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NIF AWARDS-I |
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8th National Biennial Grassroots Innovation Awards-I |
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The celebration of grassroots innovation at Rashtrapati Bhavan empowers creative communities in a manner that was never tried before in the history of India. The First Festival of Innovation (FOIN), held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi from March 7-13, 2015 focussed the attention of the nation towards the untapped potential of knowledge-rich, economically poor people of the country. Moreover, 10 innovation scholars in-residence were hosted at the President’s house for two weeks. FOIN was organised by the President’s Secretariat, assisted by National Innovation Foundation (NIF) and Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions (SRISTI). |
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Lifetime Achievement AwardAbdul Khadar NadakattinDharwad, KarnatakaAbdul Khadar (62), Annigeri, Dharwad district, is a serial inventor. The region has deep black soil and is well known for chilli and Bengal gram crops. The only son of his parents, Abdul was keen on going to school but his father wanted him to focus on agriculture solely. Right from childhood, he had an observant nature and a very innovative bent of mind.A water alarmTo deal with his oversleeping problem, Abdul developed a ‘water alarm’, his first innovation. He tied a thin rope at the end of the key of the alarm in such a way that when the key unwound itself, the string tied to the key got wound. The string was further tied to a bottle filled with water. When the key was completely unwound, the bottle would tilt and the water would fall on his face.Growing tamarindAbdul had inherited 60 acres of land from his father. Located in an area characterised by unpredictable rainfall and low water tables, he believed horticulture would be suitable for the conditions and therefore planted sapota (sapodilla), ber and chilli in 16 acres. This did not work out due to water shortage. He observed in nearby orchard, left unattended for long, that only tamarind plants were surviving. He realised that tamarind can be pickled and sold. Therefore, he decided to cultivate tamarind. In 1985, a year of severe drought, he managed to transport water from a distance of about three kilometres and planted 600 tamarind plants in pits, in rows with a spacing of six metres. The plants not only survived but continued to grow well. In 1990, inspired by the success, he planted 1,100 more plants in 10 acres and was thus able to establish a 16-acre grove, with about 1,800 tamarind trees. A device to separate tamarind seedsHe observed that manually separating tamarind seeds from the pods was a major challenge. After six months of intensive labour and spending about Rs 3 lakh, he made a machine which could separate tamarind seeds. The machine used the sliding action of the pegs that were tapered at the end to throw out the seeds from the tamarind pod. Tamarind slicing for picklesThe next step in pickle making was the cutting of unripe tamarind into small pieces which was a tedious process. He designed a machine for slicing tamarind. Because of his work related to tamarind, people nicknamed him ‘hunase huccha’ which means ‘tamarind maniac’.Other innovationsAbdul has been striving and struggling hard to discover progressive methods for modern agriculture. He has developed many other innovative, low-cost and farmer-friendly technologies. The innovations include: A bullock-drawn tiller capable of deep ploughing; a plough blade which did not need whetting; a ploughing blade-making and sharpening machine; a seed-cum-fertiliser drill; a water boiler; an automatic sugarcane sowing driller and a wheel tiller. More details can be found on www.nifindia.org.in. Abdul has many such innovations, both small and big, to his credit but all his creative pursuits took a heavy toll on his financial resources. He struggled with a debt worth lakhs and was forced to sell his agricultural implements. However, he did not relent and continued to struggle. He established Vishwashanti Agricultural Research Centre at Annigeri through which he sells his innovative devices. With support from the Karnataka government, many of his products are available to farmers at subsidised rates. He also works closely on some projects with the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad. His factory is being managed by his sons and his daughter-in-law. His in-depth knowledge about the agro-climatic conditions, including soil characteristics and appropriate farm machinery, has made him an inspiration for other farmers in the area. Also see profile of Abdul Nadakattin, Honey Bee, 11(4) & 12(1): 11-12; 2000-2001Posthumous Award for Promoting InnovationLate Chandrakant V PathakPune, MaharashtraHailing from the Satara district of Maharashtra, Chandrakant V Pathak was a serial innovator, social entrepreneur and a dedicated social worker. Not only did he develop various utility machines for common people but, he also helped upgrade technical skills of thousands of school drop-outs.Even as a child, he was quite creative and had a keen sense of observation. He kept on experimenting something or the other. His interest in tools and machineries made him work in various setups