Author: Srinivas Abhilash
Sustainable Farming Practices Through Managed Farmland: Way To Healthier Future
Food, a basic need for all living beings on this planet earth, is integral to our existence and influences our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Chanakya, the great philosopher, once said, दीपो भक्षयते ध्वान्तं कज्जलं च प्रसूयते | यदन्नं भक्षयेन्नित्यं जायते तादृशी प्रजा || It means, lamp eats darkness and produces [black] soot! What food (quality) [one] eats daily, so will [one] produce. This reiterates that we are what we eat and should be mindful of what we consume.
Countries of greatness have always produced remarkable people. As Sadhguru ji says, “if the nation has to be great, it needs to look at producing great people. There is no other way.” To build a great nation of thinkers where citizens are responsible, accountable, healthy, and compassionate, we need to look at food and the source of food very seriously. Food can fundamentally change and alter how our brains function. It nourishes the body, mind, and soul. Food comes from soil AKA mother earth. A fertile, nutrient-rich soil is food for our food and a fist full of fertile soil has more living microorganisms than humans on this earth. Healthy soil is built primarily through the interaction of roots and microbes. When microbes are in balance, they function like a fine-tuned engine to support the plant, increase yield and build soil health. Food grown in such soil will yield fruits, vegetables, grains, and lentils loaded with tremendous Jiva shakti. This life force erupts from nutrient-rich food and will form a strong mind, body, and soul. The USA president Franklin D Roosevelt once said: “The nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself.”
Industrialized Farming and Monoculture
Post-independence, India faced food scarcity and had to fundamentally focus on high-yielding seeds, chemical pesticides, and fertilizers. It destroyed our soil. Monoculture, Hybrid Seeds, usage of heavy mechanized structures, and extensive use of irrigation techniques, have been the driving force to slowly move the youth of our nation towards long-term lifestyle diseases.
The destruction of fertile soil has set the stage for a future where people cannot cultivate their food and must rely solely on synthetic, corporate-grown options. Food grown by farmers in harmony with nature is safer and more nutritious than that produced by profit-driven corporations. Control over food equates to control over the world, making it imperative to democratize and decentralize agriculture for a healthier tomorrow.
Sustainable Farming Practices and Managed Farm land
The current methods to grow food on a large scale are highly unsustainable. They are fundamentally exploitative and extractive. On the contrary, managed farmlands typically tend to follow sustainable farming methods. By embracing sustainable farming methods and permaculture principles, farmers and people associated with it can conserve valuable resources, maintain soil health, and create habitats for diverse wildlife. Also, a lot of managed farmland for sale operated by professional management and skilled farmers can be highly productive land parcels depending on the plantation and level of resource efficiency. Conscious consumers looking for long-term sustainable investments can identify permaculture based managed farm land near Bangalore and show their participation and support.
However, a random google search on Managed farm lands near Bangalore and Managed farmland for sale will return 2500 odd results. Choosing the best managed farmland for sale can be daunting as it involves several parameters such as location, soil quality, water availability, land use history, management services, and legal documentation. One should exercise extreme caution when buying a managed farmland.
Through Hosachiguru, you can find the perfect Managed farm land near Bangalore and kick-start your journey into the world of sustainable farming. It’s secure, sustainable, tech enabled, and rewarding.
Sustainable Farming Practices and Hosachiguru-Managed Farmlands
The primary objective of Hosachiguru-managed farm land is to follow permaculture principles, adopt and implement sustainable practices, manage risk, maximize productivity, and reduce operational costs. Traditional farming practices with tech-enabled farm management help to monitor the farm plantations and get real-time insights along with quality yields.
