Recently there were 2 people from Britain who made some small films on Grampari and took lots of great photos. I have put a couple of the videos below. They are part of a non-profit organization called 'Security Is...?' Here is a link to their facebook page and their work. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Security-Is/396494513775093 Here is a video of Renie from Grampari, our geologist working on watershed management. http://vimeo.com/60013230
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Straw used as Mulch on a Garden Bed Whenever I take a walk in the forest, what I love most is the sound of the crackling leaves under my feet, the softness of the soil, and the strong and tall forest trees. We may not give a second thought to the leaves under our feet in the jungle, but everything in nature has a role to play. These leaves have not fallen to the earth for no reason. They are nature's mulch! So what is Mulching and Mulch? Mulching is to me, one of the most important techniques followed in organic farming. It serves multiple purposes and you will feel immensely thankful for the outcomes of something so simple. Mulching is an activity that involves using certain kinds of material to cover the soil around the plants and seedlings that you have planted. Therefore, mulch is any type of material that is spread or laid over the surface of the soil as a covering. Mulch Material: In organic farming you can use any thing that is biodegradable as your mulch such as; straw, hay, dry leaves, shredded paper, dried grass, wood chips, stalks or husks of rice, wheat, etc. So what is the purpose of mulching? 1. Mulching on top of your soil around your plants prevents the moisture from escaping from soil due to heat. Mulching when done properly can reduce the required watering by 40-50 percent! 2. A good layer of mulch also helps in keeping the weeds down by making it difficult for them to grow. This reduces the competition for nutrition for your veggies. 3. It is also a great way to do composting in-place! With time the organic mulch begins to decompose and provide nutrition back into the soil. Why does mulching work? Forests are our teachers once again to understand this. In a forest there is a cycle and flow of give and take. The cycle of nutrients is essential for an healthy forest. As plants and trees grow, they take a lot of nutrition out of the soil to do so. The leaves, branches, and even dead trees that fall down to the forest floor, replenish the nutrition of the soil through their decomposition. As much nutrition goes out, just as much goes back in. The forest floor remains moist due to this and has the best soil you can find. However agriculture only seems to keep taking more and more out of the land. So how can it be restored unless we do it ourselves? The secret about the foundation of mulching is that plants love sunlight, but the soil does not. Everything that lives in the soil such as the roots of plants, earthworms, and micro-organisms, thrive in the dark and moist. So mulching works! How and when do you mulch? It is extremely simple. All you have to do is lay out your mulch material in layers out on the soil in your beds or even in your pots. If you put too little mulch, it will not be effective. If you put too much, you may suffocate the soil. If you are using straw or dry leaves, a good layer would be anywhere between 4-6 inches. The soil needs to breathe and so the material you use needs to be breathable like dry leaves and straw. If you use newspaper, you need to shred it, otherwise the soil will not be able to breathe through a plain sheet and this can lead to disease and pest problems. A good time to mulch is when your plants are about 6 inches tall. You can also mulch if your garden, land, or soil is barren for certain months in the year. Providing moisture to the mulch will enable the decomposition. Instead of the moisture and nutrition disappearing from the soil due to heat, the mulch will help to keep it in and replenish the soil at the same time. So when you decide to plant again, you will have beautiful soil. Trial and error is your best friend. But guess what? You have nothing to lose. People are often confused about the different techniques of organic farming. What does and does not constitute organic growing methods is unclear to many people. To me it seems the reason for this is the failure to understand organic farming as a lifestyle and philosophy rather than a technique or skill. The way we understand life and nature, and the way we interact with it is what helps us understand organic or natural farming. Organic and natural farming are not the same, but more later on the different kinds of farming. So here let us first understand the principles of organic farming before we try to practice it.
