For all the skeptics who are still in doubt about natural farming please see these videos and get enlightened
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1COnuI2VU8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MindIXXcF4M
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Madhukali
My Dearest FarmNest Subscribers,
SALUTE TO THE MAN WHO MADE THIS POSSIBILE… REVERED ONE AND ONLY Sreeman Mr. Chandra… HATS OFF…
Folks life is a journey and when ur time comes u cap it… but the good deeds that you do in this life is what actually comes with you as ur karmic bank balance for after life.
God willing this as it is this is the ONE and ONLY FORUM on farming that is ROCKING and can prove all those folks who have zero Iota of practical yet question stalwarts Like cowherd and others about what they been sharing, living and partaking in their lifes. Its very easy to question what other have been doing withouit doing anything.
Two times in history we have been ahead of them all… not egoistic here but just sating facts.
Takshala - Ancient Indian Oldest fist ever Unv of old universe 2000 BC
and 2nd time b4 external invasion … Krishna Devarayya … ahead of even the romans in terms of arts history and culture – which took three kingdoms to plunder and then burnt the biggest ancient culture of books which were safe guarded for close to 4000 years. This blow dealt capped most of what we were unchallenged world leaders in each every field you can name and the western world is still trying to decipher and has not yet done even 20%.
But there is a light at the end of tunnel by folks like u and me… love of tolerance and reverence for all sects… mind u India is the oldest melting point of civilization for sloe to 8000 years.
Please read these books and thank ur urself what great inheritance u have…
Bulletins
(1) Surapala’s Vrikshayurveda (Sanskrit) (The Science of Plant Life) (also in Hindi,
Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, and Tamil)
(2) Krishi-Parashar (Sanskrit) (Agriculture by Parashar) (also in Hindi and Marathi)
(3) Nuskha Dar Fanni-Falahat (Persian) (The Art of Agriculture)
(4) Kashyapiyakrishisukti (Sanskrit) (A Treatise on Agriculture by Kashyapa)
(5) Vishvavallabha (Sanskrit) (Dear to the World: The Science of Plant Life) (also in
Hindi)
(6) Lokopakara (For the Benefit of People) (also in Hindi)
(7) Krishi Gita (Malayalam) (Agricultural Verses)
(8) Krishishasanam (in Marathi) Management of Farm
(9) Upavana.vinoda (Woodland Garden for Enjoyment
Book
Mriga.pakshi.shastra (Sanskrit) (The Science of Animals and Birds)
Link…
asianagrihistory.org/publications.php
PS;- Even though most of these books might sound antiquated they were way ahead of their time and that is what ancient India practiced for thousands of years b4 western influence … the so called green revolution that actually killed the indigenous way of living by imposing their way ( British Colonilianism).
All I have to say proud to be an Indian.
JAI HIND,
Madhukali
asianagrihistory.org/bulletins.php
Features
104 pages
Multicolor cover on art card
Text on matt art paper
Sanskrit text
English translation
Commentaries
Approximately 1000-year-old text in Sanskrit
Recipes for obtaining high yield of fruits
Control of ailments
Useful in modern agriculture
Price : in India : 300
Price elsewhere : US $ 18
Original in Sanskrit by : Surapala
Translator Nalini : Sadhale
Commentaries : KL Mehra, SM Virmani,YL Nene
Hindi and Marathi editions at Rs 100 per copy.
Features
104 pages
Multicolor cover on art card
Text on matt art paper
Sanskrit text
English translation
Commentaries
Approximately 2000-year-old text in Sanskrit
Approximately 2000-year-old text in Sanskrit
Models for predicting rainfall
Management of cattle
Seed health
Useful in modern agriculture
Price : 350
Price elsewhere : US $ 20
Translator : Nalini Sadhale
Commentaries : HV Balkundi YL Nene
Marathi edition at Rs 100 per copy.
