Wednesday, 22 August 2012

A Place to Start

What I propose to do in this blog is very simple? I am going to present information/data for everybody (hence the title) and also collect information/data from everybody.

What is the need to do this? I want the newcomer to Agriculture to get a head start rather than spending his/her time looking for information/data. (As I mentioned earlier, I have been looking for information/data for quite a long time and still not able to get the data for analysis in a organized manner.  Hence, I felt the need to do the same.)

As I am from Tamilnadu (India), the information/data presented here is related to TN state and hence people from other states can use the template (I will update later on) and fill the data according to their respective states. (Please give credit to the author)

Anybody who wishes to come into the agriculture fold should be getting a basic knowledge of agriculture before deciding the future course of action.  My suggestion would be as follows:-

Books of Interest
  1. One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka
  2. Miracle Apples by Akinori Kimura

Classes in Person

1. Attend classes (mostly free) in Krish Vigyan Kendra in your respective district.  To identify the KVK in your place, use the link http://www.icar.org.in/krishi-vigyan-kendra.htm or http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/kvk/kvkindia.html .


Net Books

1. You can browse the respective areas of interest in the following link http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/agrodok.html and enhance your knowledge.


Net Magazine

1. The one which is freely available to all the agriculturalists is the LEISA network.  You can read in your own local language (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Oriya & Hindi) & of course in English as well by going through the link www.leisaindia.org or http://www.agriculturesnetwork.org/magazines/india.  The Leisa Magazine is available every Quarter.


Print Magazine

  1. பசுமை விகடன் (Pasumai Vikatan) - Available in stands on 10th & 25th of every month in Tamil
  2. நவீன வேளாண்மை (Naveena Velaanmai) - Tamil Monthly Magazine
  3. உழவர் ஓசை (Uzhavar Osai) - Tamil Monthly Magazine
  4. தமிழக விவசாயி உலகம் (Tamilaga Vivasayee Ulagam) - Tamil Monthly Magazine
  5. வேளாண் வணிக உலகம் (Velaan Vaniga Ulagam) - Tamil Monthly Magazine


Phone Farming

1. Toll Free Number (1-800-180-1551) - The number given is accessible from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM except on Sundays and gazetted holidays and is run by the Govt of India.


TV Shows

Apart from the magazines, you can also watch TV shows which are very useful in my opinion are:-

1. மக்கள் (Makkal) TV (6:30 AM to 7:00 AM & 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM -- Mon to Fri) - Tamil

2. பொதிகை (Podhigai) TV (6:00 AM to 6:30 AM & 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM -- Mon to Fri) - Tamil


As usual, if anybody has more information, you are welcome to let me know.

I think for the beginners, this is "A Place to Start".


I am updating this page for consolidating the entire blog and users of this blog can easily navigate based on their requirements.

Generally, the following are the requirements for doing agricultural activity and they can be classified into different categories based on our assessment.  I have marked few as Level 1 Requirement, Level 2 Requirement etc.

By understanding the requirements, the users or farmers can take the right decisions and enable him to save time and money and focus on the important and immediate requirements.
  1. Methods / Models / Concepts
    1. Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) by Subhash Palekar
    2. An Introduction to Baskar Save's The Platform and Trench Method
    3. Swayam Shikshan Prayog - One Acre Model
    4. Farm Design - Design Two (Annapoorna Model)
    5. Cho's Global Natural Farming by Cho Han Kyu (Korean Farming)
  1. Farm Design (Level 1 Requirement)

    1. Farm Design - An Overview
    2. Farm Design - Is it REALLY necessary to have Crops Design?
    3. Farm Design - Is it REALLY necessary to have Roads Design?
    4. Farm Design - Design One (Ver 1.0)
    5. Farm Design - Design One (Ver 2.0)
    6. Farm Design - Design One (Ver 2.1)
    7. Farm Design - Design One (Ver 2.2)
    8. Farm Design - Design One (Ver 3.0)
    9. Farm Design - Design One (Ver 4.0)
    10. Farm Design - Design One (Ver 5.0)
    11. Farm Design - Raised Beds for Vegetable Farming (Simple Model)
    12. Farm Design - Vegetable Farming (Bread Sandwich Method)
    13. Farm Design - Raised Bed Preparation for Vegetable Farming (Hugelkultur Method)
    14. Farm Design - Habitat Management
  • Crops Selection (Level 1 Requirement)

