Big change in Small farm

Is it possible to lead decent life within half an acre? Is small farming profitable? Is it possible to earn more than one lakh rupees from half an acre? Is it possible to fulfill farmer’s needs from half an acre? Small farmers can prevent global famine? Mr. Gopal says ‘Yes’ to all the above questions. Small farming methods can significantly increase the food production and thus help curb a global food shortage and actual food security.

Gopal is practicing ‘ZERO’ farming. “ZERO farming is a system of farming in which he conducts different types of agricultural practices together, on a single farm in view of increasing his income through different sources”. Last year he earned Rs. 1, 19,650/- from his 18 gunta (it is less than one acre) farm by working two to three hours every day. He is not using single drop of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for the last twenty years. He is planning to convert his farm to no tilling and is already not plowing from the last two years.

Land of Agro-Biodiversity and Revenue

He believes in ‘practicing mixed farming to get better and sustainable yield’. He says another important element is “MY FARM IS LIKE A ATM”, I get income everyday from my farm. He is planning to start growing medicinal plants in the future. Gopal is cultivating various vegetable such as Palak, Cucumber, Tree potato, Sweet Potato, Onion, Curry leaf, Amaranths, Coriander, Fenugreek, Tomato, Brinjal, Dolichas etc, for his family and also for sale. He is also cultivating other crops/trees like Mulberry, Castor, Jasmine, Teak, Melia dubia, Banana, Jack, Mango, Papaya, and Coconut etc in his farm.

Mainly he is cultivating Mulberry, Jasmine and Improved Grass. He is getting 6 to 7 crops out of mulberry, every time he gets 70 to 80 Kg of silkworm cocoons out of 100 to 120 DFL’s (Disease free laying). We can see M5 and V1 mulberry varieties in his farm. He gets Rs. 40,000/- net income from his farm every year from sericulture unit alone.

Another important income source is cattle and improved grass. He has two cows, one is local breed and another one is cross breed. He grows improved grass on bunds and inside the farm where mulberry is not there. He takes grass from the land every day and feds it to the cattle and he gets about 8 liters of milk, which he to the diary. The dairy unit earns him Rs. 3000/- total net revenue in a month.

Third important income source is from Jasmine cultivation, he grows jasmine as one of the important subsidiary crop in his farm. He grows Jasmine on bunds again and the plants yield a kilo every day, which is sold in the local market. There is unique system of flower marketing; there are 30 Jasmine farmers around his farm. Every day one farmer will collect the flowers and take them to the local market, next day another farmer will collect on the rotation basis. This system is followed to save on transport expenses.

Art of land usage

Gopal designed the farm by utilizing every inch of land; he has planted 30 Teak and 32 Melia dubia plants on the border around the fence, then he planted Jasmine and improved grass intra and inter bunds. Inside he planted M5 and V1 variety of mulberry in between these rows he grows various vegetables and medicinal plants. All the farm waste is heaped for 2 to 3 months, in this period the waste is converted to aerobic compost this is then applied through water channel on to the main field.

He collects cattle waste and dumps it in a corner of his farm. Around the compost pit he has planted castor and cucumber creeper; this provides the much needed shade to the pit. He gets partial income from the castor. Last year he got about Rs. 150/- from the sale of three kilos of castor seeds. Cucumber is for home family consumptions.

He and his family leading a decent and firm life through his unique farming technique, anybody can contact him through his cell number – 9663428534. He is also join hands with mobilizing young farmers in around Ramanagara of Karnataka state to work on ZERO farming. They started “Nammora siri” team and this team work around Ramanagara young farmers.

Important merits of ‘Gopal ZERO’ Farming

· It maintains soil health by recycling soil nutrients and allowing the introduction and use of rotations between various crops and forage legumes and trees, or for land to remain fallow and grasses and shrubs to become reestablished

· It maintains soil biodiversity, reduce soil erosion, help to conserve water and it provides suitable habitats for various flora and fauna, including Birds

· It makes the best use of crop residues. When they are not used as feed, stalks may be incorporated directly into the soil, it acts as a nitrogen trap, exacerbating deficiencies.

· It allows intensified farming, with less dependence on natural resources and preserving more biodiversity than would be the case if food demands were to be met by crop and livestock activities undertaken in isolation.

How is Rainfall Measured?

