LIFE ON LAND

Author: Ruchi Renavikar | Nihal Anand

Drylands typically face severe water scarcity and commonly have scanty and dry vegetation. They cover 41% of the earth’s land surface and house an estimated 2 billion people (FAO, 2019). While drylands are adaptable to climatic variability and water stress, they are also vulnerable to degradation by anthropogenic activities such as deforestation, urbanization, and unsustainable agricultural practices (tilling, intensive farming, fertilizer & pesticide abuse, etc). These practices disrupt the nutrient cycles, increase soil salinity, and destroy important soil microfauna (bacteria).

Agroforestry on the other hand, is a sustainable land management system, where trees are integrated with crops on the same plot of land. The trees planted reduce surface water runoff and soil erosion while facilitating an increase in biodiversity, surface and groundwater levels, and soil fertility. Our agroforestry model is further supported by a ‘Systems thinking’ approach, where we account for all ecosystems (soil, water, air) over several years when managing farmland. We have transformed once drylands into biodiverse forested green havens through our regenerative agricultural practices.

One of the key reasons behind Hosachiguru success is the integration of technology with traditional farming practices. There are sensors installed all across farms, which give real time data about soil moisture, soil temperature, rainfall, leaf wetness etc. This data helps determine the corrective and regenerative processes that must take place on the farm. For example, soil moisture sensors allow our AI systems to give our ground team regular irrigation advisory. All farms are secured with fencing and 24 hr security & CCTV cameras. Hosachiguru farms have harvested data and infrastructure to maximize the potential of farmlands by taking informed decisions.

Transformation Story 1

Eco-habitat 

This 20 acres project aims at promoting community supported agriculture managed by the Hosachiguru agronomy team. Acquired in 2017, Hosachiguru has been successfully managing this Teak & Sandalwood plantation complemented with scattered fruit trees. Ecological re-design, rainwater harvesting and the creation of forests were the main principles at this site. The site prior to acquisition was barren with a very alkaline soil pH, unfit for any type of cultivation. Several organic soil corrective measures such as addition of organic carbon (through mulching), farm yard manure (FYM), green manuring etc, were employed to improve the nutrient content, stabilise the pH and increase water retention capacity. Today we have a total of 4000 trees managed at this project with more to come.

In addition to this, we have a cattle shed, composting unit, vegetable garden and a farmstay retreat for customers to experience a life surrounded by nature. The transformation at Eco-habitat has been phenomenal and can be witnessed by scheduling a site visit as well.

Transformation story 2

EOS 

Started in 2014, EOS has a variety of timber and fruit trees which include Teak, Sandalwood, Mahogany, Mango and Pomegranate. This 45 acre project has a total of 14,000 trees managed by Hosachiguru. The lush green timber & food forests were once a dryland that was devoid of any green cover. The soil was a distribution of uneven gravel, sand and red-soil. Today, it has been transformed into a uniform soil system with highly fertile soil.

Prior to acquisition, this land was also exposed to intensive agriculture, where land was exploited with over-use to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Residues of which could still be observed back in 2014. We have come a long way in reviving the natural ecosystems at EOS and also evolved in design thinking, when planning and managing farmland.

Specific corrective practices were undertaken at EOS over a 6 year period, which included:

Really transforming landscapes can often be an arduous task. Despite widespread awareness of the nature and extent of multiple impacts of repeated land-use changes, there remains limited understanding of how these impacts affect trade-offs among ecosystem services and their beneficiaries across spatial scales.

Transforming landscapes takes years and happens in phases. One of the best ways to secure the land from degradation is afforestation, the impacts of which can directly be witnessed by increasing ground water levels, soil humus, soil water holding capacity, and nutrients. Often we forget that aspects of the environment are interdependent and have either a positive or negative feedback onto each other. However the direction of the feedback loop is one that can easily be controlled by operators.

Author: Ruchi Renavikar

India is an agricultural powerhouse with 60% of its land under cultivation (The World Bank, 2016). Despite India’s status as a global powerhouse, agriculture is a highly resource-intensive industry. In the last decade, unsustainable irrigation methods, fertilizer, and pesticidal abuse, poor soil fertility and over-tillage have perhaps been the most damaging factors to soil health and agricultural yield. As a result of declining crop yields, food prices have shot up. The Covid-19 Pandemic has placed immense pressure on the agricultural industry. As an essential service industry, it is therefore important to elevate efficiency in agriculture.

