I think awareness programs are needed for farmers to stop using night soil in that case. Is there an awareness program in place for that. If yes what might be the reason for it not working? Do farmers have other cheaper alternatives to use for fertilizers and what is govt take on this?
You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
Truth is that the regulatory laws most times are never implemented, laws are made but efforcement is a big issue. Awareness has been made on several cases but most of the farmers find night soil cheaper and easy to get than manure.
Since it's cheaper for them, they stick to it believing that the easy way out is to wash the vegetables adequately, but they fail to forget that, not all Parasites can be adequately dislodged regardless of the technique used for washing them.
Some secretly carry out these practices at night when it will he a bit difficult to catch them red handed.
The long and short is that, the government is not doing enough to monitor compliance to recommendations against the use of night soil for agricultural practices
I realised that cheaper availability of night soil might be the reason behind the farmers motivation. I don't know if class actions are an option there, but if many fall sick because of their lack of responsibility, maybe making them compensation via court could set an example. At the end of the day it is farmers who have to realise that their practices are not good so govt intervention may help, and lack of intervention can make govt compliant for making people sick. I think a third option could be targeting the buyers. If a few vegetables providers start a venture with value proposition of providing parasite free veggies and become successful it can force the others to join the race. Which makes me wonder do people (vegetable consumers) care about getting these worm infections?
This is an awesome strategy that will indeed change some minds and attitude of buyers. But it will likely lead to higher prices. At the end of the day, it help differentiate between thode customers that are out for quality rather than quantity.
It is a known fact that people would always want to go for cheaper things, especially in this part of the world. It is even a good proposition, because at the end of the day, when they false sick or get infected, they will obviously know it is as a result of their doings, since they clearly understand the implications of going for the cheaper unhygienically processed Vegetables.
Well even if such a venture can find fraction of customers who would pay for it, and show high profits other farmers will be pulled into the system. I am thinking more like when I was young, in India we used to drink ground water directly from pumps. In hill stations people drank it directly from rivers too. Then they slowly started injecting the concept of bottled water and aquagaurd came up with water filters for home. They were expensive to afford. But everyone wanted to give their children clean water and would somehow save for installing one. My father bought the filter too after he saw most of his friends and relatives getting them. And now in restaurants they would ask you - "sir bottled water or plain water". And even though plain water is free, most of the times we will go for bottles water. Now there so many companies who followed the lead of aquagaurd and bisleri. I think that clean food and clean water is such a basic need that it overrides the people desire to go for what is cheap. Obviously it depends on the larger economic situation of population, but it is still a very important need. If not by usual economics there are ways of getting people these needs by philanthropic fundings. BTW, I have a labmate from Nigeria, and he explained it to me the situation with the government there. So I think this is lot easier said than done of course.