Online Course on Composting and Organic Gardening

There are very few courses available online which can teach you simple, low-cost approaches for an organic garden or farm.  Every farm or a garden is ‘an organism’ by itself. Organic Agriculture can be sustainable only if all the inputs required for cultivation of crops and livestock are produced in the farm.  Every garden or farm is blessed with almost all the resources required for crop and animal production. There is a need to understand the local ecology and expand the human ingenuity to identify the natural resources and use them effectively.

Entire globe is waging a war on weeds. What are weeds? Are they unwanted plants or plants without any worth as we generally understand? NO. If we can understand weeds they are wonderful plants full of potentials and offer many possibilities to address the present problems in gardening or farming. I wish to redefine weeds as the ‘plants whose uses are not known yet to the human beings’. There is no plant in this existence which is useless. The moment we understand the use of weeds, these plants start disappearing from our gardens.

It would be worth an exercise to rethink on sustainability and transform your garden or farm into an ecological landscape where the role of every entity is understood and used for food production. All the requirements for farming like; seeds, manures, plant growth promoters and natural pesticides can be prepared on-farm utilizing the local resources.

Do you want to know?

1. How to produce organic seeds in your own garden or farm?
2. How to treat seeds with wood ash, milk?
3. Use of local earthworms in composting?
4. Simple method of composting which does not require turning?
5. Use of locally available plants for managing pests and diseases?
6. Protect your trees from rabbits and deer?
7. Homa or Agnihotra  in farming?
8. Use of Lunar calendar (Jyotish) in farming?

 Click here 

You don’t need to have any prior qualification for registration. The only requirement for this course is ‘YOUR PASSION’.

Food Choice and Climate Change

Climate Change is a hot topic in every scientific forum wherein terminologies like adaptation, mitigation have become buzzwords of late. Not much discussion happens on food choices in most of the climate change seminars and workshops. It is very important to know that food choice also contribute to climate change. Every individual has a freedom to choose food, however if we do not make conscious choice we will be doubling the trouble.  One of the biggest advantages of the present information technology era, is the availability of enormous information on a click of a mouse. Prior to choosing any food one needs to ask how, where and when that food was produced. In this blog let me focus on meat produced from industrial animal farms and its impact on climate change.

Significantly large area under agriculture is for food production which also includes animal husbandry. The industrialised animal production for meat and diary is one of the major contributors to Green House Gases (GHG) leading to climate change. Meat Industry is responsible for about 18 % of GHG emission which is about 4% more than the vehicular pollution. It is unfortunate that with the increasing income levels for a large population the meat consumption is also taking an upward trend. The average meat consumption globally is about 115 grams per day which translates into 42 kilograms per annum. 

Meat production when seen in totality amidst severe cruelty to animals create a series of environmental problems which magnifies the effect of climate change. Lets examine how choosing meat in your diet will contribute to climate change.

Forests to Deserts

To meet the increasing demand for meat, more and more land is required for raising pastures and also to grow livestock feed like soybeans and corn. Consequently forests are cleared to create additional land to meet the feed needs of the livestock industry. It is a leading driver of deforestation and a significant contributor to global warming emissions. Studies reveal that nearly 60% of the agricultural land around the world is used in the production of beef, which provides less than 2% of the world's consumed calories. Shockingly, about 70-80% of the agricultural land is used by the meat industry for feeding the animals which is about 30% of the global land mass. Instead of feeding the animals, had the same land been used for food production, about one billion poor can be prevented from hunger and malnutrition.

The clearing of forests or deforestation for cultivation of feed/ fodder to animals creates many problems that are interconnected. The first impact of deforestation is the loss of top soil by rain which otherwise would have been retained in the forests. Top soil is very important as it is a rich source of nutrients for the biodiversity to flourish. Without topsoil the micro-flora and micro-fauna perish which restricts the ground water from recharge. Also rainfall which happens due to the natural humidity of the forests stop and over a period of time the land becomes arid and dry transforming into a desert. The impact doesn’t stop there. The dust storms frequently occur in these arid deserts because soils are not bound with organic matter or humus which becomes amenable for dispersion during strong winds. Such storms move quite far off distances and create respiratory problems in other countries and also severely affect the coastal ecosystem. At present about 41% of the world’s land area is arid and dry which has a direct impact on about 2 billion people living in and around such arid regions.

