5.6 Grow My Own Food & Food Forest
Source: FEA Volunteers
NATURAL FARMING AND ITS FRUIT
By Bharat Mansata
Bharat Mansata (L) in conversation with Bhaskar Save
Natural farming is holistic and bio-diverse organic farming in harmony with nature. It is low-intervention, ecological, sustainable and economically rewarding. In its purest advanced form, it is a ‘do-nothing’ way of farming, where nature does everything, or almost everything, and little needs to be done by the farmer. This can best be achieved in a progressive manner with tree crops. As Bhaskar Save explains, “When a tree sapling planted by a farmer is still young and tender, it needs some attention. But as it matures, it can look after itself, and then it looks after the farmer.”
With annual or seasonal field crops, more continuing attention and work by the farmer is needed, but even here, the work and input needed progressively diminishes as the soil regains its health and symbiotic biodiversity is re-integrated. Read Further …
How Multicropping Lets This Farmer Grow 180+ Varieties of Organic Food In 5 Acres!
By Gopi Karelia
November 29, 2019
Rajendra Bhat has even received the ‘Krishi Bhushan’ award for turning land not suitable for farming into a green luscious farm, while saving lakhs of litres of water.
Located six kilometres away from Badlapur in Maharashtra, is a lush five-acre farm with 187 varieties of fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants. More often than not, visitors tend to mistake the verdant farm, named Nisarg Mitra and owned by Rajendra Bhat, for a dense forest.
The unceasing chirping of birds and constant breeze further add to its charm.
Interestingly, not too long ago, the same plot of land was barely able to sustain a single jamun tree. The family from whom Bhat purchased the property in 1990, made it clear that it was infertile and unsuitable for farming. Read Further …
Resource sites on Agriculture incl. Open Hardware
Allied Enterprises – Kissan Kerala
http://www.kissankerala.net/kissan/kissancontents/alied.jsp
Welcome to Appropedia
Open Hardware Observatory
Gramvidya
Gramavidya is a voluntary organization for research and dissemination of alternative technologies
https://goo.gl/maps/fPAVMhLx4XWceH4F8
Homestead Farming in Kerala:
A Multi-Faceted Land-Use System by Jacob John
http://www.ras.org.in/print/homestead_farming_in_kerala
https://kau.in/people/jacob-john-dr
Phased implementation plan and identifying scope (Permaculture Institute)
The Five-Step Permaculture Process (5SP Process) addresses the five biggest struggles with permaculture. — Building Your Permaculture Property
Step 1: Clarify your vision, values, and resources. Biggest Struggle (BS) – I don’t know what I should do.
Step 2: Diagnose your resources for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. BS – I don’t know where to look.
Step 3: Design your resources to meet your vision and values. BS – I don’t know how it all fits.
Step 4: Implement the right design that will most improve your weakest resource. BS – I don’t know where to start or what’s next.
Step 5: Monitor your resources for indicators of well-being or suffering. BS – I don’t know when it will end.
The US Army’s Forgotten Food Miracle And 126 Superfoods That You Can Store Without Refrigeration for Years
This lost survival food knowledge is so organized that anyone, even people with absolutely no prior cooking or stockpiling experience can take advantage of it.
With over 126 forgotten survival foods and storage hacks “The Lost Superfoods” is a vital book to place in your survival stockpile.
You will also find exact nutritional values for each food you add so that at all times you know exactly how many macro nutrients such as fat, carbs and protein your body is getting…and how many more you still need.
My goal with “The Lost Superfoods” is to have as many American households as possible prepared with 3, 6 and even 1 year’s worth or more of long-lasting superfoods to survive a local emergency like a hurricane or a country wide disruption like a pandemic or a total grid collapse.
See here ⬇️
https://shortll.com/Survival-Foods
A Forest Garden Primer by The Anarchist Library
https://www.earthcarebooks.com/
COMPOSTING WORKSHOP
Grow your own soil
Have you tried composting before and failed? Or just feel it’s too hard? Or never given it a go because you didn’t know how to start?
