A march towards sustainable agricultural practices.

Sustainable agriculture implies maintaining soil fertility by allowing natural processes to prevail on the farm. Artificial agricultural inputs such as fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides must get withdrawn. Thus, sustainable agriculture necessitates the restoration of forests destroyed by humanity for agricultural practices. In those restored forests, we should be able to grow our fruits and vegetables. Thus, sustainable agriculture essentially requires the establishment of agroforests or food forests. The great benefit of agroforests is that all the ecosystem services are taken care of by nature. For example, cover crops retain soil moisture, and the growth of multiple plant species enhances soil microbial diversity, enhancing nutrient uptake and preventing pathogens' growth. Plant diversity hosts more insects and bees, which enhances pollination. The presence of multiple plant species promotes a healthy ecosystem whereby species interaction sustains the ecosystem intact. Sustainable agriculture brings species interactions and restores soil fertility naturally. Soil fertility, stress regulation in the plants, nutrient cycles, disease control, seed dispersal, and natural evolution are all taken care of by nature. At present, human interactions with the environment have drastically cut short those species' interactions by destroying forests and promoting monocultural crops. 

Realising this fact, we have adopted a multicultural agroforestry system. At first, we improved soil fertility by growing Sesbania bispinosa. Then, we have bananas, castor plants, chilly peppers, lemon, and red gram (Cajanus cajan) as intercrop on our coconut farm. Moreover, we grow Alternanthera brasiliana in the open areas to control weeds.

Meanwhile, we have permitted the growth of neem and soundal trees  (Leucaena leucocephala), the seeds of which were dispersed naturally by the birds visiting our farm. The growth of the neem trees shall promote disease resistance in other plants. At the same time, Leucaena leucocephala shall enhance soil fertility by nitrogen fixation. We have also spotted the growth of grass (Dactyloctenium aegyptium) along the fence that hosts mycorrhizal fungi in its rhizosphere. Currently, we are planning to use the grass to enhance soil fertility on our coconut farm.

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Grass (Dactyloctenium aegyptium)
Grass (Dactyloctenium aegyptium) along the fence that hosts mycorrhizal fungi.



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