ON TERRA PERMA
Ringo, an Aussie permaculturist, is giving our countryside ideas on self-sufficiency
and he has Mumbai on his map too, reports Malay Desai
You might take your family out tonight to a gourmet meal comprising bread from Germany and wine from France, but thats only tonight. Tomorrow, youll be back to grabbing rotis made from atta coming from Madhya Pradesh and veggies brought to your mandi from Vasai. The worrying part? Given that our population and food demand is increasing far more rapidly than our domestic food supply, how are we going to reach that Nehruvian notion of self-sufficiency? Well, an Australian currently working on an organic farm in Nelamangala, 30 kms from Bengaluru seems to have some answers. Ringo, as he insists to be known as, is propagating permaculture all over, and his mission India has just begun.
A portmanteau of permanent and culture, permaculture refers to building self-sufficient human settlements which utilise natural elements (animals, farms and water) and reduce reliance on industrial products. Developed in the 70s by two Aussie environmentalists who foresaw the ecological degradation of the present, the concept integrates organic farming, horticulture, rainwater harvesting and more. Modern permaculture is being practiced everywhere from the Americas, Europe to towns of Zimbabwe and Macedonia.
Permacultures messiah in India, Ringo, is a nosering wearing, Enfield-riding, tattooed dude just past 40. You think hes a Harley Davidson ambassador, until he begins speaking. I grew up in rural Queensland assisting my father in earth-moving and hunting. I still use knowledge of living off the land to find a meal wherever I go, he starts. After dropping out of school at 11, he ventured into several mining jobs all over Australia but it was only a decade later that his love for gardening materialised. The book An Introduction to Permaculture aroused my interest. I began sharing houses with friends and creating gardens with enough produce to feed the household and the neighbours, he reminisces. An introductory course and a certificate in Permaculture Design later, Ringo found a posting in the Indonesian department of Education for Permaculture and there was no looking back. It was a year after the tsunami, and being involved in farming and teaching was the biggest learning curve, he says.
His permaculture journeys have taken him to Vietnam and Japan, but how did the India calling happen, we ask. Last April, I was asked by an insurance professional to implement water harvesting strategies at his farm in Hartola, UP. Also, a Thai permaculturist connected me to a Mr Jayaram, an organic farming practitioner who asked me to manage the implementation of an eco-village near Coorg, Karnataka, he replies. So currently, Mr Harley Ringo Davidsons hands are full: I am working on this Mr Jayarams organic farm in Nelamangala, belonging to a Mr Jayaram who also owns Indias first certified organic store in Bengaluru, he informs. The bearded man also offers consultancy to locals to further the cause in rural and urban Karnataka. He is particularly keen on the urban Indian learning permaculture. The Indian city slicker chronically consumes packaged foods, thereby burdening the nations energy and transport systems, apart from contributing to global warming.
Right, so this Aussie wants us to stop eating noodles and become a farmer? No, mate! he retorts. But you can at least use open spaces such as the roof of your building or your balcony to nurture herbs and edible plants. Also, with the amount of rainfall you guys get each monsoon, try harvesting a miniscule amount of it and you can make a difference to your community, he explains. Ringo has macrolevel ideas too. Permaculture can thrive only with the support of governments and businesses. Through creative design, Mumbais lakes can become intensive aquaculture systems, he tells us. It might be impossible to make our megacity self-sufficient, but all Ringo is proposing is that with some technology and infrastructure, we can minimise the food and water woes of Mumbais millions.
Ringo is still braving India on his first trip. It takes three days to get a gas cylinder filled! he roars. But the man is armed with long-term plans for this chaotic country. I hope to make connections in Mumbai and find sponsorships to work with NGOs and the government. My team back home is ready to arrive and assist in all areas of sustainable development here
there is so much scope! he says. Meanwhile, while we bite into that imported piece of chic food, we can start thinking how to return to our hunting and gathering days.