Subject: Re: India Jaipur BD Farm Invitation

From: Steve Diver <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 16:07:37 -0600

Keep in mind that Peter Proctor has also worked in
Rajasthan.

Ajit Grewal from Alwar District in Rajasthan has an
organic / biodynamic farm extraordinaire.  Peter has
resided there for months at a stretch.   Ajit's farm is a
testament to ecological restoration.  

An excerpt from my BD report:

"Ajit Grewal started the farm about 20 years ago.  The region is located
on the edge of the Thar desert and can be characterized as barren, arid
lands with sand dunes, elephant grass, shrubs and native aromatic plants
such as artemesia, pastoral grazing with sheep and goats, and irrigated
agriculture.  The farms and villages exist in a harsh environment with
extreme heat and drought in the summer.  When the Grewals first
arrived, few trees existed, and the only birds present were crows and
vultures.  Now, 20 years later, the farm is a tree-covered oasis with
tree crops and annual crops blended together, a forest farm where
85 species of birds visit and dwell amongst the trees and greenery. 
What happened is that Ajit decided to use his farm as a demonstration
site for ecological restoration, wherein he proceeded to plant
10s of thousands of trees, establish an organic farm based on
agroforestry and intercropping, employ innovative methods of
irrigation, and utilize humus management practices such as BD
compost and vermicompost."

Ajit is on the web at IndianOrganic.com
http://www.indianorganic.com/

Ajit can host groups of farmers and students to learn
biodynamics etc.  It is an established training center.

I have posted notes to Permaculture and Compost

[USCC] Composting crop residues in semi-arid regions
Steve Diver [email-masked]
Fri Nov 14 11:56:05 2003
http://mailman.cloudnet.com/pipermail/compost/2003-November/011353.html

[permaculture] Appropriate architecture in India: IndianOrganic.com + 
Anangpur.com
by Steve Diver
10 April 2003 03:29 UTC
http://csf.colorado.edu/archive/2003/permaculture/msg00452.html

Peter has also worked in Northern India, in the Himalayas.

Look on the map for Nainital in Uttaranchal.  That is where
Ms. Binita Shah works, on further into higher elevations and
remote districts. Ms. Shah is a highly respected woman and
principle source for BD preps in Northern India.  At one
time she had 25,000 cow horns buried in the ground.  

Friends, BD in India is revolutionary.

All the spiritual components and energetic forces are
alive and thriving.

Indian culture is naturally amenable to life energy forces.

Though, agriculturists among universities and NGO's in
India have the same modular constraints to transcend as
do their Western scientific agricultural counterparts.

Interestingly, several states in India have declared their
agricultural policy to be organic.  Organics is picking up
speed with leaps and bounds.   The use of plant-based
pest control -- i.e., liquid manures and fermented plant
extracts -- are elevated to a sophisticated level.  

Best,
Steve Diver

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