Monthly Archives: January 2010

Organic Farming Methods

Posted on January 31, 2010 by admin| Leave a comment

     It is a farming practice which involves the use of eco-friendly methods to grow crops and the exclusion of synthetic products such as chemical fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides. Organic farming is practiced on 32.2 million hectares of land the world over. The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) carries out the tasks related to setting standards and regulation of organic farming activities worldwide.

     Organic Farming Methods

     The use of organic farming methods is aimed at enhancing the productivity of crops without the use of any kind of synthetic materials and adopting a sustainable approach towards farming.

     Cultivation

     Polyculture is an important aspect of organic farming. In the traditional form of farming, monoculture is practiced, which includes growing a single crop in a given piece of land. Though the motive behind cultivating a single crop, is to reduce costs incurred in fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, etc. However, it creates problems in the long run. The reduction in the fertility of the soil owing to the extraction of nutrients over a long period and soil erosion result from the practice of monoculture. Moreover, the pests become immune to the chemicals used for their control. Polyculture is a completely different approach towards farming as compared to monoculture. In this method of farming, a variety of crops are cultivated on a single piece of land. It helps attract different soil microbes. Some crops act as repellents to pest and this results in pest control, in an organic manner.

     Fertilization Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Techniques

Tagged

Earthworm Farming

Posted on January 31, 2010 by admin| Leave a comment

     Earthworm farming is a natural method of composting wastes such as kitchen garbage, fallen leaves and other discarded household wastes. It is also referred to as vermicomposting. The vermicompost obtained from the earthworm farming contains beneficial nutrients and microorganisms for the plants. Hence, it can be used as an excellent nutrient supplement and soil conditioner in gardening. Some people own the business of earthworm farming to supply the compost commercially.

     Earthworm Farming

     Earthworm farming is very easy, provided that the worm farmer understands the worm requirements properly. The thumb rule of earthworm composting is to keep the medium moist and protect it from drying, water accumulation and cold temperature. There are many species of earthworm that differ in their behavior. Hence, selecting a correct earthworm species is very important for a successful farming.

     One of the most commonly employed earthworm species for vermicomposting is red wrigglers. They are not smelly and reproduce faster than other earthworm species. In order to start with farming, you can purchase these earthworms from a bait shop or other pet stores. You can opt for bulk buying of small size worms or fully grown ones that measure about 3 inch in length.

     The next step for earthworm farming is to prepare a good medium for the worms by combining the bedding with manure. Some of the bedding options include peat moss, shredded paper, leaves, sawdust, plain dirt or a combination of these. Though peat moss is favorable for the earthworms, it is comparatively costlier than the other options for preparing earthworm medium. Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Farming

Tagged

Fish Farming Techniques

Posted on January 31, 2010 by admin| Leave a comment

     Fish farming is the main form of aquaculture and it is now done on a large scale, to meet the increasing demands of fish protein. As the name suggests, fish farming is the commercial raising of fish for the purpose of food. One of the forms of fish farming, called as hatchery pertains to the releasing of fish species into the tanks or enclosures, in order to supplement the fish species or increase the numbers of fish. Hatchery is made, so, that recreational fishing can be given a boost. The unprecedented increase in commercial fishing has resulted in overfishing and this has compelled the growth of fish farming, so that, the demands of fish protein can be adequately met. Salmon, carp, tilapia, catfish and cod are some of the fishes that are raised extensively in commercial fishing.

      There are two types of fish farming viz. extensive farming and intensive farming. Here is a discussion about the fish farming techniques.

     Caging Systems

     Nets or cages are popular methods of fishing in off shore coastal areas and freshwater lakes, ponds and oceans. Fish are raised in the cages, fed artificially and harvested when the numbers of fish meet the required demands of market. Some of the advantages of cage farming systems is, that this farming technique can be practiced in various types of water sources like lakes, ponds, seas and oceans, that offers flexibility to the farmers. Also, many types of fish can be raise together and the water can be used for various other purposes like water sports. In this farming method, superior quality cages are constructed and put in the water sources to raise the fish. Spread of diseases, poaching and concerns of poor quality water are some of the disadvantages of this farming system.

     Ponds Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Techniques

Tagged

Spain’s Greenhouse Effect

Posted on January 31, 2010 by admin| Leave a comment

     The shimmering surface is down to an agricultural gold rush that has turned one of Spain’s poorest corners into Europe’s largest greenhouse. An area so arid and dusty that it provided the backdrop for spaghetti westerns, Almería has made a fortune by covering itself with a canopy of transparent plastic. Above all, it is a monument to the way we now grow our food. Almería, and the area around it, is Europe’s winter market garden, spread across 135 square miles.

     Symbols of hastily acquired wealth abound. Farmers glint with gold jewellery. New shopping malls rise above the plastic. Immigrants from as far off as Mali, Colombia or Ukraine offer their toil and their sweat. Instead of trying to sell cars or banks, billboards advertise seeds.

     Antonio Moreno, one of thousands of smallholders who have built this plastic jungle, knows how to put fresh tomatoes on British tables in January or courgettes at Christmas. He grows crops that have no direct contact with nature beyond sun, air and water. “You really should wear shorts in here,” he says in the 45C (113F) heat as he points to tubes from which tomato plants sprout.

     Mr Moreno’s plants will never touch soil – they grow from bags filled with oven-puffed grains of white perlite stone. Chemical fertilisers are drip-fed to each plant from four large, computer-controlled vats in a nearby room. He talks proudly of his vats. They hold, he says, potassium nitrate, magnesium and potassium sulphate, calcium nitrate and phosphoric acid. “The plants get exactly what they need, nothing more and nothing less,” he says. “There is no waste.”

     Swamped

     He will crop tomatoes continuously from October to July. The greenhouses are so successful that they have swamped the plain of Dalías, where people such as Mr Moreno’s father used money earned in French car factories or Swiss restaurants to buy small plots. Now the sheeting is moving up the valleys of the nearby Alpujarra hills, one of Spain’s most bucolic, unspoiled areas. Diggers are also gouging terraces in nearby Granada province.

     “They block up dry riverbeds and destroy mountainsides but nobody does anything, however much we complain,” says environmentalist Juan Antonio Martínez, surveying the scarred hills at Albuñol. “If there is a serious storm, much of this will be washed away.” Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Introduction

Tagged