'Beejotsav' – a thread that binds farmers, urban consumers in Maharashtra

The seeds of arguably India’s first ‘safe food movement’ were sown in Mumbai in 2010, but its fruits are reaped across Vidarbha by way of ‘Beejotsav’, an annual event celebrating seed diversity and eco-friendly lifestyle since 2013.

Currently underway at Vanamati, VIP Road in Nagpur, the three-day festival advocates agricultural sustainability, food sovereignty, and social equity.

“We want to connect urban consumers with growers who practice ethical and natural ways of farming,” says Vasant Futane, the founder of ‘Beejotsav’, who has been practicing natural farming for the last 40 years.

An enthusiastic team of 12 members and thousands of volunteers, who believe in the need for safe and nutritious food, have organised seven national seed festivals, one state-level event and six regional seed festivals since 2013. The Beejotsav team’s commitment to changing lifestyle choices of people took them to Brighton, UK, with the same idea five years back.

The idea is to establish a network of indigenous seed savers and formulate a policy paper to guide future actions and policies concerning agricultural sustainability. Says Futane, “We know the impact of haphazard use of chemicals on our food. There is no way but to go back to traditional and natural farming practices if we want to save our farmers and consumers, most of whom now reside in cities. Hence, the dire need for an event like ‘Beejotsav’ so that we can connect food producers with food consumers.”

Prachi Mahurkar, who is a natural farmer and is in the forefront of saving seed diversity, says food nutrition cannot be ignored. “Our country may be self-sufficient in food, but depleting nutritional value is a crisis that has been brewing for years,” she says. So, as a matter of principle, all food dishes and products available at Beejotsav are grown organically.

One of the successes of ‘Beejotsav’ over the last 10 years is the fact that people have understood the value of taste. Varsha Naik, a regular visitor, says, “Natural food has a taste that lingers in your mouth. It completely changed my perspective of food. If you want safe and tasty food, you need to support farmers using natural methods.”

Futane says as a farmer he understands why scores of farmers are hesitant to switch from chemical to natural farming. “Urban consumers want food, but most of them are price conscious. They don’t have time and will-power to realise that an average natural farmer does not expect more than 20% extra of what any other farmer would want. Is it such a high price for a healthy and disease-free life?” asks Futane.

‘Beejotsav’ advances shared objectives of promoting chemical-free, safe food and safeguarding biodiversity. “Farmers in Europe are standing up to their govts for selling them expensive and GM seeds, but a majority of Indian farmers are blissfully unaware of the financial liabilities they have burdened themselves with over the years. Besides, we are fast losing our crop diversity and with it, the quality of food, which is needed to make a country healthy and strong,” says Futane.

Gaurav Bolia, who works in a software company, had no clue about Beejotsav. But when told, he jumped onto the idea. “I want healthy food for my family, but wasn’t sure where to source it from. Now, I know,” he said.

Three-day Beejotsav is featuring expert sessions on facets of agriculture and food systems. A delightful array of organic cuisine, an exhibition-cum-sale of seeds from 20 Indian states, grains, literature, and festivities celebrating sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyles are other highlights.