To enhance the soil carbon content of nutrient poor soils, Tamil Nadu farmers used biochar application on a trial basis. They observed that by applying biochar to soils, the...
Farmers’ parameters for assessing soil fertility in semi-arid regions
B.Suresh Reddy Sustainable soil fertility is key to food and livelihood security of millions of people living in semi-arid regions. Soil fertility management (SFM) in...
Building Healthy Soils Organically
K.Raghavendra Rao When I decided to leave a cushy and comfortable job in Delhi to come South and settle down in a ‘palli’ (the term for village in the south Indian language,...
Effective Microorganisms for Ecological Agriculture during Transition
About 25 years ago, I came to know about Effective Microorganisms and their use in agriculture, animal health and sanitation through a Japanese friend who visited my farm and...
Vermicomposting for building soil fertility
A.S. Ninawe Vermi-biotechnology is an ecofriendly, socially sound and economically viable innovative type of technology to manage the organic waste resources on low capital input...
Reclaiming earthly smell and livelihoods SVARAJ’s experience
To understand the current status of agriculture and the irrigation method practiced, SVARAJ, a development organization, conducted a study in Arkavathi river basin in Karnataka...
Farmer’s Diary – The Living soils
Madhu.Ramakrishnan Directly or indirectly all food comes from soil. If it is not a living system, it can't continuously produce. Just as any other living thing, soil possesses...
Rejuvenating soils with innovative farming approaches
Wardjito Farmers have been using chemical fertilizers and pesticides since the Green Revolution arrived in Paseh village in Central Java. Over time, however, they became aware...
Green manures – nature’s gift to improve soil fertility
Arulanandam Vakeesan, Tharshani Nishanthan and Gunasingham Mikunthan Excessive use of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides has affected soil and water quality in the Jaffna...