By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: Yogic farming, a new technique to increase food production, was discussed among the delegates at the COP18 climate conference being held in Doha.
The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University – which has branches in more than 100 countries – is researching the new farming method together with agricultural universities in India.
In yogic farming, the farmer gives spiritual vibrations to the seed as well as the land through meditation.
This helps to improve the harvest and to produce healthy food, claim the Brahma Kumaris.
“It started with one of the farmers, who practices meditation. He gave some special vibrations to the seeds at the time of sowing, and he saw a difference in the harvest,” Valeriane Bernard (pictured), who represents the Brahma Kumaris at the United Nations in Geneva, told The Peninsula yesterday.
Valeriane, together with another 10 representatives from the Brahma Kumaris, is in Doha to share their environmental initiatives at the UN Climate Change Conference, COP18.
Sustainable Yogic Agriculture is a research project being conducted by the Rural Development Wing of the Brahma Kumaris.
As part of the project, four hundred farmers in India are combining meditation with organic methods of farming.
“For over five years, more than 400 farmers in different parts of India are practicing this method of farming. Two agricultural universities in India are doing research on it,” Valeriane said.
“These combined practices have resulted in significantly lower costs to the farmers and the environment. They have increased crop yields and nutritional content by a significant percentage, decreasing the need for pesticides and fertilizers,” she said.
The Brahma Kumaris hold rural camps for farmers to free them from different types of addiction. Farmers who learn the correct practice of meditation get involved in yogic farming.
Placed in a meditation centre, the seeds are treated with positive vibrations for up to a month before sowing.
Meditation is then conducted remotely and in the fields during each phase of the crop growth cycle.
The Brahma Kumaris Environment Initiative also claims that its work has improved the farmers’ emotional well-being, reduced suicide by farmers, and enhanced community resilience.