News From GREENS

Alexander has been cultivating traditional paddy in his home village.  Over the last 4 years he has been building up soil health until he now has 2 acres under cultivation with 5 different paddy varieties. Now people are curious.  They want to taste the produce and some want to try to cultivate the rice.

Organic farming is not just cultivating the paddy alone.  It also involves understanding how to rear traditional cows and bulls and manage fodder.  The local community needs to be involved over water management issues.

One of the practical difficulties is that the traditional paddy takes around 145 days before it is ready to harvest whereas hybrid paddy takes only 100 - 120 days.  The traditional paddy has to then be protected from domestic animals who graze on the stubble of the hybrid paddy.