Showing posts with label save water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label save water. Show all posts

Thursday, 6 August 2015

Managing Drought In The Ancient Times: Find Out Here How Our Forefathers Survived It

Life on earth exists because the earth has the very storehouse of water required for lives to exist. Around 75% of the earth’s surface is filled with water, although all of this percentage cannot be utilized. Everyone on this planet does not get this premier elixir in abundance in spite of it being not too costly. In fact water is often considered as a paradox because the most precious liquid is dirt cheap in most places. People who are located in regions of the continents where rivers flow, oceans are nearby, are often luckier than those who reside on the banks of sand dunes where water itself plays and becomes an illusion to trick the thirsty souls. Well, fortune takes a hand at times and ensures that people who are enriched with an abundant source of water comes face to face with dry spells.

A prolonged period of time without the blissful showers from heaven can make the life of people miserable. Drought has been a cunning guest of Mother Nature since eternity. Sometimes it lasted for a week or so and at times years or even decades. In ancient times droughts were common and people often considered it to be a curse or punishment from the messengers of heaven. They faced drought as if it was an ordinance to follow. Perhaps they kept their head low as they did not have much appendage to help their situation. The absence of precipitation for a considerable amount of time affects the ecosystem as well as the atmosphere. The droughts would eventually occur as a by-product of their indigenous practices like slash and burn cultivation, deforestation for shelter, food, etc. They were not equipped to outlast the effect of drought. The only form of living was agriculture and that occupation experienced a great setback during droughts. People who could sustain the drought survived while the rest died due to the sun-baked atmosphere without the seasoning of rain spatters. A few would consider removing themselves from the ‘cursed’ area and enter a new world by migrating.

The world remembers the severe and the consecutive effect of drought in the 1930s in the United States of America when people from the several counties of Rolla, Kansas moved to the west in search of occupation. Agriculture was the most affected sector contributing to the Great Depression when banks failed, unemployment soared and life became lifeless. Some tried to resist the drought with the hope of a miracle to happen, rain to usher, while others migrated to different areas. This showcases how people faced the severe consequences of drought without having the power to overcome them. They were forced to act as mere puppets in the hands of Nature. If they had anything that could make their agriculture go on at that time, it could have saved thousands of lives.

Today, we can create a difference. We, the successors of those worthy souls who had to die due to lack of their livelihood, can make a divergence. A miracle has born. A boon to overcome the effects of drought is here. The answer is coco peat. Nowadays, coco peat is endowed with brilliant soil conditioning properties. It acts like a sponge having water retention capabilities. It can hold moisture up to 7 times its volume. Not only that, it does help in strengthening the roots of the plants. It also maintains the pH level required to cultivate. Coconut husks can be shredded to huge chunks which can act as a splendid growing medium during dry spells. Growers of Kenya, Wisconsin, and Minnesota etc. hugely depend on this organic media for economizing even when chances to cultivate are insufficient. Coco Peat has been a pioneer in the agronomic industry in the last few decades, especially in drought prone and arid areas. We have reached the moon; we can no longer afford to bow down to natural calamities.

Tuesday, 14 July 2015

Are You Experiencing These Stunning Breakthroughs In Horticulture?

An ever expanding branch of science dealing with the science, technology and business of vegetable gardening,  plant growing, which includes the cultivation of medicinal plants, sprouts, fruits, vegetables, seaweeds, nuts, seeds, herbs, algae, flowers, mushrooms, and non-food crops like ornamental plants and grass. The development rate which is affecting every field hasn’t let the horticulture down, and with new practises horticulture is widening its scope. With recent advancement so as to use by-products in some other use, using conservation of water and better methodology for plant growth always adds to the good cause.
  • A three year study which was carried out by G. Caruso, G. Villari, C. Borrelli, G. Russo on asparagus in South Italy with the purpose of verifying the possibility to practise organic management and the conventional process. The end results showed that though the conventional process yields more output, but the practise of organic management as if to add manure to the soil certainly increased the output.  
  • In another experiment which was conducted by F. Piazzolla, M.L. Amodio, R. Rinaldi and few others to evaluate the effect of the type of fertilization and stage of maturity harvest on red and yellow ‘Cazzone’ peppers, the maturity stage influenced color parameters and soluble solids, acidity and pH for both the specified types and fertilizers had adverse effect when it was studied in the long run.
  • In a field experiment in south Kashmir conducted by, A. Kumar and I. Ahad, to identify the suitable strawberry cultivators for higher production showed that maximum results were obtained under polyhouse conditions.
Other than these researches there are more aspects of horticulture  that are flourishing with each passing day. One such instance is the use of coco peat. Coco Peat is made from coconut husks which are obtained as by product of other industries that uses coconuts. Coir fibre pith or coir dust is the main constituent of coco peat and is obtained by processing of coconut husk and then removing the fibres. This coco peat used as soil additive, is used as absorbent in wet floors and can be sometimes used to make seats and sofa-sets .
Water conservation is also an aspect worth concern in case of horticulture. There can be various ways used for the utilization of water like sprinkle irrigation and drip irrigation that would be so beneficiary. Saving and using water conservation techniques helps us to use water in emergency time.
Plant growth is a factor that one considers in horticulture. We usually don’t grow the same plant over and over again in the same soil as that would make the soil deficient in some specific nutrients. For instance, we cultivate pulses for restoration of various nutrients. Legumes are a great way for nitrogen fixation.

The modernization in the various techniques that are included in horticulture we see that our mother nature is being saved in every possible way and these techniques also increase the standard of the outputs. These techniques not only provide benefits to human in short term, but the various techniques such as conservation of water and soil also helps us to use these resources as and when required.

