Valid critisism

I have received some constructive criticism about my blog, and I totally agree. I need to put in more pictures relevant to the subject matter. An example is this;

The African Elephant in the picture above plays an important role in its natural environment. It eats vast quantities of vegetation every day. Not all of what it eats is fully digested and a number of symbiotic relationships exist. Two such examples are; the dung beetle, which makes use of the elephants dung, rolling it into a ball and laying eggs in it. When the larvae hatch, they have a ready source of food, the second symbiotic relationship is that some trees require that their seeds to pass through the digestive systems of some animals before they are able to germinate.

This is a simple example and very briefly touches on the roles played by a few elements of nature.

Part 4 (7) Sulphur, Other Elements then on to the exciting stuff

Sulphur is a structural component of some amino acids and vitamins and essential in the manufacture of chloroplasts. Chloroplasts are present in plant cells and is another element critical in the process of photosynthesis. Once again, Sulphur as with all the other macro and micro nutrients required by plants, plays an important role in a plants health. If the balance is upset, the whole plant suffers and will not produce what it could do if it were healthy.

So, from this point, I will not bore you with an explanation of why every single nutritional element is necessary, I think the point has been made. Now we will get down to the bare bones stuff of how to establish a natural balance in the farming environment.

Now the exciting stuff begins; from how to begin a transition from modern to organic farming, pest and disease management using the tools given us by mother nature, rich, productive soils fertilized by natural processes, moist, soft and well aerated because of an abundant sub terrestrial ecosystem; everything in balance, everything working as mother nature intended, health and abundance.............keep watching

Part 4 (6) Magnesium

Chlorophylls are magnesium centred porphyrins which are a group that play an important role in photosynthesis, it is an important part of chlorophyll so it is essential to all plants. Yet again, I repeat myself, the natural order of things has to be maintained or disorder will reign. This is not a lesson on plant biology, it is an explanation of why the re-introduction of organic farming is important, and all I am doing is giving a brief insight to all the basic requirements. In practice, one does not need to know all the little details, but only that what is done in practice will achieve a natural balance, and also result in ample crop yields. It is these practices that one needs to know and a certain amount of understanding of the farming environment you create so that you can ensure the balance is maintained. Next to follow.....Sulphur.....keep following!!!

Part 4 (5) Calcium

Calcium occurs mostly in sedimentary but also in metamorphic and igneous rocks. Calcium deficiency can cause stunted plant growth because it regulates transport of other nutrients into the plant and helps activate certain plant enzymes. Once again (and this will be repeated again and again simply because of the very nature of the natural chain of events that comprise a balanced natural system) if the natural balance is disturbed, the whole cycle is interrupted. There could be an abundance of calcium in a farmers field, but if the soil lacks other essential elements needed by plants, the role played by an even abundant element becomes ineffectual. So, once again, a natural diversity has first to be established, and then maintained. The establishment and of such a system may be difficult for a farmer and the road to achieving a result from which the farmer can still produce the crop yields they have produced with the aid of toxic chemicals, may be a long one, but ultimately it will be worth it and yields and crop quality will be improved and more importantly, the land will remain productive and healthy year after year............as ever, much more to come, keep watching

Part 4 (4) Potassium

The word Potassium is derived from the word 'Potash' which comes from English and means just what it says; ash of burnt wood, taken from a pot. Traces of Potassium occur naturally in the soil for example from naturally occurring veld fires and, as plant and animal cells contain an abundance of Potassium, it is also introduced via decomposing plant and animal matter. So the natural introduction of potassium in the farming environment is simple enough. Do not waste any plant/crop residues, use them as a mulch so they rot back into the soil. This practice also shades the soils, reduces evaporation and creates an ideal living environment for useful terrestrial life such as earth worms. Terrestrial life is another subject which we will eventually get to, but this shows how all the natural elements of a self sustaining ecosystem are linked. The word coined for this sort of thing is 'biodiversity' which means biologically diverse, and basically a healthy natural system IS diverse, containing a multitude of interlinked living and non living things all of which play an important role, and if one link is broken a chain reaction ensues. But I am digressing, one thing at a time hey??? Back soon..............