Features
136 pages
Multicolor cover on art card
Text on matt art paper
Persian text
English translation
Commentaries
Approximately 350-year-old text in Persian
Synthesis of farm technologies of West Asia and India
Grafting unrelated trees
Useful in modern agriculture
Price : Rs 350
Price elsewhere : US $ 20
Original in Persian by : Dara Shikoh
Translator : Razia Akbar
Commentaries : KL Mehra KL Chadha JS Kanwar YL Nene
Features
168 pages
Multicolor cover on art card
Text on matt art paper
Sanskrit text
English translation
Commentaries
Approximately 1200-year-old text in Sanskrit
Growing irrigated rice and upland crops
Selecting and managing cattle
Useful in modern agriculture
Price : Rs 350
Price elsewhere : US $ 20
Original in Sanskrit by : Kashyapa
Translator : SM Ayachit
Commentaries : Nalini Sadhale YL Nene
Features
140 pages
Multicolor cover on art card
Text on matt art paper
Original and typed Sanskrit text
English translation
Commentaries
Approximately 425-year-old text in Sanskrit
Detection of groundwater
Harvesting rain water
Growing horticultural crops
Management of crop disorders
Price : Rs 350
Price elsewhere : US $ 20
Original in Sanskrit by : Chakrapani Mishra
Translator : Nalini Sadhale
Commentaries : Nalini Sadhale YL Nene
Features
140 pages
Multicolor cover on art card
Text on matt art paper
English translation
Commentaries
Approximately 1000-year-old text in old Kannada
Water divining
Vrikshayurveda
Perfumery
Veterinary medicine
Price : Rs 350
Price elsewhere : US $ 20
Original in old Kannada by : Chavundaraya
Translator : Valmiki S Ayangarya
Commentaries : YL Nene Nalini Sadhale Shakuntala Dave Umashashi Bhalerao
Features
120 pages
Multicolor cover on art card
Text on matt art paper
Typed pages in Malayalam
English translation
Commentaries
Most useful to growers of crops on the coasts of India
Available for the first time an English translation of 15th century Malayalam manuscript with commentaries based on scientific scrutiny
Price : Rs 350
Price elsewhere : US $ 20
Original in Malayalam by : Parasurama
Translator : B Mohan Kumar
Commentaries : B Mohan Kumar PK Ramchandran Nair
Features
64 pages
Multicolor cover on art card
Text on matt art paper
Re-written original Sanskrit text/td>
English translation
Analytical Commentary
Original in Sanskrit by : Sarangadhara
Translator : Nalini Sadhale
Commentary : YL Nene
Ha ha, that seems a huge amount of praise, thanks Madhukali.
Now let me get down the cloud - as I said elsewhere, I only enable the platform to discuss - the key is the knowledge contributions from all of the community as you are currently doing. For that matter, my personal views on organic/natural do not matter so much as I continue to experiment and evaluate. 
Indian Cow Breed
Shree Math has procured 24 rare Indian breed cattle such as Amrithmahal, Baragur, Dangi, Deoni, Gaoloa, Gir, Hallikaru, Hariana, Jawari, Kangayam, Kankrej, Kasaragod, Khilari, Krishna, Malavi, Malenadu Gidda, Nagori, Nimari, Ongole, Rati, Sahiwal, Sindhi, Tharparker, Umblachery, Vechur and rears them in eco friendly goshalas. Amruthadhara goshala at Hosanagara, the largest centre of native cattle in India, attracts people from different parts of the world.
Shree Math also runs goshalas at Kaggalipura in Bangalore, Mysore, Muliya, Bajakudlu in Kerala and at Mumbai.
Research and development on different aspects of cattle breeding, rearing and utilisation of cow products is undertaken.
Distribution of native breed cows to farmers is another measure.
Shree Math manufactures and markets medicinal arka (cow urine) at Hosanagara, Kaggalipura, Mysore, Perla and Muliya.
It manufactures and markets daily use products like soaps, shampoos, dhoopa and tooth powder out of cow products .
It has established Gavya Chikithsa Kendras, and Ayurvedic nature cure centres which provide treatment to ailments like cancer and arthritis.
vishwagou.org/indiancowbreed.htm
Madhukali.
Investing in life of soils … 10 steps for productive farming.
Madhukali.
Invest_on_Life_in_Soils.pdf (1.28 MB)
Can one of the farmnest members who are in Gulbarga or close by please visit this farm and take some picture validate all the innovations done by this Farmer. Pricewise its really good.
This Article is from DeccanHerald New paper…
You are here: Home » Supplements » Spectrum » Innovations galore by Gulbarga farmer
Innovations galore by Gulbarga farmer
Ananda Teertha Pyati, February 25 2012
At a time when most farmers are under pressure to safeguard their crop from thefts or attacks from wild animals, this farmer is not all that perturbed. His electric fencing most often does the job for him. If some miscreants cut the fencing wire or disconnect power connection, a siren bell alerts him!
Sharanagowda P Patil, a young farmer of Hal Sulthanpura village in Gulbarga district, is an innovative farmer. He has designed many gadgets which lend a helping hand to farmers in this era of labour shortage and paucity of time. One of the major innovations by him is a low-cost fence.
Many companies have electric fencing in their list of products, but they are too expensive and can’t be afforded by small and marginal farmers. After checking with some companies, Sharanagowda decided to design a cost-effective system. His training as part of the ITI electrician course has helped him a lot. “First I learned the circuit system of fencing and bought the necessary devices. After some efforts, I designed a successful fencing system,” says Sharanagowda. He installed fencing for his 15 acres of land at a cost of Rs 20,000 only. Sharanagowda’s innovation has served as an inspiration for other farmers as well. He has ensured that the system works both on electric and solar power. “This fencing is really effective, ” says farmer Mahalingappa of Saradagi village.
