Caring Farmers Bhailalbhai H. Dhanhukia, Alpeshbhai K. Dhandhukia

On 30th Jan. 2010, my son Tanmay and I met very interesting farming people at village Kara, Ta: Valia, Dist Bharuch, Gujarat. The names of farming members are Shri Bhailalbhai H. Dhandhukia, Shri Kantibhai H. Dhandhukia and Shri Alpeshbhai Kantibhai Dhandhukia. Their major crop is sugarcane. Many farmers grow sugarcane in this area but they have special with them. Yes there are so many speciality in them and they are;

1. They are member's of united family.
2. They are working in team and distributed their area of work.
3. They have taken professional approach for better farming and have appointed consultant for sugarcane farming for better yields.
   
4. They have strong will to grow more with full care of their soil for coming generations.
5. They are able to take quick decision.
6. They welcome good suggestions.

I have taken a visit to their yard and found one tractor, mini-tractor, sub-soiler, sugarcane trash cutting machine. I asked Shri Alpeshbhai why you have this mini-tractor? The reply was to minimize compaction of the earth. And this has appealed me. When farmer is consciously taking care for compaction on soil, I see this step as keeping soil intact for coming generations. They are not burning the trash of sugarcane but using it as mulch. To make better blanket of trash, they purchased a machine to cut trash and spread it in field itself.
They are bring water from distance with seven pipelines and use it very economically in the fields. They know the value of water. I have seen their one farm of sugarcane and it is really very. My first words were "ohhhhh How nice!!!!!!! eyes are cooled". The farm is green & dense which says that it gives good yields.





Shri Alpeshbhai Dhandhukia.

Shri Alpeshbhai is showing the texture of soil and good tillering of sugarcane.

The field is mulched with last sugarcane crop's trash. This trash blanketing was done with Trash Cutting Machine. By this way they are helping to store Carbon in soil and making soil more fertile.

Grandfa's wish

I want that my grand son live in this world with piece and great wealth of health. I hope like me; you too want that your grandsons and grand-daughters live in the coming time with great pleasure and full wealth of health. If we really want this, let us join and start to do small things which keep nature smiling. Help in stop mass killing of pests and have to control over selves in use of excess use of pesticides and chemical fertilizer. This will prevent the mass killing of the small creatures developed by the nature which are very useful in our lives. The nature has developed every thing for our good. She has given us pain and side by side she has developed such herbs and medicinal plants also. Ayurved (Today it is known as alternative medicine science but in fact it was major practice of treatment in India more then 5000 years) has under stood these thing years before and gave the knowledge of use of them against different physical problems. Our barriers of knowledge are no doubt expanded but we still don’t know the real intense of nature. Till we under stand nature fully, stop making of small and tiny creatures. Think organic and promote organic farming.

Bio Compost with Press Mud, Spentwash and Maple EM.1

EM.1 IN MAKING COMPOST OUT OF SUGAR PRESS-MUD AND SPENT-WASH.

Effective micro-organisms are used to make compost out of the Press-Mud (PM) of Sugarcane Factory. Some sugar industries use the Spent-Wash which have very vital nutrients but high values of COD and BOD in making compost for zero discharge of their distillery effluent. The end product (Bio Compost) produced with Maple EM.1^®, Spent-Wash of distillery and Press-Mud is rich in nutrients.

Process of making Compost with sugar mill Press-Mud and Spent-Wash.

Windrows are made with the Press-Mud in size of 3 Mts. Wide and 1.5 Mts. In height and turned with the homogeneous compost turning machine. The initial moisture of Press-Mud is brought down to 48 to 50 %. This can be done by turning the windrow for five to seven days (this depends on the initial moisture of PM).

In the second phase the 6lts. Of AEM (activated EM) per tone of PM is added in the tank with spent-wash and it is sprayed over the windrows. Everyday the level of moisture is monitored and then add the spent-wash in such a way that level of moisture do not exceed more than 60 %. Everyday take the temperature of windrows in at different places. It will reach above 60⁰ C. This will kill pathogen in the press-mud. This temperature is indication that the hemophilic bacteria are working and they are breaking the complex molecules to simple ones. These conditions will remains for few days and then the temperature will start to decline. As the temperature start to drop and on visual look, the PM is turned to blackish humus; stop the spraying of spent-wash and leave the windrow for curing.

