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Handbook on Agroecology: Farmer's Manual on Sustainable Practices
Different Agroecological Practices
Over the last two decades a new system of agriculture known as agroecology has gained the confidence
of small and marginal farmers in several countries. Agroecology (agricultural ecology) consists of a wide
set of agricultural practices including permaculture, agro-forestry, organic farming, biodynamic farming,
ecological farming, organic manure, green manure, intercropping, biological pest control, and more. Some
of the major agroecological practices gaining popularity in India will be discussed in the following sub-
sections.
Permaculture
A holistic method of agriculture developed by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, permaculture enables small
farmers to make a decent living without degrading or destroying their land. This method helps them carefully
manage water and soil, creating an ecosystem that supports human beings and protects the environment.
This method is based on the philosophy of cooperating with nature, and not confronting it. Permaculture
has now evolved into a great movement of individuals and groups in several rich and poor countries.
Permaculture can be described as an “integrated, evolving system of perennial or self-perpetuating plant
and animal species useful to man.”
Permaculture seeks to mimic nature to meet critical human needs in a sustainable, regenerative and
restorative way. It is based on the idea that our planet has finite resources and there should be limits on
human consumption and industrial growth.
Principles of Permaculture
The foundation of permaculture lies in its emphasis on adhering to ethical principles. The three ethical
principles of permaculture are:
1. Care for the earth
2. Care for people
3. Return of surplus to earth and people (also called “fair share”)
Since permaculture is basically a design system for long-term planning, the following principles need to
be followed while setting up a permaculture farm.
I. Relative location: Every component (element) in permaculture design is placed in relationship and
connection to others to achieve mutual benefits.
II. Multiple functions: It follows the principal that “each element performs many functions.” For an
efficient permaculture practice, every element in the design should be placed in such a way that it
serves as many functions as possible. This requires a thorough knowledge of each element in the
design.
III. Each important function is supported by many elements: This principle calls for identifying the
functions of each element (such as water, food, energy, fire protection) and ensuring that these
critical functions are supported in two or more ways.
IV. Zones and sectors: For efficient energy planning, the permaculture farm needs to have zones and
sectors to make most effective use of energy. Thus, trees, plants, structures and buildings are
planned so that they effectively use energy such as sunlight, wind, water resources etc.
V. Use of biological resources: Biological resources are efficiently used to do work and conserve
energy. Instead of using non-renewable energy sources such as diesel, petrol, or coal, permaculture
design effectively uses plants and animals to perform most functions.
VI. Energy cycling: This principle is related to recycling energy by capturing, storing and using energy
on site. Solar energy sources and other renewable energy sources are put to maximum use.
VII. Small-scale intensive systems: Permaculture systems are designed for small-scale operations so
that they can be easily and efficiently managed.
VIII. Accelerating succession and evolution: This uses and accelerates natural plant succession to
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establish favorable sites and soils, allowing nature to play its role in protecting the soil by growing
plants that help to rebuild the soil naturally.
IX. Diversity: Permaculture is a poly-culture and supports diversity of beneficial species for a productive
and interactive system. By raising more than one species of plant or animal at a time, it allows the
culture of multi-cropping and crop rotation and thus provides greater diversity.
X. Edge effect: The principle of edge effect allows the use of edge and natural patterns for best effect.
It adopts the natural patterns found in nature for better productivity.
Attitudinal principles: This works as a people-centric principle, based on the idea that: a) everything works
both ways; and b) permaculture is information- and imagination- intensive. For example, persistent strong
wind might be a disadvantage to a small farmer if it destroys crops. This wind energy could be transformed
into an advantage for the farmer by installing a small windmill to capture energy or by planting trees along
the wind path and cultivating crops that can grow in the shade.
Case study: Punarvasu Family Farm in South Karnataka
Punarvasu, a five-acre traditional family farm, is located about 15 kilometers south of Udipi and 3 kilometers
inland from south Karnataka coast. In 2007, the family began to transition the farm to permaculture. The
first year, they built a broad-scale water harvesting system and two catchment ponds (one higher up and
one mid-farm) and made some gulley plugs to slow down the water flow throughout the site. They also
installed a grey-water re-use system (used for dish and clothes washing). During the second year, they
installed grey-water re-use systems (one for an indoor sink, another on the bathhouse which feeds a small
nursery). Then they prepared holes for a small multi-species cashew orchard (planted during the monsoon)
and some cacao plants in the existing coconut and pepper orchard. They also experimented by building a
solar dryer and a small poly-house and started linking banana clumps in the banana orchard with bunding
(creating central mulch pits) that were planted with pineapple, sweet potato and papaya. Later, they also
installed a biogas plant for cooking. They also designed and converted the cow barn into guest housing,
enlarged the main catchment pond, began the creation of a jungle garden, and continued bunding and
planting banana circles. Every year, they host hands-on work weeks and trainings as well. They continue
to live on the old traditional family farm and consume farm-grown
food.