in Maharashtra and Gujarat for a few years and then, he relocated back to Pune. Innovations for the societyChandrakant worked on a number of innovative products which were energy-efficient and appropriate for the rural as well as urban areas. He devised a bullock life-saving system wherein sturdy accessories were designed for the bullock carts to update their safety. He also developed a flat-belt brake system, fitted to the rubber tyre of the cart, so as to help in regulating the speed and stopping the cart without causing any injury to bullock. He made the Vanarai bicycle pump that is mounted on the carrier of a bicycle, which can be used for lifting water for various purposes like development of dry land, as a fire extinguisher, for construction work, in gymnasiums and for irrigation. The bicycle can be taken to the water source, parked and peddled on its stand to operate the pump. His other innovations include bicycle-mounted spray pump, stump-drip-irrigation system, vegetable grinder, sprinkler and flourmill, etc. All of these were well received by the people.Skill development and technical trainingWhile working in Gujarat, Chandrakant observed people from lower income section and identified the lack of technical skills in them as one of the causes of their low income/poverty. After returning to Pune in 1964, he established Modern Technical Centre, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), with an aim to impart technical education and skills to the students of seventh standard, who could not afford further education. The quality training provided by the NGO helped many students get absorbed in renowned companies. Later, the centre started giving training to students with hearing disability as well as other physical disabilities. He shaped them into turners and fitters. A separate division for women also followed in 1974. Several thousand individuals have been trained at the centre during all these years. Situated in the old city of Pune, the Modern Technical Centre is open to innovators to perform their own experiments; they can stay, develop their concepts into products and try to disseminate them. Other activitiesChandrakant also supported a number of social causes. He was associated with Sakal Relief Fund which provided him the opportunity to visit many unprivileged areas of the country, where he observed poverty and lack of basic necessities. This was perhaps the trigger for many of his compassionate innovations for common people. Even on the day he died, he had attended a meeting for providing relief for Uttarakhand disaster.RecognitionHis work on bullock life-saving and other innovations was recognised by NIF in 2002 in its Second National Awards. He was also honoured by Sheti Mitra Award (2003) by the government of Maharashtra, the Award for Innovation for Non-Conventional Energy Equipment at the hands of the then President of India (2002), Ashden Award (United Kingdom, 2007-08) and MCCI Parkhe Puraskar (1997) among others. However, more than awards and accolades, helping people with skills and technology were his major source of satisfaction. Chandrakant lived a fulfilling life, full of hard work, dedication and devotion to the causes he felt close to. He has been an inspiration for all who have known him closely and would continue to do so. National first: EnergySolar multi muga reeling-cum-spinning machineM Manihar SharmaImphal, ManipurManihar Sharma (65), a mechanic, has come up with a number of useful innovations like a handy incense stick-making machine, an innovative dryer and an automatic pump operation system for overhead tanks. Manihar has come up with a solar machine which can simultaneously perform reeling and spinning of different types of silk. BackgroundAfter working as an autorickshaw driver, running a small restaurant and serving as an assistant to his doctor friend, Manihar Sharma has been a full-time innovator for some time now. For his lack of practicality, the society and his own family mockingly branded him as ‘numikadoba’ (the man who would go to the Sun).The early beginningManihar was raised by his aunt after his mother passed away when he was eight. He abandoned his studies in high school because of financial problems and started working as a mechanic in a local workshop. While he tinkered day and night, the availability of mechanical and electrical parts became a problem. They could only be brought in bulk either from Kolkata or Guwahati. The inability to buy expensive parts from the markets outside the state forced him to manufacture those himself. Manihar enrolled for a three-month course on plastic moulding techniques at Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET) after the age of 50. The obsession to do things perfectly made him practice the art of manual moulding of plastic for years. GenesisConventionally, in Imphal, most women are involved in silk reeling. Manihar realised how difficult it is for women to judiciously balance the available time between household activities and silk reeling. His desire to help reduce the drudgery involved in their work made him develop an automated silk reeling system which did not require constant monitoring. Solar multi-muga reeling-cum-spinning machineThis is a portable user-friendly machine, which can simultaneously carry out reeling as well as spinning for different varieties of silk like mulberry, muga, eri