Woman Scarecrow at Grampari in a beautiful sari I joined Grampari as Sustainability Program Co-ordinator in September, 2012. Grampari is a non-profit organization that works for rural people and ecology. As a part of their watershed program, they started an organic vegetable garden on their campus, along with two lemon tree orchards. I hope to be at Grampari for 4 more months. Currently I look after the organic vegetable garden as well as the grounds and in the last 5 months several changes have taken place at Grampari that I wanted to share with all of you. This is also a good way to understand the many practices of organic farming that I have written about in my blog. A good farm comes from a balanced eco-system and by working with local people. Management of the Grounds: I work with two other people on the management of the grounds, garden, and orchards. Both Sujata and Shashikant are from nearby villages with a passion for farming. Post-monsoon days have been 8 hours of weeding! This time we also tried to plant long-term, low nutrient and water requiring, flowering, native medicinal plants and shrubs. Over 150 seedlings were planted of plants such as Adulsa, Mehendi, Tulsi, Citronella, Ticoma, Peppermint, Chitrak, Tagar, Vetiver etc. Landscaping the grounds with these plants will ensure lower weeding after the following monsoon. Planting natives and medicinal plants is extremely important for creating a balanced eco-system allowing for arrival of beneficial insects and birds. The lemon/lime orchard below the organic garden was cleared of its tall grass by 4 women employed from Godavali. It was a huge change that gave us access to endless limes and lemons. The most productive part of Grampari is definitely the citrus orchard. Dead lemon trees were replaced by new ones and 4 Amla trees have also been planted in empty spaces. The next steps involve landscaping the orchard in order to have a ground cover going before the monsoon in order to prevent the return of the tall elephant grass. Organic Vegetable Garden: Apart from organic lemons we had a wonderful harvest of 20 pumpkins that had grown over the monsoon. After more than a month of weeding and re-creating our raised beds, we began our planting in September and October. We also began cultivating a small section on the upper part of the garden which is an experimental section for organic wheat. Including the upper and lower areas we have planted about 25 different vegetables. On a regular basis we are harvesting lettuce, coriander, methi, spinach, bananas, mint, lemon grass and lemons. We have now started also harvesting radish, capsicum, cauliflower, cabbage and chillies. Some of the techniques being applied are composting, vermicomposting, mulching, intercropping, and water conservation through drip irrigation. For mulching we have managed to find rice husk after a long search. Our three compost pits are almost full and undergoing decomposition. We have re-done our vermicompost system to ensure it functions properly and to accommodate more food waste that will be produced from month-long residential training programs. Drip Irrigation System: Our newest project which has been a success is setting up of the drip irrigation system. After doing surveys, and calculations we projected a cost of about Rs.6500 for the drip irrigation material required in the organic vegetable garden as well as the border plantation. We bought about 480 metres of drip pipe and other parts. At one of our shramdaans (voluntary work) for the students of Symbiosis (SCIT) we put forward this quotation in the hopes of finding a source for this money. To our amazement the students amongst themselves contributed a bit of money each and provided us with Rs.9200! It was more that what we had asked for and we are tremendously grateful to them. The drip irrigation is now set up and the total cost was approximately Rs.7200. Drip irrigation is one of the most effective ways of watering. It has minimal exposure to the atmosphere resulting in least evaporation. The water seeps in slowly and spreads laterally just the way plants like it. Watershed Demonstrations: In the last year several staggered couture trenches have been made to ensure ground water recharge. The last few months have seen the installation of another roof-top rainwater harvesting system done by Jared, Renie, Ankush, and Ankur. It includes a first-flush device to perform basic filtration of the rain water which is then directed into a water tank. The water tank which used to be an old and dysfunctional biogas plant can store up to 28 thousand litres of water. We hope to use the water collected next monsoon for the watering of the garden in the dry months. Ongoing and Future Projects:
Our ongoing projects include watering and maintenance of the grounds. Landscaping and planning of the lemon orchard is a big part of our work. We now hope to also begin reaching out to farmers from nearby villages through short organic farming workshops. Meanwhile we are also working on a farm manual both in English and Marathi to be prepared for future farm managers. Best wishes to everyone for 2013 and do come to Grampari for some fresh vegetables and black tea with lemon grass!
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People are becoming more and more aware of garbage and waste disposal management. We often hope that we could recycle our waste in a more productive way at home rather than sending it away to a land-fill to be burnt or buried. Composting is an easy process that makes a big difference to the recycling and reuse of waste. What can be better than to be able to turn your kitchen garbage into something useful, and most importantly in your own backyard? During my internship at CETDEM (Center for Environment, Technology & Development, Malaysia) I had the opportunity to work with Ms.Tan, an inspiring forerunner for organic farming in Malaysia. Her team at CETDEM has developed a wonderful and easy method of making compost in a plastic garbage bin. Here is how you can do it... Step 1: Find a plastic garbage bin that is not too small. A good size would be 57cm height and radius or bigger. It is important for the bin to be big enough for the composting process to take place effectively. Heat is generated during the process of decomposition which is extremely important. A small bin might not be able to generate the required amount of heat. Step 2: Drill ventilation holes on all sides of the bin as shown on the diagram. Also cut out the entire bottom of the bin. Step 3: Find a good spot for your bin to be placed. If you have a back-yard then it is best to place it directly on soil or land. If you do not have a back-yard, then create a small corner in your terrace or veranda where you can put a layer of soil. Place the bin upside down at this spot. Step 4: Always begin your heap with a 15-20cm layer of dry leaves for aeration and drainage. Step5: Add your cooked and raw kitchen waste (only bio-degradable items: avoid paper) on top of the dry leaves and then cover it with more dry leaves/grass and soil. This helps to keep the flies and odour away and also adds the essential carbon required for decomposition. Step 6: Continue putting your kitchen waste and covering it until the bin is full. If your waste is wet them you most probably will not require to create moisture for the compost. However if you feel the waste is too dry and no decomposition is taking place, add some water. However, it has to be only moist and not wet. Otherwise your garbage will rot. Step 7: Once the bin is full do not add any more waste to it. Now you need to turn or mix your compost. This is very easy. Just lift the entire garbage bin which has been upside down, and put it to the side. Using hand gloves, transfer the entire waste back into the upside down garbage bin. This simple transfer helps to turn the compost. Step 8: Turn the compost once every 2-3 weeks. At the end of 2 months you will have beautiful compost ready for use. See previous blog post. Step 9: You can use the compost for your plants or store the ready compost in plastic bags and keep it out of the rain. Remember not to add any more garbage to your bin once it is full. As the decomposition occurs, the garbage will shrink. However, if you add new waste to it, it will slow down the process and take a long time to give you the good-looking compost that you need.