Animal Wastes and Pollution

One should visit an industrial animal farm to understand the ground realities. Thousands of animals are stacked together in one unit which are cramped with minimal space for their natural movement. Treatment of these animals and their slaughter is a painful situation to watch. At times I wonder why humanity has lost compassion for these creatures.

In the industrial animal farms wherein thousands of animals are reared, the generation of enormous quantities of animal wastes is a major concern. It’s a challenging task to manage the burgeoning wastes which otherwise results in environmental pollution contributing to climate change. On an average, a high milk yielding cow like, Holstein Friesen generates 40-50 kilograms of manure every day which translates to about 15 -18 tons per annum. One can imagine the quantity of wastes that thousands of such animals produce. Most of times these animal wastes are diluted with water and stored in lagoons or allowed to flow into the drainage or water bodies resulting in the pollution of  both surface and ground water.

Human Diseases

There is enough research available on the direct effect of meat consumption and vulnerability to diseases like, heart diseases, colon cancer, diabetes, obesity, avian flu, blue tongue disease, Listeriosis and bacterial disease caused by E. Coli, Salmonella, Camphylobacter etc.  The recent incidence of bird flu strain H₇N₉ is a matter of concern which can transmit the diseases to humans. New strains of the viruses pose a great challenge to public health. This can be an indication to opt for healthier and safer vegetarian diets.

Cause for Hunger

Research studies reveal that green house gas emissions (GHG) from beef ranges from 16-30 kg CO₂-eq/kg compared to 0.8 kg CO₂-eq/kg for wheat.   It would be startling  to know that  in terms of GHC emissions  one kilogram of beef consumption corroborates to about  150-160 kilometres of automobile usage. Meat based diets is one of the causes for hunger as large amount of food is diverted to animal feed.  In a piece of land which is used to produce one kilogram of meat about 200 kilograms of tomatoes or 160 kilograms of potatoes could be harvested in the same time span. It requires about 5 to 15 kilograms of feed in the form of soybeans, corn etc to produce one kilogram of meat. Moreover this artificial extension of the food chain and converting the grain to meat results in huge loss of nutrients; 90% protein, 99% carbohydrates, 100% fibre and others.

Vegetable Cultivation

Vegetables and vegetarian diets are more climate efficient to produce protein than the meat based diets. The vegetarian food helps to reduce obesity, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, heart diseases to a large extent in addition to conserving water, land and natural resources which otherwise is used for industrial animal production.

Food choice plays a very important factor in contributing to climate change. In the present fast developing world it would be difficult to avoid many comforts of the modern days which do contribute to GHG. However, we can take small steps one at a time and begin from food. Why not reduce consuming meat and gradually stop opting for climate inefficient foods.  Why should we make our stomachs a graveyard for the animals? An ancient Vedic proverb in India says; 

                                                “As the food so the mind

                                                As the mind so the thoughts

                                                As the thoughts so the actions”

All our actions are the resultant of the food that we consume. The more violently the food is produced and consumed violent thoughts and actions will only prevail. Entire humanity is suffering from hatred, anger, deceit, stress and a series of emotional disorders.  Right type of food can be a solution.  Meat based diets are the most efficient ways to waste food.

You and I can contribute positively to address climate change by making conscious food choices.

Roof Top Gardens for Climate Smart Cities

Last week I had an opportunity to participate and present a paper at the Regional Workshop on, ‘Strengthening Urban and Periurban Agriculture (UPA) towards Resilient Food Systems in Asia’ in Bangkok, Thailand. This workshop was jointly organized by FAO Regional Office for Asia and Pacific and PN Agricultural Science Foundation, Bangalore. Ten countries in the region participated in the workshop sharing their experiences and approach towards UPA.

Urbanization is happening at a much faster rate than expected and is of a great concern world over. The global population reached the seven billion mark in 2011. After the six billion mark it just took 12 years to reach seven billion. The shortest time ever to add one extra billion signals a major shift in both the pace and scale of global demographics. During early 1800 about three per cent of the world’s population lived in cities. However, in 2011 there were 480 cities with populations exceeding one million as compared to just 80 in 1950. More than three billion people currently reside in urban areas and this figure is expected to rise to five billion by 2050. Global population growth is overwhelmingly concentrated in marginal urban and surrounding periphery of cities, especially in slums. This geographical shift has tremendous implications for the current and future dynamics of human development.

