Environmental Doctrines of Jainism

Author(s): S M Jain
Publisher: S M Jain

Page 51

advent of agriculture populations started increasing disproportionate to carrying capacities of natural resources soil, water etc. This created Vicious circle as for more population and more land needed and so on. In high tech agriculture being adopted more and more every where the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and poisonous pesticides is increasing and is dangerously polluting soil, water and air and the pesticides are entering human bodies with biological magnification causing fatal diseases even cancer.
In forest based system all constituents of nature interact symbiotically i.e. for mutual benefit. There is no violence of any sort. Forest based life style is therefore most congenial for all living beings and does not cause any harm to the natural physical environment. It is in forest based system only that all the doctrines of Jainism can be followed and observed in true sense in letter and spirit.
The happiness, peace and harmony have been directly proportional to extent of forest area and number of trees. As these areas declined because of anthropocentric attitude and greed of mankind happiness was reduced and conditions changed from good to bad to worst. When earth's surface was covered by dense forests the problems of soil erosion, water shortage, storms, famines etc. were non existent. In dense forest areas more than 90% of rainfall goes as infiltration to build up sub soil resources to feed rivers, lakes, walls, tanks all the year round. As less than 10% goes as run off there are no devastating floods. Trees also considerably reduce the velocity of wind and thus minimize the damage from storms, cyclones etc. Trees provide variety of edible seeds, fruits, flowers etc. all the year round about 2.00 tonnes hectare per year more than the world average of 1.25 tonne per hectare per year from high tech agriculture. Forests once established continue to regenerate and grow naturally forever if managed scientifically and within their carrying capacity. Forests do not require recurring expenditure on tilling, sowing, seeds, fertilizers, irrigation etc. In forests tilling is done by numerous rodents, earthworms etc. Forests conserve enough moisture and do not need irrigation. Enough manure is added through leaf fall and natural recycling and no additional manuring is required. In high-tech agriculture the input recurring costs are spiraling and no where in world it is economically viable and is sustained only by huge subsidies, in spite of which many farmers commit suicides.
Forest crops are also immune from damage by vagaries of nature such as excess or deficit rainfall. Forests provide all that humans need free of cost. Forest can be raised on all types of land almost on 90% of and surface because there are trees suitable for all sorts of edaphoclimatic conditions on plains, hill slopes, sandy deserts, marshes, water logged areas etc. Agriculture can only be done on hardly 10% total land surface.
Another important aspect of forest based life style is that runaway populations are kept optimum according to naturally availability of food as proved by recent experiment on wolves in Germany. With