Cotton farmers in Gujarat are making a shift to organic farming. For a crop that uses up more than half the pesticides used by agriculture in India, this could just be their big step yet towards an eco-friendly future.

And helping the farmers is international petroleum giant Shell, who has entered the sphere of development and sustainable employment.

Shell Foundation, the UK-based charity established by Shell Company in 2000, is helping farmers in the Kutch district of Gujarat shift from traditional farming that involves pesticides and chemicals to organic farming. The effort, which has been underway since 2001 now, has helped more than 2,000 farmers obtain international organic certification till date.

The Foundation entered Gujarat after the Bhuj earthquake. “We wanted to make a long-term difference, in a way that people are able to sustain the change for themselves. We provided them seeds, organic fertilisers, training, technical support, besides the means to take their products to the market directly,” said Anuradha Bhavnani, Shell Foundation Advisor for India.

“We are independent in every way. Even our funding is through an endowment by the company which will last till 2010,” said Bhavnani.

The Foundation works in association with Agrocel, a farm services-provider. Shell provides them training in business skills like documentation, sales and management. Agrocel further recruits farmers by organising seminars and then trains them in the organic ways of cultivation.

“After the training, while the soil is being treated to gain back its fertility, we assist them in getting organic certifications so that they do not have problems selling in the international markets too. This is done through a network of field officers who assist them in the process,” said Bhavnani. The process of recoversion to arable soil takes about three years during which period the company buys the entire produce.

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