Minimal tilling allows microorganisms in the soil ecosystem to thrive, enhancing soil fertility. Also, steps to increase soil carbon, improve soil health, and increased water retention. Grass and other cover crops pull carbon from the atmosphere during photosynthesis, storing it in biomass made of leaves, stems, and roots. As plants grow tall, their roots grow long, and carbon gets stored deeper into the soil. Carbon sequestration improves soil quality over time and heals mother earth. Fresh and dry mulch is extensively used on the farmland to suppress weed growth and increase soil fertility and water retention. Cover crops like legumes can fix nitrogen from the air into the soil improving soil fertility.
Managed Farm land near Bangalore at Hosachiguru employs regenerative farming practices focusing on the replenishment and upliftment of The AWE Factor(AIR Water Earth). Be a part of responsible farming that works holistically with nature. With Hosachiguru, building a sustainable future is not a far-fetched dream. Co-farmers are guaranteed peace and prosperity.
Conclusion
In conclusion, sustainable farming practices and managed farm land hold the key to a healthier future by prioritizing the well-being of the land and the ecosystem. Think Health, Think Managed Farmlands.
Author: Srinivas Abhilash
What is a Wetland?
Wetlands are areas of land that are saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally. Low-lying areas near rivers, lakes, and coastlines with the presence of hydric soils and hydrophytic vegetation (plants adapted to living in wet conditions) have swamps, marshes, bogs, fens, etc., forming a part of the wetland. In various environments, from freshwater marshes to saltwater estuaries, wetlands exist.
Wetlands in Bangalore and Real Estate
Wetlands in Bangalore, also known as “Kere” in the local language, have been at gunpoint from real estate developers for many years. The wetlands, essential for local ecology and water management, have been filled in or built on to make way for residential and commercial development. The illegal encroachment of these areas by the real estate mafia has been a central issue in the city, leading to an absence of biodiversity and environmental degradation. The government and various NGOs have been working to protect the wetlands and prosecute those involved in illegal activities, but the problem persists.
Significance of Wetlands, Role, and Importance in building a Sustainable Ecosystem
Wetlands play a vital role in maintaining the health of the environment and the well-being of human communities by providing a wide range of ecological, economic, and social benefits.
Ecological Significance:
Wetlands are incredibly rich in biodiversity and are home to a wide variety of plant and animal species, many of which are unique to these environments. They provide important habitats for migratory birds, fish, and other wildlife and are natural water filters, helping to remove pollutants and sediment from the water that flows through them. They also control floods by storing water during heavy rainfall and releasing it slowly at the appropriate time. Wetlands provide dozens of ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, and soil formation.
Economic Significance:
They are also a source of food and income for many people, particularly those living in rural areas. They provide room for fishing, hunting, and ecotourism and also serve as natural water resources for irrigation and domestic use.
Social Significance:
Wetlands also have significant cultural and spiritual significance for many communities. They are considered sacred places and a meaningful part of a community’s heritage. They also provide opportunities for recreation and education and can be used as an arm to promote community engagement and awareness of environmental issues.
The loss of wetlands can lead to a decline in biodiversity, increased flooding, water pollution, and detrimental to livelihoods. Hence to build a safe and healthy environment, it is essential to protect and conserve wetlands.
Why should one celebrate World Wetlands Day?
Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2nd every year to raise awareness about the importance of wetlands and the need to protect them. Ramsar Secretariat chooses the theme of Wetlands Day every year to raise awareness of wetlands and the need to conserve them. The theme for 2022 was “Wetlands and Water” and the theme for 2023 is “Wetlands Restoration”. The purpose is to highlight the urgent need to prioritize wetland restoration.
Hosachiguru’s efforts to Restore Wetlands at various Managed Farmlands
Permaculture principles are applied to achieve wetland restoration and conservation at various Hosachiguru Farms. The agronomy team at Hosachiguru identifies and maps the Wetlands. The team carefully evaluates the property based on location, size, and ecological significance. A wetland conservation plan is created and developed to protect and manage it. Activities such as reducing nutrient and pesticide runoff and avoiding drainage of wetland areas are executed. Degraded wetlands are restored by removing invasive species, re-grading or re-contouring the land, and planting native vegetation. Also, buffer zones are created for native vegetation around wetlands to filter pollutants and reduce erosion. A wetlands monitoring system is set in place to observe, identify and evaluate the effectiveness of the conservation efforts.