With more than half the world’s population now living in urban areas, there is a growing interest in urbanization processes and the role of cities in sustainable development. The current trends of urbanization are reflections of the transformations that are being seen in the national economies where farming community are moving away from agriculture to industry and service sectors.

It is expected that by 2020 the developing countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America will be home to some 75% of all urban dwellers which would comprise of 85% of the poor in Latin America, and about 40-45% of the poor in Africa and Asia will be concentrated in towns and cities. Most cities in developing countries have great difficulties to cope with the urban population expansion which is often accompanied by poverty, food insecurity, malnutrition and unemployment. Such rapid urbanization and the harsh reality of urban poverty require sound strategies to ensure adequate food supply and distribution systems to address escalating levels of urban food insecurity and food safety. Urban and Periurban agriculture (UPA) provides a complementary strategy to reduce urban poverty, food insecurity and enhance urban environmental management if it is planned and designed appropriately.

Urban and Periurban agriculture (UPA)

Urban and Periurban agriculture is much more than growing crops and raising animals within and around cities complementing rural agricultural systems in the production and supply of local food. In addition to food production, UPA provides a series of environmental services like clean air, carbon sequestration, reduction of green house gases, enhances biodiversity and many more. Also UPA supports related economic activities such as the production and delivery of inputs, processing and marketing of products and serves as an important ecological activity for income generation to supplement the revenues of urban and periurban families and therefore constitutes an integral component of urban socio‐economic paradigm. One of the approaches for UPA is utilization of the roof top space for gardening. Some studies estimate the roof tops comprise of about 30 – 40% % of the urban area which remains unutilized to a large extent. Roof tops provide a great scope in cultivating crops whereby the domestic biodegradable wastes and water can be recycled. The wastes can be transformed into resources (i.e compost) which can not only capture carbon but also provide manure for the plants to keep the city green and clean.

Roof top garden in Bangkok

Laksi District Office

Mr. Narong Jungchamfa, Director of Laksi District Office

During the workshop we had an opportunity to visit Laksi district which is about one hour drive from Bangkok to view the roof top garden project of the district administration. It was a beautiful model for the city dwellers to emulate. The technology used is very simple and appropriate to the city context.  On the top of the seventh floor of the Laksi district office complex the open area of about 4,000 square metres was used for developing roof top garden. The initial investment to establish this garden was a mere 1000 Bhat (about 35 USD) says the Director of the Laksi District Office Mr. Narong Jungchamfa who takes special interest and pride in promoting the roof-top garden project. Under his leadership this project has won many accolades from various international and national organizations. About 100 different species of vegetables are cultivated in the open space which otherwise was not utilized.

Rooftop Garden

Ms. Mam (left) with Ms. Wilailak sharing her experiences

The most interesting aspect was that the wastes were used as resources for the preparations of a variety of formulations adopting organic farming practices. Shrimp wastes, soya meal, vinegar, yeast, coir pith and many other available materials are fermented and used for making growth promoters and bio-pesticides. The garden is maintained by Ms. Mam from the Laksi district office who shares her experience with exuberance and enthusiasm with the visitors. All the garden operations from sowing the seeds in the nursery, transplanting, nurturing the plants, plant protection to marketing are being handled by Ms. Mam. She cultivates a variety of leafy vegetables and fruits on the roof top.

Rooftop garden

Every house generates lot of biodegradable wastes which to a large extent are disposed off adding to the existing garbage problem. If every household attempts to utilize the biodegradable wastes alone, the problem of waste management can be solved to a large extent. Roof tops may not be accessible for every city dweller; instead large pots can be utilized for cultivating vegetables on the balcony. Wherever rooftops are available don’t let the open space go waste use them for growing plants which in a modest way can contribute towards reducing the impacts of climate change. 

Vermitechnology and Climate Adaptation

Wish you all a very Happy New Year

Wastes of biodegradable nature are of major concern both in the villages and cities.  Enormous quantities of biodegradable wastes are being produced from farms, gardens, houses, apartments, markets and offices. Majority of the wastes are disposed off in the landfills while some end up in the open space or rivers and water bodies contributing to pollution. In the villages most of the farmers burn the wastes as it is easier to manage contributing to global warming and climate change.