and tasar without any arduous human effort. The reeling is automated once the filaments from the cocoons are fed to the reeling end. The machine speed can also be regulated with the help of feeding pipes attached along the thread lines. The reeling speed adjustment mechanism ensures silk production of desired quality. The machine is user-friendly, compact, portable and durable. It runs on both solar energy and electricity, and can be operated all day. This machine produces superior quality of threads in lesser time, with reduced labour. It is ideal for women who strive to manage household activities along with silk reeling process.An untiring mindManihar’s other innovations like the automatic pump operator, innovative dryer and incense stick-making machine have been much appreciated. His first innovation, an automatic pump operator, could minimise the wastage of water and human power. It facilitated hassle-free household water management and Manihar won NIF’s National Award in 2009 for the same at the hands of the then President of India. In a place where kinship and personal relationships count more than anything else, his absence at social functions never calls for a reprimand. Initially, his neighbours considered him mad, but they soon realised his calibre. Their perception changed when he had many government officials visiting him and he got some grant to work on his innovations. Manihar has been single-mindedly pursuing his passion which inspires others. His mind is continuously buzzing with new ideas and his eyes are always on the lookout for problems which he can engage his mind with.National first: Plant varietySitara Sringar, an improved mustard varietyHukam Singh Lodha, Bharatpur, RajasthanHukam Singh (62), Bharatpur, has developed a high-yielding improved variety of mustard through natural hybridisation. The variety has high oil content as well. BackgroundAfter finishing his secondary education, Hukam Singh started traditional farming using bullocks and conventional farming tools in his father’s farm. After a few years, when he trained at the Farmers’ Training Centre at Bharatpur, his interest in modern agricultural techniques and tools started to grow. He then started visiting exhibitions, agricultural fairs and training centres. His interest in developing an improved variety of mustard developed after one such visit to Mustard Research Centre, Bharatpur. GenesisHukam Singh was growing locally popular mustard (Brassica juncea) variety in his field, which had small seeds, yellow flowers and jointed siliqua. He was also growing sengri (Raphanus sativus), which had bold seeds, robust stem and siliqua. The mustard variety was tolerant to water logging and had good height, with appressed siliqua angle. In 2005, he sowed seeds of both the crops in alternate rows. He then harvested seeds from plants selected on the basis of plant height, tolerance to water logging, pod shattering and Alternaria leaf blight disease for the next sowing. He continued the process of selection for three years. In 2010, he found that the desirable characters were more or less stable. Sitara Sringar was thus developed as a result of natural crossing. Hukam Singh started multiplying the seeds in sufficient quantity thereafter. Improved mustard varietySitara Sringar is an improved variety developed through natural crossing of Sengri (Raphanus ssativus) and local variety of Sarso (Brassica juncea), followed by recurrent selection. The variety has high yield (30-35 q/ha), oil content (42%), tolerance to pods shattering, water logging and alternaria leaf blight. The variety takes about 120-130 days to mature. It also performs well in saline water. Sitara Sringar was found significantly superior over all known varieties in terms of yield, primary and secondary branches and highest test weight. Recognition and plan aheadFor his efforts, Hukam Singh received an award from Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur from the President of India and during Kisan Divas celebration at Haryana Agriculture University, Hisar, both in 2010. He plans to increase the oil content of the variety to 50 per cent from the present range of 40-42 per cent.National second: Agricultural engineeringCompost maker for mushroom cultivationJeetender Mallik, Panipat, HaryanaJeetender Mallik (37) is a young farmer who has developed a compost-making machine for mushroom cultivation, to address labour shortage issues. This machine can properly turn and mix the compost, remove lumps and add moisture to it resulting in a good-quality compost in lesser time.BackgroundThe village Seenkh, where Jeetender lives, is the border village between Panipat and Jind districts. Most of the people grow wheat, paddy, maize and sugarcane. Jeetender has been farming after studying up to tenth standard. He lives in a joint family with his parents, three brothers and their families. He is married and has two children.He started experimenting with machine to compost musroom waste after becoming a full-time mushroom cultivator. Apart from this machine, he has also made a sieve for cleaning soil for mushroom cultivation and a manual drill to make holes for putting bamboos while erecting bamboo shades.Jeetender started mushroom cultivation in 1996 after a visit to his maternal uncle in Himachal Pradesh where he saw mushroom being cultivated. He learnt the cultivation