Sunday, 12 April 2015

Agriculture Directory is an Essential Aid in Modern World


An online agriculture directory is an excellent aid that can support modern day farming. These days, agriculture resembles an industrial activity, very different from the farming practices of our forefathers. Today's cultivator needs equipment like tractors and harvesters, input materials like seeds, pesticides and weedicides, services like soil analysis and expert consultancy on different matters. The term agriculture today includes more than cultivating the land for grains. It also means horticulture, grazing, vineyards, timber growing, dairy farming, poultry farming and fish farming, for example. Considering this wider meaning, the materials, services and information needs of the modern day agriculturist is wide-ranging. An online directory that provides instant access to sources of supplies and information is indeed a great support facility for the agriculturist.

Topics Covered by an Agriculture Directory The topics covered by an agriculture directory these days are wide-ranging. Extracts from the main categories of a major agriculture directory illustrates the variety:
  • Bees and Honey
  • Cattle
  • Horse
  • Insurance & Financing
  • Import Export
  • Rabbits
  • Barns & Structures
  • Arts & Crafts
  • Seed Companies
  • Equestrian Sport
  • Agritourism
  • Equipment Dealers
  • Government
  • Fencing
  • Sustainable Agriculture
  • Plant Diseases
  • Hydroponics
  • Horticulture
  • Animal Bedding
  • Education
  • Forestry
  • Veterinary Medicine
  • Rural Sociology
The above is only a sample meant to illustrate the variety of topics relevant to agriculturists.

Basic Functions of Agriculture Directories Serving the needs of agriculturists is a prime function of the directories. Agriculturists need seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, weedicides, tractors, harvesters, soil analysis services; best practices case histories and other inputs for their agricultural activities. They also need marketing support in the forms of information on markets, lists of marketing agencies, government support programs and so on. A good agriculture directory provides links to relevant resources for meeting these requirements. Agriculture is not just cultivation and todayís agriculture directories also include links to such resources as horse racing, farm tourism, government regulations, rural arts and crafts and so on. Promoting the agricultural activities in a country is another objective served by national agriculture directories that focus on the suppliers in one particular country. . Exporters in the country would be supported by information about export possibilities, lists of overseas importers, details of government support programs and so on. Importers in other countries would be better able to source their requirements with the help of such regional directories.

Different Kinds of Agriculture Directories Considering the many areas covered or touched by agriculture, it offers scope for many niche directories. We look at a few and their significance below.

EQUINE WEB SITES: Includes links to horse breeders, riding stables, horse racing and such equine topic related web sites.

REGIONAL DIRECTORIES: National directories listing agricultural suppliers located in a country are quite common.

AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES: With links to universities, publications, weather, news and other resources of value to agriculturists and related businesses. Here again, we have only touched upon the variety. If you look around, you would find a resource that caters to your particular agriculture related niche.

Conclusion Agriculture is not confined to cultivating the land. In today's context, it includes even such apparently different activities as equine sports, farm tourism and rural arts, in addition to conventional resources like coco peat, seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, tractors, harvesters, etc required by cultivators. The agriculture directory of today will also include links to resources needed by animal, poultry and fish farmers, horticulturists, forestry and other activities covered by the term agriculture. Agriculture directory resources will also cover support activities like insurance, finance, marketing, education and news. Agriculture today is more like an industry that needs information and technology, in addition to conventional inputs outlined earlier.

About the author : Boyce Agro - Manufacturer and exporter of Coco peat from India and Srilanka. 

Wednesday, 18 March 2015

The Cocopeat of Kerala


Kerala is situated on the South West coast of India right beside Tamil Nadu.  The capital is Cochin with its bustling harbour lined with fishing nets and home to fishing boats of all shapes and sizes.

Much of the architecture has been influenced by the Chinese who traded along the coast leaving legacy of cooking pots similar to woks, cleavers and pickling jars.  As well as the Chinese, the abundance of spices in Kerala attracted the attentions of the early Phoenicians, Syrians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all of whom were happy just to trade and return home.  Fighting over the territory didnít begin until the late 15th Century when the British, Dutch, Portuguese and French tried to stake their claims to the spice riches.  The British ended up the victors and set up a factory and depot dealing in spices in Tellicherry, a name still associated with good quality pepper.

Black pepper is prolific in Kerala and makes a major contribution to Indiaís input of one third of the worldís production.  Cardamom too is a native here and the warm, damp growing conditions are ideal for ginger and turmeric rhizomes to flourish.

Kerala is famous for its inland waterways including lakes, lagoons, canals and rivers, collectively known as backwaters, bordered by tropical, lush, greenery and paddy fields as well as homes and schools.  The backwaters provide a road network along which transport in the form of canoes, grass-thatched rice boats and overloaded water buses ply their trade.

Kerala means ìsland of the coconuts and no part of the coconut is wasted - the oil is used for frying and the dressing of hair.  The flesh appears in a large number of cooked dishes and the coir which is produced from the husk of the coconut, is used to make floor mats, mattresses, made as cocopeat used in horticulture as a soil mix to hold water and avoid root related deceases. .

Coir is big business here - a lot of Coir related products are exported to Europe, middle wast, Japan and USA,

Apart from coir, may popular cocopeat exporters from india source cocopeat from kerala. companies use cocopeat as oil absorbents, its an industrial application, many horse studs in the middle east and europe use them for horse bedding.

Kerala Coir and cocopeat products are in demand worldwide