Trees in Agroforestry

TREES ARE IMPORTANT

At EA Farms, we have planted all the following trees:

Black Wattle, Hickory Wattle, Mangium, and Forest Mangrove

Acacia mangium

Bread fruit

Artocarpus altilis

Jack fruit

Artocarpus heterophyllus

Papaya

Carica papaya

Sheoak, Ironwood, or Beefwood

Casuarina

Cannonball tree

Couroupita guianensis

Ebony

Diospyros ebenum

Fig 

Ficus glomerata

Vila

Limonia_acidissima

Mahwa, Illupai

Madhuca longifolia

Yellow jade orchid tree

Magnolia champaca

Mango

Mangifera

Sapodilla

Manilkara Zapota

Mountain Neem

Melia Dubia

Mulberry

Morus

Banana, Valai

Musa sp.

Nutmeg

Myristica fragrans

Kadambu

Neolamarckia cadamba

Vanni

Prosopis cineraria

Cherry

Prunus avium

Guava

Psidium guajava

Pomegranate

Punica granatum

Goose berry

Ribes grossularia

Rosewood

Rosewood

Soap berries

Sapindus emarginatus

Agathi

Sesbania grandiflora

Peenari

Sterculia guttata

Poison Nut

Strychnos nux-vomica

Mahogany

Swietenia mahogany

Naval

Syzygium cumini

Teak

Tectona grandis

Porti

Thespesia populnea

Lime

Tilia cordata

  

Japanese rosewood

Torreya nucifera

We know the importance of these trees. As part of our Agro-forestry area, these trees help in many ways in our Sustainable Organic Natural Agriculture activities. They are mixture of medicinal, natural insecticides, fruit and several diversified useful trees.  These trees also help in integrated farming, nutrient cycling, water retention, soil enrichment and benefits animals and crops. Whenever you get a chance plant a tree

and maintain it.

For sure trees will provide benefits.

Coconuts

Coconuts - Countering Climate Change (CCCC):

Each and every part of Coconut tree is very useful. Tender Coconuts, Oil rich Coconuts, Coconut shells are very useful in various aspects. Tender Coconuts are efficient coolers of human body without any kind of added chemicals. Coconut oils including virgin coconut oils are known for its fungicidal properties. Coconut milk and coconut sugars are also available from coconut. Coconut sap called Neera  is a nutritional healthy drink. Coco fibers can be used in clothing, biodegradable products and has various environmental usages such as erosion control, and oil cleanup. Cocopeat is very useful as a growing media. Dried branches can be used as mulch in the farm. Activated carbon from coconut shells is best for water filters. Biochar from coconut shells is another wonder growth media. Coconut trees are considered as Trees of Life.

Such wonderful coconut tree can be used to counter anthropogenically induced climate change. Coconut trees grow with several branches and is great for carbon sequestering. A coconut tree can store an average amount of 50 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. Scientific studies suggest positive potential of coconut tree as a as a potential sequestration source to mitigate the climate change problems. 

Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, India - the town where our roots are is called coconut city. It is agriculture area near Western Ghats biosphere with lots of coconut farms. 

Coconut trees canopy under the foothills of Western Ghats can sequester more carbon and truly help in fighting the human induced climate change. 

Agricultural companies, entrepreneurs, researchers are involved in fine tuning coconut varieties. One such person is Mr. David Johnson Lobo and his varieties of coconut are called DeeJay variety. They are short trees with high yield and have more branches. These varieties not only aid in fighting climate change, but also provide income to the farmers with high yield of coconuts. DASF - Deejay Agri Support Foundation - Planting more Coconut Trees.

Benefits of coconuts.

Tender coconuts are efficient coolers of human body without any kind of added chemicals.

Coconut Virgin Oil Benefits

Coconut Oil  Lauric Acid - 

Lauric acid has been shown to contribute the least to fat accumulation. Also, Lauric acid have demonstrably significant antimicrobial activity against gram positive bacteria and a number of fungi and viruses.

