The word sustainable has become very popular in recent years and it
is now used to describe a lot of things. But what is sustainable
agriculture? Simply put, sustainable agriculture is the production of
plant and animal products, including food, in a way which uses farming
techniques that protect the environment,
public health, communities, and the welfare of animals. Sustainable
agriculture allows us to produce and enjoy healthy foods without
compromising the ability of future generations to do the same. The key
to sustainable agriculture is finding the right balance between the need
for food production and the preservation of environmental ecosystems.
Sustainable agriculture also promotes economic stability for farms and
helps farmers to better their quality of life. Agriculture continues to
be the biggest employer in the world with 40% of the world’s population
working in it.
“Sustainable agriculture is the act of farming using principles
of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their
environment. It has been defined as “an integrated system of plant and
animal production practices having a site-specific application that will
last over the long term.”
Sustainability
is a seemingly laudable goal – it tells us we need to live within our
means, whether economic, ecological, or political – but it’s
insufficient for uncertain times. How can we live within our means when
those very means can change, swiftly and unexpectedly, beneath us?
~ Jamais Cascio
If given the choice I’m sure we would all choose to consume natural
chemical free food instead of food that is sprayed with pesticides and
chemical fertilizers. Sustainable agriculture differs greatly from
industrial agriculture where large volumes of crops as well as livestock
are produced for sale using industrial techniques. Industrial
agriculture relies heavily on pesticides and chemical fertilizers and
other chemical enhancers. In the past decade the majority of food we ate
has been grown in this manner. In 1996 only 20% of the corn in the
United States was genetically modified, that number had reached 88% by
2006. However in the last couple of years, due to the negative aspects
of the technique, there has been a slight shift towards the use of
sustainable agricultural methods.
Methods of Sustainable Agriculture
1. Crop Rotation: Crop rotation is one of the most
powerful techniques of sustainable agriculture. Its purpose is to avoid
the consequences that come with planting the same crops in the same soil
for years in a row. It helps tackle pest problems, as many pests prefer
specific crops. If the pests have a steady food supply they can greatly
increase their population size.
Rotation breaks the reproduction cycles of pests. During rotation,
farmers can plant certain crops, which replenish plant nutrients. These
crops reduce the need for chemical fertilizers.
2. Cover Crops: Many farmers choose to have crops
planted in a field at all times and never leave it barren, this can
cause unintended consequences. By planting cover crops, such as clover
or oats, the farmer can achieve his goals of preventing soil erosion,
suppressing the growth of weeds, and enhancing the quality of the soil.
The use of cover crops also reduces the need for chemicals such as
fertilizers.
3. Soil Enrichment: Soil is a central component of
agricultural ecosystems. Healthy soil is full of life, which can often
be killed by the overuse of pesticides. Good soils can increase yields
as well as creating more robust crops. It is possible to maintain and
enhance the quality of soil
in many ways. Some examples include leaving crop residue in the field
after a harvest, and the use of composted plant material or animal
manure.
4. Natural Pest Predators: In order to maintain
effective control over pests, it is important to view the farm as an
ecosystem as opposed to a factory. For example, many birds and other
animals are in fact natural predators of agricultural pests. Managing
your farm so that it can harbor populations of these pest predators is
an effective as well as a sophisticated technique. The use of chemical
pesticides can result in the indiscriminate killing of pest predators.
5. Bio intensive Integrated Pest Management:
Integrated pest management (IPM). This is an approach, which really
relies on biological as opposed to chemical methods. IMP also emphasizes
the importance of crop rotation to combat pest management. Once a pest
problem is identified, IPM will mean that chemical solutions will only
be used as a last resort. Instead the appropriate responses would be the
use of sterile males, and biocontrol agents such as ladybirds.
