Monday, April 14, 2014
Saturday, April 12, 2014
German federal states push for opt-out clause on EU GMO rulings
BERLIN, April 11 Fri Apr 11, 2014 9:31pm IST
Reuters) - Germany's federal states, who oppose the cultivation of crops with genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), voted on Friday to urge the national government to seek an opt-out clause for individual European Union states.
Currently the EU has the power to approve GMO crops for Europe-wide cultivation, but is moving towards an opt-out policy that would allow individual countries to ban GM crops.
Germany's national government has blocked this up to now, alongside Britain, France and Belgium, because of internal divisions over GM policy.
In a separate vote in February, 19 of 28 EU countries voted against granting approval for the cultivation of a GMO maize variety, Pioneer 1507, developed by DuPont and Dow Chemical.
But under the bloc's weighted voting system that was not enough to reject the crop, leaving the way open for the EU Commission to clear it.
Germany abstained from that vote.
The issue of GMO crops has divided Germany's right-left coalition, between Angela Merkel's conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD).
Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) favour GMOs, but the southern conservative party the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the SPD oppose biotechnology crops.
Although widely grown in the Americas and Asia, GM crops are generally unpopular in Europe, where public opposition is strong and environmentalists have raised concerns about the impact on biodiversity. (Reporting by Hans-Edzard Busemann; writing by Alexandra Hudson; editing by Jason Neel
Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/Friday, April 11, 2014
US farmers told to go back to traditional methods as GMO pest resistant crops fail
(10th April 2014, Pests in GMO farming) Crops genetically engineered to repel and kill pests are failing. Pest resistance is escalating at an unforeseen rate and so farmers are being told by GMO companies to reintroduce traditional crop rotations to fight pests.
A research team led by entomologist Aaron Gassmann at the Iowa State University has discovered that western corn rootworm- a major pest in maize (corn) crops - has developed resistance to 2 of the 3 types of genetically engineered traits.
Bt maize is a GMO crop designed to produce its own insecticide. Its introduction allowed US maize farmers to grow the crop in the same field year after year without a break.
It was supposed to repel and kill pests but within three and a half years the corn rootworm developed resistance.
The GMO industry answer was to produce more genetically engineered toxins and to “stack” them in combination of two or three in the maize plants.
Now the Iowa research team has found that pest resistance to the original toxin is being transferred to the newer engineered strain.
Pests are overcoming GMO technology with surprising speed
“That’s two of the three toxins on the market now,” says Gassmann. “It’s a substantial part of the available technology.”
It is not surprising that pests have developed resistance but the speed and extent is unexpected.
Genetically engineered maize producing the Bt toxin Cry3Bb1was first approved for use in the United States in 2003.
From the start 2% of the Corn Rootworms survived feeding on the toxic corn.
That 2% was enough to establish a healthy, resistant breeding population.
Within 6 years rootworm damage was widespread across US GMO maize crops.
In 2011, damage had spread to maize containing a second genetically engineered toxin mCry3A.
Gassmann’s research has shown that this is due to cross-resistance and that corn rootworms that had become resistant to Cry3Bb1 are also resistant to mCry3A.
It’s a vicious treadmill for farmers; we have previously covered it here. http://www.gmeducation.org/environment/p211426-gm-crops-outclassed-by-nature-as-insect-resistance-grows.html
Non-GMO maize grown to protect GMO maize
For some time the GMO seed companies have been urging farmers to plant ‘refuges’ of non-GMO maize within their fields to act as a breeding ground for susceptible root worms.
But as corn rootworm resistance has developed and spread recommendations on the size of “refuges” have come to verge on the ridiculous – up from 10-15% of the overall crop to closer to 40%.
So in order to prolong the effectiveness of genetically engineered maize plants and to make GMO cropping viable- you have to grow non-GMO maize.
Traditionally farmers throughout the world have used crop rotations; growing a range of different crops to keep soil healthy, prevent loss of nutrients and prevent plant diseases and pests from becoming established.
