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...
Today had opportunity to sit in Washington DC Dulles airport and write this blog. Twenty years back I came to this same airport for the first time to enter into US for pursuing PhD in Environmental Sciences. Successfully completed that. Went forward and completed additional Masters in Computer Sciences. How have I used my education towards real time projects: We started a project called EnviroApps Sustainable Land Development Project on Feb, 2007. Slowly, A land used for agriculture using chemical methods were changed to Natural methods. Last year we produced Organic Produce. Hopefully within few more years we will have beautiful environmental project in real world. Flowering plants, bees, trees, ecosystems, natural agriculture and so many other activities associated with environment - all in our EA FARM. All these ideas came to me because of my great teachers (Drs - Gupta, Sankaran, Vasanth Kumar (Sad that they all passed away), Dr.SS, Dr. RavinderRaju, Dr. Rajkumar, Dr. Patta...