Roots For Life

Category: Farming-EN

  • Also in Meranding ..

    Also in Meranding ..

    .. the women are very interested in organic vegetable cultivation after the joint sewing project. The village lies on the route between Chyangsar and Ghunsa, so the women have been following the initiative for a long time and have already taken part in one or the other information event.

    For us, the active participation of the women is a basic requirement for any project. In a first assessment, expectations, areas and possibilities have already been sighted and a project application has been submitted to @Fair Styria. Now we have to keep our fingers crossed.

  • An organic map ..

    An organic map ..

    .. with all the women participating in the certification programme was created together. This also allows the personal visits to be well prepared and documented.

    The women proudly show what they have already implemented and our agricultural expert discusses the next steps.

    Many thanks to Fair Styria, who embarked on this new path together with us and supported it financially in the long term.

    .. the map is made in the farmhouse.
    .. our agricultural expert visits the families of the certification programme.
    .. the plants are grown in the greenhouse.
    .. in mixed crops the plants are planted in the field

    .. the next steps are discussed with corona distance.

  • Ghunsa – Farming

    Ghunsa – Farming

    Before the beginning of RfL activities in 2018, there were hardly any greenhouses in the village. Agriculture was practiced exclusively for subsistence with only a few types of vegetables. Due to the financial situation of the families and the distance from urban areas, neither pesticides nor synthetic fertilizers were an option so far.

    In order to continue to grow organically, but increase the variety of vegetables as well as the quantity, the women were very motivated to gain experience on the model farm and then implement it on their private fields.

    Model Farm:

    • In 2018, land was purchased for the construction of the model farm.
    • Since 2019, seeds have been cultivated in three large greenhouses, seedlings have been grown, and special vegetables such as tomatoes and chili have been cultivated at this altitude for the first time.
    • Organic mixed crops are grown in seven fields (about 1800 m2)

    Certification program:

    • 25 women have qualified for the program, thus improving self-sufficiency for 136 people in those families
    • 41,000 m2 are thus cultivated organically, some of the land was left idle before the program.

  • Farming

    Farming

    Due to the climatic situation, vegetable cultivation without greenhouses for pre-growing plants is only possible to a very limited extent. At the beginning of the initiative, only a few types of vegetables with low yields could be grown. So far, there was only subsistence farming (cultivation for own use). Fertilizers or pesticides were also not an option due to costs.

    In order to further protect land and water in the future, we have initiated the following measures and implemented them step by step in the villages:

    • Establishment of a model farm under ownership and self-management by the cooperative in order to
      • Specifically test new vegetable varieties for local suitability
      • Demonstrate methods to increase diversity and yields
      • Begin a plant and seed production program
      • Provide training directly on the field
      • To prepare for the joint distribution of organic vegetables
    • To introduce greenhouses also for the private households
    • Freely accessible trainings to pass on the knowledge to the women and their interested husbands
    • Certification program (PGS – private guarantee system – see here for details) with the focus on:
      • Participation of the agriculturally active women in shaping the contents of the agricultural program
      • Shared vision in terms of organic production and interaction with consumers
      • Transparency through open information exchange of all participants, mutual support in terms of information instead of control
      • Trust in the participants’ commitment to protect nature
      • Grassroots approach in which tasks rotate among members in the group and decision-making processes are inclusive of everyone.

  • Chyangsar – Farming

    Chyangsar – Farming

    In Chyangsar, organic vegetable cultivation has been supported by RfL since 2016. In the beginning, there were still many reservations here; instead of training, many would probably have preferred to receive fertilizer. In the meantime, however, acceptance is high and the results are visible.

    Model farm:

    • In 2017/18, a farmhouse with kitchen, storage, guest rooms for trainers as well as toilet facilities and a training hall were built
    • Seeds are cultivated in three large greenhouses, young plants are grown and special vegetables such as tomatoes and chili are cultivated.
    • Organic mixed crops are cultivated on several terraced fields (approx. 10,000 m2). As a first step into fruit growing, 200 apple trees (Gala, Granny, Golden Delicious) were planted.

    Certification program:

    • 35 women have qualified for the program, thus 216 people in those families will have their own supplies improved.
    • 58,000 m2 are cultivated organically through the program, previously the land was partially unused.