Life grows when you take care of the Earth

Permaculture is an innovative framework for creating sustainable ways of agriculture. It is a practical method of developing ecologically harmonious, efficient and productive systems that can be used by anyone, anywhere.

Idea: One is affected by water, earth and wind and vice a versa.

Need of Permaculture: Environment friendly, i.e., minimal damages to the wind, water and earth.

Components of Permaculture:

 

Features:

Rainwater harvesting
Less machinery to be used
Seasonal agriculture
Multi cropping/ Crop diversification

 

Process:

1. Water Management:

Rainwater harvesting
Construct wells, ponds — 1-2 years of maintenance and then it becomes permanent
Rules for rainwater harvesting:

• Slow down the flow of water — making multidimensional drains
  Spread the flow
• Water seepage into ground
• Every time, when you repeat the process, the water seepage increases\

2. Soil Health:

Soil is a centralised material
Fist of mud contains living organisms more than the population of humans on earth — responsible for the soil fertility; do not burn anything in the farm, bricks (burned mud) is not suitable for agriculture

3. Pest Management:

Plant things like:

Marigold — pest attracter, keeps the crop safe
Tulsi, Aloe vera — gives oxygen for 24 hours
Onions, Garlic — gives a pungent smell that keeps insects away
• Multi cropping:
Growing Ginger (minimal space, maximum benefits), papaya, curry leaves, etc.

4. Seeds:

Cultivating locally available, in-farm seeds.

5. Multi-layer farming:

Taking lessons from the forest, i.e., plants of different heights and varieties co-exist together
Eg: The shade provided by a mango tree can be used to grow ginger

6. Mulching:

Use the residue of farms for compost
Keeps the soil moist — soil needs moisture and not water
Way to reclaim Earth’s nutrition

• Compost:

Cow dung, wild grass — alternate layers of wet and dry biodegradable waste

Conclusion:

Out of the chemicals used for increasing the productivity of agriculture, only 30% is retained by the plants and the rest 70% is absorbed by Earth. The level of contamination is now highlighted through polluted groundwater and increasing land degradation. Permaculture, the modern word for ancient tradition, is hence the way forward.

 

Shaan Academy

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