Wastes if not managed scientifically pose a sequel of problems related to their management and associated health and environmental hazards. Bio-degeadable wastes comprise of vegetable and fruit peels, garden clippings, and kitchen garden wastes etc which are degradable.

Wastes, though considered waste are not mere waste. They are the misplaced resources which can be efficiently utilized with simple technologies. The waste management technology should not just aim at turning the waste benign, rather focus in bringing those resources back into place. In other words, the useless wastes should be transformed into a value-added product that can initiate income-generating enterprise. The approach should be “Turning filth to Wealth”.

Different methods are adopted to mitigate the biodegradable wastes generated. Composting is one of the techniques, which is widely followed. The composts that are produced by inappropriate methods reveal their adverse features during storage, marketing and use. The associated problems include foul odours, fire, environmental pollution, nuisance, insect infestation and bursting of compost bags. Phytotoxicity of such composts is also a serious problem, which impairs crop growth and yield when used in agriculture. In addition, there are problems of the compounds like amines, sulphamines, mercaptans, skatoles etc. To solve the gamut of problems related to the conventional composting methods,  vermitechnology  is one of the alternatives.

Vermitechnology

Vermitechnology is the method of converting wastes into compost by use of earthworms. Good quality compost is produced in a short period depending upon on the number of earthworms. In other words about 4-5 kg of wastes can be composted by 1000 worms (approximately 1 kg) in a day. The commonly used earthworms like Eudrillus sp. Perionyx sp., Eisenia sp. or any locally available surface feeding (epigeic) earthworms can be collected from the nearby soil and then used in Vermitechnology. A simple and efficient method of Vermitechnology “Pusa Vermitech” was developed during my Masters degree program at Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa, New Delhi in 1996 which is low-cost and is ideal for the farmers. Now this method is widely adopted in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Italy and Costa Rica.

Vermitechnology can be undertaken in a tank or on the soil surface. The tank can be constructed with bricks or stones depending on the availability of materials. The height of the tank should be 0.75 metres, width 1 metre and length can be 3 - 4 metres or even more. The base of the tank should have a slight slope directing towards two drainage holes.

Method:

The methodology is simple and  can be carried out by adopting the following steps;

1. Basal Sand Layer

The first layer (5-10 cm) at the base is of sand as it helps in the drainage of excess water and also prevents the movement of worms into deeper layers of soil or out of the tank.

2. Dung Layer

On the top of the sand, a layer of one month old dung is laid. This layer is approximately 3-5 cm. thick.

3. Waste Layer

On the top of this dung layer all the biodegradable wastes are put and the tank is filled up to the brim (65 cm) with the waste.

4. Soil Layer

The wastes are covered with a thin layer (1-2 cm) of soil.

5. Dung Layer

Above the soil layer mature dung is uniformly spread (3-5cm) which forms the top layer in the tank.

In other words, the wastes are sandwiched by two layers of mature dung. The contents are moistened with water (40-50% moisture level) for 7 days to pre-decompose the contents. After pre-decomposition, worms are introduced (1000 worms which would be approximately 1 kg for 100-150 kg of wastes) and watered regularly to maintain 30-40 % moisture level for better activity of worms.

Watering is done in such a way the contents in the tank are not too soggy or too moist as it results in anaerobiosis of earthworms causing mortality. The tank is covered by a gunny sack in summer months to avoid evaporation of moisture. In places where the predators like rats, lizards, pigs are a major problem; the tanks can be covered with wire mesh to prevent them feeding on the earth worms.

Collection of Vermicompost

Vermicompost appears on the top of the tank in the form of pellets. When this layer of vermicompost becomes a few centimetres thick watering should be avoided for 3-4 days. The reduced moisture at the top layer will force the worms to move down towards the lower layers. The compost formed is heaped in the corners of the tank by gently scrapping with a shovel or a wooden raft and left for a day or two. By this method of collection of wastes the young worms and the adult worms are not damaged while handling. In this manner the compost can be collected every 7-10 days till 80% of the material is collected i.e 10-15 cm layer is left at the base. The tank/heap should be refilled with pre-decomposed wastes.

