[Assam] [WaterWatch] Blazing Punjab: Flaming Fields

[W.Saleh]

Others are cultivating giant vegetables without going to the space. 40 pound
cabbage of Findhorn was in news long time ago.

Experts seek key to monster veg
Cameron and Moira Thomson have produced onions the size of footballs and
strawberries the size of apples on what was a boggy hillside near
Blairgowrie.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3679450.stm 

John Evans and his Giant Vegetables
http://www.recordholders.org/en/records/vegetables.html 

There is also a Giant vegetable Forum
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/giants/ 

Strawberries the size of apples and onions the size of footballs are now set
to be studied by scientists in Scotland.
http://hwww.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicveg/news/story.php?id=19 

Giant beans:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10116495

So what is the secret to growing a 22lb cabbage, ten-stone pumpkin,
Four-foot leeks stand side-by-side with celery the size of small trees 
http://www.waitrose.com/food/celebritiesandarticles/ingredients/0008058.aspx



"The community of Findhorn caused a sensation during the 1970's. From the
barren sandy soil of the Findhorn Bay Caravan Park grew huge plants, herbs
and flowers of dozens of kinds, most famously the now-legendary 40-pound
cabbages. Word spread, horticultural experts came and were stunned, and the
garden at Findhorn became famous."
http://www.findhorn.org/index.php 

Wahid Saleh

 
-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: assam-bounces at assamnet.org [mailto:assam-bounces at assamnet.org] Namens
mc mahant
Verzonden: zondag 18 mei 2008 6:09
Aan: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world
Onderwerp: Re: [Assam] [WaterWatch] Blazing Punjab: Flaming Fields


<Chinese growing giant sized vegetables> from space seeds. 2000 kgs of seeds
were shot up to space by the Chinese> over last 25 years. These were brought
back and planted in experimental> fields. The results are reported to be
extra ordinary. Pumpkins as large as> 40 kgs and tomatoes upto 5 kgs weight
are produced in these farms. This> could be one way of feeding their teeming
1.2 billion people> 
 
2 weeks back I was passing thro' Kunming.
Airport Departure hall had a  fruit/flower shop.
Saw a Poka Kothal about 20Kg.-- Also the people were eating plates of its
PHUTAAS
And Kosu(Taro) each 4>5 Kilo-- by the Kilo.
Mangoes 10+varieties  all from our TILIKIAAM   to Greenskin   MaldOH types.
Apricots(Noraa Bogori)  generally  each 1Kg
NogaTenga, Therezu,--we almost forgot--they have these  loud and clear
 
 
What are the Genetic Mutation Possibilities of an average height Han(<1.2
billion people>-or is it 1.5 already?) eating Giant Space-seeded Pumpkins
and Suddenly growing to 8'?
 
Happy weekend to you too.
 
