed Dr Amar Singh Azad, my senior colleague in Kheti Virasat Mission. “It is a crime committed against humanity and nature by our own governments, that too in the name of Development”, I said, endorsing his observation. All of us were very upset and angry after visiting villages near Dhakansu drain and Ghaghar River in Patiala and Sangrur districts.

    This was our third visit to a river or drain area to educate ourselves on environmental toxicity and its multiple impacts. About eight years ago, we did a padayatra along the Jayanti River in Ropar district. I found several similarities between the disappearance of Jayanti and Ghaghar rivers. Both rivers have lost their relevance after society forgot and neglected the significance of these rivers. The river eco-system was ruined at both places by the developmental activities carried out by “modern society”. Our latest Yatra was a field visit to learn more on the crisis of water, environmental toxicity, condition of agriculture, biodiversity, the unfolding health crisis and the socio- economic fallout of this ecological disaster.

    The entire picture is extremely frightening. There has been a lot of debate on the severe health and water tragedy apparent in the districts of Malwa region. But we should correct our view point – it is the whole of Punjab that seems to be under deadly devastation now. Some of our well-wishers ask us again and again that – “Why are you activists bent on such scare-mongering around these things?” I would like to repeat the words of Dr Azad here – “Yes, we want to create a scare, because the situation is far more destructive and scary than our government and people can ever imagine.

    (….continue reading at http://www.countercurrents.org/dutt070710.htm)

  21. […] They will face a natural neglect not given their bright history whose fruits we are eating till today. d ) Sikh youth have a anti centre trait given the qauntum reasoning I gave for religions and how it influences individual behaviour in my earliers posts. Read more on World Wide Clinical Trials […]