Farm Design - Design One (Ver 3.0)

In our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we will be covering an important design aspect by which rain water is harvested as part of the design. Water as a resource is becoming scarce and every farmer needs to ensure that water is saved for future use.

We can easily incorporate Rain Water Harvesting in this design without much difficulty.

Each of the Trees Space can be utilized for this purpose.  We need to dig  trenches of size 2 Ft Width and 1.5 Ft Depth and the Length is the entire length of the Trees Space.  This method of farming is called Trench Farming.  Please note that the Trees are grown in these trenches only.

• The advantage of this method of Rain Water Harvesting is that we do not have to sacrifice/allocate land for the purpose of Rain Water Harvesting separately.
• It helps reduce soil erosion due to rains/water run-off.
• Improves the ground water levels.
• During the non rainy season, we can use the trenches for putting the broken twigs, fallen branches of trees, leaves etc and this will become compost.

Please note that the excess water after filling the trenches, if any, should be collected in wells, ponds etc or should be made to leave the farmland in a graceful manner.

Note:  Rain Water Harvesting is possible only when there is a Run-Off of Rain Water.

Farm Design - Design One (Ver 2.2)

In our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we will cover the various permutations and combinations of Long Term Crops (mainly Trees) & Medium Term Crops (again mainly Trees) and their placement at a basic design level.

So far, we have covered where the Trees will occupy the spaces in the field.  But now, we will see the different options within the Trees Space as well.

I have provided 6 options above and we will discuss them in detail below.  The Options that marked with * can be applied for Long Term Crops & Medium Term Crops as well.

Option 1

• This option is a very generic option and no specific crops have been mentioned.  The Long Term Crops specifically means that we should only plant crops that are long term in nature and similarly Medium Term Crops specifically means that we should only plant crops that are medium term in nature.
• The only requirement in this option is that we have to alternate between Long Term Crops & Short Term Crops in each row.
• The advantage is that the entire row needs attention at the same time whether it is pruning, manuring, pesticide requirements, harvest etc.
• This option is very simple in nature when compared to the other options.

Option 2*

• This option has Single Type Fruit Crops in one row and Single Type Timber Crops in alternate row.
• The only requirement in this option is that only one Fruit Crop (eg Mango) has to be planted in one row and followed by one Timber Crop (eg Teak) in the next row.
• The third row can be a different Fruit Crop (eg Coconut) and the fourth row can be a different Timber Crop (eg Red Sanders) as well.
• The advantage is that the entire row needs attention at the same time whether it is pruning, manuring, pesticide management, harvest etc.
• Another advantage in this option is that the alternate row is occupied by Timber Crops and the crown size generally will be very less and hence the Odd Rows (Fruit Crops) will get sufficient space to grow.
• This option is again very simple in nature.

Option 3*

• This option has Single Type Fruit Crops (eg Mango) in one column and followed by Single Type Timber Crops (eg Teak) in the next column.
• The second row can be a different Fruit Crop (eg Coconut) as well as the same or entirely different Timber Crop (eg Teak or Red Sanders).
• The advantage in this option is that the alternate column is occupied by Timber Crops and the crown size generally will be very less and hence the Fruit Crops will get sufficient space to grow.
• The complications starts here as we have 2 different crops in the same row and hence has to be managed differently.

Option 4*

• This option has Single Type Fruit Crops (eg Mango) in one column and followed by Multiple Type Timber Crops (eg Melia + Teak + etc) in the next columns.
• The second row can be a different Fruit Crop (eg Coconut) as well as the same or entirely different Timber Crops (eg Melia + Teak + etc or Pencil + Red Sanders + etc).
• The advantage in this option is that the alternate column is occupied by Timber Crops and the crown size generally will be very less and hence the Fruit Crops will get sufficient space to grow.
• The complications starts here as we have 1 fixed Fruit Crop and 2 or more different Timber Crops in the same row and hence has to be managed differently.

