VELLORE: Soil has memory and it will remember if you mistreat it. N Margasagayam swears by this.The 58-year-old, who has a doctorate in organic agriculture from the Gandhigram Rural University in Dindigul, grew up on a land that has been farmed on for generations. His father was a farmer and now, he, too, works at tilling away the land. Growing up, he was fascinated by agriculture and always found time to engage in it. Margasagayam has learned wrong farming practices can turn a fertile lush land barren.
“I had the opportunity to attend a lecture by scientist and organic farming crusader G Nammalvar years ago. It was very inspiring. Later, he took me to an NGO, Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA), in Keeranur of Pudukottai district. I stayed there for 10 days and it was then I was exposed to the nuances of organic farming,” he says.
The experience with LEISA was the turning point in Margasagayam’s life. It led him to over two decades of raising awareness about organic farming among students and farmers. He has also worked towards protecting the environment. Organic farming is a way of life for him. Recognising his works, the Tamil Nadu State government honoured him with the Green Champion award in 2021, along with a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh.
After finishing his doctorate in 1998, he started an NGO called the Green Trust. The NGO, which mainly focuses on Vellore, has conducted several awareness programmes for farmers, organised on-field demonstrations on how to prepare natural fertilisers and taught them how to be self-reliant without depending on chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
While he was working on creating awareness about organic farming, the government roped him in 1998 and made him a working member of the Eco Club, which was aimed at creating awareness about environmental issues among school students. Under the club, five major industrial towns were selected. “I was deputed to my home district, Vellore, which was one of the major industrial towns affected by chemical effluents from tannery units.”
At least 40 government schools were chosen in each district to organise awareness programmes. For his work, the State Higher Education Department’s Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology wing honoured him with the Popularization of Science in TN Award in 2001.
Margasagayam dedicated 24 years of his life to raising awareness of organic farming and environmental issues. He believes every farmer should switch over to organic farming as it is the way forward. Lowered use of chemicals and shift towards sustainable solutions will provide nutritious and safer food while maintaining an ecological balance, he says. He wants this organic method to be imbibed into the grassroots by educating farmers and even the young generation. He pointed out the need for research on bio-fertilisers.
“So much of our farming practices are not concerned about the soil. It relies on chemical aids and focuses on mass production. The love for farming was also lost along the way,” points out Margasahayam, adding that it was dangerous as agriculture was essential for our survival and healthy soil was paramount to it.
He knows the road to transition to a fully organic country is not an easy one. But when he looks back at his journey, Margasagayam says it was “enriching and educative” on a personal front. “I tried my best to give back to society. But I know there is a lot more to be done,” he adds.