So keep it simple! Creating Living Soil Chemical-based farming operates on the assumption of dead soil; which means there are no nutrients available in the soil and so they need to be added physically. And after the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, the life in the soil diminishes greatly, thus reducing the productivity of the land. So you end up using even more chemicals the next time which leads to a vicious cycle. The focus of chemical farming is to give all the input to the plant, which is a short-term process. Whereas in organic farming the focus is on creating good and healthy soil so that whatever is planted grows well. It requires patience and dedication to renewing and regenerating the soil naturally which ultimately gives you long term productivity and health benefits. When you look at the soil, it may seem like lifeless clay and rocks. But in fact it is very much alive. Millions of small organisms live in healthy soil which is rich in organic matter. Some of them are big enough to see, such as earthworms and small insects. But, most of them are so small that you can only see them if you use a microscope. These microscopic organisms include nematodes (tiny worms), bacteria, fungi and even some insects which are invisible to the naked eye. These living organisms make soil alive and give it a good structure and texture. A living soil ecosystem nurtures and nourishes plants by providing a healthy medium to take roots and through a steady supply of nutrients. Most of the organic farming techniques focus on building living soil. So lets begin by understanding four basic techniques that everyone can apply, whether it is a garden, farm, or pots in your balcony. 1. Compost 2. Mulch 3. Manure 4. Cropping Methods Compost Compost-making is simply imitating nature's process of natural decomposition as we can witness in the forests. The dark-hummus like substance found on the forest floor is compost. It adds essential nutrition back into the soil which the plants and trees then take in to grow. Just like everything in nature, this is also a cycle of give and take. The amount of nutrition that is taken by a tree or plant to grow is returned to the soil when the dead tree falls to the forest floor and begins decomposing. Therefore, while growing our vegetables in our gardens, we need to put back the nutrition that we are taking out. Compost is a natural fertilizer, and good, mature compost, is one of the best fertilizers that can be found anywhere in the world. To make good compost it is essential that it is an aerobic process that creates compost rather than methane gas as a by-product. For this you need all your bio-degradable kitchen waste (cooked/uncooked food scraps), some dry leaves, grass, or straw (brown matter), soil, and water. If these ingredients are managed in the right order then the result will be great compost that you can add to your soil which will boost the growth of your plants. If growing in pots, it is even more essential to ensure that the soil remains rich in nutrients, since natural cycles of nutrients, soil, and water become restricted in pots. There are several ways of making compost depending on the size of your garden or farm as well as on the urgency and requirements of produce. However the following are some simple steps that are essential for anybody who is making compost. Step 1: Location: Choose your space for making compost. The best space for making compost is on direct soil. If you do not have a garden, create a small space where you can put some soil on the floor. Don't worry about the smell and flies. If done right, you won't have either and you can always cover your compost. Step2: Maintaining Proportions: An important thing to remember about compost-making is maintaining the balance between nitrogen (wet, green, fresh waste) and carbon (dry brown matter). The proportion between the two should be roughly 30% Nitrogen to 70% Carbon. Step 3: Creating Airways: It is essential that air should pass freely through the compost pile. For this ensure that if your cover the compost, that there are holes in the surrounding structure or bin. This is essential for aerobic decomposition. Step 4: Layering: There are many ways of layering. However a simple way to remember how to layer is to remember to alternate between wet and dry layers. So if you have just put in a fresh batch of waste from your kitchen into the compost pile, put a layer of dry grass or leaves on top of that and you can also add some soil as it may quicken the composting process. The dry layer will also keep animals, flies, and bad odour away. Step 5: Maintaining Moisture: The process of decomposition requires moisture. If the compost pile gets too wet it will lead to anaerobic decomposition (rotting) and if the pile is too dry, then it will not decompose quickly. So it is essential to keep the pile moist. Check the pile before adding water to see if it needs any. Step 6: Regular Turning: Once the container in which you are piling your wet waste and dry leaves into is full, then you need to STOP adding new waste into that. You can either create a new pile or just find a another place for your waste. Once the container is full, you need to turn (mix) the compost once every 2 weeks to quicken the decomposition process and to ensure that there is only aerobic decomposition taking place. If you are in a tropical country like India where decomposition is very rapid, you should have a wonderful pile of compost ready in 30-45 days. Once ready you can store it in a dry place and use it liberally on your soil before planting, and after planting.
Next article on how to make compost in a plastic garbage bin. Compost Away! More Information can be found here: A great article on composting for further reading: The Basics of Composting |
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