Part 4 (3) Phosphorus

Phosphorus comes from inorganic phosphate rocks and various other sources, and is an essential element for all living cells. This is made available naturally via the decomposition of bones, the exoskeletons of beetles and millipedes, urine etc and also from weathered rock that contains phosphorus. Modern agriculture has phosphates in industrially produced fertilizers which is applied in a concentrated blend containing various other elements needed by plants. Once again, modern agricultural methods include the eradication of all things that pose competition to a crop or that are considered pests. By doing this farmers not only kill the pests, they kill the pest predators too and basically create an environment in which very few insects can survive. This in turn means that the natural cycle is interrupted, and insect and animal population eradication means that not as many insects/animals die naturally on the affected ground, so the natural replenishment of phosphorus is also interrupted........... more to come, keep watching

Part 4 (2)

So to what practical purpose can my last post be used in agriculture. All plant life needs N, and what we want to achieve are sufficient levels of N in the soil that are readily available to the plants we cultivate for food. Part 4 (1) clearly shows us one of natures tools that we can easily employ and benefit (a) by the introduction of natural N fixation by introducing leguminous plants such as beans and peas into the same field as our main food crop, and (b) the same plants introduced to help us maintain or increase N levels, will also yield a harvest of their own.

Modern agriculture has used this concept for many years, but not in a natural way. Legume crops have been used to improve soil health, but only in rotation with another crop. The practice of planting a single crop type in one field is called monoculture. In monoculture most of the crops nutrient requirements have to be added to the soil because the natural balance has been disturbed when all the plants and animal life have been cleared away to make way for modern agriculture. A much more natural method for the introduction of N is to have legumes growing in the same field as the main food crop. Of course, this one thing is not all that is required to become a successful organic farmer, we will cover much more in the weeks/months to come, discussing how nature works and how we can practically mimic her brilliant systems............................. Keep watching this blog!!

Part 4 (1) Plant Nutrition

The nutrients needed by most agricultural plants are broken down as follows;

Macronutrients:

• N = Nitrogen
• P = Phosphorus
• K = Potassium
• Ca = Calcium
• Mg = Magnesium
• S = Sulfur
• Si = Silicon

Micronutrients (trace levels) include:

• Cl = Chlorine
• Fe = Iron
• B = Boron
• Mn = Manganese
• Na = Sodium
• Zn = Zinc
• Cu = Copper
• Ni= Nickel
• Mo = Molybdenum

If we start at the top, Nitrogen (N) we can give a brief description of how this is made available to plants;

The Nitrogen Cycle:

The earth's atmosphere is about 78 to 80% Nitrogen, and Nitrogen is essential to every living thing on earth. In plants N is used in chlorophyll molecules which are essential for photosynthesis which occurs in plants, algae and many species of bacteria, and converts carbon dioxide into organic matter, especially sugars. For our purposes and without going into too much detail, the Nitrogen cycle is as follows;

While N is abundant in the atmosphere, most of it cannot be used by plants, so gaseous N has to be processed into forms that can be used by living organisms and this is what the N cycle does. Some N fixation is done by lightening strikes, but most is done by free living bacteria that have symbiotic relationships with other living organisms. An example of this are the Rhizobium bacteria which live in the root nodules of certain leguminous plants such as beans or peas. Here they live in symbiosis with the plant, producing ammonia from atmospheric N which they then convert to carbohydrates which are used by plants. So this is a part of the N cycle where N2 is converted into a form that is readily available to plants and hence to animals. This type of conversion is known a 'Biological Fixation' and is one of four ways that N can be made available to plants and animals. The other three ways are;

• Industrial fixation, which are man made fertilizers which, because of their concentrated nature, poison the environment.
• Combustion of fossil fuels, engines and thermal power plants which produce various nitric oxides and these also poison the environment.
• Natural phenomenon such as lightening, veld fires, decomposition of dead plant or animal life etc.