Pre-decomposition of wastes

Before filling the fresh wastes  into the tank it has to be pre-decomposed to avoid the heat that is generated during the decomposition process which otherwise can kill the earthworms. Also pre-decomposition helps to turn the wastes bit softer facilitating the earthworms to feed upon. Pre-decompostion is done as mentioned below;

1.      Spread a thin layer (10 cm) wastes and sprinkle cow dung and moisten it.

2.      Likewise make layers of waste and cow dung up to 0.5 metres height.

3.      Moisten the heap regularly with water for 10 days.

4.      During the process high temperature develops and cools down in a week.

5.      Check the temperature of the heap by inserting a stick.

6.      If the stick heats up, leave the decomposing material for 3-4 days more and when the temperature is normal then only it should be used.

Refilling the Tank or Heap

Such pre-decomposed material is put on the heap or tank up to 75% of its height. The standard procedure of Vermitechnology as mentioned above is continued i.e over the pre-decomposed waste, thin layer soil is spread and above it dung is spread. The worms come on the top and start feeding on the waste.  

Precautions

1. Check the temperature of heap /tank by introducing a stick. If the stick heats up worms should not be introduced nor refilled. Nowadays temperature measuring probes are also

2. The tank /heap should be moistened with water regularly.

3. Appropriate shade should be provided at the site where Vermitechnology is undertaken.

4. Wherever the predators like rats, lizards, pigs etc., are found, wire mesh should be put on the top of the tank.

It is very important that the method adopted  should be scientific degrades the waste faster, the end product i.e. compost should fit into the basic criteria (i.e. quality parameters) of marketing of manure. The compost  should not have any bad odour which will not be acceptable by the users. To be the choice of consumers, the final product should be friable and uniform with positive visual characteristics and attractive packaging. Mere degradation is not composting, rather composting is a scientific way of desired degradation.

There is a tremendous scope for the production of quality manure by vermitechnology. The growing awareness about organic farming, home and kitchen gardens  world over is an added advantage and a positive step in launching a quality product at this juncture. This will not only manage the wastes but also would generate income. 

"Mindful Marketing" : An Inclusive Approach for Small Holder Farmers

Recently I had an opportunity to visit Mysore in India. Mysore is the second largest city of Karnataka State and is about 120 kilometers from Bangalore, the Silicon Valley of India. It is well known for its palaces, the famous ‘Dasara’ festival , silk sarees and unique style of painting. Not to forget the sweet delicacy ‘Mysore pak’.

Every year I conduct an advanced course on organic/biodynamic agriculture at BASIL Academy, Mysore (www.basilacademy.in) for the organizations and people who are already pursuing organic farming. The aim is to go beyond the traditional inputs like composts and bio-pesticides to more potent preparations and innovative approaches which can enhance the quality and quantity of the produce. I enjoy sharing the technical knowledge and practices  to falsifies the general perception on organic agriculture as low yielding farming system.

During the advanced course I could interact with three participants Mr. Hari, Mr. Giri and Mr. Murthy who were fully devoted to organic agriculture and wanted to do things differently in this sector. They were part of an organization ‘Nesara’ (meaning rising sun) which markets organic produce in Mysore. Infact, Nesara is a platform that links the small  organic farmers in an around Mysore to market their produce. Their concept of marketing is akin to ‘Mindful Marketing’.

Mindful Marketing

Mindfulness is an important concept which is core to the Buddhist philosophy. It’s a process of increasing awareness of oneself and the surroundings to induce the divine qualities of a human being. How can mindfulness be linked to marketing? We all know that marketing is all about making long lasting and positive connection with ones client or customer. On the other hand ‘Mindful marketing’ is a conscious effort to market a produce whereby the seller does not squeeze the producer on price of the commodity rather understands the difficulties involved in the production process and acts accordingly with compassion and cooperation. In other words the producer (here farmer) decides on the price of the commodity which is intended for sale unlike the market fixing the price of commodities. It is a unique concept which may not fit into the corporate agribusiness but is apt for the small holder farmers who faces lot of difficulties for market access.