Meghana Mehta will dispel the myths and show just how simple it can be (your first harvest of soil will be ready in 1 1/2 month)
Learn how easy it is to create great compost to nourish your soil, grow great plants and reduce food waste going to landfills and carbon emissions at the same time.
Meghana Mehta from “Urban Gardening workshops ” with 5 years hands on experience on farmland will show you how to help your garden as well as the environment.
Gardening teaches us important life skills like patience, endeavor, responsibility and creativity. It is a joyful activity which improves our mental & physical health.
Covid -19 has taught us the importance and need for self sufficiency.
https://chat.whatsapp.com/DmSdA0jDDZNHJIxFDsLeXL
https://youtube.com/c/GovardhanSchoolofYoga
The following are just a few of the many resources out there. I see these as some of the best within their field, if you’ll pardon the pun.
There is more than enough to get your attention and bring you to a great start point on the subject of the art of growing and in limited and even restricted spaces, whilst introducing you to the wonders that ly ahead in this subject. I trust you will never be the same after this awaking.
If enough enterest is shown, I will attempt to give you access to answers to your questions, as you begin your journey to a ‘self efficient world of health, love for nature and stepping out of the problem and into the resolution.’
Curtis Stone is one of the New Urban Farmers who started farming from friends and community gardens, which were unused and unloved. He went on, to be a very successful Urban Farmer, forming Web Resource, a Cooperative Farm. Excellent site for resources and knowledge. Look at his earlier work on YouTube before feeling you need to commit to spending on Memderships to get access to the courses. He’s is well worth the investment though.
This following Site, may at first sight appear irrelevant. But their software is excellent for planning and running a garden greenhouse or microfarm, smallholding etc.
This company has a member Website, who share knowledge and their software efforts, which lets you: plan your garden, the crop layout, rotation planning as well as the irrigation. Then the Plan, of what and when to grow, with guilds. Calendars, which warn you what to do, when to do the correct opperation and on the correct date.
Plus many other tools and resources.
For those interested in Aquaponics. Here is an excellent source of information and training. There are many other sites etc., but this one will be a good introduction.
Know about compost.
Start learning about Seeds.
This Site has a reasonable catalogue where you can familiarise yourself on the different food plants.
You will also need to learn about the differences in seed types F1, F2s, Heirlooms etc., etc. I will link you to books on the subject. You need this skill-set or information to do well and protect yourself from having others control your seen bank.
Microgreens.
One of my favourites. If you are looking for medicine in your food, this is the place to start along side Mycoloy.
You can grow in a 2 metre space. And mushrooms in less than a metre. Fix your health with Micrograms and Mycology and new, good habits and grow enough to feed others too. And make an additional income as well.
There are many courses out there and videos to get you started. I would recommend Curtis Stone’s course, if, you become serious and are prepared to spend some money to develop the skills to move forward.
This company are in Germany have a good range of microveg. Unfortunately, I personally had lots of trouble with UPS during my import process. But it was UPS who were the problem, I would avoid UPS at all costs today -and never do business with them. I have had 8 months of torture from this group. UPS stole my goods and never returned them, whilst being paid and demanding more money for import taxes already paid on goods they took and never returned. Choose your carriage with real consideration of their character and size. The big companies don’t care.
There are many more great growers like this one. But his a must to start with. Mark’s growing style is potted, which lends itself to small areas of growing ability.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, as there are other extraordinary subjects in this area too.
Mycology, being one of my favourites too. Paul Stamets I’d the godfather of this subject.
Composting, worm farming
https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/worm-farming/
permaculture
https://www.permaculture.org.uk/ environments.
Truit orchids, https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/growing-orchids/5072.html
Bee keeping
and many more.
Passive Energy Systems.
https://www.theblueeconomy.org/
Micro Climate design and management systems. https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCJZTjBlrnDHYmf0F-eYXA3Q
Where you can plan by knowing your climate and the one applicable to the food you always wished to could grow in your location. And much, much more.