Bagasse based boiler fly ash can be added in the compost @ 10% as it give organic carbon, silica, N,P,K, Ca, Mg, & S, trace elements. Bagasse based boiler fly ash is the only product, which provides silica of origin to considerable extent. Silica is known to play important role in wall integrity & strength. It is especially important in crops like paddy, wheat & sugarcane.

MAKING OF WINDROW WITH PRESS-MUD.

TURNING OF WINDROW WITH COMPOST TURNER MACHINE POWERED BY TRACTOR.

SPRAYING SPENT-WASH OVER PRESS-MUD WINDROW

MAKING ACTIVATED EM FROM MAPLE EM.1 (STOCK SOLUTION)

For making AEM mix Maple EM.1, Molasses and chlorine free water in proposition of 1:4:45 and fill the tank up to the top and mix them properly. Leave no space for air. Fix one small ¼” dia tube on the top lead for discharge of gas produce during fomentation. Deep the other end of tube in water can so the air will discharge from the tank but on fresh air will enter in the tank. In winter AEM will be ready in 7 to 8 days and in summer day it will be prepared in 3 to 4 days. Don’t prepare it in open and under direct sun light. Start to use AEM when the pH of solution is in between 3.5 to 4.

IN PRAPORTION OF 1:4:47 (Maple EM.1: Molasses: Chlorine free water) IN AIR ANAEROBIC CONDITIONS IN 1000 LITS. TANK.

TRY THIS ALSO WITH EM (EFFECTIVE MICROORGANISMS) FOR ORGANIC FARMING

Hereby I share one excellent guidance form Pro. Panfilo Tabora, EARTH UNIVERSITY, Costa Rica. It will help you for organic farming at your organic farms for higher yields.

Dear DG Patel,

If you can collect some very ripe peels of bananas, kindly gather them and put them on a plastic bag and sprinkle a bit of EM to conserve them and then keep adding more everyday until you have something like 6-7 Kg of peels can serve as your molasses, equivalent to a liter of molasses when very very ripe. You can then pound them or macerate them, but in our case we just put them together with other high carbon materials like sawdust for fermentation. With another liter of EM Activated, you can then increase your fermentation.

Remember, that the objective here is not to decompose or completely mineralize the organic matter, but simply estabilize it and initiate its slow decomposition so that it can be added to the soil with high carbon which is food to the microorganisms and therefore will increase the soil microbial diversity. One of our mistakes and we thought nothing was working was rally that we expected fast decomposition. Instead we had a stable organic mass. We were dumbfounded by what the bananas told us with outstanding high yields! from then on we changed our concepts: Away from total mineralization and accept the slow release mechanism, away from fast decomposition and therefore high lixiviation or loss of nutrients to slow and constant supply of nutrients.

While we were looking for decomposition, EM gave us something else. But what the high bananas yields told us, made us think that we were looking at the wrong concepts. Please review your concepts to see if they still fit! What is important is what the yields will tell you.

All the best!

Panfilo Tabora,

Professor,

EARTH UNIVERSITY.

To try this you will need Effective Microorganisms (EM). For your requirement of EM, please contact on in India: Mo: 09374816158/09824362006 .

In USA: www.emamerica.com

Dr. Panfilo Tabora in Banana field.

Gandhi Jayanti-2nd October

Great man of century Shri Mahatma Mohanlal K. Gandhi. I don't have words to describe his greatness.