Nitrates are then converted back to N2 by dentrifying bacteria in anaerobic conditions and the process (N cycle) begins again.

This is a very basic description of some of the roles played out in the N cycle, but as I have already stated, it is a vast subject. What I have written down, however, does spell out the necessity for farmers to revert to Organic Agriculture. The big problem with 'modern' agricultural methods, is that the chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides have long term negative impact upon the soils, rivers, lakes, the air we breathe etc, etc. Fortunately, Mother Nature is a powerful force, and will re-establish her natural balance, given the chance, very quickly.

More to come, keep watching........

Part 3, the foundations

What are the foundations on which mother nature has to build? Firstly the soil which consists of its parent material (i.e.: the weathered down rock) which also contains dead matter from plants and animals that decomposes into the soil, and a multitude of living organisms both microscopic and those that can easily be seen. Everything has a role to play; the parent material is the bulk matter that provides plants a stable place to root, the millions of different life forms that live in the soils feed on dead plant and animal matter and reduce it to a form that can be used by plants. Here, I am only glossing over what is really a massive subject, but will go into it in more detail later. Suffice to say, everything is part of a cycle, the cycle of life.....keep watching this space........

Organic Farming Part 2

So how does mother nature create the balance that enables everything in a given environment to thrive and what has human kind done in the process of food production for their ever increasing populations? First of all, everything that occurs naturally in any given environment has adapted and changed with its environment. Nothing is now as it was thousands of years ago and the things that have been unable to adapt to change have become extinct. Nature feeds itself and provides the means for the food requirements of all living things to be made available in a form that can be used by those living things.

I know this is getting somewhat drawn out, but I am writing this in dribs and drabs, when I get the time. This short paragraph certainly opens up a vast chasm of mystery and intrigue for us to explore. Stay tuned for more..........

Organic Farming, The Basis

• Where does the concept of organic agriculture come from and what is its definition?

Organic refers to the natural means by which crops are fed and how pests and disease are controlled without the use of chemicals.

• Where does the inspiration for this system of farming come from and why have so many farmers been inspired enough to change how they farm?

Firstly, let us put aside reasons related to the negative impact chemicals and practices such as 'monoculture' and consumer demand have contributed to the ever increasing pressure placed on farmers to change to organic agricultural practices. We will concentrate on the things that inspired those who pioneered the return of Organic Farming.

If we look at nature in its unspoiled, untouched state. By that, I mean, for example, a forest that is pristine, untouched by people. The forest is a picture of health; healthy plants and animals. These are the things we see, it is the picture we see. What we see, we accept and we admire its beauty, but few question why it is so beautiful, so healthy. We do not wonder why it is so healthy when no human hands have fertilised the plants or sprayed them with chemicals to combat pests and disease. Some people, however, have noticed and have asked these questions and have tried to figure out how natural fertilisation, pest and disease control occurs. I do not believe all of the answers have been found yet, but I do know that there are major obstacles to circumnavigate if we are to ever achieve a situation in which all agriculture is done using organic methods. Of course, there are many who say it HAS to be done NOW, but pay little heed and have no understanding of the reality of trying to farm organically when all your neighbours are using chemicals. Farmers cannot simply stop the production of food, and many, perhaps the majority of farmers do not believe that Organic Farming is a viable alternative to the methods that have kept them going for generations. Many are the stumbling blocks, but it is a change that needs to happen, and that change will only happen if the task of spreading the use of organic farming is placed in the hands of people who have a clear understanding of all the issues involved. This article is only part 1 of what will eventually be quite a considerable document, that will hopefully explain the principles and complexities of what is needed to farm successfully with organic farming practices and how to apply in a practical way what nature gives us. Keep watching this spot........

Global Warming; A Good Reason To Go Organic!