Other innovations
Because of farm labour shortage, the entire agriculture set-up is facing a lot of problems. Most often, there are no labourers available for farm work. Sharanagowda has designed a gadget that helps in water supply. He has grown lemon trees on one acre of land, and this crop requires periodic supply of water. Sharanagowda has designed a gadget that ensures water flow for a specific duration. This costs not more than Rs 1,000. “With this instrument, you can control the duration of water flow and after the specified time, it gets switched off automatically. Now I depend upon this small instrument for my entire irrigation needs,” says Sharanagowda proudly.
Typically, when crops are in the harvesting stage, a lot of birds tend to get attracted to the crops. To protect crops, Sharanagowda has installed sound speakers in different places of the field and has connected a radio to them. This sound keep pests and birds away.
Also, Sharangowda has used the ‘siphon principle’ to draw water from the Bennethora River to his field. “Other farmers use electric or diesel pump sets to get river water. But I don’t use this system. By creating a vacuum in the pipeline, water flows automatically from the river to my well. As soon as I draw water from the well, that much water flows down automatically to the well from the river,” explains Sharanagowda.
He has designed several other gadgets including one to pluck fruit, a weed remover, tap irrigation, pipeline protector, etc. His next aim is to produce electricity from the rotating wheel of a bullock cart!
Thanks,
Madhukali.
Natural farming – The next green revolution?
NO DOUBT ON THAT!
Madhukali.
PS:- Please delete this if its already there on the forum as we don’t want duplication of the same data and clutter the site
21.Natural Farming 2010-07.pdf (1.12 MB)
Organic Farming System -
An Integrated Approach for Adoption under
National Horticulture Mission
Best Regards,
Madhukali
NHM_Organic_Management[2].pdf (237 KB)
The economics of agriculture under natural farming.
Madhukali
The economics of agriculture under natural farming.doc (38.5 KB)
Is Organic Farming / Natural Farming practical … Pls see below link
youtube.com/watch?v=1QFUEUVR … re=related
Kissan kerala has got a ton of good Utube videos which are eye openning and very detailed… As the old saying goes… a picture is worth a 1000 words and a video more then a lakh spoken words.
Enjoy and also serach for award winning farmers. This TV channel is too good. Folks in others parts of India pls note kerala the fertility of kerala is unmatched with the rest of the states.
Cheers,
madhu.
The green mantra
From organic farming to rainwater harvesting to using renewable sources of energy, the Bhats at Kokkada in Dakshina Kannada have been following the sustainability path, writes Sibanthi Padmanabha K V
For Germany-returned farmer Ganapathi Bhat and his wife Vidyalakshmi, sustainability is not just a word used in the context of development or environment, but something connected with all aspects of life. They believe that sustainability cannot be achieved in select areas of life, but should be dealt with holistically.
Spend a few hours with the couple at Kokkada, a small village near Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada, and you will realise that agriculture has a future in the country.
All revolutions, perhaps, begin accidentally. If not, a well-educated person with a doctoral degree from a foreign university, would not have returned to Kokkada as early as 1986 and tested his fortune in farming. After moulding life amidst greenery for over two decades, 53-year-old Ganapathi Bhat believes that there is nothing like agriculture, sustainability and India.
Armed with a BSc (Agriculture) degree from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, in 1973, Ganapathi Bhat completed his masters in dairy technology. It was in 1983 that he got a research fellowship from the Leipzig University, Germany to pursue his doctoral degree. Bhat opted for ‘milk production’.
“The extent of pollution in Germany in spite of its advances in various sectors made me think about India, dubbed as a backward country then. Organic farming was in practice in Germany, but I realised that traditional methods followed in India for centuries were superior,” he says.
It was a 20-acre plot of one of his family members that attracted Ganapathi Bhat when he returned to India in 1986. Ever since, the land has become his laboratory. However, it was from 1990 that his plans received a boost, when he married Vidyalakshmi who shares his interests.
Organic mantra
From an areca plantation to vegetable crops, Bhat’s ‘lab’ has been fully organic from the past two-and-a-half decades. The couple has a plantation of over 3,000 areca trees, which also comprises other crops such as birinda (kokum), banana, vanilla, cocoa, coffee, mango and pineapple. Except rock phosphate and dairy slurry, Bhat uses no other fertilisers. He has set up a separate pipeline and sprinkler to spray the slurry onto the entire areca plantation.
“In the early years, I would make compost that served as manure. However, I dropped the idea because of labour shortage. From the collection of raw materials to the disposal of compost, the entire process required many labourers. But now, the process is automatic,” he beams.
