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How Sissen Village in Arunachal Pradesh is an Ideal for Organic Agriculture

A village where farmers are producing 100% organic food with the help of traditional techniques and traditions passed down from generation.

Residing in the foothills of the Himalayas, Sissen comprises roughly 20 families. Primarily agriculturist, this village stands as a model for organic farming culture in a systematic matter.

The villagers systematically utilize organic farming techniques and grow a wide variety of crops including fruits, vegetables, rice, and cash crops. This traditional living allows them to produce a variety of crops that are most sought after in India.

After Independence, when the government policies focused on the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers to feed the growing population, the people of Sissen were self-sufficient in natural farming and sustainability.

Sissen’s oranges are exported to Bangladesh and its ginger and large cardamoms are sold to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and the Middle East.

Swift Towards Organic:

A 40-year-old who is leading the organic space in Sissen, Tajir Siram is a sports instructor who left his job to become an organic farmer in his village. Tajir is an ex-athlete, an erstwhile Taekwondo black-belt champion who traveled around India before realizing that organic agriculture can offer much more opportunities.

Siram dreams of making Sissen, a model organic agriculture village, just like Jaipur is known as the Pink City. Since 2007, he has invested as much as 20 Lakhs in his organic farm which is spread over 100 hectares.

It holds 20,000 orange trees, 3600 bamboo trees, 20 hectares of cardamom, and about 800 tapir trees. Tapir seeds are a local delicacy and its woods are used majorly to build houses. Siram also cultivates rubber, banana, Valencia oranges, broom plants, sweet lime, sandalwood, sugandhmantri plants, agarwood, tomato, chili, leaf-based vegetables, and ginger.

His journey from an athlete to a farmer is also wonderful and serves as an anecdote when the government was trying to introduce the cultivation of cardamom to his region.

Since the villagers were not interested in the effort, two tractors full of cardamom seeds were lying idle outside the village. He took those free seeds and started cultivating cardamom at his farm. Siram has come far from free cardamom seeds and expects to earn nothing short of 1 crore from his organic cultivation in due time. Siram is leading the organic food farming in Sissen, inspiring many in his journey.

“The whole of Arunachal Pradesh is 100% organic by default. Since Independence, no one used chemical fertilizers despite its promotion by the government. This is because we were already self-sufficient in farming” believes Jombo Ratan, director of Horticulture and mission director, Government of Arunachal Pradesh."

Tameng Taki was a health assistant in a medical NGO before he shifted back to Sissen to devote his time to organic farming. This is a trend in Sissen where most farmers are educated and have chosen organic farming as their profession.

Taki explains that he would listen to villagers discussing various crops and agriculture while studying. In 2007, Taki tried his luck at growing organic patchouli but due to negligible road connectivity and transfer costs to the town, he had to shift towards cash crops.

Today, he grows 160 orange trees, 80 Valencia trees, and sugandhmantri on his farm, all through his hard work in organic farming practices.

The Road Ahead:

The Sissen village of Arunachal Pradesh stands as an instance of a preserved community culture of growing organic but its soul connectivity to nearby towns is through a fragile Bamboo bridge.
When the world is growing health-conscious and food preferences turn organic and sustainable, small and medium-scale organic producers deserve to be recognized.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for the Northeast includes making this region a top producer of organic harvest. Sikkim declared itself 100% organic in 2016 and many other northeastern states aim to embrace the 100% organic state label.

In the goal of promoting India’s organic produce, Northeastern states presents a remarkable opportunity due to its abundant biodiversity.

Northeastern states are bestowed with Indigenous farming practices, which are predominantly organic and depend on traditional technical knowledge systems prevalent in the region for centuries. This region mostly receives rainfall and is most conducive for organic farming.

Despite loose connectivity and unsupportive infrastructure, the people of Sissen are taking up every possible opportunity available to them. Many farmers are getting trained for organic farming at the Agriculture Technology and Mission Agency in the village.

In a remote area, phone signals are only sometimes available in Sissen. Whenever they get a chance, the ATMA mission also uses the Kisan Call Center’s assistance. Furthermore, the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture provides vermicompost and organic fertilizers in the region, free of cost.

CM’s Agriculture Mechanisation Programme provides expensive farm equipments such as pumping machines, plowing, and tractors, with a 75% subsidy. This program has benefitted 1700 farmers, distributing costly machinery to the farming community, to aid Organic agriculture.

Conclusion:

When the World is battling greenhouse emissions, glaciers shrinking, and temperatures rising, the future of our planet depends upon adaptable actions.
The overuse of chemical fertilizers can significantly threaten the region's biodiversity and lead to soil acidification, causing less nutrition value in the harvest.
Promoting communities' Indigenous organic farming practises through infrastructure and financial support is crucial for India's Net Zero Carbon Emission 2070.