Natural Farming: A Holistic Approach to Agriculture and Resource Management.

Back in 2021, when I started natural farming, we grew Sesbania bispinosa on our land—not to increase water-holding capacity, but to enrich the debilitated soil. Despite advice from others, I allowed the plant to fully mature. After its manual removal, we didn’t plow the land; instead, we just irrigated it. When I stepped into the field, my leg sank deep into the soil for about a foot. That’s when I realized the power of the rhizosphere. I then began growing Sesbania grandiflora, which I believed should remain permanent, regardless of the crops I grow. This is the situation with our coconut and amla farm.

In another agricultural field, I allowed the growth of grasses (no cover crops here) and conducted a trial run growing turmeric. The turmeric grew well (with each plant spaced three feet apart), and our cows continue to graze on the grasses that exist between the turmeric.

A surprising realization struck me about a month ago when I started to irrigate this piece of land, as the long-lasting rains had almost stopped and the soil became a bit dry. I irrigated the land with grasses every day. After three such irrigations, there was intense rain on the third night. The very next day, when our cows entered this land for grazing, there were no pug marks left, and the soil was rigid but absorbed all the rainwater in addition to the irrigation water. I concluded that the presence of grasses provides structural support to the soil while maintaining porosity and permeability—qualities that are impossible to attain in tilled land.

The next great surprise was that due to numerous cover crops and trees, I observed seepage of water from an unusual side of our well during the summer when our 140-foot deep dug well had dried out and there was no rain. This seepage results from infiltrated water facilitated by the presence of trees and cover crops. Realizing this fact, I am now increasing the number of trees on our farm without worrying about space for growing agricultural crops. I plan to grow veggies in pots within the farm, which I hope will help overcome issues such as weed management.

Here’s a corrected version of your sentence:

Now, I am negotiating with researchers from universities to measure the rate of infiltration on our natural farmland, in sharp contrast to other agricultural fields where modern farming practices are adopted.

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