New trends in agriculture seek to enhance crop management under precisely measured conditions. Smart agriculture is the implementation of the Internet of Things (IOT), cloud computing & Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance agricultural yield while maintaining the integrity of the natural hydro-geological systems. The Internet of Things (IOT), is a three-tier system:

Tier 1 Perception Layer: It includes Sensors which monitor real-time data from the field.

Tier 2 Network Layer: It is a network of Devices (computers, PC’s, Hardware) used to collect and store real-time data.

Tier 3 Application layer: Utilises real-time data and combines it with specific prediction and analysis models to visualise and understand the raw data.

At Hosachiguru we combine the Internet of Things (IOT) system with Artificial Intelligence to analyse real-time data and create prediction models for weather forecasts based on trend analysis. This allows us to prepare our farm management practices based on predicted climatic conditions. Remote equipment operated from central data centres, smartphones or wireless devices, reduce manual labour, increase efficiency and associated costs. Over-all IOT and AI allows us to expedite work cycles and manage farms efficiently. IOT is changing the landscape of data monitoring into wireless devices that deliver accurate micro-climatic information. Smart irrigation systems which are automated through IOT system, allows monitoring of water flows into the farm along with recharge of natural aquifers. Our sensors, monitor and predict micro-climatic and soil conditions specific to each farm.

Hosachiguru farms use IOT & AI for:

Crop monitoring, Remote Irrigation, Disease control, Weather Forecasting (microclimate prediction), Signal controlling, automation of controls and processes, Soil and water monitoring.

What is unique about Hosachiguru management style, is that we employ traditional farming practices along with smart agriculture monitoring systems. Data Driven intelligence is used to guide implementation and management at our farms, giving customers optimum crop yield benefits. Integrating a sustainable systems approach to farming allows us to replenish the groundwater table and improve soil nutrient cycling, without using harsh chemical fertilizers. End-to-end farm management is more precise with smart agriculture systems. Our farms also remain climate resilient as forecasting micro & macro conditions, allows to us increase the preparedness of our technical and on-ground teams in taking informed decisions on irrigation, soil and crop management.

The following Parameters are monitored by our weather stations and individual sensors: (Devices used are solar-powered and can run for up to 1 month even during the monsoons)

• Temperature
• Humidity
• Air pressure
• Vapour-Pressure Difference
• Soil Temperature
• Soil Moisture at Primary Root Zone
• Soil Moisture at Secondary Root Zone
• Rainfall
• Leaf Wetness
• Lux (Illumination)
• Solar Intensity
• Wind Speed
• Wind Direction

Our devices are programmed to send us configured alarms on various parameters, when they exceed or dip below an optimum range. Data is continuously monitored over 24hours and can be manipulated to predict and prevent the attack of certain pests and diseases as well.

Monitoring agricultural systems in their natural environment also allows us to simulate and understand the complex relationships between different elements in the ecosystem. At Hosachiguru, we recognise the value of conserving and enhancing natural ecosystems. Our aim is to use precision agriculture to make educated decisions, supported by scientific research that is mutually beneficial for our customers and the environment alike.

Santalum album L. (East Indian Sandalwood) is a medium-sized semi-parasitic tree which can reach to a height of 33 to 66 feet. It is called as a miracle tree because of its immense uses in trade and traditional form of medicine in South East Asia. As it is semi parasitic in nature it prefers to “steal” nutrients from the roots of nearby plants by using tube-like structures (modified roots) called haustoria. It is mentioned in ancient scriptures of India that every part of sandalwood is used for some or the other benefit of human beings.

Essential oils of sandalwood have antispasmodic (relieve spasm of muscles), antibacterial (kill bacteria) and antiviral (kill viruses) properties. Sandalwood is used in the treatment of inflammation, skin disorders, rashes, cough, fever, flu, hypertension and restlessness. Essential oils are used to improve the functioning of liver, heart and stomach and to strengthen the gums of teeth and muscles. The fragrant oil from the wood is one of the choicest perfumery material in the world and is recently reported to be highly effective in the treatment of breast cancer too.