M'da
> Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 09:20:33 +0530> From: dasmk2k at gmail.com> To:
assam at assamnet.org> Subject: Re: [Assam] [WaterWatch] Blazing Punjab:
Flaming Fields> > Someone can bundle the project and replace the burning
with some other eco> friendly practice and get *CDM* (Carbon
credit...www.unfcc.int/cdm...)> benefits. In any case the carbon emitted by
the burning will be sequested by> the next crop, so net emission will be
nil. But, if we stop burning> definitely there will be carbon credits to be
earned. that's my logic..> > Recently a team of Japanese/Thai organic
farmers visited NER on NEDFi's> invite and introduced something called EM
(Effective Micro-organism), the> heart of organic cultivation. EM is a
mixture of 80+ friendly bacterias used> on the soil to break up inorganic
matter, bio-mass and enhance productivity> and disease fighting abilities.>
> Yesterday I read somewhere about the Chinese growing giant sized
vegetables> from space seeds. 2000 kgs of seeds were shot up to space by the
Chinese> over last 25 years. These were brought back and planted in
experimental> fields. The results are reported to be extra ordinary.
Pumpkins as large as> 40 kgs and tomatoes upto 5 kgs weight are produced in
these farms. This> could be one way of feeding their teeming 1.2 billion
people. I don't know> if my Bharat Varsh is trying something similar.> >
Burning the straw after harvesting season is also the practice in Assam. I>
used to love the smell of burning 'nora'- local name for the stalk/straw.>
Brings kind of nostalgia, when I think about it. There must be some>
reason/logic for this age-old practice. Could be that the eggs of pests are>
killed that way. We need not condemn it out right. Why not some scientific>
study carried out by scientists.> > Happy weekend!> > Cheers!!> > On Sun,
May 18, 2008 at 4:37 AM, mc mahant <mikemahant at hotmail.com> wrote:> > >> >
Answer is: EDUCATE >>> >> > Biochemitization of Agwastes through
Humification-- for synergic> > growth.Soil Bacteria is waiting to do that
for you.> > Burning is not Science.It is Suicide.> > Punjab is known to us
from a distance for its "Advanced Agriculture/Agro> > Management"> > MM> >>
>> > To: waterwatch at yahoogroups.comFrom: umendradutt at gmail.comDate: Sat, 17
May> > 2008 06:21:34 +0530Subject: [WaterWatch] Blazing Punjab: Flaming
Fields> >> >> >> >> >> > Blazing Punjab: Flaming Fields> > Burning of Crop
residue - Need of Civilizational Intervention> >> > By Umendra Dutt> >> >
Every day I pass through villages and see fires in the just harvested> >
fields. An absolutely avoidable ecological destruction and environmental> >
violence is going on at the hands of brainwashed farmers. The trees, the> >
earth friendly creatures, the micro organisms are getting destroyed for no>
> rhyme or reason. Farmers are burning the wheat stalks just in order to
save> > a few hundred rupees, time .This dangerous practice is bound to play
havoc> > in a few years and these shortsighted misadventures are going to
extract a> > huge price in terms of money, time, environmental health,
ecosystem and> > natural resources.Countless innocent, man and crop friendly
living forms are> > being criminalised. These living forms actually
rejuvenate and energise our> > soil, our mother earth.> >> > Punjab is
burning, really. A very painful scene we are witnessing every day> > around
us. Madness, a mass psychosis of people unconcerned with the results> > of
their own misdeed is happening around us, which is terribly upsetting. It> >
is reminiscent of 'thousand fires in Rome', but at the end of those, Nero> >
added another page in human history. But what are we achieving here with> >
these unnecessary fires in our fields? We are burning Wheat crop residue in>
> more then 5500 Sq KMs and 12685 Sq KMs in Rice crop residues and
according> > to a study based on satellite data, the Emission Factors (EFs)
for wheat> > residue burning as estimated CO- 34.66g/Kg , NOx - 2.63g/Kg,
CH4 - 0.41g/Km> > , PM10 - 3.99g/Kg, PM2.5 - 3.76g/Kg .> >> > These
large-scale burning, releases trace gases, along with sub> > micron-sized
aerosols, which are known to aggravate lung and respiratory> > diseases. And
we address earth as Dharti Ma.> >> > Burning of the crop residue not only
adds to atmospheric pollution and> > emission of green house gases but also
leads to loss of rich renewable soil> > rejuvenating organic resources. It
gives me an uneasy feeling about our> > society, its contemporary character
and it also indicates a kind of> > shallowness of my society. It is so
disturbing that I questions my own self.> > We have to pose this question to
ourselves and to the so called experts as> > to why this seasonal burning at
all?> >> > Who is to blame? Are our farmers responsible? What is the reason
for this?> > Why our society is behaving like this? Are the changing life
styles also> > contributing in this indifferent attitude of our society? Why
our social> > scientists are indifferently quiet on this burning issue?> >>
> Is it simple that farmers are burning up crop straw to save few hundred> >
rupees only? Despite knowing the adverse effects of this devastating> >
practice? Why the farmers are intent to burn stubble?> > Then some more
questions also need to have answers. Where is the solution?> > Can
technology provide solution? Is it due to lack of technology and its> >
application or adoption only? I think it is the unmindfull application of> >
technology that is responsible for this crisis. Because technology doesn't>
> come in isolation, it carries a cultural imprint with itself along with a>
> carbon footprint. Then, there is physiological baggage also. Any new> >
technology we adopt, it impacts our way of thinking, our analysis, our> >
perceptions and our relations with surroundings - the nature and the> >
mankind.> > We had propagated various new technologies in course of modern
development> > and Green revolution. Our experts are proud of these new
