Its the Final Countdown....

I've been trying to write a blog post to sum up my experience in India for about the past hour. After writing and deleting and making my way through an entire pot of tea I have come to the conclusion that this is impossible to do. It may be my laziness or my lack of clear thinking after all that caffeine, but I also just don't think its necessary. One thing I do have to admit is that India was not an easy place to travel. This is part of what I loved about the country, but also what I hated. Cultural differences and lack of efficiency in the most basic processes in India made me quite excited to come home. The amazing food, cheap marketplaces, and the most absolutely ridiculous transportation circumstances (think a cow on a motorbike, flying three feet in the air on the back of a bus, and fitting nine people in a three-man vehicle) made up for the frustrating times. Truth be told, I have no plans to go back anytime soon.

Even at a farm run by a non-profit created by activist Vandana Shiva things were not quite as I expected them to be. While no one can be perfect some things on the farm weren't run with the same policies I have heard come out of Vandana Shiva's mouth. The "Chemical-Free Zone" of Bija Vidyapeeth used gallons of turpentine to paint our living areas and brought in food from unknown locations for our meals rather than using what was grown on the farm. I don't feel its necessary to disclose my entire opinion of the place in case anyone else is looking to travel there themselves. There are a few things I would have done differently knowing what I know now, though. First, I would have been fluent in Hindi. Second, I would have showed up for a year or two with a more practical project that could benefit the farm. Finally, if I had no project, I only would have come for a course then traveled to other farms that could have used my help. Running a non-profit in India can't be easy and I think Bija Vidyapeeth is really trying to do the best that they possibly can do. However, if I were them I would work out a few logistical areas and communication issues before inviting too many more people to the farm.

However, I would not trade all the people I met on the farm for anything. Of course, this was what I got most out of the experience. Not only the people who worked on the farm but those traveling through truly made the experience for me. I met storytellers, students, job quitters, soil scientists, green builders, farmers, Italians, yogis, hippies, politicians, artists, travelers, architects, activists, doctors, musicians, permaculturalists, entrepreneurs, and chefs and learned something from each and every one of them.

There... I knew if I just started writing it would come out. But of course there is always more to say....

Next up! Chapter 2: I have been back in Montana for nearly two weeks skiing, settling into my new home, and starting my final year of grad school in Missoula. My new home in Missoula is at the FLAT (Forum for Living with Appropriate Technology) where I will take on projects to demonstrate sustainable living with other students. I am quite excited for this opportunity and look forward to the projects we come up with. I plan to focus my time on projects for the garden and ways to get the local community more involved. As projects come up I would like to continue to share my experiences and will plan to add to this blog. Thanks for following me on the first part of my journey!

The height of intern season at Bija Vidyapeeth.

The cutest old man chef I know! Prem ji

Bonds are quick when living on a farm in India!

Goa, Going, Gone!

Yes, I am back in the United States, but I do feel a few wrap up blog posts are in order. Before trying to sum up this experience, let me first share some pictures from my last 'hurrah!' in Goa! Sick of taking ice cold bucket showers and waiting until lunchtime to feel our hands again, a few interns and I decided it was about time to head south and soak up some sunshine. Traveling to Goa was somewhat how I would imagine traveling to Puerto Vallarta for Spring Break. Hookahs, larger than life whiskey bottles, and men wearing short shorts were a few highlights of the nearly 30-hour train ride it took to get there.

Like many Indians of the North told us, Goa was actually a completely different country. Excessive Christmas decorations, baked goods, and the lack of conservative dress actually made it feel like I was already back in the US. Our group of seven equipped with scooters spent time driving up and down the coast visiting spice plantations, old Goa, and testing out the different beaches of the area. The laid-back lifestyle provided for a very fun and relaxing end to the trip.

A little traditional Goa mixed with traditional India.

Fish curry - 80 cents!

Our first mode of transportation - bicycles! Rode them all the way to, and even on the beach!

My favorite spice vendor in North Goa! Thanks for the garlic ginger curry powder!

Hiked down to our very own beach in south Goa.

The smell of fish in the south replaced the smell of garbage in the north.

Peppercorns growing at the spice plantation.

My ride!

Christmas was everywhere!