The instrument used to measure the amount of rainfall is called “rain gauge”. In every country meteorological department makes use of rain gauges to keep a record of rainfall at different place. Rainfall is measured in terms of inches or millimeters. There are several types of rain-gauges. A common rain gauge consists of a graduated bottle of glass kept inside a cylinder, made of iron. A funnel is attached to the mouth of the bottle. The mouth of the funnel is 10 times the diameter of the bottle. The instrument is usually placed in open, areas where there is no disturbance on account of trees, buildings etc. The rain water falls into the funnel and is collected in the bottle. Water collected in the bottle measured after every 24 hours. One-tenth of the height of water in the bottle indicates the actual rainfall during the 24 hours. If the bottle of the rain gauge is not graduated, a measuring jar or a narrow measuring stick is used to measure the rainfall. Meteorological department collects the data of rainfall at different places throughout the Year and calculates the average rainfall. These days self recording instruments for rainfall have also been developed. Any place which records a rainfall of less than 50 mm in a year is called a desert. Rainfall is between 10 to 20 inches a year produces some greenery in the area but for agricultural purposes more than 20 inches rainfall per year is essential

Even we can use waste bottles to for measurement of rain, we can keep local made equipments on the terrace, so we can calculate the rain and based on the result plan agriculture activities

Change Makers

Photos taken by me with my camera

BIO-GAS PRODUCTION

Biogas typically refers to a gas produced by the biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. Biogas originates from biogenic material and is a type of bio-fuel. Biogas is produced by anaerobic digestion of biodegradable materials such as biomass, manure, sewage, municipal waste, and plant material. This type of biogas comprises primarily methane and carbon dioxide. Wood-gas is a bi-product, which is created by gasification of wood or other biomass. Gas consists mainly of nitrogen hydrogen and carbon monoxide with trace amounts of methane.

The gases methane, hydrogen and carbon monoxide can be combusted or oxidized with oxygen. Air contains 21% oxygen. This energy release allows bio-gas to be used as a fuel. Bio-gas can be used as a low-cost fuel in any country for any heating purpose, such as cooking. It can also be used in modern waste management facilities where it can be used to run any type of heat engine, to generate either mechanical or electrical power. Bio-gas can be compressed natural gas and used to power motor vehicles. In the UK, for example, it is estimated to have the potential to replace around 17% of vehicle fuel. Bio-gas is a renewable fuel so it qualifies for renewable energy subsidies in some parts of the world.

Jeevamrutha Preparation

Jeevamrutha, popularized by Shri Subhash Palekar and he is well know for ZERO CAPITAL FARMING. It is important to provide a congenial environment to microorganisms that help in making available the essential nutrients for plant growth viz., nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, to the plants. Jeevamrutha provides such an environment to beneficial microbes. Application of Jeevamrutha to soil improves the soil considerably. It also encourages microbial activity in the soil.

Materials for Jeevambrutha

• Water - 200 lts
• Cow dung - 10 Kilo
• Cow Urine - 5 lts
• Jaggery - 2 Kilo
• Flour of any pulse - 2 Kilo
• Soil from same land - one handfuls.

Preparation ofJeevamrutha

Mix all of them and keep them in a shade for 3-4 days. Stir the mixture once a day. Apply the mixture when the ground is wet for the plants. This seems to work wonders for the plants due to increased microbial activity by 3rd and 4th day. This is an excellent culture for enabling the exponential increase of beneficial microbes. The microbes are added thru 2-3 handful of local soil.

Application of Jeevambrutha

Though it can be used even after 6-7 days, its quite a challenge getting near the mixture due to overpowering stench, hence advisable to use this within 3-4 days of preparation.

Panchagavya Preparation

Panchagavya derived from Sanskrit word, It means the blend of five products obtained from cow, All these five products are individually called ‘Gavya’ and collectively termed as ‘Panchagavya’. It contains ghee, milk, curd, cow dung and cow’s urine.

Materials for Panchagavya Preparation

1. Fresh cow dung - 5kg
2. Fresh cow’s urine – 3 liters
3. Cow’s milk – 2 liters
4. Cow’s curd – 2 liters
5. Cow’s ghee – 500 gms or 1 kilo of Castor seeds
6. Jaggery – 500 gms
7. Sugarcane juice - 3 liters
8. Ripe banana fruit - 1 dozen (12 nos.)
9. Tender coconut water – 3 liters
10. toddy or Neera – 2 liters

Method of preparation

Take 5 kgs of fresh cow dung and mix it thoroughly with 500 gms of cow’s ghee and keep it in a plastic drum or a mud pot. It should not be kept in a metal container because it will corrode and react with the metal. Keep the ghee or Crushed Castor seed and the cow dung mixture for 4 days, mixing it twice a day.

On the 5th day add cow’s urine, cow’s milk (cow’s milk can be boiled, cooled and then added) and cow’s curd, then jaggaery with water or sugarcane juice and banana fruit (which has to be mashed and mixed thoroughly.) Then tender coconut water has to be added.

Wait for another 15 days, stirring twice daily. Stirring the contents for about 20 minutes each time facilitates aerobic microbial activity.

On the 19th day the Panchagavya solution will be ready. This solution must be kept under a net, i.e. it must be covered with a muslin or fine cloth so that the common fly cannot sit on it and lay eggs. For use after 19th day, stir the mixture at least once a day to aerate it.

Application

200ml of this solution can be diluted with 10 liters of water with proper stirring for spraying on plants. For soil application, dilute 1000ml in 10 liters of water. Once in 15 days, it can be used for all crops. In winter crops, 1.5-2% usage is sufficient but for all other crops 3% should be used.