#1: Barmer – Cumin and Castor

For the last 6 months at Impagro?Farming Solutions we have been researching the #sustainable #spice value chains of western and central India including cumin, coriander, fenugreek, red chili and turmeric. I have made numerous trips to Unjha, one of the biggest global mandis for cumin seeds, to understand the quality parameters, specifications and market dynamics, but I had never set foot on a cumin farm. In Barmer, we finally visited a cumin farm to further our work in this space. As a first-timer, you might not expect to see that the farms look like a desert.

After traveling through a dusty track we reached Shankar Bhai's cumin farm. Shankar bhai is from a growing breed of farmers practicing IPM cultivation to be able to receive a premium for their crop from buyers - ideally from buyers intending to export, or those who have been sub-contracted by the likes of Olam and Paras Spices Pvt. Ltd. , who then supply to the likes of 雀巢 .

After having a quick introduction, we dug deeper to understand the challenges farmers like Shankar are facing. Growing a crop in such a desert is a tough task. For starters, water becomes the most crucial input of all. Farmers in this region are pulling water from almost 1000ft underground. Shankar has invested in building a small reservoir in which he collects water and performs his irrigation.

The seeds for the cumin crop are usually sown in November and we observed how the germination is happening. The farmers there expressed their concerns about the temperatures in the last few winters which have been rising. Unfortunately, this winter has been another one with warmer temperatures preventing optimal yield.

We discussed soil testing, which unsurprisingly Shankar has never performed for his farm. I don’t blame farmers like him, with vast stretches of desert-like land, they tend to rely on Urea and DAP to do the trick. He did however mention the importance of applying FYM to the fields before sowing, as he understood the importance of the role that organic matter plays in the growth of the crops.

Unfortunately, farmers like Shankar are still totally oblivious to #regenerative #agriculture . At Impagro we are trying to educate farmers on the benefits of this: premium prices and yields for the crops they grow, but ensuring a sustainable farm that continues to produce crops as it passes through generations. This practice also recommends monitoring the organic carbon content in the soil, and striving to increase and maintain it at a higher level.

We then visited another farmer in our network nearby, Bashu Khan. His was a similar story. However, in his own words, despite the reduction in yield he was happy practicing IPM cultivation and aims to use fewer chemical pesticides. However, farmers like him are still left with no choice but to continue with the high usage of nitrogen fertilizers.

Bashu told us about the other crops he grows to promote crop rotation such as Guar Gum and Castor.

Another sustainable practice Bashu follows is creating compost out of crop residues, instead of burning it as he used to in the past.

No road trip in India is of course complete without savoring the different styles of chai. In Barmer we enjoyed black lemon tea in a saucer, similar to the Rajhastani banksy portrait below. Then somewhere enroute from Barmer to Deesa (GJ), we had the most amazing kesar chai - I didn't get the name of the place but if you see the sign below you'll know you're in the right place!

To be continued...