Seed Saving with Negi ji

I nearly forgot one of the most important workshops at Navdanya: Seed Saving! Negi ji, who has been with Navdanya for all 25 years took time during one of his visits to sit down and share the basics of seed saving practices at Bija Vidyapeeth. Even at the farm they have made mistakes and Negi ji was happy to share with us all the methods tried so that we may learn from their mistakes.

Seed saving containers at Bija Vidyapeeth have ranged from plastic to tin drums to bamboo baskets. Negi ji shared with us that the bamboo baskets - plastered with a mixture of cow dung, urine, and rice husks - provide the best environment for keep seeds. Plastic containers and tin drums allowed moisture inside leading to disease and rot of the seeds. In the plastered bamboo baskets Bija Vidyapeeth was able to keep seeds for up to 3 years with still a 95% germination rate. He also told us that an ancient seed saving practice in India is to place seeds inside an empty gourd and seal with cow dung.

The most important thing when saving seeds is to ensure the seeds stay dry. The seed bank at Bija Vidyapeeth was also built with moisture control in mind. No cement was used in the construction of the seed bank. Instead, the walls are reinforced with cow dung and urine. For large quantities of seed (such as rice and grains) that will be saved in large containers, these containers should be kept at least 8" off the ground by bricks or wood. These seeds should be stored in the container in layers to deter pests. Negi ji recommended to layer the seed, then the husk, seed, husk, etc., then place some chilies in the top, and finally add a layer of cow dung. Seeds can also be hung from the ceiling. Millet and radish seeds are hung from the ceiling in the Bija Vidyapeeth Seed Bank. And that's seed saving basics in a... seed shell!

Inside the Bija Vidyapeeth Seed Bank.

Negi ji - his shirt reads, "Trust Me, I'm a Farmer"

The plants they are a changin'...

December 20^th, 2011

Just when I'm getting ready to leave the farm is starting to look a little more familiar to me. Rather than the exotic ginger, turmeric, rice, peanuts, and sesame, the farm has now been flooded with greens, and peas, and garlic, and carrots, and wheat! And while I knew the majority of my time here would be for the rice harvest, it is unbelievably good to know a little bit about the plants here now. It was definitely fun to learn more about the foods I really do enjoy... seeing how they grow, but I really do want to know more about growing these same plants I can grow at home. Of course, though, things are still done differently here. First, to plant many of the Brassicas (cabbages and cauliflower) the fields are completely flooded, and then the little vegetable starts were placed in the field. The peas plants were scattered randomly over a large field, rather than neat rows and given no trellising. They were then only grown for about three weeks, or enough to get a week's worth of picking from them, before they were tilled into the ground. There are also many many radishes.. in fact, more radishes than I care to look at. And not a wonderful variety of radishes, but all appear to be diakon radishes. I have actually grown a genuine dislike of radishes since being here. I am sick of seeing them at every meal and they give me a stomach ache. Since the rice harvest of 560 varieties has completely finished the farm has now taken on the challenge of growing 139 varieties of wheat. I helped to sow these so I am really excited just to see them coming up. In an effort to not do any type of monoculture the farm workers left a few of the plots empty this time for vegetables. We also sowed a couple of the wheat seeds in rows and others we just randomly tilled in with hand tools. Okay, now my words again in pictures:

The humongous radishes!

Green everywhere!

...and planting the wheat!

The cauliflower that took forever to weed... where is the mulch??

Applying compost to the cauliflower.

John's Green Building Course

December 16^th, 2011

Rather than being a place to learn from, Navdanya has recently turned into a place where world travelers meet and teach each other what they know. And while I have learned quite a bit from the farm, I have learned more about subjects I wasn't expecting from my fellow travelers. Besides Chris and Marilyn, another lesson I wanted to mention was a recent presentation on green building from John who is most recently from Bali! His presentation was very inspiring to me and I thought it would be nice to share some of my notes. John gave a great overview on a few different building types: adobe, cob, straw bale, slip straw, and wattle & daub techniques.