A connection is established between wetlands and other natural habitats to improve and enhance biodiversity to incubate and support a wide range of species. Also, the creation of diversified wetland habitats such as marshes, swamps, and bogs is executed. The use of swales, bioswales, diversion swales, permeable pavements, gully plugs, and other methods is executed to mimic the hydrology of wetlands. Lemon Grass, Vetiver, and Citronella are some of the native grass varieties that are planted to purify water. Riparian zones are created through the use of artificial structures such as sediment ponds and sediment basins, which are designed to trap sediment and pollutants before they reach wetlands.
Areas adjacent to the streams and ponds are marked as Riparian zones at Madhuvana Farms by Hosachiguru. The vegetation in this area creates a unique wetland microclimate within a dry land ecosystem. It contributes to the land’s biodiversity and provides shelter to the native fauna. The vegetation also helps to stabilize the banks and stream beds in case of storm events and helps mitigate flash floods.
Agricultural systems are set up in such a way that it incorporates wetlands to provide benefits such as pollination, pest control, and soil fertility. The presence of water diversion trenches and stone bunds controls soil erosion. Aquatic plants such as Indian Lotus, Water Lily, water hyacinth, and water plantain facilitate pollination.
Hosachiguru follows the principles and practices of agroforestry, precision agriculture, and conservation farming to incorporate sustainable agricultural techniques that help to preserve wetlands and increase biodiversity.
Hosachiguru’s smart water management system.
Author: Sneha Gautam
Water distinguishes our planet compared to all the others we know about. We depend on water not only for life but for economic well-being as well. It plays a vital role in the creation of everything we produce. There are no substitutes for this precious resource, and while it is renewable there is only a finite amount of it.
Water management is an urgent need of the hour. Keeping this in mind, Hosachiguru provides an instrumented, interconnected, and intelligent water management system in its farmlands, which has proven to be effective and efficient in reducing costs, improving sustainability, and stabilizing the water table. They’re designed and schemed out in such a way that it is ecological in nature and mimic systems that were originally present before humans entered the natural ecosystem. This smart water management solution comprises practices that are planned to provide an apt balance of technology and traditional methods. It involves swales, gully plugs, causeways, one-rock dams, and varieties of trenches.
Recently one of our farmland projects- Dhaanvi farms was blessed with copious amounts of summer rains. Between 22nd April to 22nd May we recorded 308mm of rain.
Talking in the term of numbers – 60 Acres X 4047 Sq M X 0.308 M = 74,789 M3
That is 74,789,000 Litres of Rain Water = 8 CroreLitres
Due to our water management system, most rainwater percolated into the soil. Considering 80% efficiency, 6.4 crore liters of rainwater were harvested in 30 days which can be used to irrigate the entire parcel of farmland which is 60 acres more than 40 times.
Our management system uses traditional mechanisms and data analysis that involves watershed management and runoff volume calculation which makes it a fairly accurate strategy. We pay close attention to understanding how much water the system can hold and how much needs to be released at certain times to replenish the water table. This also enables us to build a more diversified forest with varied plant species. Hosachiguru’s intelligent water management system is based on an interdisciplinary approach that consists of interconnected structures through a series of strategically planned frameworks. Instead of allowing water to run off, these structures make sure that the water is caught where it falls on the land – either it gets percolated into the soil or is diverted to the pits, which then is used for several agricultural purposes.
These arrangements aid us in
- Treatment and management of rainwater
- Irrigation
- Rain/ Flood-water management
- Conservation and restoration
We have chalked out a functional strategy that caters to the requirements of the future without compromising the needs of the present.
