Phalada - Decent work conditions & economic growth

Many organic farm owners feel it as their responsibility to provide a safe and healthy environment for their workers, their growers and the families of the growers. This applies for example to Mr. Shastry, the founder and chairman of Phalada Agro Research Foundations in Bangalore, India.

MR SHASTRY – INDIA

Phalada was established in 1999 in the Karnataka province in the South of India. With the vision of helping the local farming community, Mr Shastry and his team decided to go down the ‘organic road’ with providing end to end solutions in organic farming: “The farmers wanted to break out of a downward spiral where dangerous pesticides and artificial fertilizers were not giving the promised results. Together, we quickly realized that the answer was a completely different form of agriculture, one that focuses on healthy soils and healthy future generations”, Mr Shastry claims. One of the mint farmers that Phalada works with testifies: “Organic Farming has helped me keep my family & my fields healthy! My farm now is self-sustainable and I no longer need to depend on expensive chemicals to keep my fields healthy’’.

To learn more about this grower click here.

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soil

When we started working organically, our focus was on healthy soils. We spent many years of research to perfect the best possible compost technology focusing on soil conditioning, nutritional management, and pest & disease control. Today, in order to keep our soils vibrant and healthy our growers rotate their crops based upon a 1 in 4 system. Furthermore, many of them are producing compost together.

biodiversity

Here at Phalada we believe very strongly in working in harmony with nature with local fauna and flora. That is why in 2007 we started our ‘Annual Tree Plantation’ program whereby the focus has been on planting trees specifically of endangered and red-listed species. To date, we have been able to restore more than 600 acres of forest. We also do bark regeneration study of medicinal importance trees for sustainable harvest.

We Introduced different wild collected species into cultivated species, example, Manjista, Brahmi, Gotukola, Guggulu, Ashoka, Arjuna etc. to ensure what’s in the wild stays as it is. Saplings of Fruit yielding tree species are distributed among farmers as part of biodiversity program. These saplings are planted as hedge crop on the boundaries of each farmers land. This way, once the tree starts yielding, these trees will give extra income to the farmers for future years and also may act as protection against contamination from neighbouring farms.

individual

Curcuma is deeply rooted in the Indian cuisine and culture and we are proud to grow and export this special, exceptionally healthy root vegetable. Curcuma is known not only for its great taste and as a colorant but also as an alternative medicine to treat a variety of health conditions. Here in Asia, we have been using Curcuma for more than 4000 years to stay healthy and help different illnesses including gastrointestinal disorders and arthritis pain. Furthermore, Curcuma is known as an effective anti-inflammatory agent and wound healer. More recent uses for Curcuma include cancer prevention, anti-aging treatments, and battling high cholesterol and heartburn.

society

Be it social, cultural or environmental, we participate wherever possible, to give back to nature and the society. We are restoring a historical monument, 1200-year-old, in Hosagunda, Sagar taluk, Shimoga district, Karnataka state, India, by renovating the old structure and raising endangered breeds of cows to revive lost arts and crafts. We make every effort to protect and cherish what we have been blessed with. Furthermore, we try to help our farmers and their families as best as possible through, for example, special education projects at schools, providing school bags for the children, funding free eye checkups or supplying special vermicompost bins.

Some Grower Testimonies:
“Organic Farming has helped me keep my family & my fields healthy! My farm now is self-sustainable and I no longer need to depend on expensive chemicals to keep my fields healthy. Working with Phalada has also ensured that I always have a ready premium market for my produce and ensures my economic stability!” - A mint farmer from North India

climate

Organic farming is often used as an example of climate smart agriculture. This is because organic farmers do not use artificial fertilizers and other agrochemicals that produce great amounts of CO2 during production. More importantly, because organic farmers invest in healthy, vibrant soils, the soil is able to sequester carbon. Healthy soils also lead to a better water holding capacity in times of drought and better run off due to the soil structure in times of heavy rains.

water

In 2009 we started the ‘Annual Rain Harvesting’ program in one of our farmer areas where there was a serious shortage of ground water. This was a very successful program for the farmers in the region. Whereas before they were harvesting single crops every year, because of year round availability of ground water, now they are able to harvest two crops and that has had a positive impact on their income.

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