Akkadi Saalu (Soil Vasu) method
A playbook for the 70-20-10 regenerative farming method practised in KA
Organic methods for cultivating cotton for rainfed small-holder farmers
What need/ pain point is this playbook addressing?
Many small farmers in rainfed areas face the challenge of degraded and unproductive land. This playbook can help farmers to practice regenerative agriculture that is economically viable and ecologically sustainable.
Who can use the playbook?
Trainers who want to work with farmers to switch from mono-cropping to farming methods which also build soil health.
Who created this playbook?
P Srinivas Vasu from SOIL trust has created these resources around organic cotton and brown cotton cultivation along with other crops. He has extensive on-ground experience with soil rejuvenation and has conducted around 100 2-day workshops for farmers training them to use his methods. These methods, co-created with farmers have helped many smallholder rainfed farmers to make their soil more fertile and increase yields and incomes.
Where and when has this been tried successfully?
Current pilot in Raichur with WELL Labs rural futures team - (details).
17 households in 28 ha of rainfed degraded land. The plan here is to:
Shift farmers from monoculture to akkadi saalu - behaviour change + shift in practitioner behaviour (incentivised by reduced input costs, value additions and market access)
Creating and adding farmyard manure, green manuring, etc. to restore saline land and using Mr Vasu’s crop calendar.
Setting up a pilot demonstration plot - Soil Vasu will do a demonstration to show farmers methods and yields from regenerative agriculture practices (70-20-10)
Many workshops and trainings in Karnataka over 15-20 years - methods tried by (xx) farmers led to success (define success here)
What steps does this solution take? (Steps 1 to max. 7)
Step 1: Pre-sowing
a. Deep plowing
After the first rain during summer (March/April), plow the land deeply.
This removes pests in pupae stage, disease-carrying insects, nematodes and weeds (these weeds could be used to make compost and/or liquid manure).
Plowing also loosens the soil, which leads to rainwater being better absorbed and retained for longer by the soi (increase in soil moisture)
To maximize soil and water conservation within the farm plot, plow across the slope and build bunds on plots with a higher degree of slope.
b. Apply farmyard manure (FYM)
FYM is made from agricultural waste, animal dung is collected in a pit day after day. Some farmers add neem leaves to that, add some water. Over 6 mo. to 1 year it becomes farmyard manure. (Pit Method) – this fertilizes the soil and reduces farmer’s input costs.
Mix FYM with trichoderma - this helps in controlling black arm disease/bacterial blight and fusarium wilt, all diseases that spread through seeds.
At Least 3-5 quintals of improved FYM mixed with 20 kgs of vermicompost has to be applied to the farm, with cattle urine and neem cake.
Many farmers, especially in the target demographic do not have access to FYM. They can use vermicompost or compost created on the farm using kitchen waste and materials that are available locally.
c. Construct a farm pond in the lower portion of the farmland to ensure rainwater conservation.
Step 2: Seed selection and treatment
a. Seed selection
Use pest and disease resistant variety seeds.
The main crop should be planted with a minimum of 8 other crops should be grown alongside as this provides multiple benefits. Selecting these crops will help in getting more income from multiple crops. They will also attract farmer friendly insects to control most of the cotton pests.
b. Seed Treatment
a. With cow urine (2 %) and trichoderma (10 %) solution to control fungal diseases:
Drench 1 kg of cotton seed in a solution of 200ml cow urine + 10 liters of water + 10 gms of trichoderma for 20 minutes. Once the seeds are dried in shade, they are ready to be sown.
b. With Panchagavya as general prevention for most diseases:
Soak 1 kg of cotton seeds in 300 ml of Panchagavya + 10 litres of water for 20 minutes, then dry in shade.
Step 3: Soil preparation
Start 6 months prior to sowing
Month 1:
Data collection of cotton crop from farmers, institutions, etc
Analysis of socio-economic status of farmers
Cost-benefit analysis of cash crop: expenses for pre-sowing, sowing and after sowing activities (plowing, fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, yield, labor, transportation, income from other crops, if any and food security
Identification of cash crop growers and formation of farmer associations
Discussions, interactive sessions, formation of sectors (combined villages)
Training to the selected staff
Sourcing seeds from reliable sources
Month 2:
Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) – details of crop diversity – mapping resources and farm inputs
Formation of farmer groups
Initiation of savings activity, opening SB account in banks, maintaining records of members and meetings
Identifying and mapping farm lands
Making of compost, sand – cow urine pits, vermicompost
Encouraging farming families to start home gardening – distribution of vegetable seeds for them.
Month 3:
Complete PRA
Strengthening farmer groups
Provide training to farmer groups - Distribution of handbills, posters on organic cotton
Conservation and selection of cotton and home gardening
Meetings at zonal level (cluster level) for land preparation
Cow pat pit by all farmers
Formation of Farmer field school in all villages. Demonstrations every 15 days in these villages.
Street plays, puppet shows involving interested youths of the village depicting importance of organic practices
Month 4:
Organizing seed mela
Land preparation activity begins: desilting tanks, silt transported to farm lands, pits and bunds to conserve soil and rainwater
Continue making compost and other inputs.
Meetings in every villages at least once in every 15 days
Installation of oil extracting units in selected villages
Month 5:
Provide training to all members of farmer association on crop management
Land preparation, making composting continues
Cultural activities continue
Month 6:
2 – day meetings in every village
distribution of quality seeds
introducing monitoring cards
preparation of Panchagavya by each member
nurseries to cultivate marigold
conserving companion crop seeds
soil testing of each plot
Financial support to each SHG
Step 4: Sowing
need a poster showing:
1. Depth of root
2. Color of flowers
3. Cash crop, other crops - leaves and stem and identification chars clearly represented
4. Drawn in the pattern of how intercropping will look on field
Step 5: Pest control
Deep ploughing after the first rain. The pests which are in pupae stage inside the soil, disease carrying pests and nematodes will be destroyed)
The residues of the previous crop should be destroyed
Pest and disease resistant variety seeds has to be used
The seeds has to be treated with PANCHAGAVYA OR TRIMURTHY TONIC before sowing
To manage certain diseases, bio-fertilizers like trichoderma has to be mixed with Farmyard Manure and to be applied on the soil
Monocropping of cotton and rattoon cropping of cotton has to be avoided
The weeds grown in the cotton field should be collected and should be used to make liquid manures or in making composts
Sowing should be done in time
Spacing of 2 ft between two plants and 2.5 ft between two rows has to be maintained
At least 10 tonnes of improved farmyard manure or 8 tonnes of compost or 5 tonnes of vermicompost to be used per acre
Inter – cropping has to be done to manage weeds
Farmers can grow ladies finger, castor, marigold and any other locally appropriate trap crops. The pests which attack these trap crops have to be collected and destroyed.
Bird perches to be installed or erected at least in 3 – 4 places in an acre. The birds will visit the cotton field and manage pests
3% of Neem seed kernel extract (NSKE) or 2% of Neem oil has to be sprayed to manage sucking pests.
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