India Suicides: I Want My Father Back
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Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Getting ready...
Over the last few weeks, I've been hunched over the laptop getting ready for our upcoming workshops in Mohadi. We've set the dates now. We'll be covering an introduction to permaculture on Tuesday the 16th, followed by an intro to Zone 0-2 (or kitchen gardening) on the Wednesday. This will be the first time the farmers are introduced to permaculture (apart from brief mentions in past workshops), so it's pretty exciting.
Rose Morrow's "Earth User's Guide to Permaculture" has been indispensible! I find it so accessible.
I'm now trying to think creatively about how to do some practical demonstrations. Maybe we'll follow Bill Mollison's lead and create a banana circle! Or maybe we'll try out some things from Chris Evans' new online book . I'm particularly tempted to try out the sweepings pit as it's so simple and should work here. It's an example of making a small change for a big effect, so it should make an impression, as it did on me.
If anyone reading this has ever worked in the dry tropics with kitchen gardens, especially if they have designed using permaculture, I would love to share ideas with you. Please leave any comments here!
My 'desktop' (aka the dining room table)
I must admit that it's a bit daunting too! My permaculture design course was set on the Isle of Man (UK), which right now seems a billion miles away from the type of permaculture we'll be designing here. Yes, of course the principles apply everywhere, but it's hard switching from temperate (and pretty wet and windy!) to dry tropical (very hot and very dry most of the year). But the potential here is so fantastic and each day I learn so much more about different crop potentials... my brain is overflowing with ideas! Here's the rough content for the first day that I've scrawled out...
I'm now trying to think creatively about how to do some practical demonstrations. Maybe we'll follow Bill Mollison's lead and create a banana circle! Or maybe we'll try out some things from Chris Evans' new online book . I'm particularly tempted to try out the sweepings pit as it's so simple and should work here. It's an example of making a small change for a big effect, so it should make an impression, as it did on me.
If anyone reading this has ever worked in the dry tropics with kitchen gardens, especially if they have designed using permaculture, I would love to share ideas with you. Please leave any comments here!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Spending time in Mohadi
A week or so after the training at Chetana Vikas, I decided it was time we visited Mohadi again. We live around 250km from the village, so it's quite a trek to get there, but always worth it. This time, I had my friend Sue with me as she wanted to see what it's like in an Indian village (and also wanted to meet with the local wildlife!). My thanks are due to her again for all the great pictures (all copyright Susan loose).
We spent 5 days at the village, living with my brother in law and his wife in their small house on the outskirts of the village. My 85 year old mother-in-law was also staying with us, but we all managed to squeeze in (just about!). Apart from the loud festival music starting at 5am and finishing at 12pm, it was restful! It was so nice waking up with the sun and being greeted by the buffaloes and cows outside, heating our bath water on the wood fire and chatting with the local families and schoolchildren over chai before school began. Leela was in her element, dashing around in the dirt and following the cows and chickens.
We were very well looked after by all of the villagers. Each day we were invited for food at another person's home and the food was wonderful and much appreciated. Sue would often go for a morning walk to capture the beautiful sunrise colours. Here's one of my favorite shots.
Samantha with rubble from recent well blast
I asked why there were so few trees out on the field boundaries and the answer was clear. "Trees cast shadows, which lowers a farmer's productivity". We talked about the effects of removing trees on lowering water tables, which means more energy must be put into bringing up water, again eating into a farmer's budget. They agreed that they usually tend to look at short term impacts, such as shading, and don't know about or consider long term impacts. I intend to talk more about this in another workshop sometime soon to see if a compromise can be reached. What about planting trees that also give a yield on the boundaries ? Fruit? Timber? Something to explore....
We spent 5 days at the village, living with my brother in law and his wife in their small house on the outskirts of the village. My 85 year old mother-in-law was also staying with us, but we all managed to squeeze in (just about!). Apart from the loud festival music starting at 5am and finishing at 12pm, it was restful! It was so nice waking up with the sun and being greeted by the buffaloes and cows outside, heating our bath water on the wood fire and chatting with the local families and schoolchildren over chai before school began. Leela was in her element, dashing around in the dirt and following the cows and chickens.
