Rain water dependant farming -

Farm Questions
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1

I am living in Bangalore working as software engineer last 12yrs.
I have my land of 30gunta well irrigated just 100 meter away from Tungabhadra River at my native in Haveri district which is around 350KM(8hrs) from Bangalore.

I am planning to do agroforestry/ food forest which will be dependent only on rain water(average rainfall in my area is 340mm /year) initially. So I want suggestions from the experts who has done this type of farming . I am planning to for Sitaphal, mango, Jackfruit and etc which can be survived only on rain water

I am farming not for the profit that comes from it, but my intention is to make my land a forest full of plants and trees

Please let me know your suggestions

2

Regenerative and Square feet farming methodology will be the best . No tillage
Edible / Herbal Root or Rhizome plant species ( Turmeric / Ginger / Tapioca / Jicama / Carrot , Beet etc. ) to feed the living micro organisms viz. archaea, bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, algae, protozoa etc. under the soil
Ground trailing edible plant species as cover crop ( Mint , Coriander , Culantro ,Nasturtium, Purslane , Spinach etc )
Regular small shrub plants i.e. Fruits , Vegetables , Leafy Greens , Edible / Wild Flowers etc.
Border with Perennial fruit plants ( Mango , Jackfruit , Avocado , Lime ,etc.
Live fencing with Bamboo , Karonda , Pear cactus etc.
Better if you have a small compost unit and source of cow dung

1 Like
3

Thank you for your reply.

4

What does this mean ? I could not understand . You are telling we need to have these root plants or not ?

5

Soil microorganisms, fungi and bacteria, critical to soil health, also benefit from no-till practices. When soil is left undisturbed, beneficial soil organisms can establish their communities and feed off of the soil’s organic matter. Undisturbed soil resembles a sponge, held together by an intricate structure of different soil particles and channels created by roots and soil organisms. When the soil is disturbed by tilling, its structure becomes less able to absorb and infiltrate water and nutrients.

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6

Namaste Srinath,
At Soil Of Life, we support land custodians like yourself to create a space as described.
Reach out to us at support@soiloflife.in or +916369127672 by whatsapp.

Regards
Dr. Janki R

7

Mango, Jackfruit, Tamarind, Cashew etc can be grown with rainfall only.

Create Half Moon trenches against the flow of the rain water and place the saplings below the half moon.

Create trenches all along the borders and ensure no rainwater leaves your land and is soaked up by the soil.

Glyricidia, Drumstick plants etc are required to create micro climate as well as giving nitrogen to the upcoming plants.

Either Green Mulching or dry mulching needs to be available to cover the soil completely.

Hope this helps.