But the GMO companies and GMO researchers told them that with GMO crops they would no longer need crop rotations and in the US this has led to the widespread abandonment of sound farming practices
This has been the biggest driver behind the development of rootworm resistance.
Abandoning good farming practice
If maize is grown in the same field year after year, it applies the perfect selection pressure for pests to evolve resistance. Take away maize monocropping and the problem is controlled.
Typically the companies have been quick to blame farmers – even though they advised them that rotations were unnecessary.
Nicholas Storer, a global science-policy leader for biotechnology at Dow AgroSciences in Washington DC, says that the study illustrates that if GMO crops are not used as part of an integrated pest-management policy, resistance can develop quickly in an individual field.
But In response to the growing resistance Dow - working with Monsanto - is now adding more insecticide genes to its maize which can only make the problem worse.
Gassmann’s study shows that the combination of multiple toxins is less effective once resistance arises to one of the toxins.
Farmers should not rely on GMO technology to fight pests, and should instead periodically change the crop grown on a field to help disrupt the pest’s life cycle.
“The rootworm can’t survive if the corn’s not there,” Gassmann says.
Even the man from Dow acknowledges this; “crop rotation was the primary tool to combat rootworm before Bt came along,” he said in an honest moment, “We need to keep it up.”
So why would anyone need GMOs?
Meg Noble
Sources:
http://www.nature.com/news/pests-worm-their-way-into-genetically-modified-maize-1.14887?WT.ec_id=NEWS-20140318
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1317179111
http://www.gmeducation.org/environment/p211426-gm-crops-outclassed-by-nature-as-insect-resistance-grows.html
It was supposed to repel and kill pests but within three and a half years the corn rootworm developed resistance.
The GMO industry answer was to produce more genetically engineered toxins and to “stack” them in combination of two or three in the maize plants.
Now the Iowa research team has found that pest resistance to the original toxin is being transferred to the newer engineered strain.
Pests are overcoming GMO technology with surprising speed
“That’s two of the three toxins on the market now,” says Gassmann. “It’s a substantial part of the available technology.”
It is not surprising that pests have developed resistance but the speed and extent is unexpected.
Genetically engineered maize producing the Bt toxin Cry3Bb1was first approved for use in the United States in 2003.
From the start 2% of the Corn Rootworms survived feeding on the toxic corn.
That 2% was enough to establish a healthy, resistant breeding population.
Within 6 years rootworm damage was widespread across US GMO maize crops.
In 2011, damage had spread to maize containing a second genetically engineered toxin mCry3A.
Gassmann’s research has shown that this is due to cross-resistance and that corn rootworms that had become resistant to Cry3Bb1 are also resistant to mCry3A.
It’s a vicious treadmill for farmers; we have previously covered it here. http://www.gmeducation.org/environment/p211426-gm-crops-outclassed-by-nature-as-insect-resistance-grows.html
Non-GMO maize grown to protect GMO maize
For some time the GMO seed companies have been urging farmers to plant ‘refuges’ of non-GMO maize within their fields to act as a breeding ground for susceptible root worms.
But as corn rootworm resistance has developed and spread recommendations on the size of “refuges” have come to verge on the ridiculous – up from 10-15% of the overall crop to closer to 40%.
So in order to prolong the effectiveness of genetically engineered maize plants and to make GMO cropping viable- you have to grow non-GMO maize.
Traditionally farmers throughout the world have used crop rotations; growing a range of different crops to keep soil healthy, prevent loss of nutrients and prevent plant diseases and pests from becoming established.
But the GMO companies and GMO researchers told them that with GMO crops they would no longer need crop rotations and in the US this has led to the widespread abandonment of sound farming practices
This has been the biggest driver behind the development of rootworm resistance.
Abandoning good farming practice
If maize is grown in the same field year after year, it applies the perfect selection pressure for pests to evolve resistance. Take away maize monocropping and the problem is controlled.