Coconut Neera

Coconut fiber for Clothing

Activated Carbon from Coconut shells (Materials for filtration)

Coconut tree parts - fallen branches can be converted into Biochar and mulch.

Simple steps to make biochar:

*            Dig a deep trench in a bed and loosen the soil in the bottom of the trench.

*             Pile the chopped branches into the trench and light it. Fire starts out hot, but is quickly slows down as oxygen supply is reduced.

*           First white smoke is mostly water vapor. Then smoke turns into yellow because of the ingredients in the material which is being burned.

*             When the smoke thins and turns grayish blue, dampen down the fire by covering it with about an inch of soil to reduce the air supply, and leave it to smolder.

*            After the organic matter has smoldered into charcoal chunks, use water to put out the fire and get the biochar.

Cocopeat - various biodegradable products including plant growth media. 

Soil Erosion Control. Oil Spill Removal.

Coconut related Bio Products - Adhi Annam Coir Comforts | Srivari Coirs

Coconut Development Board

Coconut trees at EAFARMS:

EAFARMS - Sustainable Coconut Oil.

At EAFARMS we follow Sustainable Organic Natural Agriculture with regenerative, indigenous methods along with ZBNF and permaculture techniques. Our tender coconuts have very tasty fizzy coconut water. People should give up drinking unhealthy drinks and drink healthy coconut water. It is amazing that our forefathers understood such benefits of coconuts and used it for Symbol of Rituals in Hinduism including while praying to Lord Shiva. 

We are constantly working with farmers especially coconut farmers (connecting global farmers) to use these valuable coconut trees to effectively fight against human induced Climate Change.

Together we can make a change.

EnviroApps Inc -  Envirocare Green Award 2022 Winner

Makesh Karuppiah, PhD
Environmental Scientist and Information Technologist

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.

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

Produce during Pandemic

Our friends, as we are spread all over the World we could only communicate through social media during this pandemic. Recently, we are trying Urban Agriculture as everyone realizes it is important to grow your own produce whatever you can in the place that is available to you. Greens, vegetables and fruits can be even grown in pots which can be very useful. It is also Organic, as we will never use artificial chemicals to grow our own produce. Anywhere in the World, in your home, you can put some soil in a pot or even in a sack and grow your own produce (at least some spinach and herbs). With some rice it can make a good tasty combination food too. So, on that lines, I want to share some ( Produce during Pandemic )  photos that I received from all over the Globe from few of my friends through social media.

From India:
Tamil Nadu: (Produce from EA farms, Friend's farm and Urban Agriculture):

 Kerala:

From :USA:
West Virginia;
In a town home setup.

If a friend can grow this inside a  town home at a cold climate area, then no one with a farm or space should not give any excuse to grow plants and trees.

Virginia:

Illinois

California

Pennsylvania:

Florida

 

Tasty end products - Value added products can be made from your own produce

These are just from few of my friends.
Never expected even in unthinkable places my dear friends could grow these Produce. 

In the urban setup, one can have bee boxes. They help the plants and also produce honey.

A small plant planted today can become a forest one day.

Really glad that youngsters from
Pollachi area are involved in planting trees and maintaining them - Dr. Kalam's dream coming true.

At EA FARMS trees are planted one by one and as many as we can. 

 What we planted few years ago are growing. One day it will become a forest.

And we will get good rainfall and water can be conserved.

These produce during pandemic is from few friends. Think if all people produce at least some part of their food, it will be great.

Seeing all these should motivate anyone to atleast grow some herbs in your house. When you grow and consume it,, it will taste better for sure. A friends poem about trees:

Make it sure to plant some more! 

That is cure for smoke filled air! 

Future of lives endured by trees 

that assures all the air pure! 

Makes the mind pure too.

Flowering plants give aesthetics to your area:

It can help even a little bird such as a tailor bird. A video from friend:

Let us make the Earth more green. In turn it protects us from many harmful things.

Makesh Karuppiah, PhD

Environmental Scientist and Information Technologist