  1. Choosing the Right Crop
  2. Choosing the Right Variety within a Crop
  3. Choosing the Right Number of Crops - Approach One
  4. Choosing the Right Number of Crops - Approach Two
  5. Choosing the Crops based on Water Needs
  6. Choosing the Crops (Groupwise) based on Water Needs
  7. Choosing the Crops (Groupwise) based on Longevity (age)
  8. Choosing the Crops (Groupwise) based on Soil Types - Work In Progress
  9. Choosing the Crops (Groupwise) based on Shelf Life
  10. Choosing the Right Combination of Crops - Single Harvest & Multiple Harvest Crops
  11. Choosing the Right Combination of Crops - Single (Season) Harvest & Multiple (Season) Harvest Crops
  12. Choosing the Right Combination of Crops - Short Term, Medium Term & Long Term Crops
  13. Choosing the Right Combination of Crops - Food Crops v/s Cash Crops
  14. Choosing the Right Combination of Crops - Localized, Naturalized v/s Exotic Crops
  15. InterCrop
    1. Intercrop Details 
  • Water (Level 1 Requirement)

    1. Water Sources
    2. Internal Water Sources - An Analysis
    3. Water Irrigation Methods
    4. Water Harvesting Methods
    5. Water Storage Methods
    6. Single Pond Design for Water Storage
    7. Multiple Ponds Design for Water Storage
    8. Water Conservation in Ponds
  • Water Technologies

    1. Bhungroo (Straw) Water Management by  Biplab Ketan Paul (http://www.naireetaservices.com/)
    2. Four Water Concepts by T.Hanumantha Rao (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHjtcF_0_IA)
  • Soil (Level 2 Requirement)

    1. How to improve the Soil
    2. How to improve - sustain the Soil 
  • Fence (Level 2 Requirement)

    1. What are the different options in FENCEing
    2. Live - Natural Fence - Understanding the Benefits
    3. Live Fence - A Detailed Approach
    4. Live / Natural Fence - Important Considerations
    5. Live Fence / Bio Fence / Natural Fence - A General List of Plants
    6. Farm Design - Design One (Ver 5.0)
  • Manures (Level 2 Requirement)

    1. Manures - Amudha Karaisal
    2. Manures - Arappu More Karaisal
    3. Manures - Attottam
    4. Manures - Biogas Slurry
    5. Manures - Dasagavya (தசகாவ்யா)
    6. Manures - Effective Microorganisms
    7. Manures - Egg Lime Formulation (Muttai Rasam)
    8. Manures - Fermented Buttermilk & Coconut Milk Solution
    9. Manures - Fish Amino Acid (மீன் அமினோ அமிலம்)
    10. Manures - Ghana Jeevamrutha
    11. Manures - Herbal Tea
    12. Manures - Jeevamrutha
    13. Manures - Kaadi Maavu (காடி மாவு)
    14. Manures - Panchakavya
    15. Manures - Panchakavya Plus
    16. Manures - Pazha Karaisal
    17. Manures - Misc
  • Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

    1. Integrated Pest Management - Border Crop or Perimeter Crop Details
    2. Integrated Pest Management - Enemy's Enemy is my Friend - Snakes
    3. Integrated Pest Management - Light Traps
    4. Integrated Pest Management - Pheromone Lures - Traps
    5. Integrated Pest Management - Trap Crop Details
    6. Integrated Pest Management - "T" shaped Bird Perches
    7. Integrated Pest Management - Yellow Sticky Pans - Traps
    • Pesticides
  • Machineries (Level 2 Requirement)

