Rid the Weed

Traditionally, the per acre agricultural production of India has been lower than not only the developed but also some developing countries like China. A major contributing factor to this non-optimum yield is the epidemic like spread of weeds, which has adversely affected both the ecology and economy of rural India.

In 1985, Anandwan was no different. Weeds like Parthenium, Beshrab, Lantana, Morning Glory and Bhoot Ganja or Cat’s opium used to abound its agricultural landscape. The weeds are detrimental to the soil as they draw from it critical nutrients that are required by crop plants. Some of them, although ornamental in appearance, are poisonous in nature. Hence Anandwan, under the vision of Dr. Vikas Amte, embarked on the ‘Rid the Weed’ mission.

In Anandwan, the agricultural laborers resort to de-weeding of farm lands. The collected weeds are sun dried and pulverized by hand or by using Mobile Chipper machines. The so produced biomass is treated with urea to impart heaviness to it and is added to the village biogas units or compost pits. Here the weeds are completely decomposed and converted to bio-rich fertilizers. Such fertilizers are eventually used for fish culture and earthworm breeding.

The ‘Rid the Weed’ campaign is supported by ‘Nouvelle Planéte’, a Swiss NGO and other world renowned social organizations.

This is clearly the implementation of Baba’s maxim ‘We use all sorts of waste, except waste of time’.