My family in Mohadi. From left, Shakuntula, my mother-in-law,
Lalita, my sister-in-law, Leela, and Prabhakar, my brother-in-law
We were very well looked after by all of the villagers. Each day we were invited for food at another person's home and the food was wonderful and much appreciated. Sue would often go for a morning walk to capture the beautiful sunrise colours. Here's one of my favorite shots.
Dogs at sunrise, Mohadi
We spent a whole day with the CNVF farmers. We started with a short workshop, where we talked about what they had learnt at Chetana Vikas. Prabhakar Kadam, our good friend and person driving the CNVF in Mohadi, described the methods to those farmers who could not attend. It was good to touch base after the training and see that it had been very useful for them.
Prabhakar talking about the training at Chetana Vikas
After a short discussion, we headed out to visit some farms. Despite the midday heat, we managed to cover quite a bit of ground. We had a rest under a Neem tree to talk again about the methods we are trying to adopt. We also checked the wells in the fields. It was a poor monsoon last year. Even in January the water was around 30 feet below ground level, far lower than it should have been. Prabhakar told us that every year they must blast the wells even deeper, removing more and more stone, just to get at more water. This is a worrying trend.
Helloooooo... any water down there?.......
Samantha with rubble from recent well blast
I asked why there were so few trees out on the field boundaries and the answer was clear. "Trees cast shadows, which lowers a farmer's productivity". We talked about the effects of removing trees on lowering water tables, which means more energy must be put into bringing up water, again eating into a farmer's budget. They agreed that they usually tend to look at short term impacts, such as shading, and don't know about or consider long term impacts. I intend to talk more about this in another workshop sometime soon to see if a compromise can be reached. What about planting trees that also give a yield on the boundaries ? Fruit? Timber? Something to explore....
Another highlight was being invited to Sarkinnhi, a nearby village. The deputy sarpanch (village head) of Mohadi, Mr Indal, took me to meet the Sarkinnhi villagers one afternoon to talk to them about our CNVF work in Mohadi. We were welcomed with flowers and then I asked questions about their village. At Sarkinnhi, there is a very active homeopathic doctor who has been improving the environmental health of the village for the last few years. Together with a committee, he has been encouraging villagers to install latrines in their homes, as well as educating people about personal hygiene. They have also been planting trees along the village streets and keeping it more clean and tidy. It was really inspiring. I then followed this by asking about their farming, and just like all local villages, people are suffering at the hands of chemical farming. This being a health conscious village, I asked about whether they have been suffering any ill effects due to the chemicals they use. Every farmer agreed that after spraying, they feel very unwell and their skin burns and itches. After a tour of the village, they all agreed that when possible, they too would like to join our project. So soon, we hope to have a Centre for Non-Violent Farming in Sarkinnhi too!
We left the village after five days of enjoyment and I miss it already. We'll be going back in the second week of March to deliver a two day workshop. On the first day, we will look at the basics of permaculture, followed by an introduction to zone 1 / kitchen gardening on the second day. At the moment, I'm buy writing a progress report and preparing the materials for teaching. It's all go.
And one more VERY exciting development has been unearthed this last week. I was emailed about the new Farmers' Handbook developed by Chris Evans and Jakob Jespersen in Nepal. This book will be perfect as an introduction to permaculture and sustainable agriculture here, so we're in the process of working out how to get it translated into Marathi. I will certainly be referring to it a LOT during my workshops!
Some scenes from our visit to Mohadi
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Training Success at Chetana Vikas!
On Saturday (the 16th), 13 farmers from Mohadi joined us at the Chetana Vikas self-reliant farming training centre in Wardha. As they arrived, I knew that it was going to be a great day. Everyone was in a cheery mood, the sun was warm and we were greeted by sunbirds, a sort of humming bird, feeding on the bougainvillea as we entered the gates.