    1. Vegetable Harvest Equipment's
      1. Bhindi Cutter
  • Farm Maintenance (Level 2 Requirement)
  • Roads (Level 3 Requirement)

    1. Farm Design - Is it REALLY necessary to have Crops Design?
    2. Farm Design - Design One (Ver 4.0)
  • Marketing (Level 3 Requirement)
  • Pre & Post Harvest (Level 3 Requirement)
  • Labour (Level 3 Requirement)
  • Administration (Level 3 Requirement)
  • Value Added Products & Services (Level 4 Requirement)
  • Seeds

    1. Seed Treatment
      1. Seed Dormancy Treatment
        1. Seed Dormancy Treatment - Vegetables - General
      2. Seed Disease Control Treatment
        1. Seed Disease Control Treatment - Bijamrita
    2. Seed Preservation
  • Database, Knowledge & General Concepts

    1. Allied Activities
    2. Data & Analysis
    3. Exhibition / Meetings / Trainings
    4. Farmer2Farmer
    5. Links
    6. Tips & Tricks
    7. Flowers Crops - A Data Oriented Complete Guide - WorkInProgress
    8. Timber Crops - A Data Oriented Complete Guide - WorkInProgress
    9. Misc Crops - A Data Oriented Complete Guide - WorkInProgress
  • Misc

    1. How to collect Local or Indigenous Earthworms?
    2. List of Nitrogen Fixers
    3. Monoculture v/s Polyculture
    4. Organic Termite Control Method 1
    5. Vegetable Sowing Chart for Tamilnadu
    6. Vegetable Sowing Chart for South India
    7. Improving Productivity with Bees
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    27 comments:

    1. Anonymous19 May 2013 at 18:19

      Great info brother, god bless you - partha 9620208130

      ReplyDelete
    2. Anonymous1 July 2013 at 08:05

      The information you have put has been very helpful to me. Thanks,

      ReplyDelete
    3. ARVE15 August 2013 at 18:59

      wow great information

      ReplyDelete
    4. Sahaja farms3 November 2013 at 23:18

      Thank you very much for sharing information. I appreciate your effort to share. All readers will be thankful to you. Keep up the great work!!!.

      ReplyDelete
    5. sundarms7430 November 2013 at 13:09

      hi brother i find exhaustive information in this blog. ithink hereafter i will disturb u more.

      ReplyDelete
    6. sirish16 July 2014 at 23:41

      very good info thanks for your hard work in help other farmers...

      ReplyDelete
    7. Jabrishk23 July 2014 at 01:54

      Thanks for sharing. Very much appreciated.

      ReplyDelete
    8. Unknown15 September 2014 at 19:04

      Hello Padmanabhan,
      It is truely inspirational to see people like you leaving lavish IT life and moving on to roots!!!. I am also a software engineer based in Bangalore who wants to get rid of this life style and go back to nature!!! I got around 20 acre land in northern part of karnataka and I want to start my new innings in farming. Having decided to move to farming I am yet to decide what and how... Currently my brother is taking care of farm. I want to know from you with what crops I should start which give more profit? I am sure you were in the same confusion when u were in this transition state too. Can you tell me how and what you did?

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Padmanabhan Ganesan17 September 2014 at 12:49

        Please read my posts under "Crops Selection (Level 1 Requirement)". This will give the right idea.
        Also, you can follow the 33:33:33 model. This is nothing but Short, Medium & Long Term Crops.
        This is the best way to sustain your income in the long run.

        Delete
    9. Thangaraj Nadar13 September 2015 at 10:29

      Thanks for sharing. Very much appreciated

      ReplyDelete
    10. Krishnan23 January 2016 at 06:33

      Hi,
      I am at present working and planning to opt for VRS (may be by the end of this year). I would like to do as much study / research as possible regarding agriculture activities. I am totally new to agriculture. I would like to invest in a small piece of land (with a small house). I will be more than satisfied if I can make about twenty thousand rupees a month. Please suggest good business ideas, web sites, seminars (even if it is a paid one) where I can get maximum information. I wish to settle either in Tamil Nadu or Maharashtra
      Thanks
      Krishnan

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Padmanabhan Ganesan25 January 2016 at 12:45

        I have already listed few Magazines in Tamil. There are several blogs in the net and most of them have shared their experiences. I suggest you to get the list from https://ethnicacres.wordpress.com/.