Benefits of Sustainable Agriculture
1. Contributes to Environmental Conservation: The environment
plays a huge role in fulfilling our basic needs to sustain life. In
turn, it is our duty to look after the environment so that future
generations are not deprived of their needs. Sustainable agriculture
helps to replenish the land as well as other natural resources such as
water and air. This replenishment ensures that these natural resources
will be able for future generations to sustain life.
2. Public Health Safety: Sustainable agriculture
avoids hazardous pesticides and fertilizers. As a result, farmers are
able to produce fruits, vegetables and other crops that are safer for
consumers, workers, and surrounding communities. Through careful and
proper management of livestock waste, sustainable farmers are able to
protect humans from exposure to pathogens, toxins, and other hazardous pollutants.
2. Prevents Pollution: Sustainable agriculture means that any waste a farm produces remains inside the farms ecosystem. In this way the waste cannot cause pollution.
3. Reduction in Cost: The use of sustainable agriculture reduces the need for fossil fuels,
resulting in significant cost savings in terms of purchasing as well as
transporting them. This in turn lessens the overall costs involved in
farming.
4. Biodiversity: Sustainable farms produces a wide variety of plants and animals resulting in biodiversity.
During crop rotation, plants are seasonally rotated and this results in
soil enrichment, prevention of diseases, and pest outbreaks.
5. Beneficial to Animals: Sustainable agriculture
results in animals being better cared for, as well as treated humanely
and with respect. The natural behaviors of all living animals, including
grazing or pecking, are catered for. As a result they develop in a
natural way. Sustainable farmers and ranchers implement livestock
husbandry practices that protect animals’ health.
6. Economically Beneficial For Farmers: In exchange
for engaging with sustainable farming methods, farmers receive a fair
wage for their produce. This greatly reduces their reliance on
government subsidies and strengthens rural communities. Organic farms
typically require 2 ½ times less labor than factory farms yet yield 10
times the profit.
7. Social Equality: Practicing sustainable
agriculture techniques also benefits workers as they are offered a more
competitive salary as well as benefits. They also work in humane and
fair working conditions, which include a safe work environment, food,
and adequate living conditions.
8. Beneficial For Environment: Sustainable agriculture reduces the need for use of non-renewable energy resources and as a result benefits the environment.
Due to population increase, it is estimated that by 2050 we will need
approximately 70% more food than is currently being produced in order
to provide the estimated 9.6 billion world population with their
recommended daily calorie intake. This is by no means a small challenge,
but unlike many other sustainability challenges, everyone can play a
part. We all need to eat, but by simply reducing food loss and waste, as
well as eating diets that are lower impact, and investing in
sustainable produce, we can make a difference. From countries, to
companies, right down to consumers, we all have a role to play. The
challenge is simply making people care in a world where we are
surrounded by such abundance.
Romanian
countryside, you will see people working on their fields from the early
morning until the evening. You will see them manually weeding rows of
corn and beans, you will see them carefully planting potatoes, cabbage,
onions, carrots, or beets on some plots, while sowing clover and alfalfa
over other parts as animal fodder. Every inch of their land is utilized
for producing food for their families and their animals.
These
are subsistence farmers. Their land is their biggest treasure and they
care for it more than they care for their own health, often working
outside under the scorching summer sun to ensure the best harvest, to
stack up hay rich in meadow flowers from their high-value grasslands, or
spending all day in the rain preparing the soil for the next season.
These
people have unique relationship with the land. Their families have been
farming the same land for generations and the first lesson they have
learnt was to do it sustainably. Otherwise, their harvest would
fail. They would end up hungry in the winter. They would have to watch
their kids and animals suffer.
While it is clear that not everyone
can become a subsistence farmer and agriculture needs to supply
increasing amounts of food to growing populations at low prices, it is
also clear that it cannot be achieved in the highly industrial and
damaging manner it has been doing in the last few decades. We have
increasing evidence that in many places this has led to soil degradation
and environmental pollution which impairs health of many people even
far away from the affected areas.