Seeds of sandalwood also yield an invaluable oil which although does not contain any fragrant components but is bestowed with a unique compound named “XYMNEMIC ACID” which has an immense anti-oxidant property which is being utilised in cosmetic industry world over. Tender leaves of sandalwood are rich in polyphenols which have potential anti-hypertensive propertie

Historically, Sandalwood was declared as a “ROYAL TREE” by Tipu Sultan in 18^th Century and since then it was treated as a state property irrespective of where it was growing. This lead to immense pressure on the natural populations of Sandalwood in Karnataka, illegal felling by infamous Veerappan between 70s to late 90s further led to the decline of sandalwood. It was not until 2001 when the Government of Karnataka relaxed rules for sandalwood cultivation, the farmers took interest and since then plantations in small scale have started coming up.

Hosachiguru, pioneering in commercial cultivation of sandalwood since the year 2010. The company is involved in scientific cultivation of Sandalwood in most of its farms.  It aims to be one of the largest sandalwood growers in South India by the year 2025 with several acres of plantations under its management.

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.

Agroforestry is a low-cost method of integrated land management where trees are cultivated along with cash crops. Cultivating trees in combination with crops and cattle is an ancient traditional practice across South-east Asia. In India, the practice of growing sacred trees scattered across farms is an age-old practice. Most efforts in agroforestry have been focused on the biophysical benefits of enhancing the environment. Hosachiguru farms revive agroforestry by spotlighting both its biophysical and socio-economic benefits to the community.

A 2017 report by the World Wildlife Fund and the Planning Commission of India, projected a severe shortage of timber supply in India from both domestic and international sources by 2020. Moreover, India is the third largest importer of illegally logged timber (after China and Vietnam), contributing to 9.4% of the total illegal timber import in the world (Gan, et al., 2016). With fertile land, tropical climate, and appropriate irrigation techniques, agroforestry can promote an ‘Atmanirbhar’ Indian timber supply chain, reducing the requirement for timber imports while supporting local economies of scale. Annually, India consumes an estimated 69 million cum* of timber (Shrivastava & Saxena, 2017). To cater to the rising demand of timber and forest produce, India needs to make sustainable use of its underutilised and unproductive wastelands by developing them into cultivable agroforest systems. Agroforestry will not only improve the productivity of timber in India but will also protect forests from deterioration by anthropogenic factors, such as illegal logging, encroachment and climate change.

Agroforestry model works on the principle of interaction between two systems (forests and agriculture) and the effect of one on the other. Agroforestry can be broadly classified into two types:

Simultaneous systems, where trees and crops are grown together in distinct spatial arrangements. Eg: Trees on cropland or trees intercropped with seasonal crops.

1. Sequential systems, where trees and crops are grown in rotation. Eg: crop harvest followed by tree harvests (grown alternately).

Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) is an internationally popular mechanism that encourages landowners or farmers to plant trees on their agricultural land. PES is a scheme employed by several international governments to increase green cover. It is a market-based approach to improve environmental management of agricultural lands that provides monetary compensation to land stewards for ecosystem conservation. (Milder, et al., 2010). In essence it is a scheme that pays ‘cash for conservation’. Most PES budgets are a drain on government resources and funds. Latin American countries like Costa Rica, Brazil & Ecuador have seen great success with PES, alleviating poverty and expanding green cover (UNDP, 2020). At Hosachiguru, we have developed a holistic approach that is fundamentally aligned with the motivation behind PES, but we support an increase in green cover which is highly profitable and triggers a cascade of socio-economic benefits for the whole community.

Biophysical Benefits of Agro forestry

The controlled interaction between the forest and agriculture systems creates conditions that are mutually favourable. The benefits from these interactions include:

• Improved Soil Fertility: Chemical soil fertility is improved as the agroforestry model increases the bioavailability of essential nutrients in the soil. Physical and Biological fertility is improved as the soil structure and water holding capacity increases.