Typically the companies have been quick to blame farmers – even though they advised them that rotations were unnecessary.
Nicholas Storer, a global science-policy leader for biotechnology at Dow AgroSciences in Washington DC, says that the study illustrates that if GMO crops are not used as part of an integrated pest-management policy, resistance can develop quickly in an individual field.
But In response to the growing resistance Dow - working with Monsanto - is now adding more insecticide genes to its maize which can only make the problem worse.
Gassmann’s study shows that the combination of multiple toxins is less effective once resistance arises to one of the toxins.
Farmers should not rely on GMO technology to fight pests, and should instead periodically change the crop grown on a field to help disrupt the pest’s life cycle.
“The rootworm can’t survive if the corn’s not there,” Gassmann says.
Even the man from Dow acknowledges this; “crop rotation was the primary tool to combat rootworm before Bt came along,” he said in an honest moment, “We need to keep it up.”
So why would anyone need GMOs?
Meg Noble
Sources:
http://www.nature.com/news/pests-worm-their-way-into-genetically-modified-maize-1.14887?WT.ec_id=NEWS-20140318
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1317179111
http://www.gmeducation.org/environment/p211426-gm-crops-outclassed-by-nature-as-insect-resistance-grows.html
Asin, one more in the list of celebrities doing organic farming
The Hindu | April 10, 2014
Asin unwinds with water sports on Bali vacation
Asin, who is quite fond of adventure sports, recently had a blast while on a vacation to Bali.
A source said while in Bali, Asin indulged in water sports like jet skiing, snorkeling and sea walking.
Asin added, “Bali is one of my favourite travel destinations. I am a complete water baby so it is an ideal place to unwind.”
The actor also has a farmhouse in Vagamon in Kerala and personally looks into its maintenance. It is her family property and where she spends most of her summer holidays when she was in school. Many of Asin’s friends from the industry have also visited the farmhouse.
Director Rohit Shetty commented on seeing her farmhouse, “If I ever had such a beautiful house, I would never feel like returning to Mumbai.”
Apparently all food is grown organically and there are cattle for fresh milk and swans on the property. Asin paints and loves reading and whenever she is at the farmhouse, that is exactly what she does.
Source : http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/water-baby/article5893311.ece
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Sallu’s organic outing
By Ankur Pathak, Mumbai Mirror | Apr 8, 2014, 12.00 AM IST
he superstar has been quietly growing vegetables and fruits at his Panvel farmhouse.
Mirror recently reported how Salman Khan is off alcohol and cigarettes for the past three years (March 29, 2014). Now, it seems that the star has taken another step towards healthy living.
A regular at Salman's Panvel retreat informed us how impressed he was after getting a tour of the farm. Revealed the source, "Salman has been growing potatoes, tomatoes and pumpkins without using any kind of artificial fertilizers. He proudly feeds his guests dishes cooked with the vegetables grown in his kitchen garden."
The star has turned to gardening as he believes that the vegetables in the market today are laced with chemicals and can trigger serious health problems. Healthy eating is the way to a healthy lifestyle, according to the new and improved Salman Khan.
But if you are thinking that the actor intends to make a quick buck out of his fresh produce, then you are mistaken. The veggies are strictly for domestic use.
"Much of what he grows is consumed at his Bandra home and in the farmhouse, with the surplus going to guests and other close friends," the source said.
When contacted, Salman's father, Salim Khan confirmed the news.
He said, "I've never seen Salman so passionate about anything. He's really given his heart and soul to the farm," while adding, "He loves spending time there, being at one with nature. And yes, we have no plans to sell the output commercially. It's just an initiative towards a healthy life."
Mirror recently reported how Salman Khan is off alcohol and cigarettes for the past three years (March 29, 2014). Now, it seems that the star has taken another step towards healthy living.
A regular at Salman's Panvel retreat informed us how impressed he was after getting a tour of the farm. Revealed the source, "Salman has been growing potatoes, tomatoes and pumpkins without using any kind of artificial fertilizers. He proudly feeds his guests dishes cooked with the vegetables grown in his kitchen garden."