A
sustainable food system is one that does not require chemicals,
conserves energy and water, emphasizes local production, decreases
inputs and utilizes resources more efficiently on site, values
biodiversity and ecology, and works within our global natural resource
limitations.
In order for agriculture to be truly sustainable, it must incorporate following principles:
The needs of people:
provide nutrient rich food for farmers, farm families, communities,
help to maintain good public health, but also improving the quality of
life in rural areas.
Profit: a farming operation must be profitable, or it will go out of business quickly.
The planet and the environment: farming practices must be ecologically sound, promoting healthy biodiversity and sensible management of natural resources.
Benefits of sustainable agriculture for the environment and our wellbeing
Unlike
intensive agriculture, sustainable farming has a great potential for
benefiting the environment and preserving natural resources. It does so
by following natural cycles, recycling nutrients and water, while
omitting excessive use of agricultural chemicals.
Sustainable agriculture strives to help the environment by:
Reducing agricultural runoff;
Preventing pollution of lakes and rivers;
Saving water;
Naturally maintaining soil fertility by recycling nutrients on farm;
Enhancing carbon sequestration by soils and perennial vegetation;
Promoting energy efficiency of farming operations;
Decreasing emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases;
Creating habitats for pollinators and beneficial insects;
Ensuring welfare of farm animals but also providing space for the respectful coexistence with native wildlife [1].
Our
wellbeing is closely linked to the health of the environment where we
live. Since sustainable farming methods affect the environment in a
positive way, they also contribute to our quality of life.
Firstly,
and most importantly, sustainable agriculture produces safe food with
high nutritional value. The quality of food is now more important than
ever before. Numerous studies found out that the nutritional content of
grains and fruits with vegetables keeps decreasing. Scientists believe
that popular high yielding varieties of crops often have poorer capacity
of absorbing nutrients from the soil due to their weaker root systems,
which can result in the lower nutritional content of the final produce [2].
And
negative effects of increased pesticide levels in foods produced from
intensively farmed lands do not even have to be mentioned. Everyone
probably agrees that less pesticides and other chemicals used to grow
food is only better for us.
Food diversity is also much greater
from sustainable farms, as they are not solely focused on producing cash
crops like corn or wheat. Instead, they often cultivate local varieties
in highly diversified farming systems.
But that’s not all. There
are more advantages to sustainable farming in terms of providing
economic opportunities to rural communities, such as giving jobs to
young people and supporting socio-economic development of rural areas.
At the same time, sustainable food production is better adaptable to
climate change and helps to strengthen ecosystem resilience [3].
Both of these characteristics are extremely important for building a
successful food production system that will withstand future challenges.
10 Sustainable farming methods and practices
Sustainable
farming system doesn’t have to be only organic agriculture. There are
more methods that overlap in many principles that are sustainable in the
long-run and may be 100 percent organic or at least from the biggest
part.
The following ten sustainable farming methods and practices
are just a few examples of the many ways that we can achieve a much more
sustainable agriculture.
#1 Permaculture
Permaculture is
a design system that applies principles that are found in nature to the
development of human settlements, allowing humanity to live in harmony
with the natural world. Permaculture principles and ethics can be
applied to almost any area of living, including local economies, energy
systems, water supplies, housing systems, and food production.
Foundational to producing food through permaculture is intention, design, and “working smarter not harder” to banish waste and to create efficient systems.
There
is a particular emphasis on the use of perennial crops such as fruit
trees, nut trees, and shrubs that all function together in a designed
system that mimics how plants in a natural ecosystem would function.
Biodynamics incorporates ecological and holistic growing practices that are based upon the philosophy of “anthroposophy.”
Farmers are encouraged to manage their farm as one living organism
where cultivated species intertwine and support each other’s health.
This
includes raising animals on a farm in a way that they help replenish
soil fertility and enhance plant growth. One of the building pillars of
biodynamics is high biodiversity of plants, animals and beneficial
insects. The goal is the creation of a resilient ecosystem that benefits
us and other living organisms.
