Organic Farming Association Has a New President: Sarvdaman Patel
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April 2010 Issue Eleven (For private circulation) THE(Past issues at www.ofai.org) LIVING FIELD Organic Farming Association has a new President: Sarvdaman Patel Outgoing President, D.D. Bharamagoudra hands over charge of the Organic Farming Association of India to Sarvdaman Patel, one of Gujarat’s best known organic farmers, while Claude Alvares, Association Secretary (extreme left), Jayant Barve, Association Treasurer and Bharatendu Prakash, OFAI’s North India coordinator look on and applaud. The election took place at Indore on February 10, 2010 and was unanimous. The Organic Farming Association of India people have now come into the organization cows and is a stunning example of what a has a new President. Sarvdaman Patel, one of at its highest levels. This can only dynamise good organic farmer should be. India’s best organic farmers from Gujarat, was the functioning of the association. He often uses his farm as a training centre for unanimously elected to the highest office of Since the next biennial convention of the persons who want to know more about biody- the association at its General Body meeting Association is to be held later this year in Gu- namic agriculture. held in Indore on February 20, 2010. jarat, it was perhaps appropriate that the new The Association is pleased to have him at its Elected with him were the Association’s first President also hails from the same state. helm and prays that he will take it to ever Secretary (Claude Alvares) and Treasurer (Jay- Sarvdaman Patel, however, does not any great heights in the next three years. ant Barve), both these to second terms. The longer belong only to Gujarat. He is now The NSC also bade farewell to DD Bharama- National Steering Committee was obviously claimed by organic farmers from every other interested in maintaining a strong continu- goudra, the first President of the Association state. An outstanding farmer who was trained who helped build, through his charismatic and ity with the outgoing NSC and the outgoing in biodynamic methods of organic agriculture, Managing Committee. dynamic leadership, a strong association in he brings to his new task a great (towering) its formative years. DD has recovered from a As per the procedures laid down in the bye- presence, charm, serious commitment to the serious heart-bypass operation last year, but his laws, the new National Steering Committee cause of organic farming and most important doctors have advised him not to exert himself was first constituted from the elected persons of all, fantastic experience, mostly self-taught, at this stage. For this reason he was not keen coming in from various states. The new NSC in the methods of doing successful organic on taking up another term as President. then went into secret ballot to elect the mem- agriculture. bers of the Managing Committee. DD has been unanimously requested by the Like his predecessor, D.D. Bharamagoudra, NSC to join OFAI’s panel of Advisors. DD The NSC meeting was adjourned to allow the Sarvdaman Patel is a 100% farmer who spends has readily agreed to the proposal. That way 9-member Managing Committee to elect the not less than six hours every day on his farm he retains his close association with OFAI. President, Secretary and Treasurer. at Anand. He markets his produce through [See related report on p.2] The elections were held freely and were a shop set up at the farm gate. and through conducted with great enthusiasm. Through green stores in cities like Vadodara He is a the election process a large number of young consummate composter, maintains a herd of 2 Election of new NSC and Managing Committee of OFAI The 11th meeting of the NSC-1 (the term of Janadhanya/GREEN Foundation and DISHA, the new President of OFAI, the second nomi- which expired once the new members took the first three being independent Facilitat- nee (Kapil Shah) voluntarily stepped down charge) and the first meeting of NSC-2 of ing Councils under PGSOIC) was updated and offered the slot to Karnataka, which oth- the Organic Farming Association constituted from the information published in the “PGS erwise would have gone unrepresented in the the same day with the nominations from the Organic News” newsletter of PGSOIC Issue new MC. The three members from Karnataka Advisory/Steering Committees from different Two of 10 September, 2009. Copies were decided to nominate Mr. P. Babu to the MC states, was held at the Conference Hall of the distributed. in place of Mr. Kapil Shah, who had stepped Government College of Agriculture, Indore- down with the concurrence of the NSC. The list of NSC nominees (3 persons, includ- Madhya Pradesh, on 10 February, 2010 after ing 