Option 5*

• This option has Multiple Type Fruit Crops (eg Mango + Sapota + etc) and followed by Multiple Type Timber Crops (eg Melia + Teak + etc) in the next columns.
• The second row can be the same or entirely different set of Fruit Crops (eg Mango + Sapota + etc or Coconut + Tamarind + etc) as well as the same or entirely different Timber Crops (eg Melia + Teak + etc or Pencil + Red Sanders + etc).
• The advantage in this option is that the alternate column is occupied by Timber Crops and the crown size generally will be very less and hence the Fruit Crops will get sufficient space to grow.
• The complications starts here as we have 2 or more different Fruit Crop and 2 or more different Timber crops in the same row and hence has to be managed differently.
• Those who use this option has to maintain records properly to knows which crops stands where.
• A mini forest is being created in this option.

Option 6

• This option is a very generic option and no specific crops have been mentioned.
• One of the  requirements in this option is that we have to alternate between Long Term Fruit Crops & Long Term Timber Crops in the same row.
• The other requirement in this option is that we have to alternate between Medium Term Fruit Crops & Medium Term Timber Crops in the next row.
• The advantage in this option is that the alternate column is occupied by Timber Crops and the crown size generally will be very less and hence the Fruit Crops column will get sufficient space to grow.
• Another advantage in this option is that both the crops (more or less) will attain maturity at the same time since we are going for the same type of longevity of the crops and hence the entire row can be managed properly.
• A mini forest is being created in this option.

Farm Design - Design One (Ver 2.1)

In our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we will address some of the queries we have raised in our previous blog namely Farm Design - An Overview.

We will focus mainly on the spacing for Trees as well as on the spacing for Open Spaces.  Also, we will discuss on the Generic v/s Standard (Specific) Spacing.

First, we will discuss on the options in the spacing of trees.  Either we can go for Standard (Specific) Spacing or Generic Spacing.

1. The Generic Spacing between Plant-to-Plant is 10 ft.
2. If we go for Standard (Specific) spacing, then the individual plant will dictate the spacing.  For eg., Coconut needs a standard spacing of 25 ft.

Secondly, regarding the Open Spaces, it is advised to have 12 ft between the rows of the plants.  Again, the Open Spaces can be 24 ft, 36 ft, 48 ft etc (can be any number of ft and not necessarily multiples of 12) and this depends on the individual needs of the farmer and the plant they grow as well.

We have mentioned the spacing between Plant-to-Plant is 10 ft and this may look very crowded.  Here, I want to highlight a general observation and this may be helpful before proceeding further.

I have noticed that there are 2 types of Trees:-

1. Single Stem Tree - Eg., Coconut, Papaya, Banana etc
2. Multi Branch Tree - Eg., Mango, Sapota, Lemon etc

Technically, even Single Stem Tree has multiple branches and the branches are basically the crown portion and not in the body.  The disadvantage in Single Stem Tree is that we cannot prune them or control them according to our needs.

Multi Branch Tree can be pruned or controlled to occupy the space that we have.  Alternatively, we can also go for Dwarf Trees as well.

Now we can visualize that 10 ft is good enough for a multi branch tree.  Those who feel the spacing is not good enough, can plant a Single Stem Tree (especially Timber Trees) next to the Multi Branch Tree and follow it with another Multi Branch Tree and repeat the process.

Farm Design - Design One (Ver 1.0)

In our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, I am presenting the overall farm design and will keep explaining things in detail as we go along.

We will cover the Fence Design, Crops Design, Roads Design in detail by using this picture as a base and later we will cover Livestock Sheds & Living Quarters, if possible.

By using the design, we will know the following:-

• How much land will be utilized for fencing? (Applicable only for Natural/Live/Bio Fencing model)
• What type of plants are grown in which part of the fencing area? (Very useful for tracking as it can be utilized for our own manures & pesticides)
• How much area of roads needs to be provided for?
• What is the size of each road and what type of vehicles can be allowed to travel in that road without interfering/damaging the crops?
• What type of plant is grown in which part of the land?

Design One (Ver1.0)



 

The picture given above is in Square Shape and should be considered as an illustration only and other farms which have different shapes can also incorporate this design easily without any difficulty.

Few Points to note are given below:-

1. The Crops should be planted from East to West keeping in mind the sun's direction.
2. The Livestock shed construction should also be constructed in such a way that the entrance to the shed is either from the South or North.  Also, the entire shed (length) should be from East to West.  This will reduce the heat from the sun to a greater extent.

Farm Design - Is it REALLY necessary to have Crops Design?