Biodynamics emphasizes the
importance of reducing the use of off-site inputs (such as importing
soil fertility) by generating the necessary health and soil fertility
for food production onsite. This is achieved through the implementation
of practices such as composting, application of animal manure from
farmed animals, cover cropping or rotating complementary crops.
It also places great importance on working with the natural phenomenon of the cosmos and its influences upon the heath of the soil, plants, and animals during different moon and sun cycles.
Biodynamic practices can be applied to farms that grow variety of produce, gardens, vineyards, and other forms of agriculture.
#3 Hydroponics and aquaponics
These
innovative farming techniques involve the growing of plants without
soil, nourishing the plants through specialized nutrients that are added
to water.
In hydroponic systems,
crops are grown with the roots directly in a mineral solution or with
the roots in an inert medium like gravel or perlite.
Aquaponics combines
the raising of aquatic animals (such as fish) with the growing of
hydroponic crops. In aquaponic systems, the water containing the waste
material from the aquaculture fish is used to nourish the hydroponic
plants. After the water is used by the plants, the water is then
recirculated back into the system to be reused by the fish.
Both
hydroponic and aquaponic systems are available in a variety of scales,
from small home-scale systems to commercial-scale systems.
#4 Urban agriculture
The need to localize our food system requires that we grow food much closer to home, including in cities. Since most of the global population is predicted to live in cities in the future,
there is a tremendous opportunity for urban agriculture to make a
significant positive impact moving forward when it comes to how we
produce our food around the world.
Today,
many innovative and sustainable growing techniques are already being
used in cities, including backyard farms and gardens, community
gardens, rooftop farms, growing crops in urban greenhouses, indoor hydroponic farms, and perhaps even growing food inside urban farm towers someday.Further reading: What Is Urban Agriculture?
#5 Agroforestry and food forests
Agroforestry involves
the growth of trees and shrubs amongst crops or grazing land.
Agroforestry systems can combine both agriculture and forestry practices
for long-lasting, productive, and diverse land use when approached
sustainably.
In agroforestry systems, trees create a favorable
microclimate that maintains favorable temperature and soil humidity,
while protecting crops from wind or heavy rain. Trees have another
important role. They stabilize soils, minimize nutrient runoff and
improve soil structure. This is the reason why agroforestry has become
one of the powerful tools of farmers in dry regions with soils susceptible to desertification.
Besides
promoting healthy growth of food crops and maintaining soil fertility,
trees in this farming system provide wood and fruits as an additional
source of income for farmers. In these systems, possibilities for
product diversification are many. Farmers can go even as far as growing a
whole edible forest.
Patterned after natural forest ecosystems, food forests
(also known as “forest gardens”) are designed permaculture systems that
consist of a multilayered edible “forest.” Such a “forest” is composed
almost entirely of perennial food plants, including a canopy of tall and
dwarf fruit and nut trees, a fruit shrub layer, layers of perennial
herbs, mushrooms and vegetables at the ground level, climbing plants,
and root vegetables underground.
Food forest systems are
very productive, due to both the diversity of plants that are growing
there, and all of the plants within the system that are taking advantage
of each existing niche within the system.
#6 Polycultures and crop rotation
Both of these techniques are trying to mimic natural principles to achieve the best yields.
Polyculture
farming involves growing multiple crop species in one area. These
species are often complementary to each other and aim at producing
greater diversity of products from one plot while fully utilizing
available resources. High biodiversity makes the system more resilient
to weather fluctuations, promotes balanced diet and applies natural
mechanisms to preserve soil fertility.
Crop rotation
is based on growing a series of different types of crops in the same
area in sequential seasons. The planned rotation may vary from a growing
season to a few years or even longer periods. It is one of the most
effective agricultural control strategies that is used in preventing the
loss of soil fertility.