Nesara- The Organic Outlet

‘Nesara’ adopts a similar strategy akin to ‘Mindful Marketing’. The first step Nesara undertakes is to create awareness amongst the small farmers around Mysore region who are interested to cultivate crops adopting organic agricultural practices. The interested farmers become members of Nesara with a nominal membership fees and use the outlet of Nesara for marketing their produce. The most important aspect is that the farmers fix the price for their produce depending on the cost of production plus a margin for a particular commodity. Nesara then markets the farmer’s products in their outlets. Another interesting factor is that, this marketing strategy is not driven by market forces rather farmers are free to produce in accordance to their choice, while the consumers had to plan their consumption accordingly. This is an excellent example for ‘food sovereignty’ wherein, farmers choose to produce the crops which is quite contradictory to the market driven production process.  

Nesara Sales Outlet

It was during 1996-97, a group of people comprising Mr. Chandrashekar, Mr. Ravi Kumar  initiated a movement on safe food and organic agriculture in Mysore. Initially it started with marketing the farm produce of Mr. Chandrashekar and few active participating farmers during weekly meetings and awareness campaigns. Due to the demand for vegetables and other farm products which are not commonly seen in the market like the native or neglected vegetables, fruits and millets, it was felt that marketing of these products should be carried out on a large scale by involving more number of small farmers. At the same time the growing demand for organic and local produce transformed Nesara into an organization to link the farmers and consumers. A gradual transition happened from a weekly activity of interaction and farm produce sales to a fully fledged outlet marketing products that are produced and processed by farmers. People from Mysore city throng the organic shop to stock their vegetables, fruits, spices and other products.

Minor Millets

Organic Vegetables

Membership & Organic Quality Assurance

Any farmer who wishes to utilise the Nesara platform has to become a member by paying one-time fees of Rupees 1000 (approximately USD 20). The perquisite is that the member farmer should be committed to cultivate crops by adopting organic agriculture practices. The farmers are inspected by the core members of Nesara by visiting the farmer’s field without any additional costs. This is to assure the consumers of the organic status of the produce i.e devoid of any agro-chemical residues. Since there are no certification costs and also middle-men involved in the supply chain the cost of organic produce is almost the same as the market price.

Diversity of products

Home Made Snacks

Oflate Nesara markets more than 400 products which includes fresh fruits, vegetables, oils, raw farm produce and value added products like medicinal formulations, handmade soaps, pickles etc.

Mr. Giri with  a variety of Health products

Future Plans

Plans are underway to introduce ‘food baskets’ which will be directly delivered to the door steps for interested consumers. This would help many consumers who are willing to go for healthy and organic food but may find it difficult to visit the outlet.  Shortly consumers would be able to place orders over phone, including dairy products, vegetables, fruits and the grocery which will be delivered at a reasonable cost.  

Mr. Hari, Mr. Giri and Mr. Murthy - The Team

Nesara had a rough ride initially; most of the problems faced during the early stages were more related to organizational restructuring and governance.  “It is the enthusiasm of the consumers which has kept us motivating and pushing to expand our activities and also to conduct several food exhibitions” says Mr. Giri, Secretary of Nesara. 

Let’s wish Nesara to grow leaps and bounds and help the small farmers through market access while providing safe food to the consumers of Mysore. At the same time Nesara like organizations that adopt ‘mindful marketing’ strategies need to mushroom in the developing world where majority of the farming community are small holder farmers.

Elatostema lineolatum (Dumroo) – A Wild Vegetable of Bhutan

Bhutan, a land of rich biodiversity is a home for a variety of wild plants that are used as food, fibre, fodder and medicine. Owing to the seasonal nature of these wild plants, one can see different species appearing and disappearing in the local markets through out the year. The native population relish the wild vegetables and is a part of the Bhutanese traditional cuisine.  During the winter months one of the most popular wild plants used as a vegetable soup is Elatostema lineolatum which is known as ‘Dumroo’ in the local language. ‘Dumroo’ belong to the family of stinging nettles (Urticaceae) but they don’t have any stinging properties. It is a medium sized herb about 30 centimetres height. The leaves are greyish to greenish colour and the stem is very succulent green and at times greyish brown colour.