SIMPLY THE GREAT

HELP MOTHER NATURE FOR GREEN EARTH

Mother Nature has taken care to prolong the life on this planet by recycling the limited resources like water, air etc. And this is the future by which she has maintained the stock of required items from millions of years. Almost every thing is degradable to simple forms developed by Mother Nature. But with our entry and our greed, constant requirements of long life items pollution started in our natural resources. Our basic requirements of food come for farms. Farms mean soil, air and many unpaid workers like animals, birds, insects and life beyond our visibility. Here our greed started problems to disturb the nature. We don’t have long term vision and we can’t see any thing from all angles. That is why some important aspects of the matters are ignored. Some times these ignored items starts to create problems to nature and ultimately they are transferred to us. To make our planet more green; start helping nature to do duties in her way. Where ever it is possible, help her in your way. Your little help has great value. Don’t think that your little contribution will not change any thing. Definitely your little contribution will play a big roll. A very small bacteria which is not visible by naked eyes, plays great rolls in our health and farming.

Here comes the idea of Effective Farming. Effective farming is nothing but it is farmer’s journey to wards helping nature. How this journey can be enjoyed? There are many ways. First you decide that you want to help nature for your next generation. Second, find out the ways to help nature to perform her duties with without our disturbance, or with minimal disturbance. Third, start to apply them or atleast one

An Effective Farming starts with live soil structure. The big army of helper is in the soil. Start to add such organic amendments which are food for small friends and of plants. Please note one thing here that synthetic chemical fertilizers are not friendly to our small friends. The best friendly products are compost, vermicompost, oil cakes residues of crop itself etc. All this things will increase the humus level in soil. Sufficient organic matter in soil will help to reduce the harmful nematodes also.

Birthday

Today is 23rd August and it is my birthday. I have completed 59 years and don't know how many years I am on the earth? I have asked God for better health for hard working and also prayed for end on work not on bed. Now I have less time to work for green earth. Today every one had wished me with good intense that I work for mission of organic farming.

On this day I request all to help me to develop an institute where basic training of organic farming and composting can be given.

My Knowledge Developers.

My Knowledge Developers.

Last year I have supplied 1900 lits of Maple Effective Microorganisms to one sugar mill. It was for making compost out of pressmud of sugar factory. I knew about composting but the following teachers had made my knowledge sharper. They are Mr. D.M.Kapadia, Mr. Eknath, Mr. Dharmin Parman, Mr. Sunil Trivedi and Mr. Eric Lancaster.

Mr. Aknath.

Mr.Dharmin Parmar

I have worked with these nice gentlemen. They have sharpened my knowledge of commercial composting.

Basically compost is the most useful amendment for soil to improve it. It provide required nutrients to plant and increase microbial activities.

In composting yard

Checking Temperature of windrow.

Checking the development of compost.

At this place we were treating the pressmud and spentwash of distilary with Maple Effective Microorganisms. Initially we started to make Activated EM in 200 lits barrels and later on it was done in 1000 lits. tank.

1000 lits. tanks.

I am also thankful to one another gentleman of M/s Maple Orgtech (India) Ltd. He is Mr. Sunil Trivedi. He had told me number of times that apply more compost to soil and there after use effective microorganisms, best results will be achieved.

My distanced well wisher and guide Mr. Eric Lancaster, VP of EM-AMERICA. Mr. Eric is from USA and he had always solved my problems by mail. He is very nice person, I love him. It is my heartiest wish to meet him personally.

On path of Organic Farming

On path of Organic Farming.............................

I know Mr. Rajubhai Nemani who has decided to move towards Organic Farming. He is business man and also advanced farmer. I know him through my elder brother Mr. Kantilal. He uses Maple EM.1 for his crops. Mainly he is growing Sugarcane. He has his own factory for making jaggery. He has also started a small sugar mill to produce organic sugar. I have mat him several times and also visited has farms also. One good thing I have seen in him is he that the use of modern technology. Last year he has laid porous pipes for irrigation in his field. He started his experiment of porous pipes with some 4 acers of land. He is also using the “AMRUT PANI”, compost, and practicing mulching. One best thing about him is he is best record keeper like scientist, I like this too much.

His farm name is “Nemani Farms” located at Umra, Ta: Mahuva, Dist. Surat, Gujarat, India. After few days I will visit his farm again. It is my great pleasure to meet my brother Kantilal and Rajubhai with his staff.