technologies; they> > are very fond of talking about its adoption rate,
success rate and other> > benefits. We had started evaluating every thing
mechanically in narrow terms> > of profitability. The green revolution
agricultural paradigm has also> > displaced our value systems from
agriculture; it has destroyed the very> > basic civilizational element in
our convoluted agriculture vision.> > When there is no moral code, no
values, no beliefs, no ethics then> > certainly there will be no compassion
at all, no feeling on oneness with our> > surroundings. Then the whole earth
is supposed to be for our self-indulgence> > only, and the farm is only a
piece of land, a mere area, which is owned by> > me, I am the owner of that
, so it depends on me only - What I do to that> > land. I want maximum
profits out of it, because I have to address my lust of> > money.> > I was
told by the experts to put poisons in my land to kill pests, they> > told me
it is the development. I was taught by the experts and highly> > civilized
persons that I should use machines - Harvester Combine to minimize> > my
expenditure on human labour, as labour is a problem. Then one agriculture> >
economist teaches me lessons of profitability - economic viability - and I>
> was told that now I am a progressive farmer. When I was made totally> >
self-centered unconcerned of my surroundings, my ecology, sustainability of>
> life. Then this agriculture establishment celebrated my progress. They
told> > me it is the way of life now; this is the new path of development.
There is> > euphoria all around and no body has time to talk about my
interdependence on> > Nature. New machines, technologies and new definitions
have taken place of> > the wisdom I got from my ancestors.> >> >> > The
burning of crop residue should not be seen in isolation, we have to> > take
a holistic picture. It is not a problem in itself. it a symptom of> >
deep-rooted civilizational crisis of our society and our age. We have to> >
address the crisis on much wider canvass.> > Mankind is behaving like this
towards every natural thing - wether it is> > water, air, trees, forests,
animals, the mechanized mind and self-seeking> > way of life has made our
whole society insensitive to nature. The crisis> > mitigation does not lie
in technological interventions only. The agriculture> > expert mind- set and
solutions suggested by it has already ruined our> > ecology and our
agricultural heritage. Now we cannot ask them to suggest> > solutions. Those
who were worshiped for more then four decades for their> > expertise now
should not be asked for solutions, because they can provide> > another
technological answer and mere technology is not a complete solution> > at
all.> >> > There are still thousands of farmers who have no rotavator or
Happy-seeder> > but they are not burning the stubble. Agriculture implements
are only tools> > to be used; the real answer is in our mindset, the vision
and feeling of a> > relationship with Earth, other forms of life and whole
ecology.> > While NFL at Bathinda produces 5 lakh tons of urea which gives
near about> > 2.5 lakh tons of nitrogen with lots of energy consumption,
water consumption> > and environmental pollution, so one fifth of the total
production of> > nitrogen is burned due to inefficient management systems
put forth by the> > government.> > Farmers burn 196 lakh MTs of straw every
year, worth crores of rupees,> > besides losing 38.5 lakh MTs of organic
carbon, 59,000 MTs of nitrogen,> > 2,000 MTs of phosphorous and 34,000 MTs
of potassium every year. If> > government feels that this should be saved,
it should take up a large> > campaign, asking farmers to use the straw as
mulch, spread with Jeevaamrita> > kind of solutions. If it involves
additional costs for the farmers,> > government should pay for it.> >> >
Several farmers associated with Kheti Virasat Mission who are practicing> >
natural farming, have already adopted Jeevaamrita to mulch stubble in their>
> farms. They are not into burning madness, not because of technology but
due> > to their conviction. Off course farmer needs some methods to mulch
all crop> > straw. Jeevaamrita provides appropriate solution.> >> > We
should develop a strong campaign asking Govt to initiate a process of> >
asking people to adopt straw mulching; this would automatically lead to> >
promotion of natural farming once we get space in the campaign. The> >
prerequisite of the solution is a civilizational intervention to> >
re-establish mother-son relation of farmer with Earth. We have to redefine>
> the meaning of development, progressive farmer, profitability and> >
sustainability. We have to evolve a new idiom to evaluate our contemporary>
> ecological crisis.> >> > The whole society and particularly the elite and
experts must take the> > responsibility of their transgression; farmers are
expressing the same what> > the society has taught them. This burning of
stubble is the natural outcome> > of the economic and agriculture model we
are pursuing from last fifty years.> > It is the result of a paradigm we had
chosen, propagated by the experts of> > those times.> >> > Let whole Punjabi
society accept its role in this misadventure. This is the> > only one
dimension of whole ecological-civilizational crisis that our> > society is
facing and which will certainly affect lives of our future> > generations.
We have to change Collective Mindset of our society and this> > can be only
being done through a process for new model of development.> > Let us start
this voyage to build our own developmental paradigm to come> > out this self
inflicting devastation.> >> >> > -- Umendra DuttExecutive DirectorKHETI
VIRASAT MISSIONBishnandi> > BazarJAITU-151202
District-Faridkot,PunjabPhones:01635-503415> >
09872682161umendradutt.blogspot.comGod is omni present in entire nature and>
> hurting nature is violence against the God> > __._,_.___> > Messages in
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