techniques there and started his work at his paternal farm after return. In 2002, he developed a motorised hole digger. He followed it up with a machine to make compost for mushroom farming. This is an electricity-operated machine which moves in a straight line, cutting through compost heap, turning and mixing all material, adding moisture whenever required, and heaping it back in a line. The biowaste is mixed and spread in the field, in rows about 4 ft (feet) wide and 4 ft high; it is continuously mixed and moisture is added so that it does not dry. Each row needs to be turned/mixed eight to nine times, with a gap of two days between each turning. The whole process takes about 28 days. The compost generally gets ready by the eighth turning. The compost-making machine has two motors — 10 hp (horse power) for rotating the blades and 2 hp to power the rear wheels. It can cover a heap of 200 ft in length, 4 ft in width and 4 ft in height, all in 25 minutes. Only one person is required to operate it. The innovator claims that by using this machine, the production of mushroom is about increased by about 5-10 per cent more than when done manually.The machine has several advantages. It can properly turn and mix the compost, ensuring that no lumps remain. This reduces the incidence of yellow mould. The machine can add moisture and fungicide. He has made only one machine. There have been some mushroom farmers who visited him to see the machine. While the ladies of the family do not know much about machine, his brothers have supported him in developing the machine and filing patent. He plans to further improve it by incorporating a steering so that it can be turned easily at the end of the compost heap.Considering his contribution to the mushroom industry in the country and Haryana in particular, the Directorate of Mushroom Research, Solan gave him the Progressive Mushroom Grower Award (2013) during the National Mushroom Mela, Solan.National second: UtilityCotton wick-making machineVijaybhai Solanki and Dipakbhai Vyas, Ahmedabad, GujaratCotton wicks for diyas are mostly made by women manually. Though machines for making long cotton wicks are available, there is no machine available for making cotton wicks with bulbous base. The innovators have developed a machine to automate the process of making round cotton wicks. BackgroundVijaybhai (45), a school drop-out, repaired television and radio at Veraval. He shifted to Ahmedabad in search of better opportunities and started working as a mechanic in a workshop and later started providing tiffin services to augment his income. While working as a mechanic, he came in touch with Dipakbhai (44) who hails from Rajkot and has been in the business of making cotton wicks since the age of 18 years. His father was an ayurvedic doctor. The fifth among seven siblings, Dipakbhai could only get basic education and is now settled in Ahmedabad. GenesisAs a teenager, Dipakbhai saw a person selling cotton wicks on his bicycle. He inquired about the prospects of the business and availability of raw materials. He developed an interest and purchased the raw material from the market, made some wicks and sold them. He did this for a few days and then realised that he would not be able to earn much money alone. He then went from door-to-door, inquiring with ladies if they wanted to earn some income by making wicks from the raw material provided by him. Many of them agreed and he thus expanded his business. However, many other traders engaged the women trained by him by offering higher wages. Dipakbhai returned to his village and trained ladies there in cotton wick-making. He used to fill the cotton wick packets in a gunny bag and bring to the city for selling. He identified many wholesale retailers for selling his wicks and also moved around on a bicycle, selling them himself. To explore possibilities of business, he went to nearby states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh as well. With time, he realised that there was only one kind of cotton wick being sold in the market, the long ones. He started trying to make wicks in different shapes and sizes for different use. Once successful, he trained the women workers. When his business became successful, he started exploring ways to scale up. Being a trader, he realised the supply constraint in a highly demand-driven market. He further observed that this mismatch existed due to unavailability of machines for making round cotton wicks unlike the ones available for long cotton wick. He realised that instead of manually making the wicks, if one could use a machine, it would improve the productivity. He shared his concern with his friend Vijaybhai, whose creative mind instinctively accepted this opportunity as a challenge. He left his job and started dedicating his time to building such machine. While Vijaybhai continued his research during the day, Dipakbhai went around selling the cotton wicks. However, even after multiple efforts they failed to develop even the basic mechanism. Once, while going to work on a rainy day in an auto, Vijaybhai noticed the wiper on its windshield. It struck to him that the same mechanism could be incorporated in their machine. The idea progressed but finance was another hurdle. In 2012, struggling to get resources, both of them had almost given up their project and stopped working on the innovation. It