Author: Nihal Anand
Many things come to one’s mind when one thinks of bees. That singular buzz in the air. The prick of the sting. The sweet smell and taste of the honey. And every child’s worst nightmare, those huge honeycombs hanging off trees. As children, we all read about how twelve worker bees would come together to produce one tablespoon of honey. While that is certainly an astonishing fact, what must also be noted is that bees are multitaskers by nature. While it’s possible (though not desirable) to imagine a world without honey, we cannot and should not be compelled to imagine a world without bees. For instance, one-third of our global food supply relies on pollinators like bees, and a world without these workaholics would face acute food shortage.Bees as Environmental Service Providers:
It takes more than just the soil, water and sunlight to facilitate food production. At least 30% of the crops, and 90% of plants in general, require cross-pollination to spread and thrive. Enter bees, our perfect pollinators. Pollination is the unity of the male pollen grain with the female egg cell. Through their pollination odysseys, bees are responsible for the production of many seeds, nuts, berries and fruits which serve as a vital food source to humans and a variety of wild animals. Without them, our gardens would be bare, our plates empty and our ecological balance disturbed.
Bees indeed play a vital part in every aspect of the ecosystem by restoring biological
diversity. They contribute largely to complex, interconnected ecosystems that allow a diverse number of species to coexist.
V.V. Belavadi, a scientist at the University of Agricultural Sciences, says India is home to nearly 796 species of bees with 40% of them endemic to the country. Unfortunately, the population of bees has been declining rapidly over the last few decades. Research at NABARD, the National Bee Board, and state agriculture departments, suggests that bees are dying from a variety of factors like pesticides, drought, habitat destruction, nutrition deficit, air pollution, global warming and more. All of these causes are of anthropogenic origin, which means it is we who are responsible for the two most prominent causes in the aforementioned list, namely pesticides and habitat loss.
How can we save the diminishing Bee population?
A natural, effective, and preventive measure would be to adopt organic farming practices in farmlands. Organic farming practices are environmentally friendly and prevent the use of harmful pesticides. Natural solutions such as compost are not only beneficial to soil health, but also mitigate potential damage to the ecosystem.
With deforestation as a consequence of the steady urbanization on the rise, one can help bolster bee habitats by preserving the existing trees and undertaking tree plantation in their area. Creating dense food forests and agroforests enables cross-pollination and can facilitate new habitats for the bee population to thrive in. No matter where one lives or what one does, there is always a way to do your bit for the bees, whilst keeping a safe distance from their sting. If everyone does their part, all of us win—bees, plants, and people, and can all work together to restore biodiversity by coexisting sustainably. A fascinating fact presented by Bee Careful, an initiative of the Hero Group says “20,000 bees swarming out of a hive several times in a day, could pollinate over 20 million flowers each day”.
If nothing else, at least for the sake of aesthetics, let’s be nice to bees.
References:
- Neff, J.L. & B. B. Simpson. 1993. Bees, pollination systems and plant diversity. In Hymenoptera and Biodiversity. J. LaSalle & I.D. Gauld, Eds.: 143–167. CAB International. Wallingford, UK.
- Michener, C. 2007. The Bees of the World, 2nd edition. Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore and London.
- Kevan, P.G., E.A. Clark & V.G. Thomas. 1990. Insect pollinators and sustainable agriculture. Am. J. Altern. Agric.5: 12–22
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-020-0461-3
- https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/honey-bees-feel-sting-viral-disease
Author: Dr. Ashutosh Srivastava
Soil, also known as “Skin of mother earth”, is a product of millions of years of weathering of parent rocks and transportation of minerals from far off places through wind, water, and other agents. Soil is the largest source of the medium supporting terrestrial land life forms, and comprises of the following five major components viz; minerals, water, air, organic matter and microbial life forms (Miroslav Kutílek and Donald R. Nielsen, 2015). Major functions of the soil in facilitating the survival of human race on earth can be listed as following (Hatfield et al. 2017)
Agriculture has been an activity associated with mankind for over 5500 years, and for all these years, soils have been supporting the survival of mankind without any hindrance. It is in the last two centuries that the activities of humans have resulted in severe damage to the soil, so much so that the uncultivable wastelands have increased at an alarming rate (Lal, 2003).
