interviewed them all and here Aman is talking to them about the
importance of seed saving. The conversation became very interesting as
we got into the international politics of seed markets. (more on this
to follow in my coming post about how the interviews have been going
in general)
Below Aman and her brother Gagandeep walk through their field of
indigenous cotton. Inspired by his sister's work in sustainable
agriculture, Gagandeep switched to organic farming this year, and is
the only farmer in their village to have done so. It hasn't been easy
– he had to get the cotton seeds from Rajasthan, for example, because
all of the cotton grown in Punjab today is Bt cotton. However, the
seeds themselves were cheaper he says, and the plants need a lot less
water. Aman was instructing Gagandeep on how to get rid of pests using
a concoction of red chilly powder and garlic in oil.