That probably sums up our progress in our farm in the last couple of months. Not literally, of course, but certainly in essence.
So, over the past few months, we have managed to get a few things completed.
The Water Tank: we had an excellent group of people build a 16,000 litre tank on the highest part of our farm. The water is pumped up from the brook by a modest pump run by a Honda kerosene engine. From the tank, we have connected 20mm HDPE pipes going down on two sides to most of the farming area. We have put in the piping so that there's a water outlet about every half-acre, primarily to be used for spraying our manure mixes (Jeevamirtham, Panchakaviyam, etc) and fish protein.
Living in the farm: Its become very clear to us the last few months, that we need to relocate to the farm at the earliest. We are now in the process of building a couple of rooms adjacent to the caretaker's room, so that we can quickly move in there. It will be a modest accommodation, but we're sure we'll enjoy it, and facilitate the work there more effectively. We have had a group of stonecutters staying in the farm and cutting stones for the building. Our experiments with the hand-pressed, sun-dried bricks made of local soil have not yet proved satisfactory, and we're making one more trial with some modifications next week.
Last week, we also concreted a few bad stretches of road leading to our farm. With some more repairs on the panchayat road, we look forward to less bone-rattling rides in the immediate future!
So, over the past few months, we have managed to get a few things completed.
The Water Tank: we had an excellent group of people build a 16,000 litre tank on the highest part of our farm. The water is pumped up from the brook by a modest pump run by a Honda kerosene engine. From the tank, we have connected 20mm HDPE pipes going down on two sides to most of the farming area. We have put in the piping so that there's a water outlet about every half-acre, primarily to be used for spraying our manure mixes (Jeevamirtham, Panchakaviyam, etc) and fish protein.
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Fencing: For a long time, we did not want to "exclude" any part of nature with fencing. However, with repeated damage to our beans crops by rabbits, and the ploughing up by the wild boar, we have decided we'll have to put up some kind of barrier. But fencing is expensive! One of our friends had used old fishing nets in his farm, and he even managed to procure a large lot for us from the fishing community in Calicut. We have finally gotten a team of workers to begin putting up the nets, supported every 8-10 ft by wooden posts. We now have to carefully clear the bushes just outside the fencing so that a wildfire does not melt down the nets. And it looks like we'll need to buy some more to complete the fencing.
Living in the farm: Its become very clear to us the last few months, that we need to relocate to the farm at the earliest. We are now in the process of building a couple of rooms adjacent to the caretaker's room, so that we can quickly move in there. It will be a modest accommodation, but we're sure we'll enjoy it, and facilitate the work there more effectively. We have had a group of stonecutters staying in the farm and cutting stones for the building. Our experiments with the hand-pressed, sun-dried bricks made of local soil have not yet proved satisfactory, and we're making one more trial with some modifications next week.
Last week, we also concreted a few bad stretches of road leading to our farm. With some more repairs on the panchayat road, we look forward to less bone-rattling rides in the immediate future!