Causes of Soil degradation
Intensive agricultural practices that rely heavily on water, chemical fertilisers and pesticides, have caused waterlogging and salinity in many parts of the country. The expansion of the irrigation system without adequate steps for treatment of the catchment areas has exacerbated this. Soil degradation is happening at an alarming pace and is affecting regions inhabited by over one-third of the global population. This phenomenon contributes to a dramatic decline in the productivity of croplands and rangelands worldwide, thereby threatening food security and environmental quality. Soil degradation should be, therefore, considered as a major global environmental issue of this century (Labriere et al. 2015).
At this pace of soil degradation, what we would hand over to the generations to come would be terrifying in terms of its ability to support food security of the increasing populations. 33% of the Earth’s soils are already degraded and over 90% could become degraded by 2050 (FAO and ITPS, 2015; IPBES, 2018).
Reversal of Soil degradation
Soil degradation trends can be reversed by conversion to restorative land use, and adoption of recommended management practices. The strategy is to minimize soil erosion, create positive soil organic carbon and nitrogen budgets, enhance activity and species diversity of soil biota (micro, meso, and macro), and improve structural stability and pore geometry. Improving soil quality (i.e., increasing Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) pool, improving soil structure, enhancing soil fertility) can reduce risks of soil degradation (physical, chemical, biological and ecological) while improving the environment. Increasing the SOC pool to above the critical level (10 to 15 g/kg) is essential to set the restorative trends in motion. Site-specific techniques of restoring soil quality include conservation agriculture, integrated nutrient management, and continuous vegetative cover such as residue mulch and cover cropping, and controlled grazing at appropriate stocking rates. The strategy is to produce “more from less” by reducing losses and increasing soil, water, and nutrient use efficiency (Rattan Lal, 2015).
Hosachiguru has been working conscientiously on the above principles through organic management practices. The operational area of Hosachiguru lies mainly in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh, which has faced immense pressure from human activities, and is characterised by poor, degraded soils. We at Hosachiguru are working to reclaim the soils in the region by going back to traditional methods of organic farming. A gift, we feel we owe to the future generations.
References:
Hatfield Jerry L. Thomas J.Sauer, Richard M.Cruse (2017) Soil: The Forgotten Piece of the Water, Food, Energy Nexus Advances in Agronomy Volume 143, Pages 1-46
Miroslav Kutílek and Donald R. Nielsen Soil: The Skin of the Planet Earth 2015 (ISBN-13: 978-9401797887) 247p Publisher : Springer
Labrière Nicolas, Bruno Locatelli, Yves Laumonier, Vincent Freycon, Martial Bernoux, (2015) Soil erosion in the humid tropics: A systematic quantitative review Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment Volume 203, 1 May 2015, Pages 127-139.
- Lal (2003) Soil erosion and the global carbon budget. Environ. Int., 29 pp. 437-450
Rattan Lal (2015). Restoring Soil Quality to Mitigate Soil Degradation. Sustainability 2015, 7, 5875-5895; doi:10.3390/su7055875. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Although it appears otherwise, there is plenty of water on earth. The primary issues are quality and uneven spatiotemporal distribution that make it inaccessible. But, the most fundamental of all issues is not the scarcity of water, but weak water management practices. Managing a life resource requires adequate knowledge of watershed hydrology and implementation of best practices, in order to harness naturally available water during the Indian monsoon.
What is a watershed?
A watershed is an area of land that ‘sheds’ or drains surface water into a waterbody. Every water body has a watershed. A watershed can be any area of land that receives rainfall and supplies water to river systems. A watershed can be an urban city, industrial area, pristine forests or even agricultural land. One watershed is separated from another by a natural boundary, known as a water divide or ridge line.