Chemical Soil Fertility

Source: Adapted from Rao, et. al., 1998

• Reduced levels of Soil Erosion: Strong & deep-rooted trees bind soil, increase its porosity, store soil moisture and reduce run-off and leaching.
• Increased Nutrient Cycling of organic matter and nutrients (N, P, K, Ca)
• Higher Crop Yields: As a result of increased nutrient availability, crop yield is higher
• Induces Favourable Micro-climate conditions: Tree canopies provide shade, reduced soil and air temperature and intercept and re-distribute rainfall (Rao, et al., 1998).
• Reduced Competition: Agroforestry induces sharing of growth resources such as light, water and soil nutrients.
• Increased soil microbial biodiversity: Micro-flora and fauna populations increase along with rhizobial microbes that help in nitrogen fixing.
• Watershed protection: Agroforestry model ensures higher soil water retention capacity and increases the water table by refilling aquifers.

Hosachiguru’s agroforestry model is managed and operated by our agronomy experts who carefully select trees and crops that are complementary rather than competitive.  The deep-root system of trees creates little to no interference with the shallow root systems of crops and therefore the agroforestry model in itself favours polyculture of different species.

Socio-economic Benefits of Agroforestry

The National Agricultural Policy (2000) notes that ‘Agriculture has become a relatively unrewarding profession due to generally unfavourable price regime and low value addition’, which has caused a spike in migration to urban centres in India. Hosachiguru, makes agriculture an enticing opportunity and creates value addition through the revival of agroforestry. The large scale of operations lowers the set-up cost, as we cross-leverage resources between several projects, improving resource efficiency. Cross-leveraging of resources also allows our operations to function in the most environmentally sustainable manner.

Hosachiguru agro-farms also support local economies by creating jobs for marginalised rural communities and building a supply chain of product delivery (timber, fruits, vegetables, crops). Socio-economic conditions of the rural populations have seen a positive impact from our operations. The biophysical benefits of agroforestry significantly reduce the chances of crop failure. The primary advantage of agroforestry is the economic benefits it provides.

Agroforests as Carbon Sinks: Agroforestry systems have been identified as high potential carbon sinks and have the capacity to drastically alter local climate. Their ability to sequester carbon, positions them to be a critical climate change mitigation strategy for India. It has been found that in tropical regions, small scale argo-farms can sequester (capture) 1.5-3.5 MgCha^-1yr^-1(Roshetko, et al., 2007). Not only do they capture atmospheric carbon, they also store carbon in the accumulated biomass from leaf litter in soil humus. Agroforestry essentially offsets the carbon footprint of operating a community scale managed farmland. In the future, the majority of carbon sequestration will happen through agroforests as much of the available arable land in India is being cultivated.

Green Gold: As economies across the world are coping with the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, timber is outshining even the traditional gold and silver values. Previously, considered as a low-income investment, timber today has almost doubled in its value. The new work-from-home lifestyle has skyrocketed furniture sales as we redesign our home offices. Timber is a time-tested sustainable asset that has witnessed, a value growth rate higher than gold during the pandemic. Cultivating timber or ‘Green Gold’ has been native to the Indian-subcontinent. However, as timber resources are dwindling, future projections reveal that timber assets will support additional wealth creation opportunities.
https://youtu.be/FwVylHLf63g

The Green India Mission, under its 2008 National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) aims to restore 6Mha** of degraded forest land (Government of India, 2008; Pandve, H T., 2009). Agriculture and food production have been identified as the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather fluctuations. NAPCC has recommended ‘agroforestry’ as a mechanism to develop climate resilient crops. Hosachiguru is pioneering the revival of agroforestry, creating a unique opportunity for our customers to support India’s green economy while reaping the benefits of sustainable agriculture.

*cum: cubic metres

**Mha- Million Hectares

References

Gan, J. et al., 2016. Chapter 3: Quantifying Illegal Logging and Related Timber Trade. In: D. Kleinschmit, S. Mansourian, C. Wildburger & A. Purret, eds. Illegal Logging and related timber trade- Dimensions, Drivers, Impacts and rResponses.. s.l.:IUFRO World Series 35, pp. 37-60.

Shrivastava , S. & Saxena, A. K., 2017. Wood is Good: But is India doing enough to meet its present and future needs?, s.l.: Centre for Science and Environment.

