In the “Ahaar Mandal’ model, organic vegetables are grown within a 30ft radius orchard.
Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (PSU Connect)
Sambalpur: Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. is promoting organic farming ‘Aahaar Mandal’ among rural households. It is implementing this innovative project in the Himgir block of Sundargarh district of Odisha through ‘Gram Samrudhhi’, a registered voluntary organisation wherein 200 SC/ST farmers of 10 villages with 2 Aahaar Mandal sites in each village will be the direct beneficiaries.
In the “Ahaar Mandal’ model, organic vegetables are grown within a 30ft radius orchard. There is a central point surrounded by 3 concentric circles having a diameter of 6ft, 18ft and 30ft. There is a 2ft deep circular pit at the centre having a diameter of 6ft filled with chopped biomass (paddy straw, coconut husk etc) soaked in Amrut Jal (An organic solution of cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, and powder of ground cereals). The middle and outer circles are drawn at 18ft and 30ft. Two circular pathways of 18ft and 30ft radius and 7 straight pathways joining the outer circle to innermost circle are constructed by brick or stones whichever is locally available. Amrut Mitti (a mixture of cow dung, vermi-compost and decomposed food waste in solid form) is sprinkled over the whole garden. Plants source the vital nutrients from Amrut Jal and Amrut Mitti. Although the project has a tenure of12 months, beneficiaries can adopt the system permanently.
The plants are watered on a daily basis. The Central pit is hydrated once a week to keep the organic mass in liquid form. There is no need to provide any other nutritional supplement or fertiliser. To balance the nutritional value, the central pit is replenished with a solution of jaggery, besan and cow urine once in 6 months.
In the inner circle, annual plants like banana, papaya and corn are grown. In the middle circle, daily consumables like dhania, methi, palak, cucumber, pudina, tomato, brinjal, chili, and seasonal tuber crop (grown beneath the soil) like carrot, garlic, onion are grown. In the outer circle, crops which grow only once and which take a long time to yield, like sugarcane, herbal plants, medicinal plants and annual tuber crops like beetroot and cereal are grown.
With hallmark features of food security, sustained productivity, low cost and minimum water use, the ‘Aahaar Mandal’ model, is all set to provide village folks with the much needed naturally harvested organic nutritious food so essential for their all-round wellbeing.
Posted Date : 17-10-20
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