Dumroo

A large native population in Bhutan live in remote hamlets in the mountains and have a very good knowledge of the biodiversity of their region. They have to trek for few days to reach their villages. While they are resting during the long treks, it is customary to have ‘Dumroo’ soup as it relives body pains and also these plants are easily available in the forests. They believe that Elatostema lineolatum has lot of medicinal properties and builds immunity. Probably it may be true as the stinging nettles are the rich source of iron and magnesium and in traditional systems of medicines they are recommended for anaemic patients. In the north eastern parts of India which share similar geographical conditions as Bhutan, Elatostema lineolatum is used as a medicine. The leaf paste is applied on the wound and the locals in Assam region of India say that it works like a miracle. There is a need for more detailed scientific studies to establish a link with the traditional knowledge. However, people in Bhutan enjoy the soup of ‘Dumroo’ and are not waiting for scientific research to prove and ratify its benefits.

Elatostema lineolatum starts appearing in the vegetable markets in Thimphu, capital of Bhutan through out the year. But it is in high demand from September to January months. They are sold in bunches and each bunch comprises of 40-50 plants. Each bunch is sold at 20 to 25 Ngultrums ( approximately 50 US cents). It’s amazing to see and learn the use of ecofriendly practices employed by the farmers who sell these wild plants. These ‘dumroo’ plants are made into bunches by tying with a local grass or a natural fibre like jute. Some farmers reuse the old polythene bags by cutting them into strips. The ingenuity of the native people in making the best use of the natural resources needs to be appreciated.

Vendor at the market

‘Dumroo’ is most popularly used as a soup in Bhutan. The leaves and the succulent stems are cut into small pieces and boiled in water for 5-10 minutes. A small quantity of butter or cheese and salt is added to the boiling water. Some even add chillies according to ones taste. The hot soup is served during meals and provides a great solace in winter as it warms up the body. It tastes slightly bitter which is relished by the Bhutanese. Some people believe that this soup is good for those who are recuperating from some health ailments.

While in the eastern parts of Bhutan ‘Dumroo’ is cooked along with rice. The method of preparation is very simple. The ingredients are,

i.              one bunch of  chopped Dumroo plants

ii.            one bowl of rice (200 grams)

iii.           turnip/ radish (50 grams)

iv.           salt 1 teaspoon

The rice is put in a rice cooker with 450-500 ml of water. Chopped ‘dumroo’ plants, turnip/radish and one teaspoon of salt are added and the rice is cooked. It is considered to be good for health. Some farmers say that during the shortage of rice, to add up the bulk this method is employed. Isn’t it a wonderful adaptation strategy for survival during tough times with the knowledge of biodiversity? 

I have tried to use Dumroo as a vegetable fry and it tastes very good. You can try this method and it goes well with most of the green leafy vegetables. Wash the bunch of ‘dumroo’ thoroughly in clean running water. Cut them into pieces of size 3-4 cms length. Heat some vegetable oil in a pan and put one or two chopped onions, two flakes of crushed garlic, 2-3 tomatoes and chillies according to taste. Fry this mixture till the onions and garlic turn golden brown. Now add the chopped ‘dumroo’ and fry for about 10 min till it is properly cooked. Add salt according to taste and serve hot. If you don’t relish the bitter taste, add 2-3 tablespoons of balsam vinegar or tamarind paste. It goes well with bread, rice and also can be topped on pizza.

 The traditional knowledge of biodiversity is very helpful in reducing the pressure on food production. Woefully, research and policies are attuned to the main crops like wheat, rice, potatoes and maize while a large number of traditional crops which were the main sources of livelihood of the rural population world over are forgotten. There is a need to educate the research organizations, policy makers and masses on traditional wisdom of living in harmony with nature and sustainable use of natural resources. With the ongoing climate change impacts on food production, the traditional knowledge on biodiversity and food are ‘climate smart’ approaches to combat hunger and suffering.

Next time when you are in Bhutan during winter don’t miss ‘Dumroo’.

Go Organic for Sustainable farming

Bitter Tomato : A Potential Underutilized Crop

Bitter Tomato: Sweet Facts

Let me share an interesting neglected and underutilized plant species (NUS) which has a great potential as a neutraceutical with tremendous health benefits. In the present changing climate scenario there is a need to cultivate these NUS to address the food and nutritional security. 