Rao, M. R., Nair, P. K. R. & Ong, C. K., 1998. Biophysical interactions in tropical agroforestry systems. Agroforestry Systems, Volume 38, pp. 3-50.

Roshetko, J. M., Lasco, R. D. & Angeles, M. S. D., 2007. Small holder agroforestry systems for carbon storage. Mitigation and adaptation strategies for Global change, Volume 12, pp. 219-242.

Puri, S. & Nair, P. K. R., 2004. Agroforestry research for development in India: 25 years of experience of a national program. Agroforestry Systems, Volume 61, pp. 437-452.

Milder, J. C., Scherr, S. J. & Bracer, C., 2010. Trends and Future Potential of Payment for Ecosystem Services to Alleviate Rural Poverty in Developing Countries. Ecology and Society, 15(2), pp. 1-19.

UNDP, 2020. Financing solutions for Sustainable Development. [Online]
Available at: https://www.sdfinance.undp.org/content/sdfinance/en/home/solutions/payments-for-ecosystem-services.html#mst-5
[Accessed 6 August 2020].

Pandve, H. T., 2009. India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change. Indian Journal of Occupational Environmental Medicine, 13(1), pp. 17-19.

Government of India, 2008. National Action Plan on Climate Change, New Delhi: Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change.

Most of us agree that while earning money is hard, investing it wisely is harder. Traditionally, we in India have gone with two time-tested options – gold and land. In gold we trust – for hundreds of years this has been our favourite investment, one that is credited with protecting families and honour in times of distress. However, from today’s market-driven economy perspective, this thinking is jaded.

Look at it this way. Gold sits idle and does not produce anything or create any value. The value has to increase only when someone else is willing to pay more for it – which in itself is speculative. Unlike bonds or bank deposits, your money when invested in gold, does not contribute to any kind of economic growth. And for all the optimism on its growth potential, gold has just returned 8.3%* in the last 10 years.

Now let’s look at the other favourite investment option – real estate. Firstly, land by itself cannot generate income. We can profit from it after it appreciates in value and is sold subsequently, which could happen only when there is an increase in demand for land in the region. This happened in cities like Bengaluru which experienced exponential growth from the early 1990s to the late 2010s. So people invested in plots/ land and experienced a value increase driven by demand and growth.

Next, if you wish to derive actual returns from real estate, then you have to invest in construction – residential/ commercial – risky considering the demand is dependent on the economy.

While pockets of land in urban areas have been attracting attention from buyers for long, the current oversupply of properties, congestion, cost of living in cities and other associated issues has retarded value appreciation. The real estate market in Tier 1 cities including Bengaluru is stagnated and not experiencing value growth as in the past. The demand for commercial properties has decreased and the current COVID 2019 situation is bound to redefine the workplace segment going forward. Work-from-home would definitely be the new norm with more and more companies at least in the knowledge space, opting for it.

Farmland – the way ahead

So, the question on the minds of investors would definitely be, ‘What next?’ The answer is investment in farmland. Although farmland is part of the real estate marketplace, it has its own unique set of characteristics. Returns on farmland have constantly exceeded those compared with other assets such as commercial real estate, gold, stocks, bonds and more. More importantly, farmlands have the potential to influence us as a community in more ways than one – socially, environmentally and economically.

Short term & Long-term wealth creation – a win-win either way

• Farmland is an excellent short and long term wealth creation option with a propensity to appreciate in value over time. When well maintained, the property yields periodic returns on the produce while the investment is secure and profitable considering there is bound to be a long term value gain.
• One of the most positive features of open spaces and farmlands is the natural benefits they provide. Apart from producing food and timber, farmlands provide fresh oxygen, nurture precious flora and fauna and contribute significantly to the environment.
• Unlike mining for example, which depletes resources, a rightly managed farmland is a renewable resource and stays productive in perpetuity.

The need for expertise – Our edge at Hosachiguru

While the concept of farmland is attractive from both a short-term and long-term perspective, the biggest hindrance to those who wish to venture is largely the lack of expertise in managing one. It takes specialized knowledge and time to ensure the crop is irrigated and secure, the growth is healthy, and things are taken care of.

