a riverside forest-farm
The beginning
In May 2021 we started intensive work on our ‘forest-farm’ on the banks of the river Ganga, in the village of Chhitauni, just south of Varanasi. We created terraces and swales, broke down mounds and berms, and dug trenches and pits for planting trees.
We are learning about natural farming, intensive tree planting, forest farming and forest gardening. This is a fascinating endeavor for us, and we are still at the beginning. We write about our discoveries here, and would welcome thoughts, advice, and visits.
creating
our dream forest
Water from our own land flows out from these points, and canals through our own land have been forming for many years. We have built many versions of a retaining walls and berms to contain the water from our land. We continue to observe the results during the monsoons each year and then work out the next steps.
Our biggest challenge
Our land is bordered along one side by a natural canal leading to the river. This is dry most of the year, but becomes a stream as soon as it rains for a few hours. During the monsoons, the river backflows into it, and it can be up to twenty or thirty feet deep. When the river recedes, the water rushes out, taking deep chunks of our land with it, from certain vulnerable points.
TREE TO TABLE!
Since 2020, we have produced guavas and mangoes, wheat and rice, dals and peas, and many vegetables. These are fully organic and very delicious. We are still learning and experimenting with particular planting and water-saving techniques. We use a drip irrigation system for the kitchen garden, and are working on a forest-farm on the main land as well as intensive farming on smaller plots.
gangavan.org 