Agro-forestry
Agro-forestry is an approach that increases farm production through
land management. This method incorporates trees into the farming
system so that the same piece of land is used for trees, crops and
livestock. Agro-forestry combines production on the same plot of
land from annual agricultural activities (such as crops and pasture)
and from delayed long-term production by trees (for example, timber
and services). This is done by either planting trees on the
agricultural plot or by planting crops in forest areas.
Agro-forestry has been practiced for a long time in India. Historically, Figure 5 – A Sample of Agro-forestry.
farmers in many regions have allowed trees to grow amidst Retrieved from: Planet for a Future:
agricultural farms. Various forms of agro-forestry are practiced http://www.pfaf.org/UserFilesCms/Gua-
2004-21.jpg
throughout the country, providing fuel and wood for local
communities and raw materials for pulp, paper and other wood-based industries. Some of the most
prominent agro- forestry systems practiced in India are agri-silviculture and agri-horticulture systems in the
Western and Eastern Himalayas, agri-horti-silviculture systems in the upper and trans- Gangetic plains,
and agri-silviculture and silvi-pastoral systems in the southern plateau and hilly regions.
According to an estimate by the Forest Survey of India, there are 2.68 billion trees grown in India outside
forests that supply around 201 million tons of fuel wood and 64 million cubic meter of timber annually.
Several studies have been conducted in India to understand the role of agro-forestry in improving
production as well as soil health. Growing trees on farms provides timber, firewood and other products that
are useful for farming households. Trees can protect crops by sheltering them from wind. They can modify
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solar radiation, which reduces water evaporation and helps retain soil moisture. Soil samples collected from
lands where agro-forestry is extensively practiced have revealed that the method reduces nitrogen leaching
by 50 percent. Similarly, since the roots of trees grow deeper into the soil than those of monoculture crops,
they absorb more soil nutrients. When the dead leaves of these trees fall onto the field, they make these
nutrients available for the crops.
From the productivity perspective, it has been found that 100 hectares of agro-forestry produces as much
crop produce as 140 hectares of farmland, where trees and crops are planted separately. This effect results
from the stimulation of complementarity between trees and crops on agro-forestry plots. Thus, weeds that
are spontaneously present in young forestry plantations are replaced by harvested crops or pasture, for the
maintenance is less costly and environmental resources are better used. With regard to profit, agro-forestry
provides equal or greater incomes than monocultures.
Experimental Case Study of Agro-forestry
The National Research Centre for Agro-forestry conducted an experimental study of agro- forestry on
farmers' fields in Jhansi in the state of Uttar Pradesh during the period of 2009-10. The main objective of
the study was to assess the on-farm potential and preference of bamboo cultivation in the midst of wheat
and pulses. The study reports that farmers had shown keen interest to adopt bamboo in their field boundary
under agro-forestry. They planted 85 per hectare of Bambusa vulgaris (also called golden bamboo or baans
in Hindi) at Hastinapur village in the field of Shri Harpal Singh Rajpoot. They harvested 282 kg. per hectare
groundnut during kharif (monsoon) season, and 3,756 kg. per hectare of wheat in rabi (winter) season.
They also planted Dendrocalamus strictus (Male Bamboo, Solid Bamboo or Calcutta Bamboo), a tropical
and subtropical clumping species native to Southeast Asia used for food and paper pulp at village
Nayakhera in the field of Shri Shobha Ram Rajpoot (280 over two hectares). During kharif season, they
harvested urd (515 kg/hectare), mung (525 kg/hectare), groundnut (550 kg/hectare). In rabi season, they
harvested wheat Var Malviya 234 (3260 kg/hectare). The bamboo plants had no adverse effect on the
crops.
Note: Details of agro-forestry can be found in the chapter on “Importance of Trees in Farming.”
Forest Gardening
Forest gardening is a low-maintenance sustainable food production
system based on combining plants and trees in a natural woodland-
like pattern. This agroecological practice is very similar to agro-
forestry, and thus reaps similar benefits. It incorporates fruit and nut
trees, shrubs, herbs, vines and perennial vegetables that have
yields directly useful to humans.
Forest gardens or home gardens are more popular in tropical
regions. In India, this is practiced extensively in Kerala and the
Northeast. A forest garden in Kerala, for instance, will consist of
Figure 6 – Seven layers of forest garden.
coconut trees, black pepper, cocoa and pineapples. Retrieved from: http://www.lend-a-hand-
india.org/Permaculture%20Picture%202%2
0 (400%20x%20251).jpg
References
Jafri, A., & George, P. T. (n.d.). Handbook on Agroecology: Farmer's Manual on Sustainable Practices.
Retrieved April 1, 2018, from FocusWeb:
https://focusweb.org/system/files/Agriculture%20Science_0.pdf
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