We had a GREAT lunch, before the farmers headed off for their sessions, wherein they learnt about dryland farming, how to conserve water and how to develop and maintain their own seeds, rather than having to rely on expensive imported seeds. The sessions were largely led by local farmers who had already used these methods, which helped to give confidence to our farmers too.
There was a tour of the farm to see the bountiful crops and look at it all in action. We were fortunate enough to meet with the founder and director of the movement, Mr Ashok Bang and I spent a long time chatting with him about the place and how we might work together. Niranjana Maru was also present, and she was kind enough to give a full introduction of the work they have been doing to my friends Sue and Mike, who are currently visiting from the UK (and as keen and brilliant photographers, I owe the photo credits to them!).
These people have created a very impressive and effective model for farmers to use here. The farm is literally humming with life in every direction, from the sunbirds to lizards, beautiful insects, so many species of birds... and snakes of course, which is no bad thing - they need a haven here. The people are also so full of life and energy and this came across in their words and actions.
At the end of the day, most of the farmers ordered seeds to try out in their next crop growing season. Using this method, it's possible to grow as many as maybe 32 species of crop per acre, rather than monocultures, which gives a much-needed backup in today's uncertain climate conditions. First and foremost, farmers are growing FOOD in their fields and homes. This is so important. It reminds them that the most important thing is to first feed your family healthy, nutritious and tasty food, before selling a few cash crops and excess vegetables for any other money that is needed. It turns 'modern' farming on it's head, and it's about time too.
My husband was amongst the farmers receiving training, and at the end of the day, he excitedly asked me whether we should buy some seeds too. So now, we are eagerly awaiting the next growing season as we too will join the farmers by growing 2 acres of crops using this method. Next, we will head to the farm to start our permaculture design...
This week, I'm off to Mohadi with my friend Sue. We'll spend time going over things with the farmers and visiting the farms. We're also hoping to set up a garden there soon, so we'll keep you posted!
Sunbird at Chetana Vikas
We had a GREAT lunch, before the farmers headed off for their sessions, wherein they learnt about dryland farming, how to conserve water and how to develop and maintain their own seeds, rather than having to rely on expensive imported seeds. The sessions were largely led by local farmers who had already used these methods, which helped to give confidence to our farmers too.
Eager to get started! The farmers arrive at Chetana Vikas
There was a tour of the farm to see the bountiful crops and look at it all in action. We were fortunate enough to meet with the founder and director of the movement, Mr Ashok Bang and I spent a long time chatting with him about the place and how we might work together. Niranjana Maru was also present, and she was kind enough to give a full introduction of the work they have been doing to my friends Sue and Mike, who are currently visiting from the UK (and as keen and brilliant photographers, I owe the photo credits to them!).
Niranjana Maru, one of the founders of Chetana Vikas
These people have created a very impressive and effective model for farmers to use here. The farm is literally humming with life in every direction, from the sunbirds to lizards, beautiful insects, so many species of birds... and snakes of course, which is no bad thing - they need a haven here. The people are also so full of life and energy and this came across in their words and actions.
Traditional ploughing in use on the farm
At the end of the day, most of the farmers ordered seeds to try out in their next crop growing season. Using this method, it's possible to grow as many as maybe 32 species of crop per acre, rather than monocultures, which gives a much-needed backup in today's uncertain climate conditions. First and foremost, farmers are growing FOOD in their fields and homes. This is so important. It reminds them that the most important thing is to first feed your family healthy, nutritious and tasty food, before selling a few cash crops and excess vegetables for any other money that is needed. It turns 'modern' farming on it's head, and it's about time too.
Exploring the farm
My husband was amongst the farmers receiving training, and at the end of the day, he excitedly asked me whether we should buy some seeds too. So now, we are eagerly awaiting the next growing season as we too will join the farmers by growing 2 acres of crops using this method. Next, we will head to the farm to start our permaculture design...
This week, I'm off to Mohadi with my friend Sue. We'll spend time going over things with the farmers and visiting the farms. We're also hoping to set up a garden there soon, so we'll keep you posted!
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