International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) has been the forum for many agricultural movements throughout the world for the last 30 plus years. It has inspired others and has itself been an agent of social and ecological revolution. According to IFOAM’s Principles, organic agriculture is based on: * The principle of health Organic Agriculture should sustain and enhance the health of soil, plant, animal, human and planet as one and indivisible. * The principle of ecology Organic Agriculture should be based on living ecological systems and cycles, work with them, emulate them and help sustain them. * The principle of fairness Organic Agriculture should build on relationships that ensure fairness with regard to the common environment and life opportunities * The principle of care Organic Agriculture should be managed in a precautionary and responsible manner to protect the health and well-being of current and future generations and the environment. The Principles apply to agriculture in the broadest sense, including the way people tend soils, water, plants and animals in order to produce, prepare and distribute food and other goods. They concern the way people interact with living landscapes, relate to one another and shape the legacy of future generations. I have realized that the forest has so much to teach us about what is the best way to grow food. We can learn many lessons just by observing the forest ecosystem. India is a tropical country and therefore it is blessed with many kinds of wonderful forests. You can grow all the food in the world, with the best fertilizers and produce the highest yield, but you can never beat the productivity of a forest. Productivity of nature is measured by humans through the concepts of biomass and organic matter. Jungles have the highest biomass that is almost impossible for human beings to replicate in agriculture. So what does the forest have to teach us? No Ploughing There is no one who comes into the forest and ploughs it and yet the soil is light, fluffy, and extremely rich in minerals and organic fertilizer. This is because of many reasons such as the presence of earthworms our natural tillers of the soil. Another reason for this is because of the amazing amount of decomposition that takes place on the forest floor. The amount of living growth is matched with an equal amount of dead organic matter lying on the ground, that slowly decomposes and naturally fertilizes the soil. No Mono-Cropping It is very rare to find a natural forest (mind you not a human-created) that has only one kind of tree. The forest is healthy only because it is diverse. Diversity is the root of life, socially and ecologically. Each plant species, animal species, insects, micro-organisms play an important part in the functioning of the forest through their special roles and relationships with each other. When you plant only one thing, you create a weak ecosystem that is susceptible to pests. No Flooding One of the most common misunderstanding about agriculture is that it requires a lot of water. If you have good soil, and diversity, it is very rare for your plants to require a lot of water. Most forests are present on the slopes of mountains. That means that they do not need flooding. But what they really need is moist soil. Not wet, but simply moist. Can you imagine how much water we could stop consuming for our agriculture? I think what the forest teaches us is to be as close to nature's way in our life and our farming. To co-exist rather than dominate and exploit. To give back as much as we take. To exist without manipulating the air, soil, water, plants, animals, and micro-organisms as much as possible. Since we live in a world with 7 billion people, we have to manipulate our land a lot more than is good. But if we all grow just a little bit of food in our backyard the organic way, we can lessen the harm done to a great extent. In the next article we will learn about the basic techniques of growing food nature's way. Reference: IFOAM, Principles of Organic Agriculture, available from, http://www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/principles/index.html 'Organic Farming in Malaysia' by CETDEM (Centre for Environment, Technology & Development, Malaysia) Mansata, Bharat. 'Vision of Natural Farming' The questioned that must be asked and has to be answered before any importance is to be given to anything: 'why?' There are so many answers out there and I am going to try to add another one to them so bear with me. Since about 10,000 years ago, agriculture has been the fundamental activity for most people in the world. It is one of humankind's most basic activities because people need to nourish themselves daily. History, culture and community values are embedded in agriculture. When such a basic human activity such as growing healthy food for your family and community is tainted, it is indeed a sad state to be in. The story about the ill-effects of chemical based industrial farming and its harmful effects on human health and the environment is becoming increasingly familiar. Industrialized, chemical farming is based on the principle of faster and greater production at any cost. Its main goal is economical and aims to gain profits through trade and export of crops that are in high demand. In order to achieve these goals, it employs methods such as mono-cropping which means that large fields are planted with only one crop variety that is economically valuable. To generate greater and faster yields, it promotes the use of chemical fertilizers and genetically modified seeds that require specific kinds of fertilizer to grow. Since mono-cropping creates more susceptibility to pests, chemical pesticides are also widely used to