The first question when building a house is to determine what you actually need the structure for. Sleeping, kitchen, bathing are all pretty common answers. Climate and especially the angles of sunlight should also come into play. The building techniques above all pertain the the walls of building a structure, but how to keep the walls dry also needs to be planned. As John called it each house needs to have hats and boots. It is especially important to keep the foundation dry with these techniques. A house should also provide shade during the hot months and allow sunlight in during the cold months to reduce the need for heating and cooling. The angle of the sun will determine the angle of the eves needed on the roof of the structure. John provided a few websites to determine the angle of the sun in your location: www.susdesign.com/sunangle, www.kleiwerks.com, and www.emeraldearth.org.

Many of the natural building techniques use straw and earth to build up the walls. To finish off these techniques John suggested using linseed oil, which is water resistant or a lime wash. Lime wash is derived from limestone, which is calcium oxide. The fascinating thing I learned about limestone is that its processing is carbon neutral. This is because when it is mixed with water it creates calcium hydroxide, which is toxic, but then re-extracts the CO2 it created during processing once it is finished. Lime wash is breathable, water-resistant, and when moisture is added to it, it will rebond where there are cracks.

While some knowledge of building is required to begin these projects many community members can join in getting their hands dirty in the mud and clay used in these techniques. John told us that the use of concrete (which is extremely resource intensive and extremely boring) is only second to water in terms of worldwide consumption. It is also important that when planning our structures we only build what is needed. Of course comfort and durability and safety are requirements, but why not have fun with unique structures we can build together? Today, many of our boxes on the hillside are overbuilt to hold only our stuff rather than act as a home where we can share family and community time together. In times of resource depletion it is important to take a step back and realize what we actually need when determining what resources we are going to use up.

Invasion of the Soil Scientists

December 13^th, 2011

While I have been working on farms and with farmers for nearly the past three years, it is here in India that I finally realized what farming is all about. I have realized now more than ever that growing agricultural soils is at least if not more important than growing the food itself. Through all the different compost recipes I have learned at Navdanya and the preparation for the next plot the importance of the soil structure has really been stressed. This idea was confirmed when an awesome couple from the United States came to the farm. Marilyn is a soil scientist and Chris is a first grade teacher (check out their website: www.hummingbirdproject.org!). They came to Navdanya during the recent Gandhi and Globalization course with a mission to set Navdanya up with a proper soil lab.

While setting up the soil lab Marilyn and Chris graciously tested their knowledge of the Soil Foodweb on us. I will be forever grateful for what I learned in those two days. The pretty basic science behind the fact that the soil is full of micro-organisms had pretty much left my mind since the last time I had a biology course. The knowledge they shared really made me realize how important building healthy soil is to the health of our food and plants. The top 8” of soil contain “The Big 6” micro-organisms → Bacteria, Fungi, Protozoa, Nematodes, Arthropods, and Earthworms. More or less, these micro-organisms all exist in the top 8” of healthy top soil and are continuously moving.

Another interesting fact is that different plants prefer different micro-organisms. By building healthy compost piles we can then add either fungal or bacterial soil to the plants that need those soils the most. Plants such as kale and broccoli and cabbage prefer bacterial soils where as strawberries and maple trees prefer fungal soils. Corn prefers a 1:1 ratio of bacteria:fungi in the soil. Chris and Marilyn also took the afternoon to teach us all how to make a proper compost pile. We were looking to increase the amount of fungi so we added a lot of brown material such as fallen leaves (carbon). A fun fact about carbon is that only leaves that fall from the tree on their own contain carbon. If leaves are picked and then laid out to dry they will still by nitrogen heavy. This is because while leaves are still green the tree is sending them nitrogen, but once leaves are ready to fall they are sending all the nitrogen back into the roots. Or that's at least how I understood it. And while most of this might be common knowledge for some, I am finding it absolutely fascinating... and want to sign up for a soil sciences class now! For more bacteria we would add green material to our compost pile such as food scraps and grass clippings (nitrogen). Another fun fact is that one shovelful of compost contains more diversity than the Amazon Rainforest.

