Down on the farm

My hosts, the Shah's, have a test farm in Mohol, near Solapur in Maharashtra. This is their ancestral home territory so that in addition to visiting the farm, I met all the brothers and their families and saw their many individual projects. It is a very industrious family, and that likely is an understatement. Even my dear friend Rupali, whose family this is, was instrumental in designing the stunning and unusual water tanks. A signature sight at the entrance and also interspersed throughout the farm. I have only know Rupali as the best teacher I've ever met, but she was a professional architect in a former iteration!

This beautiful water tower is offset by an underground tank of larger size which stabilizes the structure.

Morning light across the low rise hills in the distance and some of the greenhouses nearby.

"Main Street"

Sunrise into the distant haze.

The lucky beehive!

The most beautiful water tank.

Solapur is in a central and relatively dry part of India. Heavy monsoon rains do not fall here, just more ordinary rainfalls during monsoon season. Otherwise it is quite dry. It is also very flat for miles and miles in all directions. This is the Deccan plateau. A result of gigantic lava flows disgorged over a very long time from cracks in the Earth. I guess this was about 65M years ago. The result at this location is that there is a vast accumulation of basaltic boulders in some places almost like giant basaltic globules. Naturally this makes tilling more difficult - and yet 500 yards away might be fairly easily tilled soil without a sign of basalt.

The basalt surprised me because its structure is so smooth and unblemished by incursions or bubbles. Its color is entirely uniform grey in most cases - like a very fine cake. At the outside edges of some boulders there might be some crystals, but otherwise not. It splits easily along sheers and that made me wonder if it used to be used as tools or weapons. ( I am keen to read up a little on the Deccan Plateau and on types of basalt, but one thing this farm of many surprises does not have is wi-fi, and I don't have any cellular capabilities on this machine.)

Very heavy work....

In lieu of sand, I collected these rocks.

This is a test farm for specialty fertilizers and for modern agricultural practices such as drip irrigation and crop grouping - like persimmon bushes surrounded by marigolds, to keep nematodes away, and interspersed with green chili plants, to keep something else away. The fields are surrounded in part by neem trees which apparently have some insecticide properties as well as providing some shade. Coconut palms line the roads and paths. Winter wheat crops add nitrogen as do legumes.

persimmons

chilies

okra - totally delicious

Coconut palm

Papaya plants

Additionally there are huge worm farms and the castings are used to enhance the soil, sugar cane leavings are re-tilled into the soil - instead of debris being burned before starting fresh, an old practice which depletes rather than replenishing the soil.

In between sugar cane rows are plantings of sweet corn and legumes, planted there to refresh the soil and be a cash crop for local farmers during the 12-16 months it takes to bring sugar cane to full growth.

Some of the green houses have three layers of plantings - lower level cactus and capsicum - mid level are strawberries, pruned to have the berries hang free outside the planter in order to get full sun - upper level are bottle-guard vines. (This plant is especially rich in potassium and delicious in soup.) Two green houses will be devoted to broccoli (because it's a healthy and profitable plant), but most are planted in beautiful roses, which are gathered and sent to markey every two days. All colors - with a rich aroma. Delightful! De-lovely!

After the abundance of roses was picked. Tomorrow is another day!

But the fertilizer is the big factory item. They produce 100 tons of ordinary 20-10-10 fertilizer per day (using only evening and night shifts to cut down on electric costs), but also some very nutrient specific slow release water soluble fertilizer, which is in pellet form surrounded by a biodegradable polymer binder. Apparently the newest technology out of California - compost tea, with everything from compost and worm castings to kelp - is what is being developed for sale from this year onward. Trucks are inbound and outbound all night and day. A very busy place and Mr. Shah is right in the middle of it. I don't believe he ever sleeps, but is constantly on the move and on the phone. However he is generously available to take 2-3 hours for explaining his ideas and accomplishments in the kind of detail that I can actually grasp. From what I can understand, this is one of a handful of test farms in the country, and the only one that makes a very active effort to educate farmers on best practice techniques.

All trucks in India are brilliantly decorated

The Jainist philosophy underlies his day, and he actively practices the rituals of personal and professional life. I am not attached to a creed or sets of tenets so I am curious about it. But there is such consistency and the symbols are so appreciated and plentiful - the company name (Vardaman meaning 'growing with respect' in Jainist philosophy), the household god room, garlands over entrance doors, representations of the 6 major responsibilities of living a good life (basically to resist the deadly sins) - that I can't help but feel impressed that something greater underpins all this effort. I'm too close to Christianity to feel this way when I am in the company of publically acclaiming Christians. Instead I generally stand back from them because of my strong mixed feelings. But I feel no "should or ought to" feeling in the presence of this philosophy. I just feel the positive outflow of its lifestyle and attitude. I like it a lot.

The preparation, presentation, appreciation and savoring of each meal is a spiritual practice.

If I remember correctly, the white ball is of soft rice flour and water. The pale green next to it is a chutney. The bright green is fresh new sorghum - which is lighter and even more delicious than early spring corn. The brown is a concoction of coconut, peanuts and some other delights. Red chili paste. White yogurt. Yellow sugary dish. Spicy, crispy bread. In a dish on the side is lentil curry. (I wish I could remember the names and preparations before sending out this blog, but I can't. So I will hope to send out a correction later.)

The richness of my experience at the farm and the honor and respect which filter through every aspect of life here, was a privilege and a wonderful memory.

 

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