Peter Andrews and Tony Coote are one of my hero’s in nature. Tony’s not with us today but never forgotten. Take a look at what happen when we work with nature not against it, even in the most difficult situation.
The Urban Farmer: Growing Food for Profit on Leased and Borrowed Land
Curtis Stone
LanguageEnglishPaperback240 pagesISBN-100865718016ISBN-13978-0865718012
The Market Gardener: A Successful Grower’s Handbook for Small-Scale Organic Farming
Publisher – New Society Publishers; Illustrated edition (1 Mar. 2014) LanguageEnglishPaperback224 pagesISBN-100865717656ISBN-13978-0865717657
Grow Your Own Medicinal Garden: A Definitive Guide on the Most Common Healing Herbs that You Can Grow and Use
Tim Stevens
Publisher – Speedy Publishing LLC (21 Jan. 2015)LanguageEnglishPaperback52 pagesISBN-101681275139ISBN-13978-1681275130
Homesteading Handbook vol. 1: The Beginner’s Guide to Becoming Self-Sustainable: Volume 1 (Homesteading Handbooks)
Michelle Grande
Publisher – CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1st edition (2 Jun. 2014)LanguageEnglishPaperback186 pagesISBN-101499771355ISBN-13978-1499771350
Homesteading Handbook vol. 3: The Heirloom Seed Saving Guide: Volume 3 (Homesteading Handbooks)
Michelle Grande
Publisher – CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1st edition (7 July 2014)LanguageEnglishPaperback194 pagesISBN-10150043938XISBN-13978-1500439385
The Gardener’s Companion to Medicinal Plants: An A-Z of Healing Plants and Home Remedies: 1 (Kew Experts)
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Publisher – Frances Lincoln; Illustrated edition (2 Feb. 2017)LanguageEnglishHardcover224 pagesISBN-100711238103ISBN-13978-0711238107
The Expert Vegetable Notebook: Begins by helping you choose and care for your plants …. Ends by providing a permanent record of your growing year
Dr David Hessayon
ASIN0903505762PublisherExpert; First Edition (12 Feb. 2009)LanguageEnglishPaperback64 pagesISBN-109780903505765ISBN-13978-0903505765
The Raw Life: Becoming Natural in an Unnatural World
Paul Nison
PublisherRaw Life; 2nd edition (1 July 2000)LanguageEnglishPaperback350 pagesISBN-100967528607ISBN-13978-0967528601
The New Organic Grower: 30th Anniversary Edition: A Master’s Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener: A Master’s Manual of … and Market Gardener, 30th Anniversary Edition
Eliot Coleman
30th Anniversary Edition
Publisher – Chelsea Green Publishing Co; 30th Anniversary edition (3 Oct. 2018)LanguageEnglishPaperback400 pagesISBN-101603588175
The One-Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka
Near a small village on the island of Shikoku in southern Japan, Masanobu Fukuoka has been developing a method of natural farming which could help to reverse the degenerative momentum of modern agriculture. Natural farming requires no machines, no chemicals, and very little weeding. Mr. Fukuoka does not plow the soil or use prepared compost. He does not hold water in his rice fields throughout the growing season as farmers have done for centuries in the Orient and around the world. The soil of his fields has been left unplowed for over twenty-five years, yet their yields compare favorably with those of the most productive Japanese farms. His method of farming requires less labor than any other. It creates no pollution and does not require the use of fossil fuels.
When I first heard stories about Mr. Fukuoka, I was skeptical. How could it be possible to grow high-yielding crops of rice and winter grains each year simply by scattering seed onto the surface of an unplowed field? There had to be more to it than that.
For several years I had been living with a group of friends on a farm in the mountains north of Kyoto. We used the traditional methods of Japanese agriculture to grow rice, rye, barley, soybeans, and various garden vegetables. Visitors to our farm often spoke of the work of Mr. Fukuoka.
1,281 total views, 2 views today