1 woman from each state that followed The MC co-opted Mr. Kumar Rajendra Singh the successful completion of the three-days the process) was circulated to all the members Rathod, an OA farmer, to represent Madhya second North India Organic Farmers’ Confer- of the NSC-1 & 2 present. The re-elected/ Pradesh and kept its option open to co-opt ence (NIOFC-2) at the same campus. nominated and new members were requested one more MC member at a later date. Most of the NSC members attended the to either tick the names of 9 persons of their The MC elected the following Office bearers: meeting, participated in the deliberations and choice or to write them afresh on the slips of Mr. Sarvdaman Patel, as President, Dr. Claude voted for the new Managing Committee to paper and put them in the ballot bag. All the Alvares, as Secretary and Mr. Jayant Barve, as ensure a smooth transition of leadership for members participated in the voting, save one Treasurer for the term 2010 to 2013. the next three years as provided in the rules state that abstained as per its wish. The votes and regulations of OFAI. were tallied in the presence of all those present The MC will meet in Gujarat on 25th June and the members who polled the highest votes 2010, to finalise the date of the 3rd Biennial All items of the agenda were deliberated and Convention which has been proposed to be were declared as under: decided. The minutes of the 10th meeting of held at Bhaikaka Krishi Kendra in Anand, NSC held on 25 July, 2009 at Bhopal were 1. Mr. Sarvdaman Patel, M.S. (Agronomy) Mehsana District of Gujarat, in December first circulated on 26 September, 2009 and USA, OA farmer, Gujarat 2010. also made available to newly elected/nomi- 2. Mr. Jayant Barve, M. Sc. Chemistry (Bom- nated members. The minutes were approved The NSC unanimously decided to nominate bay), OA farmer, Maharashtra without changes. D.D. Bharamagoudra, Mr K.P Ahairwal and 3. Dr. Claude Alvares, OA promoter, Goa Dr G.S. Kaushal as Advisors to the associa- The report of the South Asia Conference tion. (SAC) had been published in the Living Field 4. Dr. Bharatendu Prakash, Ph. D. IIT, OA Issue Ten and circulated to all OFAI members farmer, Uttar Pradesh Mr. D.D. Bharamagoudra made his farewell speech thanking all the NSC members and in October, 2009 and uploaded on the OFAI 5. Ms. Anuradha Sarang, OA promoter, Kerala website www.ofai.org. Printed copies were assuring them of his continued participation 6. Mr. Ashish Gupta, OA farmer, Himachal distributed to new members at NIOFC-2 and in OFAI activities. He warmly thanked all Pradesh & Delhi at the NSC meeting. those OFAI members who had contributed 7. Mr. P. B. Murali, OA farmer and marketing their mite towards the cost of his heart opera- It has been decided to continue the member- network, Tamil Nadu tion. He said he would be there always for the ship of IFOAM as there are strong indications Association. He thereafter handed over the 8. Mr. Kapil Shah, OA promoter, Gujarat that it is taking steps to bring organic farmers charge of the OFAI to Mr. Sarvdaman Patel, actively into its functioning. 9 Mr. Yogesh Joshi, OA farmer, Rajasthan who then conducted the proceedings and The status of PGS in OFAI member organi- Since Gujarat State had two representatives, proposed the vote of thanks. zations (MOFF, DDS, CV, KVK, INFACT, including one whom the MC had chosen as Events calendar NIOFC-2 February 2010 KVIG-OFAI Organic Training May 2010 discussed in detail at Bhopal (M.P.). Various venues like Bhubaneshwar-Orissa, Bijnore- The 2nd NIOFC [North India Organic The KVIG-OFAI workshop on organic farming U.P, Ahmedabad-Gujarat, etc., were consid- Farming Convention] was held at Indore training will take place from May 22-24. It will ered as possible venues. on February 7-9, 2010. Delegates came be held in village Churag/Pangana in Karsog from across North India. Dr. Bharatendu Valley. The village is 4 hours from Shimla. Ra- It was finally decided to hold the event at Prakash was the principal promoter. jinder Singh (Magsaysay Awardee), Bharatendu one of the three possible venues in Gu- Prakash, Miguel Braganza from OFAI, Dr G.S. jarat, viz, Ahmedabad, Anand or Vadodara, 11th NSC Meeting February 2010 Kaushal, etc are scheduled to participate. as the previous conventions were held in Maharashtra at Wardha in 2006 and The 11th meeting of the NSC was held Dr Tej Pratap, VC of HPAU-Palanpur has con- Tiruchirapalli-Tamil Nadu in 2008. in Indore on February 10, 2010. The new firmed he will also be participating in the train- NSC was constituted for the years 2010- ing. For more information please call Ashish Responsibility for works of the convention 2013. The NSC also elected the new 9 Gupta (9810348193) or email: ashishg2dec@ is to be allotted to NSC members.