Valjibhai is the village president
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How does your purchase of organic cotton clothing make a difference? We asked the farmers from the village in Gujarat in India who produce organic cotton to tell us in their own words how changing to organic has impacted them and their village community.
Ratanbhai
Ratanbhai is a senior village farmer
" My land was dead; now it is alive - that is the most important thing - my land is linked directly to my life; my land is alive and so we are alive.
The land is better because the beneficial insects have returned. Earthworms have returned naturally and we no longer need to supply them to aerate the soil. The soil holds more water now. This means that there is less risk to our crop since we are not as dependent on the rains. Also, our costs are reduced since we have to irrigate less and so we need less fuel for the pumps. We rotate our crops more now and this has helped reduce the number of harmful pests. Rotation also means that we have more diverse sources of income from organic foods. With organic farming some of our crops are even better - like our sesame seed crops which have the same yield as before but the oil content of the seeds is higher.
Ratanbhai (pictured right) is a senior village farmer
The health of our village has also improved. This year, in our village, 98 of 130 farmers are farming organically. The village bore holes now provide cleaner water and there are not so many illnesses. In the past, farmers became ill with skin-irritations and breathing problems from spraying the pesticides, and we had to spend a lot of money on medical treatment. Some farmers and workers even expired. Those of us who have converted to organic no longer have these problems. "
Case Studies
Valjibhai
Valjibhai is the village president
" There has been a real impact on our costs. We used to burn the crop waste but now we create compost with manure and the crop plants so that we don't have to buy fertilisers. We no longer spend money on pesticides.
The better soil quality means that we have fewer inputs. In total our costs are down by about 60%-70%. The amount we used to spend on 10 acres now covers more than 20.
During the three years that it takes to convert to organic our yields do go down by 10%-15% because our land has been damaged by the chemicals. However, the lower costs mean that our net profits go up even in the first year of transition. After the transition we have been getting the same yields as before. The increase in profits means that we can spend more on our village and our families.
We are very happy about converting to organic. Two years ago, 47 out of the 130 farmers in this village had converted. Last year it was 65 and now it's 98. I promise you that in two years time this village will be 100% organic. "