Now, the good news. If you are really passionate about owning farmland, being a part of nature, wanting to do your bit for the environment, wanting to introduce your family/ children to the joys of nature and more… we at Hosachiguru can help you with it. We are a team of dedicated professionals with years of experience in setting up and managing farmlands.

Hosachiguru provides good-quality farmland with good water and soil management techniques to grow timber, hardwood, fruits and other location-specific produce that can help you generate passive income. Our farm experts will decide on the best possible crop based on the soil and water conditions of the property. Additionally, when you buy Hosachiguru farmland, you get to enjoy the added benefit of using your project location as a weekend/retirement home.

Let’s do our bit for the planet together – you and Hosachiguru

Sustaining the environment and leading a cleaner, greener life is now much more than an option. In fact, it is our responsibility. While the planet gasps for breath and initiatives are on globally to clean and sustain the environment, this is a great opportunity for us to create a greener environment and community while profiting from it. Wood is money and we help you cultivate the right kind of wood in your plot. In fact, it takes just 10 trees to produce enough oxygen to offset your carbon footprint. We can grow a lot more in your plot so your contribution could be on the plus side!

As a farmland management company, we have an undying passion for farming and engage in various conservation practices that help preserve the environment – collecting water runoff, planting cover crops, appropriate tillage, and more. We use precision farming techniques in managing the farmland such as using non-chemical fertilizers at the right time to effective nutrient management.

We are driven by love for nature and wish to join hands with those who look to create a positive impact on the environment. We could work together to make the world a green place and create a win-win for all!

Source: Economic times – Oct 2019

One might wonder. How does tree start production of heartwood? What happens in tree that triggers formation of heartwood? Let’s understand the process of heartwood formation from the metabolic perspective of plant. All of us know that tree is a living entity with trillions of living cells. Each cell in a tree carries out all metabolic activities like growth, elongation, multiplication, respiration and excretion. Each of these activities involves spending energy in form of energy currency of plant called as Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (ATP). ATP is produced by plant through the process of photosynthesis which produces glucose which is subsequently converted into energy currency.

At the stages when all the resources like water and nutrients are abundantly available, tree continues to produce sufficient energy to maintain all the living cells of the tree. The young plant has vigour and resources to maintain any number of living cells. However, as the tree ages or the nutrient and water becomes a limiting factor, tree intelligence comes to forefront and it starts ALLOCATING THE RESOURCES for the most productive and young cells. Older cells or the weaker ones face the shortage of attention from the plant and eventually die. These dead cells deposit at the centre of the plant in form of dead xylem cells known as HEARTWOOD. To sum up

Heartwood formation is a complex biological process, involving five major developmental steps, including:

• Cell division from a secondary meristem called the vascular cambium.
• Cell expansion (cell elongation and radial enlargement).
• Secondary cell wall deposition,
• Programmed cell death, and finally
• Heartwood formation.

Wood has been a companion of humans since prehistoric times and has been through the passage of civilisations. In today’s context of ‘Global warming’ an alarming emergency, wood is the most carbon neutral material available. Heartwood is the most important natural and endlessly renewable source of energy and therefore has a major role as an environmentally cost-effective natural resource.

What is HEARTWOOD? Botanically speaking, it is a secondary xylem formed by ageing and death of live cells in a tree – a repository of dead cells which is of immense economic importance. When we look at all major timber species in the world used in the furniture and construction industry we find that the heartwood of these species is the one that has strength, durability and aesthetic value.

A typical woody species has two types of wood; sapwood, which consists of live tissues involved in the conduction of water and minerals to plants and heartwood, dead portion of the wood, responsible for stability and strength to the plant. It is the heartwood that provides valuable timber for our use at a later stage.

So what triggers the formation of heartwood? In one word it’s Stress. When a tree experiences stress with respect to water and nutrients the older cells of the tree die and get deposited in the centre of the stem, taking the shape of heartwood. This heartwood formation phenomenon has provided the agronomy team at Hosachiguru® an opportunity to apply the concept on the teak plantations (King of timber) at our farms. At Hosachiguru ®we apply the concept of rapid initial growth followed by stress induction technology to shorten the harvest age of teak from the natural 40 years to 14 years in scientifically managed plantations – a step towards a greener and self-sufficient tomorrow.

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.