Role of a live fence in a small farm

Role of a live fence in a small farm

It acts as a shelter for a variety of useful birds, reptiles and other animals



Living protector: Dr. G. Nammalvar, standing in front of a live fence in Odugampatti village in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu.

The word fencing usually brings to mind a long cement wall surrounding a plot of land or barbed steel wires attached to granite pillars around the periphery of the land.

For a variety of reasons a small farm needs to be fenced. A fence marks the boundary of the farm and keeps away stray animals.

The investment for either constructing a wall or putting up steel wires is quite heavy. Small and marginal farmers cannot invest a huge sum for erecting such a fence.
Monetary investment

Instead, Dr. G. Nammalvar, organic scientist suggests that farmers can grow crops around their lands as a live fence.

“People who go for natural way of farming prefer to have a live fence,” he said. Even if it takes two or three years to complete such a task, the monetary investment is less and the fence becomes a long lasting one.

Usually thorny plants are grown to make a live fence. For example bushes such as agave and cactus, creepers, and small shrubs (perennial bushes) are the most sought after ones. Besides, trees such as subabul and casuarina can also be planted as a live fence.

More space

But does not a live fence occupy more space and require care?

“Yes, to an extent live fence does occupy some more space than concrete structures, but it also gives us wild vegetables which are more nutritious and medicinal than the regular cultivated crops. This cannot be got from steel wires or concrete walls,” explained Dr. Nammalvar. A perennial bio-fence with a width of 3 to 4 meters will be a boon to a farm. For example bamboo can be ideally used as live fence material.

After four or five years bamboo gives us building material for farm requirements and its leaves are a good fodder for cattle and goat.

“When we choose plants for bio-fencing it would be wise to choose multi purpose plants. Bio-fencing has one more role to play in the farming.

Wind breaker

It can act as a wind breaker. During the summer months if the dry wind enters the farm the soil moisture is carried away.

“A wind breaker breaks the speed of the wind and reduces the heat. Like wise in the winter season it blocks the cold winds and saves the crop from damage due to frost, and reduces the damage from cyclones. Tree species such as subabul and casuarina, if closely planted, will form very good wind breakers.

“The best purpose of having a live fence is that it serves as a shelter belt. This provides shelter for wild animals such as squirrels, rats, mongoose, hares, foxes, and birds such as sparrow, cuckoo, mina, peacock, and wild chicken,” he explained.

Micro nutrients

These wild animals help the farmer in plant protection by eating the pests on plants and by adding micro nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, nitrogen and phosphorus.

Also they help in converting organic and inorganic substances into elements needed for the growth of cultivated and uncultivated plants, according to him.

“We should keep in mind that we would not walk into the shelter belt frequently to encourage the wild friends to come and nest inside.

“They will bring seeds of plants from far off places and their excreta brings new kinds of micro organisms to our soil,” said Dr. Nammalvar.

A good example of a live fence is at Kolunchi, centre for training and research on ecological food production located in Odugampatti village at a distance of 11 kilometers from Keeranur, Pudukkottai district.

It is established and maintained by Kudumbam, a Non-Governmental Organization engaged in LEISA (Low External Input and Sustainable Agriculture).

For more information readers can contact Dr. G. Nammalvar at No 17/9, 5th cross, Srinivas nagar, Thiruvannaikoil, Tiruchi- 620005, Tamil Nadu, email: nammalvar@gmail.com, mobile: 9442531699.

Tour to create awareness of natural farming

Tour to create awareness of natural farming

Scientist wants State to set up 100 field schools "Farmers can assemble in fields and learn about it through practice"


Agriculture scientist G. Nammalvar speaking at a function at the Grand Anicut in Thanjavur district on Tuesday. — Photo: M. Srinath

Thanjavur: As many as 100 field schools for training farmers in natural farming should be created in the State, agriculture scientist G. Nammalvar said at Grand Anicut in Thanjavur district on Tuesday.

Concluding his awareness tour from Vedaranyam to Grand Anicut to popularise natural farming, Mr. Nammalvar said that there was no need for a black board or a piece of chalk to preach natural farming.

"Farmers can assemble in fields and learn about natural farming through practice," he said. During his tour, he came across hundreds of people who evinced interest in knowing about natural farming. A resolution adopted at the meeting here said that the Government should take interest in popularising natural farming.

Subsidy

Subsidy for agriculture inputs should be given to farmers who take up natural farming. Separate shops should be earmarked at `uzhavar sandhais' for selling organic vegetables. Agriculture colleges should have subjects on natural farming and farmers who rear cattle and sheep should be encouraged, the resolution said. Wastelands should be converted into green pastures.

