Understanding the concept of biodynamic agriculture
I RECENTLY met with several big-time fruit and vegetable farmers in Kuching, Samarahan, Sibu and Sarikei, who grow produce for consumers in urban areas like you and me.
My conversation often centred on land and crop protection issues together with pesticide residue and health, which we are all concerned about.
From the producers’ point of view, finding the best soil types with inherited good drainage conditions and ease of raising the crops are the major issues.
Some of the farmers are now using modern horticultural techniques or improved local farmer experiences depending on their standard of knowledge and training. A major problem for some of them is not being able to acquire and adopt good agricultural practices that have been promoted globally. I know these issues have been bothering consumers and growers alike.
Today the case of biodynamic agriculture should be at play already. This week I would like to discuss the key issues some farmers in general are facing. Soil fertility
The properties in the soil are vital to vegetable and fruit producers in the state. One vegetable farmer I spoke with is an expert on this. He has managed to modify natural terraces and hills to build his vegetable plots by using heavy machinery to level the hills and fill in the valley for a flat plot for planting net house vegetables — successfully so for nearly 20 years in Serian Division.
The secret of his success in handling the soil is understanding the nutrient needs of his plantings, not just from the soil itself but the top few inches being ploughed with the addition of manure and additives.
The original soil has been used continually as a ‘holder’ to anchor the vegetables in place plus a medium for managing their water needs. This is a true case of proper soil management by means of biodynamic agriculture.
He has managed to use peat soil for productive net houses on a 37acre farm. This is no small feat! Weather
Open field farming tends to lead to the run-off of topsoil and fertiliser after heavy rains, which are so common in tropical Sarawak.
The rain also tends to destroy heavy machinery used in the fields such as for rice harvesting. Heavy combined harvesters would get bogged down in the mud.
We once built infrastructure in Sungai Tulai and Bondung, Bintangor for rice mini-estates. However, the uncontrolled rains spoilt everything.
With this in mind, using rain shades for vegetable farming is definitely a must with our rather wet climate. Farming knowledge
A key factor to using modern technology for farming is to first understand horticulture aspects. New techniques are constantly being developed in the farming sector. A good foundation plus application of up-to-date techniques are key for marketoriented large-scale farming. Dynamic agriculture This concept is very similar to organic farming but also includes various esoteric concepts based on R Steiner (1861 to 1925). Besides the use of manure and compost, there is also the use of certain chemicals for the soil and plants.
Unique to this system includes the treatment of animals, crops and soil as a single system even with the help of astrological sowing and planting calendar to ensure sunshine and weather patterns are taken into account. To date more than 60 countries have subscribed to dynamic agriculture, especially Germany where nearly 80,000ha of farming uses this concept.
Sarawak also tried it once with the help of Canadian experts, who started the system in the reforestation station along the way to Sri Aman before Pantu in the early 1990s. However, this programme was not successful due to the site and climate probably. How can biodynamic agriculture help?
We can now appreciate the need of permaculture whereby we can save the environment for agriculture in the long term. Basically biodynamic agriculture involves using special preparations being promoted now for agriculture.
In terms of home gardening, it is better to use the composting technique. This is very relevant to home gardeners, as composting goes hand in hand with biodynamic gardening principles.
To enhance the properties of this concept, preparations that include extracts of specific plants grown to be added to the heap of compost will see better results. The composting heap should contain high nitrogen materials. Some mosses diluted in water will help to feed the microorganisms, which can then speed up the heating process for more thorough composting.
Hopefully this has given you some idea on the concept. Do send me an email if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.
Happy gardening.