Watersheds can drain rainfall into rivers, streams, ponds, lakes etc. Such small bodies of water, join large river systems and ultimately flow out into the sea. In the soil, water moves in response to gravity, when it is not responding to tension gradients. Delineating a watershed allows the understanding of the drainage basin, catchment area and flow direction of the water. Water is first received in the catchment area and later flows along the land to form an intricate stream network.
Not all the water that is received on land flows into a stream. Some is lost by evaporation and some seeps below the soil surface to form groundwater aquifers or pools. India has been long criticised, for its staggeringly high rates of groundwater extraction. 90% of groundwater extracted in India is utilised for agricultural irrigation. Roughly, 80% of India’s 1.35 crore citizens, depend on groundwater for both drinking and irrigation. The increased use of groundwater has been supported by supply driven policies, providing farmers with free/heavily subsidised grid electricity and pumps. Thus, ignoring the natural water systems and the cascading ill-effects of over-exploitation.
But, why haven’t we run out of water yet? This is because India receives plenty of water, but it is unevenly distributed. While some villages in Maharashtra such as Vidarbha have annual droughts and the highest farmer suicide rates, others in Odisha and north-east have annual floods. Another reason is that India sees flash floods or high amount of rainfall in a short period of time and then almost no rain for the rest of the year. Therefore, it is critical that water is harvested during the monsoons.
Watershed Management Practices:
Watershed Management is the planned manipulation of one or more parts of the drainage network to either create a desired change or maintain a desired condition of the water source. Typical watershed development projects include the following activities.
- Water Conservation
- Soil Enhancement & Conservation
- Livestock Management
- Agricultural Practices
- Plantation & Afforestation
- Mobilisation of community contribution and indigenous knowledge
- Capacity building and institutional development
The quality of a watershed directly decides, the quality of the water system that flows within and out of it. Therefore, watershed development activities mentioned above, are crucial in ensuring the quality and sustainability of water bodies in a watershed.
What is Hosachiguru doing in watershed management?
At Hosachiguru farms, we mobilise local communities of farmers and their indigenous knowledge base, to support our agronomy teams. We are taking a step forward in bridging the science and practice gap, by incorporating good practices of indigenous farming, while implementing supportive scientific methods to enhance our soils. We have enriched several barren and fallow lands to become nutrient dense, with high microbial activity. Our plantations are deployed with precision sensors that allow us to monitor real-time data and take informed decisions at the drop of a hat. Using micro-weather forecast we manage our farm’s water intake in accordance with rainfall and conserve water, not only with rainwater harvesting tanks but also by ensuring that it seeps into the ground. Excess water in the soil is drained out and re-directed to recharge groundwater aquifers. This ensures a sustainable water table for the entire year for all our neighbouring communities.
Sustainable Water Management in Agriculture
Water is considered to be the most important resource for sustainable farming development worldwide. The fresh water supplies are already being diverted from agriculture to meet the rising demand of domestic and industrial use. The sustainable use of irrigation water must be greatly focused for farming in arid areas. India has already started witnessing water scarcity, which will only get worse going forward. To address this issue, Ashok J, Co Founder and Chairman of Hosachiguru, an agriculture expert shares his ideas and techniques to the improvement of water management in farms.
According to Ashok, the golden rule to efficient water management is Reduce-Recycle-Reuse at all stages of farming activities. Some of them may be used concurrently or separately. Read on to find out what Ashok says on efficient water management.
1. Plant density & Diversity: Optimize the distance between rows of primary plants and varieties of the saplings you plant. It is important to incorporate “companion plants” that complement each other. This will help to rationalize the water demand.
“Optimizing density of Primary Plants and incorporation of companion plants that are suitable for local conditions help us manage water demand better.”
