4 Benefits of eating seasonal vegetables

While implementing organic practices in the field, local plants appeared as the most sustainable choice we could make in all our farms. Native crops consume less water, and can even survived for a week without a single drop. The resistance of the plant is increased by the seasonal cultivation.

By mixed cropping, our organic farmers use less land for a better production. Rice in combination with seasonal vegetables can keep the soil healthy, without exhausting the minerals it contains.

Here are 4 other benefits of consuming seasonal vegetables.

1) Less expense

For the consumers, seasonal vegetables may have lot of benefits but the first one is the price. Following the season can help to reduce the shopping bill, as the production is on peak.

2) The taste

Nature follows a proper cycle and provide the minerals and micro-elements we need accordingly. In summer, fruits and vegetables are sweet, and can hydrate our bodies. It does not only has a better taste, but it is better for your health too.

3) Eco-friendly

Fresh vegetables harvested in natural time are not only seasonal, they are also local. It means that we reduce the carbon foot print made by the travel from the farm to your supermarket until your home sweet home. Finally, shopping local and seasonal will avoid pesticides and GMO on your plate.

4) Sustainability

Affordable seasonal vegetables are preferred by small farmers for their production/cost relations. Adding the seasonal produce to your plate can support small farms and village community.

We care farms, farmers and families. 

We craft organic vegetables from, farm to plate only for you……

How to make farming profitable for farming communities? As we previously told SAAL successfully converted and trained farmers to organic practices with the help of agripreneurs. The question that remained was to sell this organic production to the local people, how to remove the idea from their mind that organic vegetable is anything more than an expensive vegetable.

                                  (SAAL participated on the SorOptimist Orgnaic Expo-2015)

In 2015, the chance was given by SorOptimist International - Madurai, an association of women formed in 2009 from the worldwide NGO helping underprivileged women and girls across the world. Hearing about the work made by SAAL with farmers, the organization invited them for a 3-Days exhibition about organic products available locally. An occasion for people to know about eco-friendly companies.

                                              (SAAL demonstrate to consumer in the Expo)

With 50 million people suffering from diabetes, according to the WHO estimation, healthy food is not a light topic in India. Students from colleges, but also doctors and diabetic patients showed more interest into organic fruits and vegetables during the visit. The message started to expand while the numbers of food adulteration in India is the greatest fear of food conscious consumers.

If the first visitors kept their enthusiasm for a while, tasting organic was enough to adopt our products. The full concept of SAAL, the permanent and sustainable solutions it offered to farmers until it reaches consumer's plate, this idea seeded to First Organics. We are proud to bring you the best all the benefits of pure organically grown fruits and vegetables, with fair share to farmers. But the better way to convince you is to, taste our product with us! 

By Audrey Durgairajan 

First Organics 

Educating and transforming farmers- Milestone achievement

In First Organics, we strongly believe that organic agriculture is a foolproof process. But, we also know that farmers on the field cannot spend a minimum of three month training in our office at Madurai. This is how 70 young men and women mostly from underprivileged farming communities joined the team to spread their organic advices in remote villages. Principal link between SAAL and farmers, Agripreneurs have to document every steps of the organic transformation.

                                  (Easy to test soil health by carbon kit for #organicfarming)

After many years of intensive chemical usage, the land is not directly ready to grow any plant. Most of the lands remain dry even after removing all chemicals, and need to be replenished. In order to know, how much sick the soil is, Agripreneurs must start to control the carbon level of the land.

A low carbon level indicates that no living organism or humus is in your soil. In Tamil Nadu, most of the land needs water; hence it is increase by perishing of the soil. Worms are, then, not playing their ploughing roles anymore. In order to create humus, farmers scatter cow dung and biodegradable waste.

After harvesting, the plant is normally removed and turned in order to ventilate the land. Thus new plantation should be in other part of the land. Agripreneurs used to control if the soil is rich enough, and if local seeds are planted. For example: native vegetables consume less water for the lands, while non-native plants consume more water. Native or local vegetables are more adaptable and profitable.

By

Audrey Durgairajan

First Organic Pvt Ltd

How traditional bio input reduces farming overheads?

Bio-inputs used in all organic vegetables at Firstorganics

In agriculture like in any other business a smart investment is better than a huge one. Hence, for Mr Veluchammy, a farmer from Karadikal, organic farming was certainly the smartest investment he made in his farm as its yield doubled: "To get this result I just used 1 dose of organic growth promoter, while I used 2 doses with chemical inputs. It's a double profit for me because I invested really few and get higher yield profit."

To double its profit, Mr Veluchammy does not need anything else that what he already had in his farm. Before that chemical method overran the Indian agriculture lands, farmers were traditionally making "Panchakavyam", a natural growth promoter and repellent. This method require only 20 days.

