Toxic Food

Hello SMJ, First of all we would like to tell you that you guys are doing a spectacular job, and we would love to somehow be a part to this huge endeavour. We are a group of computer engineering students from pune, who have started a company. After watching the episode on Toxic Food, on 24th June 2012, we were inspired to start a website that would educate the farmers on the various organic farming techniques, and organic and eco friendly replacements to commonly used pesticides. We want to make a website that accomplishes the following : 1. Give the farmers information about which crop,fruit,vegetable...is prone to which pest and an organic way to combat them. 2. Connect the people or companies who make organic pesticides (like the pheromone nets, yellow sticky sheets...) with the farmers. 3. Educate people/consumers about importance of organic farming and its benefits. 4. Help the farmers to create sustainable organic farming models. 5. Empower indian farmers by spreading the ideology of farmer markets and elimninating middle men. and much more... We are asking you to provide us some information as to how we can reach the organizations that make such organic pesticides, and also how we can contact the doctor who was responsible for the organic revolution in andhra pradesh. It would also be really helpfull if you could share your research with respect to organic farming techniques with us, or connect us with others who are involved with something simillar. We have also started doing a lot of research on these areas and would really appreciate if you could share your knowledge with us. Our eventual goal is to give something back to the community by using our knowledge and power to spread the message of organic farming across india. Hoping to hear your reply soon...

Greetings to the SMJ Team!! We at Govardhan Eco Villlage (GEV) are committed to the cause as discussed on your show aired on the 24th of June, 2012. We have been making Organic farming a real possibility for a very long time and are committed to the cause of promoting health through food we eat. We are a self sufficient village off Manor-Wada road (Thane) and make active use of Bio-gas, Alternative Energy sources and produce organic fertilizers for internal use and also sell our surplus to the local farmers. We have a vision to promote these organic activities at the cheapest possible rates so as to plug this activity of producing 'Poison Food'. We have also arranged for spread of awareness on these topics by opening up the village to visits by school students and teach them by live demos and some activities to be actually done by the students. We conduct workshops on Vedic Cooking, Mud House making and painting, Warli painting to give them a feel of the real rural life. We are self sufficient in production and use of Bio-gas and natural fertilizers. We make sure not an ounce of articifial or chemical product is used at the Village. Houses in the village are made using 'Eco Bricks' known as CSEB-Comppressed Stabilized Earth Blocks which is a combination of mud, stone dust and lime. We appreciate heartily to the cause raised on the show throughout the season and today's episode especially made us feel proud about the awareness created. We are ourselves committed to the cause of natural foods and the war against the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides!! .

Hi Aamir, Congratulations on the outstanding show! I live in the US and to watch your show had to subscribed to the Star . Yours is the only Indian show I watch on the Indian Channel :) The topic you raised today is one close to my heart. Thank you for bringing this awareness to the people of India. I wanted to mention that small scale home organic gardening is something that people in urban settings can also do! This will help them understand how organic farming works and also inspire our kids to take interest in this. I have a backyard garden here that I try to do some vegetables and flowers using organic methods. I follow the process of companion planting to drive away pests instead of pesticides. I use compost from my kitchen waste and leaves that fall from trees in the Fall, for the natural fertilizers. I try and use organic manure from the stores here, if there is a need for extra fertilizers. Lastly, mulching to conserve water and prevent weeds is another thing I do in my garden. This is a lot of work and more so because I am a working mom but the results of all this labor is worth it! It just so wonderful to see nature working and to be able to show my children( a boy and a girl) how nature works. Hopefully, when they grow older and understand this better they will continue the work for future generations. Its a small way in which I am trying to make a difference to the environment and the world. I wish that moms in Urban India could also do the same..I know that time and space is limited there but they could use Tubs/Terraces etc for this. Maybe the celebrities and the rich can start this movement of backyard or tub Organic gardening. Photos of backyard gardens or terrace gardens or tub gardens from the celebrities home will go a long way in inspiring ordinary people to do the same! Finally, most people have short memories and unless they keep seeing some information on the topics you raised through the show, they will just get busy with their lives and things will go back to square one! So, please do something about reminding people about these topics..maybe by way of interviews etc. to tell people of the changes that have been accomplished because of the show etc? Thats all I had to say! Keep Up the Good Work! God Bless and give you the strength and perseverance to keep doing this! Because of you and people like Anna Hazare, I see some light at the end of the tunnel for India. Best Regards. -Kalpana

Really thankfull for all the efforts you'll are making for us. Because of this show we came to know such an improtant fact of our daily intake. Like me all my frnd and family members agree that we should start consuming Organic food. If we have atleast one shop in every 2 Km of our surrounding where we can get these organic food then m sure the sell of such products will be higher and slowly the demand for the non-organic food will get washout from our society. Government needs revenue and thus uncourage the non-organic food. If the consumption and demand of organic food is higher the revenue which the government gets from the non-organic food production will be converted to the organic food production. Inshallah then the farmer will get the subsidies to grow more organic food and no to far these foods will be affordable and easily available everywhere.