A long over-due update on activities at pointReturn
What has been happening at pointReturn? What is daily life like? What have been the changes in the last three years?
What is the progress on the four self-sufficiencies of the mission- water, food, energy and cash?
Is the dream still intact? Who is keeping it alive? How are we going to realise them in full?
A new long story answers all your questions: Click here to read
Hello All! I am quite fascinated by what you are trying to achieve. Ashwin Ramaswamy forwarded your link to an IIMB group – thats wehere I picked it up.
You might be interested in this reclamation through permaculture principles – also fascinating (near Hyderabad).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O38rwc7-puc
Good luck and best wishes!!!
Another comment totally irrelevant to this article – Prosopis juliflora. Planted in tank beds, and lovingly nurtured by various foundations from the Scandinavian countries, this has destroyed most of the bio-diversity in the southern states. Like parthenium, prosopsis should be slowly removed from the environment, by planting native species that can out-compete and shade them out.
Papramod on 27th July raised the problem of parthenium. Its a deep rooted weed which is able to extract nutrients from depths where cultivated vegetable roots do not reach.It also appears to release hormones/chemicals which prevent other plants from growing near it.
The best use for parthenium is to chop off at ground level with a hoe, then put into the compost pile. Chop off the plant before it has started producing seeds when the plant is richest in nutrients. Cutting at this point also ensures less new seedlings next year. Assiduous use of the hoe almost eliminates the weed in a couple of years. It also makes good compost and other plants grow well in this compost.
I am just now entering in to this area. I am very eager to learn more about the subject you are dealing with.
Though I could not understand the whole content, I am of the opinion that you are doing good to our planet EARTH.
My best wishes,
Regards
Subramanian T
9841028458