control the pest problems and maintain the high yield. One of the most common arguments for chemical agriculture is that it is the only answer to our growing human population and to feed the starving people of the world. But is chemical farming truly the answer to our hunger? Effects of Chemical Farming are broadly seen on the natural environment, farmers, and human health which are all interconnected. UNEP’s latest brief lays out the current state of agriculture in the world and the need to move towards organic farming. It focuses on how agriculture faces, and contributes to, several challenges that involve enormous economic, social and environmental costs; • Globally, the growth rate of agricultural productivity is declining, and in many countries productivity is actually falling • The impacts of unsustainable agro-chemical use are increasingly evident. Agriculture is now a major cause of biodiversity loss. Land scarcity and land degradation associated with agriculture are rising. Increased erosion and the loss of key ecosystem services can also be linked to chemical-based agricultural practices. • Agriculture accounts for 70 per cent of global freshwater use and is also responsible for most surface water pollution. The reason for the decline in agricultural productivity is the degradation of the soil of the fields and the adjoining ecosystems. Due to excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the essential nutrients and micro-organisms in the soil are depleted resulting in ‘dead soil’. These fertilizers and chemicals often run off into streams and rivers, and indirectly affect the plants, birds, bees, and other animal life in and around the water through direct intake and/or bio-magnification. • About 13-15 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from [chemical based] agriculture, mainly due to its heavy reliance on nitrogen fertilizers. Nitrous oxide has global warming potential that is 310 times greater than CO2. • “Agriculture [...] is ranked as one of the three most hazardous industries together with mining and construction. [...] Exposure to pesticides and other agrochemicals constitute major occupational hazards.” Every year, despite being highly underreported, an estimated 2 to 5 million agricultural workers suffer from severe pesticide poisoning and related illnesses, of which 40,000 are fatal. Fertilizers usually contain nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Of these, nitrogen in particular has been associated with health problems. Nitrogen, which occurs as 30 nitrites, nitrates, and/or ammonia, may be converted another form by chemical reactions accruing naturally in the environment. The nitrite form of nitrogen is very toxic. If taken by humans in drinking water or in food, it enters the bloodstream where it interferes with the ability of the blood to carry oxygen. Nitrites can also combine in compounds that may cause cancer in humans. If there is too much nitrogen (fertilizer) in the soil, it is absorbed into the vegetables in the form of nitrates which may be converted into nitrites under certain conditions. When you eat these vegetables, the nitrites are digested and converted into nitrosamines that can cause cancer of the stomach. • Increasing numbers of suicides, a phenomenon reported among farmers in Asia, can be attributed in part to increasing costs of inputs and increasing indebtedness, leading to shrinking profit margins.
Genetically Modified (GM) seeds and crops have been introduced into agriculture under the pretext of reducing the need for pesticides by modifying the seeds to make them pest resistant. However the GM seeds only give high yields if they are used with their companion fertilizer which is quite expensive for a poor farmer (approximately 9$ for one liter bottle). The seed companies that provide these have created a monopoly by conferring intellectual property rights on their products. For farmers this means that they are not allowed to save seeds for the next season; which has been the common practice for most farmers for several generations; and they have to buy the seeds and fertilizers every year. In order to buy these products, the farmers often take loans that they cannot repay due to high expenses and crop failures. This has led farmers to desperation and suicides. More than 250,000 farmers committed suicide in India within the span of 15 years (1995-2010) Chemical farming affects all of us directly through our food as well as indirectly through its harmful effects on the environment. What is the solution for us and the future of our children? What is Organic Farming? “Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved.” IFOAM Organic farming is not new. It is the old way of farming that has existed for many years. However there is a need to revive these methods to ensure that we feed our children and ourselves healthy food and take care of nature. Organic gardening is for everyone and can be used even in your own backyard. To make sure that the food you eat is healthy, the best way to do it is to grow your own vegetables. References: IFOAM, Principles of Organic Agriculture, available from, http://www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/principles/index.html UNEP Brief, Agriculture: A Catalyst for Transitioning to a Green Economy, available from, http://www.unep.ch/etb/publications/Agriculture/UNEP_Agriculture.pdf Wikipedia, ‘History of Agriculture’, 2012, available from, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_agriculture P. Sainath, The Hindu, ‘In `16 years, Farm Suicides Cross a Quarter Million, 2011, available from, http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/sainath/article2577635.ece |
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