Finally, Chris and Marilyn took us to the fields of Navdanya to test out the soils that have been grown at Bija Vidyapeeth over the years. We took soil samples from four places in the farm and then took the samples to the microscope they carried with them all the way here to observe the micro-organisms. Our samples included: the turmeric field which is now a big field of mulch; a freshly plowed field; the kitchen garden that is plowed much less than the rest of the farm; and finally the bamboo forest on the edge of the farm that has never been plowed or sown. There were no astonishing findings, but the freshly plowed field contained a few bad guy fungi (there is a difference, but we didn't get that in depth), the kitchen garden contained a lot of bacteria, and both the turmeric field and the bamboo forest contained some good fungi. Marilyn explained that tilling the soil can often disrupt the micro-organisms and can break them up causing them to be less prevalent, hence the theories of practicing no-till farming.

Anyways, like I said much of this is somewhat common knowledge but there are some very important practices I think we must remember when trying to grow healthy plants. The practice of building soil is ever-important if we want to grow healthy and sustainable food systems. Inorganic fertilizers are all salt based, and salt kills micro-organisms which just leads to a chain of events needing to continue adding more fertilizer. It is important to remember that good healthy soil can be grown just by combining our food and field waste products, as well. While growing healthy compost might take more time in some cases it is much more worth it in the future. Thanks Chris and Marilyn for the life lesson!

Making our soil sample slides!

The soil is alive! A possible siting of fungi under Chris and Marilyn's microscope.

The group building a fungal heavy compost pit next to the soil lab!

Ayurveda

December 9^th, 2011

During the recent Gandhi and Globalization course at Navdanya we were fortunate to get a little insight on Ayurveda. Ayurveda is a term that I have heard loosely used in the United States and heavily advertised here in India, but I honestly had no idea what the term meant. My first guess is that it had something to do with natural cures, but who knows what “Natural” means anymore? And before I sound like a bigger hippie than most of you already think I am, let me just disclaim that I think Ayurveda is an interesting way to look at re-examining our lifestyles and not something I am ready to take on full force.

What caught my attention during the Ayurveda lecture is the actual definition of Ayurvedic practices. Ayurveda is a recognized health practice in India, but has not been adopted by much of the West because Ayurvedic medicines take time rather than the quick fix pills we are used to. Instead of using pills and chemicals to get rid of a disease, Ayurveda looks at the cause and how the human body can fight off illness with its own strengths. For example, if you have a headache, rather than taking an aspirin, Ayurvedic practices try to determine the cause of the headache. That may mean working less, getting more sleep, or stop staring at a computer screen. Ayurvedic practices change habits or use medicines that help the body fight illness.

That being said, Ayurvedic practices see that the modern human beings have lost the sense of how to live. If you imagine wild animals they are never overweight, underweight, or walking around with Kleenexes stuffed up their sleeves... they know how to live. Animals have a sense of connection with the sun cycles and when to eat and when to sleep. Ayurvedic practices say that human beings have the same schedule, but modern lifestyles have caused us to move far away from this schedule leading to many of the illness and diseases we see in the Western world today.

The following is the natural cycle human beings should be on according to Ayurvedic practices. Unfortunately, I can never see myself actually adhering to this schedule unless I am left alone on a desert island for the rest of my life:

6am-10am (time to eat a light breakfast and be active (mentally and/or physically))

10am-2pm (time to eat main meal)

2pm-6pm (continue with activity)

6pm-10pm (time to wind down and eat a light meal)

10pm-2am (rest)

2am-6am (The air is charged with vital energy during the union of day and night and this is the easiest time to get up. This is the time for meditation and yoga)

And of course we get more than four hours of sleep, these are just the time spans these activities are suggested. Sorry I didn't take better notes. I also won't get into the Constitution types and doshas because I am still trying to understand them myself. But, if you happen to be interested, I definitely suggest picking up a book on Ayurveda and figuring out your Constitution type, which will then have more specific recommendations as to what your body and mind need. I just picked up an Ayurvedic Cookbook if anyone is interested in plundering through it with me when I return. And on the topic of food, the lecturer recommended the three meals rather than a bunch of small meals throughout the day because everytime we eat our digestive system has to start working. With three meals throughout the day our digestive systems get a chance to rest and rejuvenate for the next tasty morsel!

This is far too much for an Ayurvedic meal, but doesn't it look tasty?!  It sure was; coked for us by a Tibetan Culinary School in Dehradun during the Gandhi and Globalization course.