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olla

Cost Effective Solution to save Coconut trees during forth coming water scarcity months due to El Niño : Olla Irrigation - Ancient Wisdom for Modern Droughts. 🏺 Echoes of Ancient Clay pot Irrigation Long before the term olla entered agricultural vocabulary, ancient Tamil farmers practiced remarkably similar methods. In Sangam‑era Tamilakam, clay vessels called “ māṇ paṇai ” or “kulam paṇai” were used to store and seep water near tree roots - especially for coconut, banana, and areca palms.   These pots were often placed in earthen basins (thottam) lined with coir, husk, and leaf mulch, creating a natural moisture‑retention system. Inscriptions and temple garden records from regions like Pollachi, Thanjavur, and Madurai mention such paṇai neer vaḻi (pot‑water channels) as part of sustainable irrigation networks.  This continuity of wisdom - from ancient Tamil pot irrigation to modern olla systems -  shows how indigenous knowledge can guide regenerative farming in the...

India Summer Visit 2017

I had a chance to visit India this summer - 2017. (Previous Trip).

As usual wonderful time spent with family and friends.
Morning - attended cricket nets 

Me and Coach 
if the monsoon rains were not there.

Then visited friends, had lunch with them and had lots of discussions (Quality Time).


Mainly visited EA Farms.


After 7 years of hard work by my brother, it has shaped up very well.
He has planted more than 1000 trees and plants.
-
Monsoon this season has slightly helped. Praying for more rains.
It is shaping up as we envisioned. Still waiting for agricultural (utility - Power) current (We still did not get it after 7 years).
Solar power has cut the power dependency into half.
Agro-Forest area has some trees grown tall.
We have added VanaRaja and GrahmaPriya Chickens to the farm. They bring aesthetics and clean up worms that forms flies.

They are good addition to the farm apart from cows and goats.

Still planning to plant more trees. My brother is also playing an important role on
Organic Farmers Cluster

which includes a girl with MBA degree doing agriculture. I spoke to some of the members and they were very keen to produce chemical free pure agriculture products. I discussed about value added products. How they need to sun dry the products and make it as powder or oil, which can survive for longer period and fetch them more money.

Also my Scientist friend Dr. Hatha visited me and we went to the farm. He had brought some trees and we planted them.


During the middle of the vacation, we had a road trip to great historic temples such as Kanchi Kamatchi, Thiruvanamalai and Chidambaram Thilai Nataraja Temple. Great temples.


These are great historic temples and places to visit in India. Traveling with family and friends gives great memorable times. 

During this visit saw Cauvery which has the name Aganda Cauvery (Wide Cauvery) but it was Varanda Cauvery (no water Cauvery). Felt bad.
Still saw lorries queued up for getting the river soil (sand).
Most of these parts are covered by Karuvelam trees (Prosopis Juliflora) and plastic bags strewn across the land.

Highways were good. Some of them were even good as American Highways.
However the interior villages are still bad. Big pot holes in the road, No proper street lights and fundamental infra structure.
Indian villages are considered as backbones of India. So they must have all the basic infrastructure by which it will become the country envisioned by Dr. Kalam.

I wish and pray when I visit India next time these Villages will Shine brightly and I would say without hesitation that India has grown and developed as Dr. Kalam has told.

Until then we will do our part.
Rainbow at EA Farms

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