To cover 1 acre, a farmer just needs: 3 Kg of coconut dunk, some jaggery or sugar waste mixed with 500 ml of water, 200 ml of ghee. These 3 ingredients must be mixed by hand to be perfectly blended, each morning and evening during 4 days.

In the 5 th day, few elements must be added: 500 ml of curd, 200 ml of raw milk (should not be heat in order to keep all bacteria alive), 1 kg of coconut water, 1 kg of decomposed fruits (like papaya or banana), 1 liter of degraded juice, and 2 liters of cow urine. Added with 25 liters of water, it needs to be mixed to remove any lumps, and perfectly closed. If the air did not spoil the mixture, farmers will get the natural promoter after 15 days of fermentation.

Finally, the bio input can be spray to the land without any risk of damaging the soil or the yield.

By Audrey Durgairajan

#Firstorganics

When organic farming inspired science

Organic farming may sometimes be seen as an exact science for SAAL's agripreneurs. Depending on many factors like the soil and seeds quality, pest control, water management, our food system will be insure. The complementarity of both disciplines was clear enough to experiment a new kind of model farm linked to the rural science department of the Arul Andar College campus located at Karumathur in Madurai. For a year, the model farm became a research station for farmers, professors, and students curious to implement new skills on their field.

                                             (Border cropping in #organic farming)

Under the guidance of SAAL,the students started to monitor each step of cultivation. “We collected soil samples from the field for soil testing, these samples are sent to lab to ascertain nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels —as well as the pH level of the soil and possibly the organic-matter levels, by this test we can ascertain the condition of the soil health.”explains Mr John, the model farm in charge. Due to uncounted years of conventional farming, the soil may not be fertile enough. Hence, usage of natural mulching, compost, bio-inputs and crop rotation are necessary to replenish the land.

                                                (Solar light trap in #organic farming)

However, nature needs time to cure from chemicals, between 90 to 120 days are necessary to be restored with traditional methods as Panchakavya, a bio-inputs made from  fish amino acid and egg amino acids “The model farm does not practice mono cropping, instead we follow mixed farming & rotational to retain the soil health. We used border crops to control the pests, and we also make indigenous bio-pesticides, which exclusively made from some specific plants; other than this we use solar light traps to capture the harmful insects in the field. We use yellow card trap, as these methods do not disturb the biodiversity in the field.” pursued Mr Johns.

                                                          (Bio-inputs in #organic farming)

From the model farm and the good maintenance from the college's students, farmers were able to witness how organic farming can help them: “The college campus has lot of trees, we used to dump these shred leaves in a pitch and create compost or for mulching purposes; by these ways we cut the farming overheads. Other than this we make bio-inputs ourselves from the animal waste available from the campus poultry. This will replenish and enhance the soil and plant growth, with retaining optimum nutritive values.” said Mr Palanichamy, agripreneur. After one year of practice, the project had left an indelible mark of new hope to the farmers and students who implemented organic farming.  


By Audrey Durgiarajan

First Organics and Saal helps empowering womens in Tamilnadu

First Organics and Saal help #empower #womens in #Tamilnadu .

Each and every day, there are 10 women agripreneurs who travel rural parts of Tamil Nadu. Agripreneurs? The concept comes from agriculture and entrepreneurship, a mix of two different worlds which are becoming famous in South India. Since a long time, farmers were leaving their farm to find a job in the city, and were joined by their family later. Finding the situation un-sustainable, SAAL (Sustainable Agro Alliance) decided to offer job for monitoring their organic farmer’s network.

                                                             (Transforming women farmers to be agripreneurs by SAAL) 

This is how Thamarai & Jeyanthi take the first step to reach farmers in Dindigul areas, moving from farm to farm and expanding the organic agriculture. Never afraid, nor by the distance between all the farms neither to travel by their own to meet farmers and providing them advice on organic farming. Gender stereotypes could somehow be an obstacle; however the women agripreneurs have been recognized by organic farmers who don't hesitate to ask for their help.

                                                    (Transforming women farmers and monitoring by SAAL)

Today their work is not only synonym of the women empowerment in rural India, but above all encourage their family and farmers community to stay and be sustainable in countryside. Due to the hard living condition of farmers, and lack of jobs available, men were reaching cities with the hope to find a better life over there. Hence, if everyone leave agriculture, what will we eat? Farming was for SAAL, the solution more than the crux of the problem.

Women agripreneurs has expanded organic farming area and converted many farmers to this technique. They are proud to bring the change on their community, as well as for the environment. They are today the change that we are expecting to see in a more sustainable society.

First Organics

Audrey DURGAIRAJAN