
You Are What You Eat And What It Eats
Natural Farming - (Mon) August 10, 2015
Natural Farming in Hawai'i Part 1 from Partners in Development Fdn on Vimeo.
Natural Farming
Natural farming differs from both conventional and organic farming to prevent pollution, erosion, and biodiversity loss through its 5 principles:
- No tillage
- No pruning
- No fertilizer
- No weeding
- No pesticides or herbicides
The technique takes advantage of natural processes in the environment to grow crops without the use of outside enhancements or human supplied inputs. The benefit of natural farming is clear: you will know exactly what you eat and what it eats.
What has your food been eating?
Food
intake has been a growing concern throughout the modern world due to
the growing presence of diet-related health problems. People are growing
more and more concerned about what is going into our bodies. "You are
what you eat" is a commonly understood truth, but we challenge you to
take the thought one step further. In his Ted Talk, Laurent Adamowicz
shares his experience in the food industry and discusses the growing
concern, not just of what we eat but what our food is eating:
Our solution
is to grow our own food! Not only can we control what we eat, but it's a
fun activity to get the whole family involved in. We understand that
not everyone has the time or space to start their own farm, so we are
piloting a a low-maintenance Natural Farming system that will fit on
your lanai:
How to make a #PIDFarm
PIDF strives to create
healthy and resilient communities throughout Hawaii. Central to this
vision is food security and self determination. With the growing
awareness of the dangers involved in conventional commercial farming and
food importation, we have asked our friend David Wong of Mountain View
Dairy to share his expertise on living Pono. David has cultivated his
own 20 acre “Natural Farm” in Waianae with spectacular results. He took a
day to share his secrets to help us start our very own natural farming
project and bring us one step closer to sustainable living. We started
our "PIDFarm" by drilling holes in the bottom of a storage bin for
drainage, then added pre-prepared soil inoculated over six months with
indigenous micro organisms (IMO) at Mountain View Dairy. Next a layer
of "IMO3" was sprinkled on top, and more soil was added. At the top, a
layer of "IMO4" coated the soil and was finally covered by mulch to
create a 5-layer natural ecosystem. Sparing us the details of growing
micro organisms, David explained that the "IMO" numbers simply represent
different stages of fermentation. Unlike conventional and organic
farming, the Natural Farming method uses only natures techniques. After a
week of watering an empty bin to prepare the soil, we planted some kale
and tomato seedlings at our office in Liliha.
You can follow our progress over the next few weeks/months on our Instagram @pidfoundation or by subscribing to this blog!
Natural farming - The cultivation and perfection of human needs
Want to learn more about Natural Farming? Contact us at [email protected]