Each day, farmers from far and large flock to see Hirod Patel’s fields. His revolutionary strategy has proved to be a beacon of success for them because the younger farmer from Odisha cultivates greens, not on the bottom however on the pond!
The 32-year-old farmer has adopted an built-in farming system to domesticate climbers within the sheds and observe pisciculture in farm ponds concurrently.
Practically eight years again, Hirod joined his father, Shiva Shankar, who had historically been cultivating paddy. Like different Indian farmers, they might typically relentlessly toil day and night time for meagre returns.
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Nonetheless, Hirod adopted an revolutionary strategy to make agriculture worthwhile.
In 2019, the Ratanpur village resident dug up 4 totally different ponds on his 10-acre farm with the assistance of the watershed growth and soil conservation unit of the agricultural division.
With a view to utilise the area effectively, he first planted huge bushes comparable to bananas, guavas, and coconuts across the pond. On the similar time, he constructed a trellis system over the pond to develop climbers, which additionally eradicated the necessity for watering the greens.
Trellis programs present a vertical cane help in order that the chosen crops are saved off the bottom. This improves publicity to daylight, air motion, and simpler spraying entry all through the cover. Utilizing a trellis system additionally makes planting simpler to handle and harvest. This technique is commonly utilized in vineyards.
“We had already been rising bitter gourds on the bamboo trellis, so I received the concept to assemble a trellis system over the pond. Initially, I planted 120 crops of bottle gourds and harvested 1,800 items final September. This earned me Rs 35,000 of additional revenue,” Hirod tells The Higher India.
An electrician by vocation, he has additionally constructed a ship for himself to reap the greens, and earnings.
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Learn the story in Hindi right here.
All pictures courtesy Hirod Patel