2. Wonder Gel: Both in basal dose and in initial soil application incorporate small dose of Hydrogels. During Basal Dose add up to 20 grams / plant and at every Soil Application add 5 grams / plant (or less). This will help hold water and fertilizers for longer duration in the root zone and can reduce water application by 20% and fertilizer application by 10%.
“In semiarid regions, like our farm locations, use of hydrogels shown good benefits in moisture retention and reduced transplanting stress”
Hydrogels are available from different companies starting from UPL, Coromandel, etc
3. Magic Pits: In every 5 rows of primary plants, dig pits of 1 ft X 3 ft X 2 Ft (depth) at 20 ft interval and dump cut weeds into these pits. Add Hydrogel and activated BioChar into them. Grow cover crops regularly.
“These Magic Pits help in multiple ways as given below:
- These pits will help divert and store rainwater
- Work as soaking pits and improve ground water
- Help locally compost agriculture waste
- Will work as “go-to” zone for root systems nearby to uptake nutrients and moisture.”
4. Early morning or evening irrigation: Ensure that you have suitable pump and power source to irrigate when the ambient temperatures are low. As temperatures are relatively lower, it helps in moisture retention for longer hours before evaporation starts due to sun – You save water!
“In principle irrigating when sun is absent will help conserve water and retain moisture longer time.”
This can be automated using time based pump irrigation systems. A lot of start ups are focusing on Sim controller based pumps that help in semi automation of irrigation. Please verify past installations to ensure good functioning of the same.
5. Bore Well recharge: For each bore well create a collection pit of 5ft x 5 ft x 10 ft (depth) size. Add holes to the bore pipe. Fill from the bottom as follows: 3 ft bigger stones, 3 ft 10 mm jelly, 1 ft 5 mm jelly, two layers of insect / mosquito net, ½ ft of coarse sand. Divert rainwater to these pits. Water will soak and filter in to the bore well. Just doing this alone can ensure the borewell never goes dry. Over a period of time the earth below becomes a great source of storage.
6. Rainwater collection pond: Farm ponds can be set up in lowest area within the Farm. Divert rainwater within and outside the farm into this RWH tank. A diversion pit can be used to collect silt from the running water. The water from this pond can be diverted into nearby bore wells to enhance ground water.
“Very important to capture rain water as it is pure and renewable source. It is our duty to put back rain water in to the ground”
7. Summer miracles: In semiarid regions the solar intensity is very high in summer days. Using specific sprays available in the market that create a protective layer on the leaf, thereby reducing perspiration. Depending on summer intensity, take sprays of “Summer Miracle” one or 2 times.
“Observed use of Summer Miracle, worked wonders for the plants even in harsh conditions”
8. Pulse Irrigation: Instead of continuously irrigating for 1 to 2 hours for the same plot, shift irrigation from one block to another every 10 to 15 min. This will help in water spread and improve retention in the soil. There are controllers and valves available in the market for shift irrigation between blocks. Depending on slope of the farm land, you have to use “non-drip” or “Pressure compensated” drippers for uniform application.
9. Twin Line Low Discharge Inline Drip Irrigation: Go for drip irrigation and choose low discharge inline drips & two parallel lines – 1 LPH with 30 cm (to 50 cm) spacing X 2 lines. This will ensure maximum coverage of surface area for a given pump discharge and will minimize the leeching. As more area is covered by drip irrigation, the soil fertility improves and subsequently increases humus development in soil. More Humus in the soil means more moisture holding and eventually results in water saving.
“Effective way to reduce water demand and improve soil fertility”
Hosachiguru applies the above techniques in managing its farmlands and as an organization we have seen merit in applying above methods to implement water conservation with increased output. Based on crop, age of plants, soil condition and other factors, we alter the priorities and apply methods selectively to give our clients an opportunity to increase produce.
We as an organization believe that learning is a continuous process and are always on the lookout for more methods to improve water conservation in our farms.
Please do write to us at connect@hosachiguru.com for any suggestions / feedback.