Happy Harvest Farms is one of the pioneers of organic and sustainable farming in India. One of the key principles of organic farming is no use of chemicals whether it is to get rid of pests or nurture soil health. How is this ensured in organic and sustainable farming without using chemicals? Here are some of the key practices followed in organic farming to ensure soil health and to ensure our organic fruits and vegetables are truly organic.
Chemical pesticides are used by conventional farmers to deal with pest infestation. But this can have several negative repercussions.
- Chemical pesticides kill pests and leave the farm vegetables and fruits looking clean and shiny. But what you don’t see is the harmful chemical residue that remains – and can make it to your plate
- What looks good may not necessarily be good for you. To ward off worms and bacteria, chemicals like carbonates are used – they kill of essential plant microbiomes and the residue left on the farm vegetables and fruits could have adverse health effects in humans as well
So how do we organic farmers tackle this menace? Here are a few natural ways in which pests can be tackled in farms without the use of chemical pesticides on organic vegetables and fruits:
- Crop rotation: Which prevents the pests from getting use to a particular type of crop
- Other insects or birds naturally hunt & fight pests
- Use of sticky traps
- Practices like mulching, hand pulling weeds, spraying water to remove surface infestation
- Use of organic pesticides made with ingredients like need, cow urine etc
- In organic farming, bio-pesticides (like neem oil) are used in organic fruits vegetables – these are pest repellents rather than pest killers (like chemical pesticides), so some pests may slip past and leave visible bite marks on the produce. But this doesn’t mean the produce is not good – rather it means it is completely chemical free!
Farmers also use chemical fertilizers to add nutrients to the soil. But in organic farming this is done naturally. One of the key ways this is ensured is by using organic manure.
From the cow dung obtained from our cows, who are only given organic fodder, we prepare compost, jeevamrutha (a natural liquid fertilizer) and panchagavya (made using organic ingredients like cow dung, ghee, cow milk etc.) and use only such organic practices to maintain the health of the soil.
What is composting? It is a simple process in which agricultural and animal waste is converted into plant food – known as ‘Humus’ – via microbial breakdown. This nutrient-rich humus is great for soil health and an integral part of organic farming practices.
At Happy Harvest Farms, soil health is our priority. We prepare our compost from:
- Dung taken from our 300 odd cows
- Combine it with wood chips, dead leaves, soil minerals and bioinoculants
- The end result? Complete plant food!
Why this focus on soil health? Because we believe that only when you work with soil that is truly organic, will you get 100% organic vegetables and fruits, filled with authentic, fresh, rich taste and nutrition. Eat our produce and you will see the difference!