The star has turned to gardening as he believes that the vegetables in the market today are laced with chemicals and can trigger serious health problems. Healthy eating is the way to a healthy lifestyle, according to the new and improved Salman Khan.
But if you are thinking that the actor intends to make a quick buck out of his fresh produce, then you are mistaken. The veggies are strictly for domestic use.
"Much of what he grows is consumed at his Bandra home and in the farmhouse, with the surplus going to guests and other close friends," the source said.
When contacted, Salman's father, Salim Khan confirmed the news.
He said, "I've never seen Salman so passionate about anything. He's really given his heart and soul to the farm," while adding, "He loves spending time there, being at one with nature. And yes, we have no plans to sell the output commercially. It's just an initiative towards a healthy life."
Source: http://www.mumbaimirror.com/entertainment/bollywood/Sallus-organic-outing/articleshow/33406640.cms
Thursday, April 3, 2014
6th April 2014, Kitchen Gardening Workshop by Green Souls
Transform your balcony, terrace, backyard and window grills into a food garden!
Hosted on a rooftop space, we will explore simple and sustainable ways of growing food naturally through hands-on practical sessions, giving you the confidence to start your own kitchen garden.
WORKSHOP INCLUDES ...
..........................
Growing Healthy Vegetables & Herbs
..........................
➢ Basics of soil ecology : An introduction to living soil, natural farming, mulching, seasonal vegetables and fruits, harvesting, keeping plants healthy and more
➢ Pot Mixture – Making self-watering containers
➢ Drip Irrigation for your container garden
➢ Making a grill garden
➢ Making your own saplings
➢ Q & A
..........................
Solid Waste Management
..........................
➢ Waste Segregation
➢ Stink-free easy kitchen & garden waste management
DATE & TIME
Sunday , April 6th 2014, 8 A.M. - 12:00 Noon.
VENUE:
Our Lady’s Home for Boys
205, Dr. Ambedkar Road,
Dadar (E), Mumbai - 400014.
India.
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/C69vV
MINIMUM CONTRIBUTION:
Rs 1000 for spot registrations
Avail the Early Bird Discount and register for Rs 900 before April 3rd. by depositing the funds to the below account
Account Holder: Julius Rego
State Bank of India, (03375)-Rabale Trans-Thana-Creek I A
Account No 31592958671
Branch Code 400002098
IFS Code SBIN0003375
Please email us your Name, Location, Email Address, Date of Payment, Transaction Number to greensoulsmumbai@gmail.com
For Details contact:
Call: Sabita: 9870113541 / Julius: 9820074639
Email: greensoulsmumbai@gmail.com
Roof-Top Garden Project - Our Lady’s Home for Boys
‘Our Lady’s Home’, is a shelter for boys, located in Dadar, Mumbai. The Green Souls team volunteers with boys from the home to transform this 5000 sqft rooftop space into a thriving garden providing fresh, organic and in-house produce for their consumption and nutrition.
Hosted on a rooftop space, we will explore simple and sustainable ways of growing food naturally through hands-on practical sessions, giving you the confidence to start your own kitchen garden.
WORKSHOP INCLUDES ...
..........................
Growing Healthy Vegetables & Herbs
..........................
➢ Basics of soil ecology : An introduction to living soil, natural farming, mulching, seasonal vegetables and fruits, harvesting, keeping plants healthy and more
➢ Pot Mixture – Making self-watering containers
➢ Drip Irrigation for your container garden
➢ Making a grill garden
➢ Making your own saplings
➢ Q & A
..........................
Solid Waste Management
..........................
➢ Waste Segregation
➢ Stink-free easy kitchen & garden waste management
DATE & TIME
Sunday , April 6th 2014, 8 A.M. - 12:00 Noon.
VENUE:
Our Lady’s Home for Boys
205, Dr. Ambedkar Road,
Dadar (E), Mumbai - 400014.