Ban sought

A ban should be imposed on pesticides that have been banned in various countries. All transgenic experiments should be banned in the State, it added.

Import of food grain from foreign countries should be banned. Cultivable lands should not be used for other purposes. Encroachments on rivers and canals should be removed and stringent punishment should be given to those who encroach water resources. The resolution also said that cultivation of medicinal herbs should be encouraged in all villages.

State farmers' commission should be created as per the recommendation of agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan. Thamizhaga Iyarkai Uzhavar Iyakkam, Federation of Farmers' Association and Federation of Consumer Organisations of Tamil Nadu and Pondichery (FEDCOT) had extended support to Mr. Nammalvar's tour.

Bread sandwich method can provide vegetables throughout the year

Bread sandwich method can provide vegetables throughout the year

About 2,500 farmers all over the country are practicing this concept




Vegetables have a short lifespan compared to fruit crops. By making use of modern technologies and inputs, their lifespan can perhaps be extended to say about a year.

But if there is a simple method of growing vegetables throughout the year, without any costly gadgets, modern technologies, or costly inputs, it is definitely worth a try for the farmers.

Commonly called the ‘Bread sandwich method,’ once the soil is made ready and the suggested practices followed, one need not work on the soil for the second time. They can go on sowing and reaping, all through the year, according to Dr. G. Nammalvar, organic scientist.

Better yield

But why call it the sandwich method? “We are used to eating sandwich in which vegetable or egg is inserted between two layers of bread. The same method is applied in gardening for a better yield.”

“Here, the top soil and sub soil are kept separated by inserting compost between the two layers of soil. Charcoal can also be inserted for better performance,” explained Dr. Nammalvar.

According to him, soil health forms the basis for the production of nutritious food from our garden.

“By feeding the micro (soil) organisms and maintaining soil moisture we can harvest maximum solar energy through photosynthesis. For the application of this principle we adopt sandwiching of soil.” The top soil is loose and contains more micro and macro organisms than the sub soil. The roots of plants, whether it is wheat or radish go up to a depth of more than 60 cm into the soil.

Healthy soil

So it is important that the soil is healthy and the micro organisms live till a depth of about 60 centimetres. At the same time farmers must ensure that the top soil is not buried deep.

“To achieve this result, as a first step, we remove the top soil and keep it separate. Then we split the sub soil. In the third stage, a thick layer of well digested compost is added over the split sub soil. Finally, the top soil is replaced over the compost, said Dr. Nammalvar.

“This is called as soil sandwiching. Radish and greens can be sown on the edges. Vegetables with wider canopy such as tomato, brinjal, lady’s finger and chilli have to be allowed wider spacing.

Avoid monocropping

“It is wise to avoid mono culture. Because plants of the same family compete with each other for light, water and nutrition.” While sowing the seeds, it is advisable for farmers to do relay cropping. Relay cropping means sowing or planting a seed or a plant before the withering of the previous one.

At the end of the harvest cut the vegetative parts and put back over the soil. In order to get better quality and more quantity let apply organic inputs.

Suitable combinations

By experience one can understand better combinations. One thumb rule is to see that one legume crop (e.g., cowpea) is sown adjacent to every non-legume (non-pulse) group plants.

The bed can be of any length. But it is advisable to keep the width to about 120cm. A bed size of about 1.2mX7.5m will fulfil the vegetables need of a single person (that is 200 gm of vegetables every day).

“The plants should be watered using sprinkler or rose cane or a hose with shower to create a rain effect. Wastewater used for washing the floors and utensils can also be used. It is better to water the plants during evening,” said Nammalvar.

Minimum income

By adopting this practice a family of five persons can grow vegetables all through the year in 25 cents, or quarter of an acre of land, to ensure a certain minimum income throughout. At present there are about 2,500 farmers all over India who are practicing it.

For information on training, readers can contact Dr. G. Nammalwar at email: nammalvar@gmail.comor mobile: 9442531699.

We eat corps, not crops! Says Dr. Nammalvar, Organic Scientist

We eat corps, not crops! Says Dr. Nammalvar, Organic Scientist

My father said, “You can make others work only when you have worked and learnt everything!” These are the words of Dr. G. Nammalvar, organic scientist, in an interview by K. Karthikeyan of Ananda Vikatan, a Tamil weekly, in which he shared seven important lessons that he has learnt in life. He proudly remembers his father’s words as the first lesson which brought him accolade when he pulled the plough through the fields in style while he was pursuing his degree in Agriculture Science at Chitdambaram College, Tamil Nadu.



