Western Odisha, particularly the Hirakud Command Area and Bargarh district, has witnessed a remarkable transformation in agriculture over the past several decades. Expansion of irrigation contributed significantly to agricultural production and prosperity. At the same time, farming practices gradually shifted towards intensive paddy cultivation, greater dependence on chemical fertilisers and pesticides, mechanisation, and reduced crop diversity. These changes make it important to examine whether a more balanced and sustainable approach to agriculture is now needed.
Agriculture Before Intensive Chemical Farming
I grew up in Bargarh district in a farming family and witnessed a very different agricultural system during my childhood. Farmers maintained cattle, used farmyard manure and other locally available organic materials, and cultivated a variety of crops. Livestock and agriculture complemented each other, while crop diversity formed an important part of the rural farming system.
With the expansion of irrigation from the Hirakud Dam, agriculture in the command area changed substantially. Assured irrigation encouraged greater cultivation of paddy and helped increase agricultural production and farmers’ incomes. Over time, however, the farming system became increasingly centred on paddy, while the cultivation of pulses, oilseeds and other traditional crops declined. The use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides increased, and mechanisation gradually reduced the role of livestock in farming.
The Changing Farming Landscape
The shift towards intensive paddy cultivation brought higher production, but it also increased farmers’ dependence on external inputs. Chemical fertilisers and pesticides became an integral part of the prevailing cultivation system, while traditional sources of soil nutrients and biological diversity diminished. Continuous cultivation of a limited number of crops also raises concerns about soil health, input costs, water use and the long-term sustainability of agriculture in the regio
Environmental and Health Concerns
Evidence Relating to Cancer
A study published in Toxicology and Environmental Health Sciences examined pesticide residues and cancer incidence in and around the Hirakud Command Area of Odisha. The researchers detected carcinogenic pesticide residues in soil, water and rice grains and reported an enhanced incidence of cancer in intensive agricultural areas where higher concentrations of carcinogenic pesticides were observed. The study reported a closer association between pesticide exposure and cancer incidence, highlighting the potential health risks associated with prolonged exposure to pesticide residues.
Evidence Relating to Chronic Kidney Disease
Published research has also examined the relationship between pesticide exposure and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Bargarh district and the Hirakud Command Area. A study published in the Indian Journal of Nephrology identified CKD hotspot villages in Bargarh district and detected several nephrotoxic pesticides above prescribed residue limits in samples from hotspot areas. The researchers reported a possible association between pesticide exposure and CKD, while noting that further research is required to establish causation. Another study concerning the Hirakud Command Area reported an association between environmental toxicants, including pesticides and heavy metals, and the onset and progression of CKD. Together, these findings reinforce the need for greater attention to environmental exposure and safer, more sustainable agricultural practices.
Why Natural Farming Deserves Attention
Natural Farming offers an approach that seeks to reduce dependence on synthetic chemical fertilisers and pesticides by making greater use of locally available resources, biological processes and practices that support soil health. For a region such as Western Odisha, the objective need not be an abrupt change in the entire farming system. A gradual transition—beginning with a small portion of a farmer’s land—can allow farmers to observe the results, compare costs and yields, and gain confidence before deciding whether to expand the practice.
Restoring Crop Diversity
Crop diversification can complement the transition towards more sustainable farming. The increasing dominance of paddy in irrigated areas has reduced the space available for many traditional pulses, oilseeds and other crops that once formed part of the local farming system. Encouraging farmers to devote even a modest portion of their land to suitable alternative crops can improve diversity, reduce dependence on a single crop and contribute to a more resilient agricultural system.
A Practical Way Forward
The transition towards Natural Farming cannot be achieved merely through advocacy. Farmers need practical demonstrations, reliable information, opportunities to compare results and confidence that changes will not jeopardise their livelihoods. Government agencies, agricultural institutions, civil society organisations and farmers themselves therefore have an important role in promoting field-level learning, maintaining simple records of cultivation costs and returns, and encouraging gradual reduction in the dependence on chemical inputs. The objective should be a farming system that remains economically viable for farmers while protecting soil, water, biodiversity and human health for future generations.
Natural Farming Is More Than a Change of Inputs
Natural Farming should not be understood simply as replacing chemical fertilisers and pesticides with another set of purchased inputs. Its broader purpose is to work with natural biological processes, improve soil health, make greater use of locally available farm resources and encourage diversity within the farming system. Reintegrating livestock, recycling farm biomass and adopting appropriate mixed cropping or intercropping practices can help rebuild some of the ecological relationships that were traditionally part of agriculture. The emphasis should ultimately be on reducing external dependence while maintaining a productive and economically sustainable farming system.
Conclusion
The agricultural transformation brought by irrigation has contributed enormously to the development of Western Odisha. The challenge today is not to disregard those achievements, but to address some of the unintended consequences of increasingly input-intensive and less diversified agriculture. Published research from Bargarh district and the Hirakud Command Area has added urgency to concerns about environmental exposure and human health. Natural Farming, together with crop diversification and the gradual reduction of dependence on chemical inputs, offers an opportunity to move towards a more sustainable farming system. The transition should be practical, evidence-based and farmer-led, allowing farmers to adopt changes gradually while protecting their livelihoods. The health of our soil, water, farmers and future generations deserves that effort.
References and Further Reading
1. Naik, P. K. et al. Carcinogenic risk associated with dietary and non-dietary exposure to pesticide residues around Hirakud Command Area, Odisha, India. Toxicology and Environmental Health Sciences (2025).
2. Prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease and its Association with Pesticide Exposure in Bargarh District, Odisha, India. Indian Journal of Nephrology (2024).
3. Prevalence of chronic kidney disease and anemia in Hirakud Command Area, Odisha, India: unveiling the role of environmental toxicants. Journal of Nephrology (2025).
Author’s Note: This article is adapted and expanded from an article originally published by Judhistir Behera on his personal blog in August 2025. The present version incorporates additional scientific references relating to pesticide exposure, cancer risk and chronic kidney disease in Western Odisha.