India.
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/C69vV
MINIMUM CONTRIBUTION:
Rs 1000 for spot registrations
Avail the Early Bird Discount and register for Rs 900 before April 3rd. by depositing the funds to the below account
Account Holder: Julius Rego
State Bank of India, (03375)-Rabale Trans-Thana-Creek I A
Account No 31592958671
Branch Code 400002098
IFS Code SBIN0003375
Please email us your Name, Location, Email Address, Date of Payment, Transaction Number to greensoulsmumbai@gmail.com
For Details contact:
Call: Sabita: 9870113541 / Julius: 9820074639
Email: greensoulsmumbai@gmail.com
Roof-Top Garden Project - Our Lady’s Home for Boys
‘Our Lady’s Home’, is a shelter for boys, located in Dadar, Mumbai. The Green Souls team volunteers with boys from the home to transform this 5000 sqft rooftop space into a thriving garden providing fresh, organic and in-house produce for their consumption and nutrition.
१८ ते २२ एप्रिल २०१४- झिरो बजेट नैसर्गिक (आध्यात्मिक) शेती शिबीर
झिरो बजेट नैसर्गिक (आध्यात्मिक) शेती शिबीर
मार्गदर्शक : ऋषी-कृषी श्री सुभाष पाळेकर
तारीख : १८ ते २२ एप्रिल २०१४
पत्ता: गुरुकुंज आश्रम, मोझरी, अमरावती-नागपूर रस्ता, जि. अमरावती.
( टिप: मोझरी गाव अमरावती पासून ३० कि. मी. अंतरावर अमरावती-नागपूर रस्तावर आहे. राष्ट्रसंत तुकडोजी महाराज मोझरी आश्रम)
संपर्क: श्री रवि खडटकर - ९७६७३९९३१७
सहयोग शुल्क : ३००/- रुपये
Green Souls – Growing Together
Author: Anirudh Nair, First appeared in: Sanctuary Asia, Vol. XXXV No. 2, April 2014.
The planet and its biodiversity will only be saved if urban and rural populations learn to live more responsibly, says Anirudh Nair, who writes about one organisation doing its bit..
“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.”
A sincere vision and hope drive their purpose – that food, the source of life energy, deserves our care and connection, which can happen by deepening our relationship with it. Green Souls believes that by practicing natural farming, where only naturally available organic matter is used as fertiliser, we can have access to healthy, fresh and local produce from our own backyards, balconies, terraces, window sills, society compounds, city gardens and school grounds. They reach out to the urban community through voluntary and paid services in the area of kitchen gardening, composting, soil building, water recycling and other sustainable practices in order to collectively make small shifts from consumerism to sustainability.
The group conducts regular workshops at their community farms at the St. Jude Child Care Centre in Kharghar, the Dongri Children’s Remand Home in Dongri, and Our Lady’s Home for Boys in Dadar. These workshops teach participants to grow their own food using natural farming techniques, compost kitchen and garden waste and reuse plastic waste. They introduce children and adults to the food they eat at the source and build a community in the city through farming.
At the community farm in Kharghar, some 15 to 20 people participate in the workshops, which are conducted regularly. The group also provides opportunities to volunteer at the farm, where a variety of vegetables, legumes, herbs, flowers and fruit plants such as ladies’ finger, fenugreek, cow pea, tomato, spinach, radish, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, lentils, gourds, basil, mint, coriander, bananas, guava, lime, papaya, custard apple and more are grown. Children staying at the hospice while undergoing treatment for cancer are the beneficiaries of the produce from this farm. Workshops conducted by Green Souls at schools, housing societies, community organisations and corporate offices in Mumbai have become an effective way to learn about sustainability and the environment. Children who accompany their parents are able to connect with nature at a young age and their enthusiasm often rubs off on to the adults.
