PinoyEcoFarmer

Abstract

John Maurice died in July 2002 after 50 years of tree nursery work in Israel. He had a way with plants and it seemed as though no woody species could resist being cloned by him. John had an uncanny feeling for creating a congenial nursery environment under harsh conditions and pioneered the propagation of ‘mini-trees’, including cultivars of a wide range of fruit and nut crops and selected progenies of species used in agroforestry.

Neither poor infrastructure, nor heat or drought would prohibit the movement of mini-trees to remote districts. If necessary the mini-trees could be raised to a conventional size for field planting in a simple nursery within the district. And to make advances in tree crop breeding anywhere in the world available to developing countries, John envisaged an international network for the exchange of mini-trees. John did not live to see these dreams come true, although he demonstrated that his vision was no daydream closer to home: he was asked to establish a nursery in the harsh environment of the Negev desert.

This paper is written as a tribute to John Maurice, in the conviction that his propagation methods deserve wider application, particularly in the Third World. The methods are discussed in some detail and scrutinized according to the tenets of crop science. They are also placed in the context of developments in plant propagation in general. John’s notions about the role of high quality nursery stock in engendering development in the Third World are presented. The operation of national plant quarantine stations and the Asian citrus rehabilitation programme are examples of activities that might benefit greatly from employing mini-trees.

Nurseryman and His Trees by Ed Verheij and Harrie Lövenstein

To download click on the title.

Barnyard in Your Backyard: A Beginner’s Guide to Raising Goats gives a detailed and comprehensive guide to raising goats. Raising goats has many benefits including meat and milk. Their manure can also be used in composting.

Goats serve many purposes worldwide. They produce delicious milk, healthfullow-fat meat, and fiber for spinning. They are excellent at brush control, and they may be used to carry camping supplies on hiking trips or hitched up to help withlight chores around the yard. They are inexpensive to maintain, require simplehousing, do not take up a lot of space, and are easy to handle and transport.

Click on the Cover Page or the Title to download.

Compost: The Natural Way to Make Food for Your Garden by Ken Thompson is another reference that will be very useful for gardeners and farmers alike. A straightforward and easy reading that will serve as a composting blueprint.

I found these documents from the Natural Farming Philippines e-group and I think these will all be valuable references for the garden/farm. The guides were done and compiled by Josephine Gamboa who is a natural farming expert practitioner.

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“Worm composting is a process for recycling food waste into a rich, dark, earth-smelling soil conditioner. One of its advantages is that it can be done indoors and outdoors, allowing year-round composting. Worm composts can be made in containers filled with moistened bedding.”

Vermicomposting is indeed a nice way to manage our biodegradable scraps/wastes and turn them into something useful for our garden. I found this Guide to Vermiculture and Vermicomposting from the Bureau Plant Industry website which is a useful reference to get us started. The document focuses on the production of organic fertilizer through the action of earthworms. There are many other resources on vermiculture and vermicomposting including a series of brief articles posted on EntrePinoys which will further enhance our understanding. A more comprehensive reference is the Manual of On-Farm Vermicomposting and Vermiculture By Glenn Munroe. The document can also be viewed from the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada.

Other Resources You May Like:

• Start Your Own Worm Farm

In a country where 70% of the poor live in rural areas, one tool for poverty reduction that shows great potential is sustainable agriculture, a holistic systems approach to agriculture that adopts indigenous knowledge systems and demonstrates cultural sensitivity. This paper recounts evidence that sustainable agriculture has a positive effect on farm yields and income, accompanied by an initial increase in production costs which tapers significantly over time. The author gives policy recommendations to mainstream sustainable agriculture and lays guidelines for the establishment of a Department of Agriculture program on sustainable agriculture for poverty reduction.

This policy paper examines sustainable agriculture and it’s role in reducing poverty incidence in the Philippines. Maybe we can throw our two cents worth of recommendations as well.

Click on the Cover Page to read the document.

The New Self-Sufficient Gardener: The Complete Illustrated Guide to Planning, Growing, Storing and Preserving Your Own Garden Produce by John Seymour.

John Seymour’s classic guide gives you the knowledge and expertise to create your own self-sufficient garden and produce what you need. Whatever the size of your space, discover how to garden organically and maximize your harvest, without the need for radical changes to your lifestyle. From cultivating vegetables to making cider, keeping chickens to training vines, you’ll garden in tune with the seasons, growing for the year, eating for today and storing for tomorrow. No specialist knowledge required: just clearly explained principles and practicalities ideal for any gardener.

I already have one of John Seymour’s book “The Self-Sufficient Life & How To Live It” which I bought at Booksale (used but very cheap). I really enjoyed reading that book.

open source video, online video platform, video streaming, video solutions Although his natural remedies for everyday minor ailments frequently use plants that we would consider to be exotic, many of these will grow really well in our own back gardens.

James shows us how to use lemongrass in an insect repellent spray, transform olive leaves into a pampering face mask, make a soothing burns treatment from aloe vera and chamomile and, perhaps most surprisingly of all, reveals that, not only can you grow tea bushes in this country, you can also turn them into a zingy mouthwash to help fight plaque and freshen breath.