I must apologise, I put this together with very little notice so it is basically the ramblings of an eccentric, but honest ramblings they are.......... I could go on and on and on about the balance of nature, because to me it is a very real and interesting thing, but I don't want to bore people, I want to ignite an interest that will lead them to explore this massive subject for themselves and become passionate about it. So here are a few thoughts.......

Mother Nature is like a finely tuned instrument; everything in it is balanced and because of that, coexistence of all living things is possible.

This statement might seem somewhat ambiguous, but it is not that hard to understand;

What tool does Mother Nature use to maintain this balance? Evolution. Everything on the planet has evolved to one degree or another to become what it is today. All living things are not the same now as they were millions of years ago, and the reason for that, is that everything has had to adapt physically and mentally in order to survive ever changing environments. Even human-kind are still evolving and the single biggest evolutionary step humans will make, will be to finally accept they are destroying the planet and do something to stop that destruction. This evolutionary step has already begun, as the stark fact that our planet Earth is in real danger, begins to register in minds of more and more people. Are people grasping this? Are the people who have, doing enough to get the word out? Is it too late? I do not know the answers to these questions and doubt anyone does, I cannot look at another person and read their thoughts but I do know that a lot of people think this sort of thing is just hype, but I know it is not, it is real, it is tangible. This leads me into things we can do in our feeble attempts to save our planet. I do not believe many people really understand the full implications of the impact of human-kind, on our planet, so what could I do, as an individual, to help reduce that impact? I could teach farmers to farm productively without the use of toxic chemicals and that is through the introduction of organic agriculture, using Mother Natures own systems to create balance. This is how..........

Mother Nature creates her own fertilizers, providing all the nutrients required by plants. One example is that farmers apply fertilizers that contain Nitrogen at certain stages of a crops growth, Mother Nature, on the other hand, does that by introducing plants (amongst other plants that need Nitrogen) that are host to Nitrifying bacteria in their roots. I will not get too technical, but in short, these bacteria take atmospheric Nitrogen and 'fix' it into the soil in a form that can be used by the plants that need it. This is not the only way that soils are enriched with Nitrogen, but this natural process can be duplicated by farmers by the introduction of such 'Nitrogen fixing plants' (as they are known) amongst their crops.

Another practice human-kind has introduced is 'monoculture'. This is the practice of growing a single crop in one field and actively eradicating all other plant competition with the use of chemical herbicides and killing pests using toxic pesticides. This is a very unnatural state and soils all over the world have been negatively impacted as a result. What Mother Nature does, is have a mixture of plants and other forms of life, together, in the same habitat, everything playing an important role in the balance of that environment. Mother Nature does not need herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers, she provides a natural balance which produces a healthy environment that will sustain itself for indefinite periods. By imitating Mother Nature, we can also create a balance, one that will produce everything we need to survive.

In this article, I have only touched the edges of a massive subject. To mimic nature properly an intimate knowledge is needed of the part everything in a healthy environment plays and to apply in a practical way, the tools Mother Nature uses to achieve balance. One of the main obstacles in the introduction of this sort of agriculture is that the final goal can take a good deal of time to achieve. There are so many variables, such as loss of earnings in the transitional phases from 'modern' to organic agriculture, a lack of belief in the system being introduced and neighbors who refuse to use the same system resulting in those who are trying to go organic, being unable to create a suitable balance because the neighbors are using chemicals and poisoning the same environment which will have a negative impact in the immediate area of application and for miles around. The barriers are huge, but it can be done and I for one want to help that change take place......................

You may be asking, well, what has this got to do with global warming? So, so, so much. Imagine how much less pollution there would be if synthetic fertilisers, chemical pesticides, herbicides, fungicides etc did not have to be produced so that everyone on the planet could eat. Imagine all those mines and factories didn't pump poisonous gases into the atmosphere or pollute the oceans, lakes and rivers. I could go on and on but I think my point is made; We have to believe, we have to act, we have to get the word out, but perhaps even more importantly we have to prove that it works because generally people have to see to believe.

I thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and hope you will continue to do so. Please comment