While he was teaching the latest farming technologies to people across many villages through the Agricultural Farming Groups, set up by the government under the plans of Green Revolution, he ran across an inspiring Essay on “Participatory Development.” There, the fact that the Green Revolution has nothing in store for agricultural prospects had dawned on his mind. It is only ‘participation’ that matters, he realised. At once he stayed with people of a village for over a period of time and changed to simple costumes of village farmers – a dothi around waist with bare body and rubber chappals – to participate in farming and learn from the people who knew the quality of the land better than him rather than teaching them the methods of farming with inadequate knowledge of land where he never stepped in. He coupled his knowledge with their labour and produced welcome results. He says this was the second important learning in his life, and for which he was celebrated among those village people.



Once, Nammalvar visited Aurobindo Ashram Farm to attend a workshop. There, he met a foreign lady who took a round with them through the fields and on coming back to Ashram, sat to have her lunch that afternoon. When all the courses were served, she commented, “Why do you serve me poison, when I’m looking for food?” Though surprised and shocked at her comment, Nammalvar and others were convinced when she explained about the chemical fertilizers used in farming to grow those crops which were used in cooking the lunch! The thought of Natural Farming, using natural fertilizers struck his mind for the first time and he did not delay anymore to pool information on Natural Farming. Nammalvar recalls it as the third most important lesson that he has learnt in life.





He also recalls another curious moment of his life where he ran across the three R’s of Natural Science – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. In 1996, when he went to attend a conference in Europe, he came to know about Emoyce Foundation in Europe. After the World War II, several small provinces got independence. Consequently, the European Economy underwent a long period of recession. Most people were rendered homeless and became beggars. At that time, Father Abe Pear, a Member of French Parliament, hosted dinners whenever he happened to meet beggars. However, he felt the need to remove poverty in the life of paupers and give them a new way of life. He resigned his post of MP and talked to the beggars. He suggested that they could grow a small flock of laying hens, swine and goats which would feed on their begged food. The eggs laid by hens and the meat of goats would serve the purpose of their meals while the money obtained from selling reared swine could get them some saving for rainy day. Instead of knocking at doors and asking, “Anything to eat?” now they should ask, “Anything useless?” to get old dresses, shoes, fans, TV’s, belts, coats, etc, so that they could mend and resell them at second hand rates to gain income. Now the Emoyce Foundation has 356 units in European countries. Their motto: 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle was adopted by Nammalvar for agriculture and farming to solve some agricultural problems.



When he got a chance to visit Philipines, he learnt the method of “terrace gardening”, a well known practice of farming on the mountain slopes where it is easy to water the farms without any onerous task of setting up irrigation canals. This he recalls as the fifth lesson which he applied at several farms and got good produce from those lands.

Next he recounts a very important day of not only his life but also of our nation with a touch of humour. It was a time when America and Germany sought patent on seeds of neem tree which is the mother tree of India. For that patent case he visited Munich in Germany. Nammalwar kept in his hands all the sample parts of a neem tree to prove that India has been using each and every part of the tree from times immemorial. The person who came from Germany inquired about them. Nammalvar took out a neem stick and told him that it can serve the purpose of both toothpaste and brush if bitten at one end and used for brushing the teeth. He further explained that toothpaste and brush, invented by them are non-biodegradable and non eco-friendly, causing danger to both soil and the livestock in it whereas his neem stick is bio-digradable and eco-friendly. “It was only when an American who came to Bombay found out the fact that neem oil could be used as mosquito repellent that he took neem oil to America. Why mosquitoes, we drive away even the ghosts by the leaves of neem tree!” he added. After listening to his delineation, the German scientist was dumbstruck and his stand was nullified in the patent case. Their dream of obtaining patent was thus shattered, says Nammalvar, proudly recalling the day as an important day of his life and the nation too.



A pressing memory of a Conference on Slow Food in Italy leaves Nammalvar a bit touched. Meanwhile he calls it his seventh and last important experience in life that affected his eating habits. There a paper presented by a resource person talked about a strange branch of science – Intestinology, in the words of Nammalvar. The packed food items exported from America are very expensive and to buy those products we pay 40% of the cost towards shipping charges, but paying nothing to the farmer who produced it! “What is the solution for that?” wonders Nammalvar. He suggests that we should eat what is cultivated in our own land, in our own nearby village. He says he has developed the habit of eating the fruits and vegetables that grow in the nearby lands, even the paddy grains. He does not even touch the cooked food. Rather, he prefers to eat them raw and fresh. What else do you get after boiling rice? He says most of us eat not the crops but the corpse of rice!