By diversifying the crops that are grown
on an area of land in polycultures and through the rotation of crops
that are grown, farmers can greatly reduce the opportunity for disease
and pests to take hold. It is because their development cycles get
interrupted by changing crops. These practices also lead to reductions
in the need to apply fertilizers and pesticides.Further reading: Biointensive Farming: The Future of our Food Production System
#7 Growth of heirloom and older varieties
Today,
due to the industrialization of the global food system, only a few
varieties of our food plants are grown commercially. This situation
evolved in order to meet market demand for the viability of produce to
travel long distances and to be stored for long periods of time.
Over
the last 100 years, the world has lost almost 90 percent of the fruit
and vegetable seed varieties that were once available [4].
This
reduced genetic variety in our food crop species reduces those species’
opportunity to adapt to changes in climate, diseases, and pest
conditions in the environment [4].
There
is currently a great need to grow heirloom and older varieties of crops
in order to preserve the biodiversity of seeds. If gardeners and
farmers do not continue to grow heirloom and
other older varieties of plants and save their seeds, many of the
remaining varieties of our food plants could be lost to the world
forever.
Losing traditional varieties could be compared to losing
an important source of genetic information and part of our ancestral
heritage, as these plants have adapted precisely to make the most out of
local conditions. Generations of our ancestors have spent decades of
selecting only the best seeds that have provided the most nutritious and
flavored food. Their quality is often supreme, and it is rather
wasteful to let them disappear.
It was these varieties that have
nourished our ancestors, and therefore, contributed to who we are today.
They deserve to be preserved because their unique traits may help us in
establishing future climate-resistant varieties that will nourish our
children.
#8 Natural animal raising
Sustainable
animal farming is possible and is better for everyone. Not only that it
is good for the environment and our nutritional needs, it is also good
for the animals. Animals that are raised on the pasture or in their
preferred environment live under less stress, closer to their natural
way of living. They can have fulfilling social interactions with other
animals and behave in a way that is natural to them (roll in the mud,
pick plants they want to eat, rest side by side, play).
Allowing
animals to graze and live in pasture is much healthier for animals than
confined animal feeding operations are. You will even notice that these
animals are cleaner, smell better and have that curious spark in their
eyes. Their health and happiness reflect in the quality of products we
get from them. Tastier meat, yellower eggs, milk richer in the mineral
and vitamin content.
Since animals and grasslands have evolved in a
mutually beneficial relationship, livestock grazing and other pastoral
systems enrich the land in multiple ways. Manure returns nutrients back
into the soil, completing the natural nutrient cycle. Soils get aerated
by the animal hoof action and greater diversity of plants flourishes
because animals suppress dominant species, providing opportunity for a
variety of rarer plants.
Grasses also grow stronger root systems
and abundant tufts after being grazed and trampled under the hooves.
This helps to prevent erosion, build soil through the rich growth of
diverse pasture grasses, sequester carbon emissions in the soil from the
atmosphere, and conserve grassland habitats that can host many other
species of wildlife and insects [5].
#9 Natural pest management
One
of the main aims of sustainable agricultural practices is the
prevention of the use of synthetic pesticides and other chemicals that
should suppress pest infestations and pathogens. Applying increasing
amounts of chemicals to grow food is not part of the long-term solution
and doesn’t help our health either. Farmers from sustainable farms,
therefore, look for solutions in nature and try to recreate conditions
that do not favor pests.
They achieve this through the set of
practices that strengthen natural resilience of crops and practices that
interrupt pest cycles.
Greater diversity of crops, intercropping
and crop rotations are among the methods that have proven successful.
The key to their success lies in dispersing preferred food sources of
pests by blending in crops they do not favor. Additionally, diverse
crops attract diverse insects and some of them are natural predators of
pests, helping to keep their populations within limits, thus mimicking
how the real ecosystem balances itself out.