Solanum incanum or Bitter Tomato is one of the common underutilized vegetable found in the markets of Bhutan. Locally it is called as ‘Bi’ sounding more like alphabet ‘B’ in English language. Belonging to family of potatoes, tomatoes and chillies, a native of Northern and north eastern Africa, it is found in Bhutan, Nepal and north eastern states of India.

Bitter tomato

In Bhutan ‘Bi’ is cultivated in elevations ranging from 1000 to 1200 Metres above sea level (msl). However the temperate regions are not suitable for cultivation of this crop. The plant looks more or less similar to Brinjal or egg plant or aubergine (Solanum melongena). However the fruits do not resemble brinjal, they are more spherical in shape and green to pale yellow in colour. The fruits can grow upto a size of 6 centimetre in diameter. Unlike brinjal, ‘Bi” tastes slightly bitter. The cross section of the fruits looks a lot like tomato which probably may be the reason to call this vegetable as ‘bitter tomato’. The seeds are similar to the tomato seeds and for an amateur it would be very difficult to distinguish them.

Slice of bitter tomato

Cropping of bitter tomato is similar to brinjal beginning with early monsoons. The seeds are sown like brinjal in a nursery during the month of May and transplanted to the main field in June. The land is prepared in a traditional way by ploughing with bullocks. The local breeds of cattle like ‘Nublong’ are versatile draft animals in farming because the tractors and agricultural machineries cannot reach most of the remote villages.  Farmers still adopt the time tested good agronomic practices of applying farm yard manure and well decomposed forest leaf litter to maintain the humus of soil. Much of farming in Bhutan is organic by default; hence the soil is rich in organic matter.

In the main field the young ‘Bi’ seedlings are planted at a spacing of 45-60 centimetres. Since the cropping season coincides with the rainy season there is no special effort put forward by the farmers to irrigate the crop. During monsoons weeds grow very fast which starts competing with the main crop. Farmers resort to hand weeding at least 2-3 times during the cropping season. The uprooted weeds are either mulched or fed to the cattle as fodder which is a traditional ingenuity of utilizing a waste as a resource. 

The crop starts bearing fruits from late July and continues till early December. Unlike other nutrient guzzling vegetables “Bi” is a trouble-free crop to cultivate as it does not require much care. The initial application of   farm yard manure (FYM) and leaf litter during the land preparation takes care of the crop nutrient requirements. Moreover bitter tomato is resistant to the pests and diseases. The bitterness in the fruit probably may be hindering the pests to feed on the crop which is a boon for the farmer. Some innovative farmers intercrop ‘Bi” with brinjal and other crops to repel the pests.

Bitter tomato in Bhutan is generally fried in oil with potato and spiced up with chillies, garlic and onion. Some people even cook with other vegetables like potatoes and cauliflower and make into a stew or curry. While boiling ‘Bi’ it exudes thick gelatinous substance which improves the consistency of the broth. Interestingly in the West African region bitter tomato is used as a thickener for the soups and stews instead of adding artificial thickening agents.

The traditional knowledge on bitter tomato is not well-known by the natives. Many in Bhutan believe that ‘Bi’ helps in improving the rejuvenation of blood and a popular belief exists that atleast once in a year it needs to be consumed for good health. Also people believe that women after delivering the child needs to be fed with bitter tomato to regain her lost energies and also to purify blood.

  

However, scientific studies reveal that bitter tomato is used for skin problems and is anti-microbial in nature. The curative properties are attributed to the presence of solanine and glycol alkaloids.

In the vegetable markets of Thimphu in Bhutan ‘Bi’ is sold at USD 1 -2 per kilogram. A very profitable crop to the farmers as it requires less effort and resources. To a large extent Bhutanese relish vegetables that are slightly bitter in taste. Since the cultivation of bitter tomato is restricted to the warmer regions of Bhutan like Tsirang, Punaka, Wangdi, Samtsi, natives of these areas are well acquainted with “Bi” unlike their mountain counterparts who are not familiar as it is not cultivated in the higher altitudes.

Cultivation of bitter tomato and other native crops helps to diversify the cropping system which has its direct impact on nutrition and health. In addition, it an important sustainable approach for insitu conservation of neglected crops and rediscovering the traditional wisdom of living in harmony with nature.