Solid waste management continues to be a serious problem in Mumbai, where around 9,000,000 kg. of waste is generated every day. “One of the reasons why solid waste is not managed properly is because the entire process is handled by the state machinery. This system of one or more centralised bodies managing waste generated by an ever-increasing population is not effective. Decentralising this process wherein individuals and communities generating the waste are made responsible for disposing it is the need of the hour,” said Julius Rego, an active member of Green Souls.
The group also helps individuals and organisations to set up their own kitchen and terrace gardens. “There is no shortage of such spaces in the city. Practices like these must be encouraged as terrace gardens ensure the long-term protection of buildings and enable people to grow their own food,” added Rego.
All the organic matter generated at the farms is reused in different ways. Waste plastic bottles and cans in which the saplings are grown are recycled and reused. Fallen leaves, twigs, flowers, fruits, coconut shells, banana stalk and weeds are used to make compost. One can also buy compost, saplings and seeds from the farms at nominal rates. Farming of organic crops in the past year has resulted in an amazing restoration of biodiversity in the one-acre farm at Kharghar, where insects and plants thrive. Birds such as Southern Coucals, Oriental Magpie Robins, bulbuls, sunbirds, drongos, prinias, lapwings, swallows, shrikes and doves are frequent visitors to the farm.
Green Souls believes that volunteerism benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens. “We welcome everyone who has something to offer to this community farming activity, be it music, art, food, funding, presence, lemonade or ideas! We wish to make the farm a friendly place with sustainable living as the theme,” said Sabita Rajendran, a Green Souls member.
The community farms run by Green Souls give people a chance to come together, learn to grow their own food and stay healthy. The group is furthering the alternative food movement by incorporating different cultures and generations and building individual and community confidence in our ability to craft a better world.
For more information contact
Julius Rego: +91 98200 74639
Sabita Rajendran: +91 98701 13541
Email: greensoulsmumbai@gmail.com
FB: www.facebook.com/greensoulsmumbai.com
Author: Anirudh Nair, First appeared in: Sanctuary Asia, Vol. XXXV No. 2, April 2014.
Photo: Anirudh Nair.
“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.”
– Masanobu Fukuoka, The One-Straw Revolution
Japanese farmer and philosopher Fukuoka’s book, in which he connects the healing of the land to the process of purifying the human spirit and proposes a way of life and a way of farming in which such healing can take place, is the underlying influence behind Green Souls, a group promoting and practicing urban farming in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. Founded in August 2012, the group is involved in learning how to grow one’s own food using natural farming techniques.A sincere vision and hope drive their purpose – that food, the source of life energy, deserves our care and connection, which can happen by deepening our relationship with it. Green Souls believes that by practicing natural farming, where only naturally available organic matter is used as fertiliser, we can have access to healthy, fresh and local produce from our own backyards, balconies, terraces, window sills, society compounds, city gardens and school grounds. They reach out to the urban community through voluntary and paid services in the area of kitchen gardening, composting, soil building, water recycling and other sustainable practices in order to collectively make small shifts from consumerism to sustainability.
The group conducts regular workshops at their community farms at the St. Jude Child Care Centre in Kharghar, the Dongri Children’s Remand Home in Dongri, and Our Lady’s Home for Boys in Dadar. These workshops teach participants to grow their own food using natural farming techniques, compost kitchen and garden waste and reuse plastic waste. They introduce children and adults to the food they eat at the source and build a community in the city through farming.
At the community farm in Kharghar, some 15 to 20 people participate in the workshops, which are conducted regularly. The group also provides opportunities to volunteer at the farm, where a variety of vegetables, legumes, herbs, flowers and fruit plants such as ladies’ finger, fenugreek, cow pea, tomato, spinach, radish, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, lentils, gourds, basil, mint, coriander, bananas, guava, lime, papaya, custard apple and more are grown. Children staying at the hospice while undergoing treatment for cancer are the beneficiaries of the produce from this farm. Workshops conducted by Green Souls at schools, housing societies, community organisations and corporate offices in Mumbai have become an effective way to learn about sustainability and the environment. Children who accompany their parents are able to connect with nature at a young age and their enthusiasm often rubs off on to the adults.