Farmers can also
release or provide habitat for populations of beneficial insects (such
as ladybugs, lacewings, and fly parasites), as well as encourage other
organisms (such as birds and bats) that will serve as predators of
crop-eating pest insects.Further reading: Why You Need Insect Houses for the Garden
#10 Mulching, groundcovers, and manual weed control
Farmers
and other growers can dramatically reduce the growth of weeds and
conserve soil moisture by covering the soil around their plants through
the use of mulching and ground covers.
By naturally suppressing
weed growth, these practices greatly reduce, or in some cases even
eliminate, the need to apply herbicides to kill weeds. And the most
stubborn weeds that appear from time to time can be easily controlled by
hand because their numbers are minimized.
We
can see this practice widely applied on strawberry fields where plants
need to have larger spacing between them, which would give the
opportunity for weeds to take over. A layer of protective material on
top of the soil even keeps strawberries from rotting too fast, as they
do not lay directly on the hard soil while ripening. Afterall, as their
name suggests “straw-berries,” people have known about the benefits of
growing these yummy fruits surrounded by the straw ground cover for many
generations.
Organic mulch material like, for example, wood
chips, straw or grass clippings also improves nutrient retention in
soils and encourages activity of soil microorganisms that help create
healthy aerated soil structure. This reduces the need for tillage as
soils are less compacted [6].
Intermittent fasting is a broad term that covers following a pattern of eating that involves a set amount of time where you don’t eat (or eat an incredibly restricted number of calories), followed by one in which you do.
The most popular version involves fitting all of your daily food consumption into an eight-hour window, followed by 16 fasted hours. For example, you could eat between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. every day and fast between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. (including the hours you’re asleep). There’s also the 5:2 diet, in which you split your week into five days of eating whenever you want and two days where you seriously restrict your calories—500 for women, 600 for men. (Personally, I find this one to be the easiest of the option.)
While fasting may seem extreme and irregular, proponents argue that humans actually ate this way for most of history, since hunters-gatherers ate as food was available, not at set mealtimes. Plus, fasting is an age-old part of nearly every religious tradition.
Are there risks to intermittent fasting?
So far, this all sounds really good, right? But there are of course caveats.
Low calorie intake always comes with risks, which is why it is important to ensure that you are getting adequate calories and proper nutrients while following this style of eating. Hunger can be a real issue, which in turn can lead to stress. Prolonged stress of any sort can increase inflammation in the body.
Confining yourself to a specific way of eating for a short time can also lead you down a long road of yo-yo dieting, and some argue fasting can lead to disordered eating.
Finally, the results of some animal studies suggest intermittent fasting could affect fertility in women, so you should skip it if you’re trying to get pregnant.
The bottom line
At the end of the day, my feelings on intermittent fasting boil down to a few questions: Is it going to be doable for you? Will it make healthy eating easier or harder for you?
Some people say it simplifies their eating, but if you work long, unpredictable hours and have trouble planning meals ahead, trying to stick to a plan like this may drive you crazy. It also won’t work if you’re someone whose social life often revolves around food. Spontaneous dinner dates with friends or late-night tapas after a concert? Buh-bye.
If you do think it might work for you, make sure you’re still eating in a healthy way, AKA getting all of the proper nutrients from the calories you are consuming! Focusing on real, whole foods and skipping the junk will prevent nutrient deficiencies.
