PinoyEcoFarmer

One of the basic requirements in farming is water. We know we have a good source in the farm but the challenge is how to bring it up. The free-flowing spring near the river is about 45 meters below and for it to be useful we have to pump it up to our farm. We considered the conventional option of using diesel and electric-driven pumps but we figured that it will costly in the long run. It was good that we stumbled upon an article sometime back about a pump that uses no fuel. I reposted that article here: “Trailblazing Pump Brings Relief to Farming Community”.

The ram pump is really an old technology. “A hydraulic ram, or hydram, is a cyclic water pump powered by hydropower. It functions as a hydraulic transformer that takes in water at one “hydraulic head” (pressure) and flow-rate, and outputs water at a higher hydraulic-head and lower flow-rate. The device uses the water hammer effect to develop pressure that allows a portion of the input water that powers the pump to be lifted to a point higher than where the water originally started. The hydraulic ram is sometimes used in remote areas, where there is both a source of low-head hydropower, and a need for pumping water to a destination higher in elevation than the source. In this situation, the ram is often useful, since it requires no outside source of power other than the kinetic energy of water”. The definition is quite technical but the device is quite simple.

The Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation, Inc. (AIDFI) which is based in Bacolod, Negros Occidental has perfected their own version of this simple yet very effective pump. Some communities both here in the Philippines and abroad are in fact now benefiting from the technology. This earned for the Foundation a BBC World Challenge Award in 2010 and a Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2011.

I contacted them to express our interest of installing one in our PinoyEcoFarm. We even went to their office and fabrication shop in Bacolod.  Among the other technologies that they have there are the biogas digester, oil distiller, various pumps, micro turbine generators and a lot more. We were fortunate to see their pump installation in a remote barangay in the the town of Murcia, Negros Occidental. The place was difficult to reach because of the very rough roads going to the site but we nonetheless persisted. The accommodating AIDFI technician (Felix) guided us to the site which likewise required a downhill trek that tested our physical endurance.  It was amazing to see the ram pump actually working and delivering water about 80 meters up.

After our visit, we immediately arranged for a survey to be done so we can install the pump in our farm. They sent their technical man (Orlan) to visit our farm and get all the details needed for the installation including the water flow rate of the spring, head (drop), elevation and others. We recently received the technical plan but we are still studying our options and hopefully execute it soon.

With a year-round produce of vegetables, rice and other crops, people of Tara, a small outlying farming community of Himamaylan City in Negros Occidental, consider themselves very lucky. The harvests came even when last year hundreds of small farmers across the province suffered the brunt of a drought brought about by the El Niño phenomenon causing erratic weather . It is not so much because the Tara villagers are a hardy lot, according to Solflorename Puentespina, a former rebel priest who now works for a nongovernment organization.

A trail-blazing invention allows them to bring irrigation water up-slope from the Bingig River to their farms 10 meters above the source. The Tara Hydraulic Ram Pump System won for the Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation Inc. (Aidfi) the top prize of the 2010 BBC (British Broadcasting Corp.) World Challenge, a global competition rewarding grassroots projects that give something back to their communities.

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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.

open source video, online video platform, video streaming, video solutions In a fascinating blend of gardening, cookery, science and history, James shows us how to use turmeric to help ease muscular aches and pains, whips up a moisturising body cream from something you would normally have for breakfast, invites two willing members of the public to try his pungent onion gargle for their recurring sore throats, and shows how to grow watercress on your kitchen work top and transform it in to a mouth watering and vitamin packed soup, ideal if you’re a bit anaemic.

open source video, online video platform, video streaming, video solutions Ethnobotanist James Wong returns with another series packed full of inspiring natural remedies for minor everyday ailments, plus a few luxurious beauty treats to make you look and feel wonderful. James wants us to see beyond the ornamental value of familiar plants and appreciate the role they can play in taking care of our health, and offers horticultural tips on the best plant varieties to select and how to grow and harvest them.

In this opening episode, James sets out to reinvent our perception of common and garden herbs. His simple, cheap but highly original recipes include an angelica stomach soother for indigestion, a fragrant anti-dandruff hair oil, and an insecticidal wormwood and sage repellent to help banish the pesky clothes moth. Members of the public try James’s remedies and are often surprised by the results.

open source video, online video platform, video streaming, video solutions Ethnobotanist James Wong shows viewers how to grow and transform common vegetables into treatments which might help ease muscle sprains and make a great addition to a low cholesterol diet. James also turns cucumbers into a soothing eye gel for sufferers to try.

open source video, online video platform, video streaming, video solutions Most people use herbs to give food a bit of extra taste and flavour, but in this episode, ethnobotanist James Wong explores their more traditional use in helping treat a range of minor everyday ailments, from cold sores and insect bites to bad breath. Sufferers try them out to see if these natural remedies help relieve their symptoms.

James also uses peppermint to whip up a fragrant homemade body scrub.

In the second episode of this six-part series exploring plant-based natural remedies and beauty treatments, ethnobotanist James Wong turns the spotlight on flowers.

He reveals the historical use of marigolds, violas and elderflowers as ways to help relieve the symptoms of everyday ailments such as sore throats, acne and eczema. Sufferers of each of these, who are keen to find a natural solution to their health problems, try out James’s remedies.