First carbon neutral farm in india

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The government seed farm at Okkal, Perumbavoor, is taking big strides towards the goal of achieving carbon neutrality, while also working to transform itself into an educational tourism destination. The Okkal farm is among the more than a dozen government-owned farms in the State that are working to achieve carbon neutrality following positive results delivered by the Aluva Thuruthu farm, which was declared carbon neutral in December last year. One of the pressing targets before the Okkal farm is to transform itself into a destination for students. The Ernakulam district panchayat has provided ₹40 lakh for the execution of work at the farm. Sources said work had begun in right earnest to achieve the goal even as students visit the farm as part of the programme to familiarise themselves with the operations of farms across the State. Sources said one of the steps had been to keep tilling to the minimum. Tilling has a significant influence on the nature of the soil and emission of greenhouse gases. The farm has avoided total tillage for the vegetable season that has begun. Pumpkins and cucumbers have been planted now, tilling only the beds for planting. The farm has also been successful in its experiment of integrating duck rearing with rice farming. The farm has 41 local varieties of ducks, which are allowed to feed in the rice fields, helping clear the area of weeds. Improvised cages have also been developed. These cages are kept close to the paddy fields, and ducks are rel...

Kochi: The government seed farm in Aluva has been declared as the country’s first carbon-neutral farm by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday. The 103-year-old seed farm, situated on the banks of the Periyar river, has achieved the status by reducing its greenhouse gas emissions after adopting carbon-neutral farming practices. In this type of farming, the level of carbon in the soil is assessed and suitable changes are made in the use of fertilizers and irrigation practices. As many as 30% of greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture and this can be prevented and climate change can be regulated through carbon-neutral agricultural practices, the chief minister said. Speaking at the Aluva Town Hall, the chief minister also said that farms that follow carbon-neutral agricultural methods will be developed in all constituencies in the state. Steps have already been taken to make 13 farms in the state carbon neutral and similar interventions will be made in tribal areas as well, he said. “It indicates that the farm has achieved carbon neutral status. Soil samples tested by other agencies have also found the presence of high organic carbon and other microorganisms including fungus and bacteria. We also employ organic mechanisms to do farming activities by reducing carbon footprint in all forms,” said Lissymol J Vadakuttu, assistant director of agriculture in the seed farm. For more than a decade, the 12-acre farm has not been using any chemical fertilisers or pesticid...

By Muqbil Ahmar Meenangadi, a small town in Kerala (India), is doing what the world hasn’t been able to. It is marching ahead for a noble cause: the mission is to achieve carbon neutrality and has achieved it. The town in Kerala’s Wayanad district has seen a number of novel environment initiatives such as soil audit, plant population census, energy audit, awareness campaigns against plastic bags, and organic farming, all to ensure The project, which was initiated on 5 June 2016 as a part of World Environment Day, involves strategic and innovative steps to go green: saplings planted in 38 acres, distribution of 3,00,000 saplings to households, encouraging people to use compost, digging of 456 ponds, electric crematorium to prevent use of wood for cremations, replacing plastic bags with hand-loom bags together with giving away bicycles to students for free. Carbon neutrality or in other words zero carbon footprint means reducing emissions to a level that would reverse climate change and global warming. This includes greenhouse gases (GHG) like carbon dioxide equivalence, nitrousoxide, methane (CH4), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC),perfluorocarbons (PFC) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Carbon neutrality means achieving zero carbon emissions through balancing carbon dioxide released due to human activity with carbon sequestration. Meenangadi has become the first carbon neutral town in India. The efforts of its people have received global attention as well as recognition. Let’s hope m...

“Now other villagers look towards us with envy, as we are not dependent on firewood, nor do we own LPG cylinders, which have witnessed a drastic increase in cost.” Today, Nivaje is on the path to possibly become the state’s first carbon neutral village. Over the last decade, the village, which has around 350 households, has reduced its carbon footprint through a change in habits and consumption.It is no longer dependent on fossil fuels for cooking meals, and farmers have abandoned synthetic farm chemicals, instead taking to biogas slurry as manure. They have also planted scores of bamboo trees — a grass that sequesters carbon dioxide from the air. The first biogas unit Harshada recalls that their maiden visit to Nivaje was spurred by concerns raised by local Anganwadi workers about incidents of malnutrition among the children. When they first visited the area in February 2002, they heard that two days prior, a herd of elephants had strayed here from the forests ofDodamarg,which is contiguous to Karnataka’s Bhimgad WildlifeSanctuary, killing two people. “Rather than making it a Meanwhile, most households at the time collected branches of trees, bark and twigs from the neighbouring forests to fuel their kitchen hearths. Male members would migrate to neighbouring Goa to do menial jobs, only to return as monsoon approached in order to plant paddy. A common sight in the village was people queuing up for their rations at the sole public distribution shops. The primary school was...

Kochi: A seed farm based in Kerala's Ernakulam district's Aluva has been declared India's first carbon-neutral farm. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared the same on Saturday, PTI reported. The farm, under the Agricultural Department, has achieved a significant reduction in carbon emission, thus achieving the tag of being carbon neutral, CM Vijayan said while making the announcement. During last year, when the farm emitted 43 tons of carbon, it also procured 213 tons of the same, Vijayan said. Thus it has procured 170 more tons of carbon than its emission. This has helped it to be declared as the first carbon-neutral seed farm in the country, according to Vijayan's explanation. He said, "Carbon-neutral farms will be set up in all 140 Assembly constituencies...Efforts have already been launched to make 13 farms in Kerala carbon neutral." He added that carbon-neutral agricultural methods would be implemented through women's groups, and such interventions would be made in the tribal sector as well. He stated that in addition to the state's goal to achieve food self-sufficiency, the government also plans to maintain ecological equilibrium, which is also important. He explained that around 30 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, and this can be prevented, and climate change can be regulated through carbon-neutral agricultural practices. State Agriculture Minister P Prasad and Industries Minister P Rajeeve were present at the programme.

A large number of festivals in India coincide with the harvest season. Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Baisakhi, Bihu, Nuakhai or Gudi Padwa — all commemorate the end of the agricultural season. People celebrate a successful harvest and pray for the prosperity and well-being of their families and community. Suraj Munda, a farmer in Dumka district of Jharkhand, recollected his childhood memories when his family and village would celebrate Sohra i, a harvest festival that coincides with Diwali. Suraj and his fellow villagers grow rice in the kharif season. They sow the crop around the onset of monsoon in early to mid-June, and harvest it in mid-November. However, changing rainfall patters in the form of delayed onse has meant that Suraj has to delay the sowing of paddy. Then there are times when a standing crop is present till as long as Diwali / Sohrai — something that was unheard of till 20-30 years ago. Monsoon, in the last five years, has been delayed by 10-15 days in the state. The state has reported around 20-30 per cent rainfall deficit in the last few years. This has impacted the Agriculture and climate change It is well-established that India emitted 2,299 million tonnes of 2) in 2018, according to a report by the International Energy Agency. This accounts for 7 per cent of global GHG emissions. Agriculture and livestock account for 18 per cent of gross national emissions. A majority of agricultural GHG emissions occur at the primary production stage and are generated thro...