If it sounds like the wrong approach, don’t beat yourself up about missing out on potential benefits. Just continue with a balanced, healthy diet and be mindful of your hunger quotient to keep overeating at bay and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
પ્રખર સાહિત્યકાર અનિલ વાઘેલા લિખિત બે પુસ્તકોનો વિમોચન સમારંભ યોજાયો
ગુજરાતી સાહિત્યમાં 20 જેટલા પુસ્તકોની રચી સાહિત્યનું સર્જન કરનાર નડિયાદના કર્મશીલ સર્જક અનિલ વાઘેલા લિખિત 2 પુસ્તકોનો વિમોચન સમારંભ સૌજન્ય પાર્ક,નડિયાદ ખાતે યોજાઈ ગયો.જેમા એકાંકી સંગ્રહ”જબ ચિડિયા ચુગ ગઈ ખેત”અને લેખ સંગ્રહ “અનિલ વાઘેલાનો સાહિત્ય વૈભવ”પુસ્તકોનું વિમોચન ક્રાઇષ્ટ ધ કિંગ ચર્ચના સભા પુરોહિત ફાધર ટોનીના વરદ હસ્તે કરાયું હતું.આ પ્રસંગે ક્મુબેન વાઘેલા, શૈલેષ રાઠોડ,વિજય વાઘેલા,ડો.પ્રીતિ રાઠોડ,અજય વાઘેલા ઉપસ્થિત રહી અનિલ વાઘેલાના સાહિત્ય અને જીવનનો પરિચય આપ્યો હતો.
“જબ ચિડિયા ચુગ ગઈ ખેત”એકાંકીસંગ્રહ વિશે ડો.પ્રીતિ રાઠોડે જણાવ્યુ હતું કે,”નવ ભારત સાહિત્ય મંદિર દ્વારા તૈયાર કરાયેલ આ એકાંકી સંગ્રહમાં કુલ 14 નાટકો છે.આ નાટકોમાં માનવીની અંદરનું અને બહારનું ચિત્ર અંકિત કરાયું છે.અનિલ વાઘેલાના સાહિત્યમાં સાચો માનવી ડોકાઈ છે.તેઓ દરેક વાર્તા અને નવલકથાને દિલથી લખી વાચકો સમક્ષ મૂકે છે.
આ પ્રસંગે શૈલેષ રાઠોડે જણાવ્યુ હતું કે,અનિલ વાઘેલાના લેખનમાં સચ્ચાઈનો રણકો છે.તેઓ ગુજરાતનાં અનેક વિસ્તારોમાં પ્રવાસ ખેડી માનવીની વાસ્તવિકતા જાણી સાહિત્ય સર્જન કરે છે.અત્યાચારના કિસ્સાઓમાં પણ તેઓએ સ્થળ ઉપર જઈ લેખન કર્યું છે.તેઓ ઉત્તમ સર્જક અને કર્મશીલ છે.
ધર્મગુરુ ફાધર ટોનીએ જણાવ્યું હતું કે,લેખન કળા એ ઈશ્વરની ભેટ છે.અનિલભાઈ વાઘેલાએ પીડિતોની પડખે રહી માનવ મૂલ્યોને ઉજાગર કરતું સાહિત્ય રચ્યું છે.
અનિલ વાઘેલાએ પોતાની સર્જન યાત્રાની માહિતી આપી જણાવ્યુંવહતું કે,”મેં મારું સાહિત્ય એવોર્ડ માટે નહીં પણ લોકભોગ્ય બને તે માટે રચ્યું છે.અનુભવો, સંઘર્ષ અને સહુના સહયોગથી હું સર્જન કરતો રહ્યો છું સહુ વાચક વર્ગનો આ તબક્કે આભાર માનું છું.
વિજય વાઘેલાએ સાહિત્ય ખેડાણના ચડાવ ઉતારની માહિતી આપી હતી.અજય વાઘેલાએ સાહિત્ય અને સંગીતની માહિતી આપી હતી.અજય વાઘેલાએ સ્મરણો રજૂ કરી અનિલ વાઘેલાને શુભેચ્છાઓ પાઠવી હતી
આ પ્રસંગે કમુબેન વાઘેલાએ સાહિત્ય સર્જનમાં સહયોગીઓની વિગતો આપી હતી.કૃતિ વાઘેલા અને યુગ રાઠોડે કાર્યક્રમનું સંચાલન કર્યું હતું.શ્રધ્ધા વાઘેલા,અર્થ વાઘેલા અને અક્ષર વાઘેલાએ પ્રાર્થના-સંગીત ને નૃત્ય રજૂ કર્યું હતું.ઉર્મિ વાઘેલા અને દીપા વાઘેલાએ મહેમાનોનું સન્માન કર્યું હતું.