Ahinsha and Ashahkar with Farm Pest

Mother Nature has many different faces. Among them Hinsha (Violance) and Ahinsha (Non-Violance) are two different faces which are just opposite to each other. At some places, she promotes Hinsha and at some places she promotes Ahinsha. Hinsha and Ahinsha are related with gain of some thing for self; it could be a power, sex, shelter or hunger. Normally Hinsha is inbuilt nature of living animals. They kill other for their requirement of power, sex, shelter or hunger. Being a human with having high understanding, follows both Hinsha and Ahinsha. One who is not killing other human or animals; they kill small animals like snakes, birds and pests etc. In such cases we do Hinsha. I am also part of this system. But when I came closer to nature by the concept of organic farming, I realized that I had used Hinsha at many places with small creatures. At farm, we do it at large scale. I realized that Hinsha of pests and small animals, we are disturbing Mother Nature. Instead of killing the harmful pests if we start non-cooperation with them, I am sure, we can achieve the desired results with well protected environment. Animals do Hinsha but it is up to their requirement only. Lion kills other animal but not in mass at time. With us, the element of greed is there and it is always creating problems. We spray pesticides to control pest but it is not always selective. Pesticides kill many other important creatures which are useful for us and eco-system. Follow here the principal of Ashahkar (non-cooperation). Do not kill them but repel them. The ways of repelling is mix crops, companion planting, avoiding the use of over dosing of chemical fertilizers. Apply only required doses of fertilizers. Use of pest repellants made with fermentation of locally available herbs. Pests are attracted by the aroma of plants so such fermented plants extracts will change the aroma of plants and they will not attract pests.

Second Day

Today I went to the patient along with my wife. He was in very bad condition. His body is so weak and internal pain was terrific. I simply sat on his bed, took his hand in my hand and kept his weak hand for some time. He was so weak that he can’t speak. It is clear that he is dyeing. His many systems are not working. Nothing is in my hand, I have to see his end with painful feeling.

Tomorrow also I will go to him. Spend some time with him. Now I pray for him that end may be well that is with less pain or no pain and some be with him to share time. Today I realized that his every moment may be year long for him. These moments are very difficult to pass. Unbearable pain, loneliness and above all weakness all these things pained me like any thing. Physically I can not share all these things but I think I will share some time with him.

I am also looking for help. Presently I am helping with my limited recourses. Please come forward for help.

I haven’t stopped to think about organic farming. I think this may be a cause of heavily dosed pesticide treated food????

Cancer

Today the lady who is coming to my flat for household work said that one cancer patient is in her neighborhood . See also told us that she and others are scared to go in his room. Also he has no money for treatment. He is staying in the poor zone of the city. People around him are scared to help him because of they feel that they may be infected by it. I told her not to fear of it and help him what she can. I also decided to visit him along with my wife and try to be helpful.

“AHINSHA (NON-VIOLANCE) AND ASHAHAKAR (NON-COOPERATION)”

Today is 15^th August, our independent day. Mahatma Gandhi and number of freedom fighters brought it for us. The basic principals of the freedom fight were “AHINSHA (NON-VIOLANCE) AND ASHAHAKAR (NON-COOPERATION)”. The principal of non-cooperation was with British rulers but there was solid bond of cooperation among FREEDUM FIGHTERS. Otherwise this could not have happened. My basic interest is in organic farming so I thought, these “AHINSHA (NON-VIOLANCE) AND ASHAHAKAR (NON-COOPERATION)” principals can be used in organic farming efficiently??? These principals are very old but Gandhiji had put them to practice effectively.

If we stop killing of pests and small animals like snakes and others and start non-cooperation to pests and harmful animals, we may get good results with the preservation of Mother Nature. Nature has great power of controlling but when we disturb it and challenge it, at long we always face problems. This subject needs thinking. Please share your ideas with me.

Organic Farming

My grandfa was farmer but father had selected different profession of education. He has done lot in his field. I also selected different field like maintenance of farm machinery. In my fifties I came in influence of My director Mr. Rashmi Shah. He is taking active interest in organic farming in Gujarat, India. With his moral support, I was diverted to be helpful in organic farming. As I studied more in this field, I found numbers of problems and hurdles in organic farming.

I know few of them, if any one knows more about it please share it with me. I want to study them more deeply.