        You can attend seminars/workshops by Subhash Palekar, Narayana Reddy in Bangalore, Vanagam in Tamilnadu etc.

        Delete
    11. Gautam24 January 2016 at 11:17

      3.7-Multiple Ponds Design for Water Storage link goes again to 3.5-Water Storage Methods

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Padmanabhan Ganesan25 January 2016 at 12:42

        It is now corrected and thanks for pointing it out.

        Delete
    12. Gautam26 January 2016 at 09:11

      7.5-Integrated Pest Management - Light Traps link goes to 7.4-Integrated Pest Management - Pheromone Lures - Traps

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Padmanabhan Ganesan26 January 2016 at 12:38

        Thanks once again for pointing out and it stands corrected now.

        Delete
    13. Gautam26 January 2016 at 12:40

      from point 8 onwards many doesn't have links why ? is there any problem or you are still working on it?

      ReplyDelete
    14. Anonymous23 May 2016 at 16:52

      Great Padmanabhan. Just a glance gives a great information. I will go through completely and pass on my comments and feedback.

      ReplyDelete
    15. Anonymous23 May 2016 at 16:54

      Great Initiative Padmanabhan. Just a simple glance gives us a great information. Have to read through completely. Thanks in advance.

      ReplyDelete
    16. Gautam29 June 2016 at 21:32

      I am planning to plant the following crops as poly culture. Could you please guide me the planting order and spacing between the crops
      1.Timber crops like teak, red sanders, vengai
      2.Lemon
      3.Coffee
      4.Banana
      5.Cardamom & papaya (in fewer numbers only)

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Padmanabhan Ganesan30 June 2016 at 13:52

        I will give you few links which you can refer.
        1. http://agritech.tnau.ac.in or http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/horticulture/horti_index.html or http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/forestry/timber_trees_index.html
        2. http://www.kissankerala.net/kissan/kissancontents/cropinfo.jsp

        I am assuming you will go for Timber Crops in the border. Banana & Papaya are short term crops while Coffee, Lemon & Cardamom are long term crops. The links will give in-depth knowledge.

        Delete
    17. Rajesh Prasad10 September 2016 at 04:45

      Sir, I am planning to buy land which will be suitable for both floriculture (polyhouse to grow roses, gerbera, etc) and horticulture (capsicum, cherry tomato, etc). What are the important basic parameters I should be looking at with respect to soil, water, etc., please enlighten.

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Padmanabhan Ganesan10 September 2016 at 12:28

        Red soil is the most preferred soil in terms of crops. Water availability throughout the year.

        Take samples of the soil and water and test it once you finalise the land. See whether the soil and water are within the permissible levels.

        Other parameters like good road for transporting the goods, nearby market for selling the product, availability of labour and other services etc to be looked at.

        Delete
      2. Rajesh Prasad11 September 2016 at 09:06

        Thank you sir.

        Delete
    18. Rajesh Prasad2 November 2016 at 04:37

      Sir, as per my budget and your advice of red soil, I am looking to buy two acres land close to Hosur in places like Denkanikottai, Thally, etc. The water availability in these areas is low though. My idea is to use one acre predominantly for water conservation using the methods listed out by you (do you think the rainfall here is sufficient for me to do this), and use the other acre for growing crops/flowers etc. Everything else like market, labour, etc are available here. Please advice.

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Padmanabhan Ganesan2 November 2016 at 14:18

        1.Check the average rainfall for your area from the met dept or other sites. This will give an indication of the rains and this will help in planning the size of the pond.
        2.Plan the pond in such a way that even less rain is properly collected and stored.
        3.Plan the crops based on the water availability in the pond + rainfall average.

        Delete

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