હું ને તમે ધર્મસ્થાનોની દીવાલોમાં ચણાઈ ગયા છે.આ સ્થાનોમાં જ આપણે ઈશ્વરને જોઈ પ્રેમાળ બની જઈએ છે. બહાર નીકળી ઈશ્વરનો ડર ભૂલી મનસ્વી,બેજવાબદાર જીવન તરફ પ્રયાણ કરીયે છે.
મંદિરમાં ઘી ને દૂધ, મસ્જિદમાં અગરબત્તી ને ચાદર તો ચર્ચમાં મીણબત્તી… વર્ષોથી ઈશ્વરને ગૂંગળાવી રહ્યા છે.ધર્મને ખુલ્લી હવા ને ખુલ્લુ આકાશ જોઈએ છે.ધર્મને વડાઓમાથી બહાર આવી ખુલ્લા આકાશમાં વિહરવું છે.ધર્મને શીખવવું છે કે ધર્મ સ્થાનો ઉપર કોઈનો હક્ક નથી.ઘોડા સહુ કોઈ બેસી શકે.ધર્મ ઉપર કોઈ નેતાનો હક્ક નથી.ધર્મ કોઈની જાગીર નથી.
કોણે શું ખાવું?શું પહેરવું?કેવું જીવવું?કોની સાથે લગ્ન કરવા એ ધર્મ કે ધર્મના પ્રિપેડ માણસોએ નક્કી કરવાનું નથી.ધર્મ સ્વતંત્રતા અર્પે,બંધન નહીં.ધર્મ જીવન આપે,છીનવે નહીં.કોઈનું ઘર બનાવે-સળગાવે નહીં!
વસ્ત્રોથી કે વિધિઓથી ઈશ્વર સમીપ પહોંચાતું નથી.આંતરવસ્ત્ર શુદ્ધ હોવું જોઈએ.
ધર્મને હવે ધર્મપુસ્તકો નહીં, સંત પુરુષો નહીં, નેતાઓ ચલાવી રહ્યા છે.ધર્મની ચાર દીવાલો તોડી ઈશ્વરને 21મી સદીની દ્રષ્ટિએ સમજવાની જરૂર છે.પવન પાવડીનું સ્થાન ફાઇટર જેટ વિમાને, આમતેમ ફરતા ફરતાહવામાં અથડાતાં જાત જાતનાં બાણનું સ્થાન એકે 56 ને લીધું છે.રાક્ષસો નું સ્થાન લાદેન જેવા સાધનોથી સજ્જ પુરુષોએ લીધું છે.વૃક્ષો નીચે ચાલતાં ગુરુકુળનું સ્થાન A.C સ્કૂલોએ લીધું, તપ કરતા સાધુ સંતો મહેલો અને રાજનીતિમાં મહાલે છે… કેટકેટલયુ બદલાયું છે.. ત્યારે ધર્મને ચાર દિવાલોમાંથી બહાર લાવી માનવીય બનાવવાની જવાબદારી માનવીની છે. ધર્મ નેતાઓના હાથમાંથી લઈ ધર્મ પુસ્તકો અને સાચા ધર્મગુરુઓ(નેતાઓના ટટુઓ નહીં)હાથમાં હોવો જરૂરી છે.
ચાર દીવાલો તોડી,ખુલ્લી હવામાં ઈશ્વરને બહાર લાવીએ.
ઈશ્વર સાથેનું તાદાત્મ્ય માત્ર મંદિર, મસ્જિદ કે ચર્ચની ચાર દીવાલો દ્વારા સાધી ન શકાય.