was at this time GIAN West and NIF came into picture and provided them the much-needed financial support. The organisation helped in designing and other technical inputs, mentored them and boosted their morale.This machine, which can make cotton wicks with a bulbous base, is now available in two versions __ semi-automatic and automatic. In the automatic version, a mechanism to drop the cotton wick has been incorporated. While one can make only about 8-10 wicks per minute manually, this machine can produce 20-25 good-quality wicks every minute. It is portable, affordable and easy to use and has the potential to provide livelihood generation opportunities. A fully-automatic version is also under development by GIAN/NIF, in consultation with the innovators.The duo has sold more than 100 machines in Ahmedabad and nearby regions. The users have opined that the machine is simple to use and is affordable. It is also an effective technology-based intervention for livelihood generation.National second: EngineeringBrick/block-making machineArjunbhai M Paghdar, Keshod, JunagadhManual block and brick making is laborious and time consuming. Mostly, women and children are employed in the process. Arjunbhai has developed a block-making machine which has mechanised the process and improved efficiency. BackgroundArjunbhai (52) was born in an affluent family, with his late father being the nagarpalika pramukh of Keshod. His father was an administrator and a social worker and earned a lot of social capital for his work. Arjunbhai has two brothers and four sisters, all of them are married and settled. His mother lives with his younger brother who is in construction business. Arjunbhai and his younger son live together while his wife lives with his elder son and his family. The younger son is also in the business of brick making like Arjunbhai while the elder one is in construction business. Arjunbhai is not only an innovator but also a good sketch artist and a poet. Apart from the brick and block-making machine, he has made a wood-splitting machine, cow dung log & pot-making machine and a mobile chabootra (bird feeding platform). GenesisIn 2005, Arjunbhai purchased a JCB machine and two tractors while trying to make foray into another sector. However, late payments, diesel theft by his staff, and the ban of stone digging at the Arabian Sea coast by the government, forced him to sell his machines and wrap up this business. But, this short business stint was very useful as he learnt about hydraulics using his JCB machine, which led him to start working on a brick-making machine in 2007. Brick making requires a number of labourers and much time. The process includes breaking of soil lump manually by legs, mixing of soil, fly ash, lime and water, and tightly packing the mixture in moulds. Sometimes, scarcity of labour and high demand of bricks creates operational problems. After a number of trials, he completed the machine in 2009. He has been engaged in the business of making bricks and blocks using this machine ever since.The brick/block-making machineThe brick-making machine can efficiently undertake all operations like soil lump breaking, raw material mixing and block/brick making. It consists of three units — material mixing unit, conveyor unit, and block moulding unit, which can make approximately 140-150 blocks (of size 15 x 9 x 7 inches) per hour. It can also be used for making conventional and interlocking bricks of different sizes by changing the mould. This machine eliminates the need to employ woman and children in the process. Among his other innovative works is a hydraulic wood-splitting machine, which splits wood logs by dropping a vertically-mounted hydraulic plunger, having conical shaped tool at the bottom end. The machine can split any width of trunk and height up to 3 ft. He donated one machine to the Keshod crematorium on the first death anniversary of his father. This machine has helped workers by bringing down the time consumed from hours to a few minutes now. In Gujarat, there is a tradition of making bird-feeding platforms of various kinds, shapes and sizes. Using a waste plastic bottle and plastic tray, Arjunbhai has made a mobile bird-feeding platform, which can be hung anywhere. Using his cow dung pot and log-making machine one can make pots or logs from cow dung. The logs are used as fuel while the pots are used in nursery, replacing plastic bags. Arjunbhai is a social innovator and has dedicated his life to come up with innovations that have solved the problems of common people. National second: Plant varietySurjeet Basmati 1- High yielding and salt tolerant paddy varietySurjeet Singh, Karnal, HaryanaSurjeet Singh (62) is an innovative farmer who has developed a salt-tolerant, high-yielding paddy variety, having a long grain size, through selection method. BackgroundSurjeet Singh’s district is well known for producing high-quality aromatic basmati rice. He is a well-known for his agricultural pursuits in his region. Surjeet wanted to complete his graduation in arts but got attracted to agriculture and dropped out. His wife and their two sons have been supporting him in agriculture. The family owns modern agricultural tools and machineries and also have a cattle herd. Behind his home, he has leased a pond for pisciculture. GenesisSurjeet Singh has been growing wheat, rice, pea, mustard, potato, gram, chilli