A 6,000-ltr-capacity tank has been set up near the dairy. A pipe links the dairy and the tank, which collects slurry. Bhat mixes two kg of rock phosphate with a tank full of slurry, which is in turn sprayed on the plantation with a sprinkler. “The weed, areca spathe, etc that are removed are left in the plantation and they become fertilisers. In fact, they play a vital role in retaining moisture in the plantation, and save water too,” Bhat says. The Bhats grow a lot of organic vegetables too. They apply bio-control measures to keep pests away from their vegetable garden. “Growing turmeric alongside your vegetable rows is the best way to prevent pests from harming your crops,” says Vidyalakshmi, Bhat’s wife.
Rainwater harvesting
Ganapathi Bhat uses rainwater harvesting on his farm too. He built temporary bunds across a rivulet next to his plantation allowing water to percolate into the soil. He even dug out a percolation pond in his cashew plantation for harvesting rain water. The results were immediate, Bhat says. He went on to install a tank on the roof of his dairy for collecting rain water.
“We need 3,000 litres of water per day for our dairy. However, with this tank on the rooftop, we do not depend on any other source during the rainy season. Because we have a long rainy season here, we directly use rainwater for about six months,” he explains. Multiply 3,000 (litres) with 180 (days); it is 5,40,000 litres. The Bhats do not pump out this huge quantum of water from the earth for half a year. That means they save energy that would otherwise have been used for pumping 5,40,000 litres of water.
At the dairy…
Dairying is another experiment taken up by the couple. They sell 40 litres of milk every day, after meeting domestic requirements. From feeding to medicating them, the cows are well-looked after by the couple.
Bhat’s high breed cattle suffered from a strange joint problem for many years, for which he could not find a solution in spite of experts’ suggestions. It was by accident that he found a solution. He stumbled upon an old book on Veterinary Sciences published in 1850, and came across a unique homeopathic antibiotic. He mixed a specific amount of the powder with the feed.
He even started preparing cattle feed on his own. He purchases about six tons of jowar at a time, enough for six months. He has machines to prepare the feed. Bhat has not only improvised the cattle feed available in the market but also made the process cost-effective. Even the fodder required for cattle is produced domestically. The Bhats grow grass on an acre, besides which they provide areca spathes. They also have a separate machine to crush the spathes into small pieces. In spite of owning more than ten cows, the Bhats have not purchased fodder in the last five years.
They have made the best use of milking machines too.
Power from biogas
The Bhats have installed two biogas plants, one built in the floating tank method, and another an underground dome-shaped plant. After fulfilling their domestic requirements, the family uses the gas for running a generator.
“Biogas fulfills about 80 per cent of the fuel requirement of the seven kv-capacity generator. Diesel requirement is just 20 per cent,” says Ganapathi Bhat.
“If you simply dump the cow dung in the plantation, the methane released from it mixes with the environment. If you generate power from it, you are releasing only carbon dioxide into the air, which is less hazardous than methane gas. On the one hand, you are using a renewable source of energy, and on the other, you are causing less harm to the environment,” he explains.
Besides biogas, the farm also uses solar energy. Twelve solar panels that can charge a 1.5 kv battery have been installed.
Sustainability in kitchen
A home science expert, Vidyalakshmi prepares cost-effective products for domestic use. She prepares quashes from mango, birinda (kokum) and pineapple grown in their own plantation. The Bhats have a lot more spare space in their land which can be used for commercial purposes. But their philosophy is different.
“The harm we are causing to our ecology in the name of modern agriculture is irreparable and inexcusable,” says Ganapathi Bhat. On his farm though, he is doing a huge favour to the environment.
From my Archive… Enjoy
Madhukali
Very inspiring ! Can I get email id and / or contact phone / cell no of the couple please !
Thanks
Anant Joglekar
09423089706
apjoglekar@yahoo.co.in
Absolutely wonderful article. Kindly provide pics/contact info if possible.
Shiv
This site is extreamly valuable so please book mark.
It pretty much covers close to 8-9 most important aspects of farming!
The basis of water harvesting: History and perspectives
Water and soil requirements
Rainfall-runoff analysis
Design model for catchment: Cultivated area ratio
Water harvesting techniques
Husbandry
Socio-economic factors and project management
Simple surveying techniques
Cheers,
Madhukali
Hi Madhukali,
above info is really amazing, electric fence for 15 acres for 20k .
Dear boarders pls check if anyone can validate it and get more info. I am really in need of such cheaper solution.
Thanks
Find the amazing fence of Sharangowda Patil.
I am seeing only one wire is that right?. How is he able to keep the cattle away?. In my farm, as the cattles were grazing since years it thinks that my farm is its right and jumps any hurdle and even my neigbours electric fence.
Hi Swamiji,
Your have a very good reach I must say and that was a super fast response. Did you happen to already visit the farm and take pictures from before.
What is your conclusion… is it doable and can we replicate in the same in other areas. Please advice.
Thanks,
Madhukali.