WHILE we keep on talking about Pakistan being an agricultural country, we do not have the right focus on seeds and soils that are the main ingredients of productivity. One entails a large amount of technology and the other is the medium in which the seed is grown.

The soils defy a single definition and yet every one comes up with the same definition for all inputs that the farmer is advised. The story is simple-one bag of urea or two bags of DAP is the standard recipe. I was looking at the cotton BT genes and the open pollinated seeds and found that the BT genes were seeking six bags of DAP and two bags of urea while the other open pollinated seeds were only on a bag each of DAP and urea.

A soil is a living material and is ever changing, dynamic, complete living system of life, energy, and minerals. Soil like everything else in the environment is fragile and difficult to repair once damaged. Unfortunately, most agricultural practices have damaged and are continuing to damage the soils. The purpose of organic intervention is to stop the damage.

The soil is made up of 25 per cent air, 25 per cent water, 45 minerals, 3-5 per cent humus and less than one per cent living organisms. Under healthy conditions, the soil is loose and friable, rich in organic matter, alive with insects and earthworms, microscopic plants and animals. It is well drained sweet smelling, moist and rich in a variety of minerals and nutrients. The importance of air and water in the soils is critical and these two elements must be able to move through the soils freely. Soils with a natural balance will have good aggregation, drainage and aeration and water retention ability.

The mineral portion of the soil includes decaying rock material, sand silt and clay that are the natural sources of potash, phosphorous and many trace elements. Minerals in the soil provide food for microorganisms and a slow release supply of nutrients for plants. Microorganisms make up a small but critical percentage of healthy soil. These tiny plants and animals are born, live and die in soils.

Microscopic flora and fauna include multiple microorganisms that are good and bad but if the soils are not made toxic, the good microbes prevail over the bad ones. Nothing is absolute.

Organic matter and microorganisms are usually absent or lacking in sick soils. Then why is Pakistan persisting with the inorganic fertilisers and not moving into organic fertilisers? The tragedy is about received knowledge from the West and the lack of faith in our own scientists. The green revolution is now dead but we continue with the interventions because of the power of the corporate sector. It is not only expensive but also harmful to our soils.

I live away from Islamabad and my small piece of land (1/2 an acre) has healthy plants and so many of them (mangoes in pots etc) in such an area without any fertiliser or pesticide. For the last 10 years, I have not applied any inorganic fertiliser or any pesticide and I make do with nature’s system. I have less water and less land but every drop is made to count.

Why the soils are compacted before rice plants are transplanted. Compaction has a harmful affect and damages the soils. Any kind of compaction will do it. The fact is that we hold water on the rice fields only for the purpose of weed elimination. That is no longer necessary as the farmers at next to no cost can now develop bio-weedicides. They have to have their eyes open to observe nature’s systems. The organic programme will correct this over time. We need to learn to solve out problems on our own.