Solid waste management continues to be a serious problem in Mumbai, where around 9,000,000 kg. of waste is generated every day. “One of the reasons why solid waste is not managed properly is because the entire process is handled by the state machinery. This system of one or more centralised bodies managing waste generated by an ever-increasing population is not effective. Decentralising this process wherein individuals and communities generating the waste are made responsible for disposing it is the need of the hour,” said Julius Rego, an active member of Green Souls.
The group also helps individuals and organisations to set up their own kitchen and terrace gardens. “There is no shortage of such spaces in the city. Practices like these must be encouraged as terrace gardens ensure the long-term protection of buildings and enable people to grow their own food,” added Rego.
All the organic matter generated at the farms is reused in different ways. Waste plastic bottles and cans in which the saplings are grown are recycled and reused. Fallen leaves, twigs, flowers, fruits, coconut shells, banana stalk and weeds are used to make compost. One can also buy compost, saplings and seeds from the farms at nominal rates. Farming of organic crops in the past year has resulted in an amazing restoration of biodiversity in the one-acre farm at Kharghar, where insects and plants thrive. Birds such as Southern Coucals, Oriental Magpie Robins, bulbuls, sunbirds, drongos, prinias, lapwings, swallows, shrikes and doves are frequent visitors to the farm.
Green Souls believes that volunteerism benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens. “We welcome everyone who has something to offer to this community farming activity, be it music, art, food, funding, presence, lemonade or ideas! We wish to make the farm a friendly place with sustainable living as the theme,” said Sabita Rajendran, a Green Souls member.
The community farms run by Green Souls give people a chance to come together, learn to grow their own food and stay healthy. The group is furthering the alternative food movement by incorporating different cultures and generations and building individual and community confidence in our ability to craft a better world.
For more information contact
Julius Rego: +91 98200 74639
Sabita Rajendran: +91 98701 13541
Email: greensoulsmumbai@gmail.com
FB: www.facebook.com/greensoulsmumbai.com
Author: Anirudh Nair, First appeared in: Sanctuary Asia, Vol. XXXV No. 2, April 2014.
Source: http://www.sanctuaryasia.com/resources/ngo-profiles/9722-green-souls-growing-together.html
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Coexistence is possible-farms and forests, man and nature
Alder trees are great nitrogen fixators
Nagaland holds many secrets of evolution and sustainable living within its green frontiers. Khonoma village near Kohima is one such plae. It is known not only for being the last frontier the British could never conquer but also for its environmental conscious community and distinct farming practices.
The village upholds a sustainable form of jhum cultivation, which revolves around nitrogen fixating alder trees. Unlike the more popular 'slash and burn' form of jhum cultivation, here the trees are not felled but pollarded at a certain height. The cleared fields are cropped for two consecutive years and left fallow for about 2-4 years. With as many as 30-45 varieties of primary and supplementary crops, rich agro-biodiversity is also maintained in these fields providing sustenance for many families.
Khonoma showcases how farms can co-exist with forests and man with nature.
Source: http://www.indiawaterportal.org/articles/jhum-cultivation-re-discovered
Nagaland holds many secrets of evolution and sustainable living within its green frontiers. Khonoma village near Kohima is one such plae. It is known not only for being the last frontier the British could never conquer but also for its environmental conscious community and distinct farming practices.
The village upholds a sustainable form of jhum cultivation, which revolves around nitrogen fixating alder trees. Unlike the more popular 'slash and burn' form of jhum cultivation, here the trees are not felled but pollarded at a certain height. The cleared fields are cropped for two consecutive years and left fallow for about 2-4 years. With as many as 30-45 varieties of primary and supplementary crops, rich agro-biodiversity is also maintained in these fields providing sustenance for many families.
Khonoma showcases how farms can co-exist with forests and man with nature.
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