In our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we will see when Crops Design makes sense and when it does not make sense.  We will be using a very simple example for showcasing when Crops Design makes sense.


When is Crops Design not necessary?

The Crops Design will not be necessary if you go for a mono-crop for the entire farm and hence there is no design requirement (for crops) at all.


When is Crops Design necessary?

The Crops Design is necessary if you go for a diversified crop activity.

Lets take 2 Farms (hypothetical example) each having 10 acres and the crops grown are Teak, Mango, Coconut & Vegetables.  Both the farms has 2.5 acres allocated to the individual crops.

Please note that the author does not recommend monoculture design and has taken the example for the sake of simplicity.

The 1st Farm has the following design and the crops placement in it are given below.

First 2.5 Acres - Teak (followed by)
Next 2.5 Acres - Mango (followed by)
Next 2.5 Acres - Coconut (followed by)
Next 2.5 Acres - Vegetables

The 2nd Farm has the following design and the crops placement in it are given below.

First 2.5 Acres - Vegetables (followed by)
Next 2.5 Acres - Coconut (followed by)
Next 2.5 Acres - Mango (followed by)
Next 2.5 Acres - Teak

We will discuss why the 2nd Farm has a better design than the 1st Farm?

In the 1st Farm, the Crops Design is absurd.

• Because, Teak is a long term crop and should have been placed at the tail end of the farm for the simple reason that we may not need to attend to it daily.
• Similarly, Mango's harvest happens once in a year and we may not need to attend to it on a daily basis.
• Coconut's harvest comes in every 45 days or so and hence we need to attend to it on a regular basis.
• Vegetables harvest comes through the year starting from 15 days for greens and extending upto 2 years as well and hence we need to attend to it on a daily basis.
• Calculate the amount of time wasted for getting to the Vegetable Crops every day if this design is implemented.
• Calculate the amount of load that we have to carry from the Vegetable Crops to the farm entrance.

In the 2nd Farm, the Crops Design is somewhat perfect.

• The Vegetables Crops are at the front and hence any activity is done quickly and it is accessible as it is very near to the entrance of the farm.
• The Coconuts are harvested and transported quickly as the distance to cover is less.
• Same goes for the Mangoes as well.
• The Teak is harvested only after 15-20 years and hence only monitoring is done at regular intervals.

In Conclusion, if we choose the right Crops Design, it will benefit us in the long run and also save us time and money.

 

Farm Design - An Overview

In our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we will try to understand the basic requirements of the Farm Design and how to approach the detailed design using the basic requirements.

Keeping it very simple, we need to understand the basic requirements of the Farm in the first place and jot them down.  Please note that it is not required that each and every basic requirements needs to be made available immediately.  What we are trying to achieve is to provide the spacing in terms of land parcel and the placing of the requirement in the right place in the farm keeping in mind our overall design.

Please note that all the requirements mentioned below may or may not be required for each and every farm except for the Crops.

1. Crops
2. Fences
3. Roads
4. LiveStock
5. Living Quarters

Once we have decided on the basic requirements, we can create a detailed design using the basic information as the basis.

The following detailed questionnaire will help us to finetune the detailed design.

1. What type of Fencing is required for our farm?
2. How much space needs to be allocated for Fencing?
3. What model are we going to follow in creating the Fences?
4. What type of crops will be grown? (Short Term, Medium Term, Long Term)
5. How many crops will be grown?
6. Where the Crops will be placed in the farm?
7. Whether the Crops spacing will follow Generic Spacing or Specific Spacing?
8. Whether the Crops will be planted Mono Planting or Poly Planting?
9. How many Roads are required?
10. Where the Roads will be constructed?
11. How much space for Roads need to be allocated?
12. Are we planning to have LiveStock?  If Yes, how much space needs to be allocated to them? (Cattle, Poultry etc)
13. Where the LiveStock shed need to be constructed in the farm?
14. Are we planning to have Ponds? If Yes, how much space needs to be allocated to them?
15. Where the Pond needs to be constructed in the farm?
16. Are we planning to have Living Quarters? If Yes, how much space needs to be allocated to them? (Owner Quarters, Labour Quarters, Storage & Drying Quarters, Eco Tourism Quarters etc)
17. Where the Living Quarters shed need to be constructed in the farm?