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high in nitrogen. Neem trees grow locally, so the only "cost" is the labor to prepare neem
for application to fields.
G The first farmer's trial with NPM was a complete success! His harvest was as good as
the harvests of farmers that were using pesticides, and he earned much more because
he did not spend a single rupee on pesticides. Inspired by this success, 20 farmers tried
NPM the next year. SECURE posted two well-trained staff in Punukula to teach and help
everyone in the village, and the village women put pressure on their husbands to stop
using toxic chemicals. Families that were no longer exposing themselves to pesticides
began to feel much better, and the rapid improvements in income, health, and general
wellbeing quickly sold everyone on the value of NPM. By 2000, all the farmers in Punukula
were using NPM, not only for cotton, but for their other crops as well.
H The suicide epidemic came to an end. And with the cash, health, and energy that
returned when they stopped poisoning themselves with pesticides, the villagers were
inspired to start more community and business projects. The women of Punukula created
a new source of income by collecting, grinding, and selling neem seeds for NPM in other
villages. The villagers rescued their indentured children and gave them special six-month
“catch-up' courses to return to school.
I Fighting against pesticides, and winning, increased village solidarity, self-confidence,
and optimism about the future.When dealers tried to punish NPM users by paying less
for NPM cotton, the farmers united to form a marketing cooperative that found fairer prices
elsewhere. The leadership and collaboration skills that the citizens of Punukula developed
in the NPM struggle have helped them to take on other challenges, like water purification,
building a cotton gin to add value to the cotton before they sell it, and convincing the state
government to support NPM over the objection of multi-national pesticide corporations.
Questions 1-4 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In
boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet, write
