2016-2017 was an epic year for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. We faced the worst drought in 140 years. So all around us, drilling for water upto a depth of even 1100 feet has become the norm. Our motor suspended at 500 feet could not pump water any more because water tends to flow
I first heard of Scythe, the tool, when our friend Nandan in Palghat got it from Scythe Works in Canada to clear grass and bushes in his farm so he can walk. It is a manual tool and if one can get the swing right, the tool is very effective in harvesting and clearning at
Post the farmers retreat, there was some interest in getting together and working on a local farm once a month. This month’s host was MG Farms in the nearby village of Pooluvapatti. We planted some fruit saplings, Iluppai (Mahua) saplings and had a fabuilous lunch prepared by our host-friend. Also got to know couple of
This year’s retreat of natural farmers in Coimbatore, Pollachi and Attapadi area was facilitated by Nipun Mehta of ServiceSpace. It was nice to share space with 25 plus friends for a day of in the humble community center here. A few friends had come from out of town to join us. In the morning session,
Recently, a friend asked me what my mission was with respect to the farm. Had never thought about it in that way. Usually, the “mission statement’ comes up at the start of an endeavor. I had the advantage of being asked this seven years after living on the farm. I mentally looked back at what
Sulins is a community as well as a commerce platform to promote Sustainable Living in India. A friend asked us to list our non perishable products like turmeric and pepper on this platform. And so we have a little online store. [ http://greenlocal.sulins.org/ ] We ship anywhere in India that the postal system can reach.
Happy New Year! Our good friend Nipun from ServiceSpace asked us to edit a monthly newsletter on stories related to sustainability. It is called Seeds+Transformation and it is sent out at the beginning of each month. The last 12 issues are archived here
We discovered Hooglekulture couple of years back and have been fascinated by its possibilities. According to one definition, “Hugelkultur is nothing more than making raised garden beds filled with rotten wood.” These are our second and third sets of HK beds. We did not want to wait for the decomposing of the wood
Turmeric is a popular crop in our area grown from May to Feb. The rhizome, or underground stem, is harvested after 10 months. The variety we grow is called “Erode Turmeric”, Erode being the name of a district famous for turmeric cultivation and trade. As we set out with the long and thin bladed hoe,