and tomato. In 2008, he sowed the paddy variety — Pusa 1460 — in his field but, due to sheath blight disease, all the plants got severely affected except one. He harvested the plant separately and prepared a nursery in 2009, which was then transplanted in the main field. During harvesting, he selected 225 plants based on the number of tillers, lengthy spikes and resistance to foot-rot disease (Bakanae rog), a major disease of basmati rice. The selection continued for another two years and the desirable characteristics slowly became stable. The variety was named as Surjeet Basmati-1. He distributed the variety to 10 farmers in Karnal district who mentioned that it performed well under saline and less fertile soil conditions. This variety, takes 125-135 days to mature, is high yielding (55-60 q/ha) with recovery percentage of 67. The characteristics of the variety were confirmed by the experiments conducted under sodic and saline condition at Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), Karnal. Surjeet Singh has received certificate of honour from Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar and KVK, Bhiwani, Haryana. The application for registration of the variety has been filed at the Protection of Plant Varieties & Farmers’ Rights Authority, Delhi.National second: Plant varietyZion Mundi — Improved black pepper variety P G George, Idukki, Kerala Farmer P G George (63) has developed an improved variety of black pepper called Zion Mundi, which gives high yield even under low sunlight and is resistant to foot rot disease. BackgroundOriginally hailing from Kottayam, George could only study up to eight standard due to the lack of educational facilities in his locality and financial constraints of his family. Land for agriculture was a problem not only for him but also for his tribal community. They had to protest against the government, demanding land entitlement for which teenager George was jailed briefly as well. His early life was a continuous struggle for survival. In late 1970s, he migrated to Idukki district after his marriage. With some money the couple had saved, George purchased an acre and a half agricultural land from community members.He started planting cash crops such as rubber, black pepper, coffee, areca nut and coconut trees. Following conventional methods, George used chemical pesticides and fertilisers to get more earning from his farm. Once agricultural expenses started getting high while the yield started declining. The situation got aggravated due to natural calamities. This led him to explore new avenues of farming to improve his condition. Gradually, he adopted organic and natural methods which have made him a successful farmer today. GenesisBlack pepper is one of the major crops cultivated as an intercrop by George. He has grown several local and released varieties of black pepper. However, the yield has been an issue due to the shady conditions at his farm. Moreover, he lost a number of crops to heavy monsoon and outbreak of foot rot disease in 1985-86 and 1990. This made George think about developing a black pepper variety, which gives high yield even in shade cultivation and can resist the foot rot disease. George noticed that two varieties viz. Thottamudi and Neelamundi could survive in the conditions. Thottamundi, also known as Arayakkodi is one of the major varieties being cultivated by the tribal groups in the locality. For cross pollination, in 1990, George planted the two varieties together and collected seeds selectively for further propagation. Finally, after several rounds of propagation, he got the Zion Mundi variety in 1998-99. ÒZionÓ refers to the place where God resides and ÒMundiÓ has been taken from the name of the mother plant, Neelamundi. The black pepper variety The Zion Mundi black pepper variety is high-yielding, resistant to rot and exhibits its high-yielding characters even under shade cultivation. Apart from the high disease resistance, other features of the Zion Mundi variety include big size of the berries, long and uniform-sized spikes, high recovery percentage, etc. The length of the spikes is longer than the other varieties of black pepper. The recovery percentage is 46 per cent, with dry yield of 7 kg from a single vine and 7,700 kg from a hectare. The appropriate time for harvesting of Zion Mundi variety is from December-end to mid-January. George has sold the variety to more than 500 farmers across Kerala and they have good opinion about the variety. In his farm, he grows over 200 types of medicinal plants in addition to all the local varieties of different crops cultivated by tribal groups. George has also developed a black pepper tree by grafting Zion Mundi on Brazilian Thippali through Georgian method and calls it Black pepper tree of Pulianmackal. He has about a thousand of this black pepper tree. Apart from this, he has about 1,500 plants of Zion Mundi growing over fruit trees as support. He has 26 varieties of black pepper at his farm. He has also developed an innovative method of cultivating tapioca under shade without threat of rodents. The yield he claims is many times more than the conventional method. He has also developed a neem-based formulation for pest control purposes. |
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HB26(3) & 26(4) 19-27, 2015 |
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