A Conscious Experiential Learning Centre for Natural Farming & Living

INTRODUCTION
 Name : RAGHAVA
 Farm Name : AIKANTHIKA
Gardens Name :
 ATMA – Home Garden
 DHRUK – Forest Garden
 CHITH – Velvet Bean Garden
 ANANDA – Happiness Garden

 Started Farming in 1996

 AREA : 21 acres
Addressing 3400 Farmers at a local Organic Farming Festival.

 METHOD : Natural Farming founded by Masanobu Fukuoka.

 CROPS : Coconut, Rice, Fruits, Vegetables, Tubers, Spices,

Medicinal & Aromatic, Ornamental, Trees and others.
Goals:
“ The ultimate goal of natural
farming is not simply growing
crops but the cultivation and
perfection of human beings "-
Masanobu Fukuoka

Aikanthika, farmer Living Happily by

Simplifying Life, by focusing on 5 core areas -

1. Farming - natural farming

2. Food - natural and traditional
3. Learning- swashikshan / homeschooling, learning naturally as part of the
life journey
4. Health - changes in lifestyle & habits, home remedies, naturopathy,
homeopathy
5. Habitat - eco-friendly and natural building
Aikanthika in the Year 1999
 NATURAL FARMING
 No Cultivation

 No Fertilizers

 No Pesticides

 No Weeding
No Cultivation
Reptiles & Insects do the tilling part (Dough to
Spongy structure) by forming holes & pores in
the soil.
 NO FERTILIZERS
LEGUMES IDENTIFICATION:
(For a Layman, not accurate)

 Leaves are Tri-foliate

 Pinnately Leafed
 ( Leaves are Oppositely
 Attached at a single Node )

 Dicotyledon Seeds

 Roots have Nodules

 Nitrogen Smell
 SOIL FERTILITY
ENHANCEMENT

 Vibrant population of
organisms improve humus
status.

 Continuous replenishment
of plant nutrients through

NUTRIENT CYCLING
(shed plant debris, root parts,
animal manure, bird droppings &
biomass of soil organisms) &

NUTRIENT ADDITION
(subsoil nutrients pumping of
trees & atmospheric nitrogen
fixing plants).
 SOIL STRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT
 Porosity improves water holding capacity & enhances water
infiltration capacity.
 Water logging decreases.
 SOIL EROSION PREVENTED
 Woody Components Prevent Surface Runoff of Finer Soil
Particles.
 Cushioning Effect of Spongy Organic Mulch & Vegetation
Canopy minimizes the Erosive Effects of Rainfall.
 Diverse Vegetation Cover Prevents Wind Erosion.
 NO PESTICIDES
FACILITATES BIO-CONTROL OF PESTS & DISEASES

 Fox, Wild Cat, Civet Cat Peacock, Mongoose, other animals, Birds, Reptiles & Insects
have made ‘Aikanthika’ as their Breeding Place (Habitat).

 System Situation Favours the Rapid Multiplication of Beneficial Soil Flora & Fauna
with their Population Outnumbering the Disease Causing Organisms.

 The Overall Improvement of Plant Health Stimulates their Inherent Capacity to Resist
& Disease Attack.

Peacock Mummified Civet Cat Sitana (Reptile) Fox Skeleton

Tree Frog
Wild Kittens Designer Spider Peacock pansy (Butterfly)
 NO WEEDING
Velvet Bean Puereria
(Mucuna utilis & Mucuna pruriens) ( Puereria phaseoloides )
 ADVANTAGES OF NATURAL SYSTEM SYSTEM

MINIMUM EFFORT :
Following works are performed in the farm –

 Harvesting is the major work.

 Cutting back of vegetation in the path & around the crop.
 Securing the Borders.
 Adding or multiplying the Seeds or Saplings.
 Irrigation through Trenches and Manually in Dry Periods only
(Moisture is available to plants through Capillary water in Dry Periods).

Volunteer Clearing
Heap of 50,000 Coconuts the Path swachh bharat
 WATER CONSERVATION
 “ How much rain we get is not at all important, question is how much of
it we are harvesting ”
- Anil Aggarwal (former director, Centre for Science & Environment)

 By harvesting the rain at the point of its fall, runoff can be reduced
considerably.

 Catching every drop of rain water where it falls & making it to percolate
into the earth to reach aquifers will raise the ground water table.

 Soil management is crucial for water conservation.

 ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY :

 Sustainable Farming System.

 Raises the Ground Water Table.

 Supports the Animal, Bird, Reptile and Insect Population.

Biodiversity is maintained.

 System is Not Dependent on Petroleum Based Products,

which are Non-Renewable and will not be available after
few years.

 The Population of Diverse Plant Species of Different Stature

Growing Underneath in Coconut-based Agroforestry System
will Support Climate Change Mitigation (Slows Down the
Process of Climate Change).
Technique for Planting a new Sapling followed in ‘Aikanthika’:

 Pit Size equal to Sapling’s Bag Size.

 Circular Inverted Saucer Shape Trench-cum-Bund. Radius 1.5 ft. ,3 ft. & 6 ft.
depending upon the size of sapling
 Mulch the base, back with the Organic Matter cleared.
 Irrigation in Circular Trench only.
 Aikanthika Plant Kingdom
Based on Raghav Information
Vegetables – 30
 Tubers Fruits – More than 70 kinds
 Spices – 9
 Medicinal & Aromatic Crops – 8
 Ornamental – 18
 Trees – 30
 Others - 29
 After stopping

 Cultivation,
 Fertilizers,
 Pesticides &
 Weeding,
Do you think we are still,

Getting Harvest ?
Of course yes!
 SOME OF THE FRUITS AND OTHER VEGETABLES
PRODUCES IN AIKANTHIKA FARM

COCONUT More than 100 in a Bunch !

How many similar Bunches are there in
this Tree ?
 INDIAN AND FOREIGENERS Visit AT AIKANTHIKA FARM FOR
LEARING NATURAL FARMING AND LIVING

Snehal, Pondicherry & Jade Journeaux, France Sydney Rosario, past Post-Doctoral Research, USA.

Mr. Larry and Nandalal USA & SIKKIM Lecture on natural farming by Mr. Larry from USA
 PRACTISING IN FIELD IN NATRURAL WAY

Jade, France, Baking in Traditional Cob Oven

Land preparation for throwing Paddy seed ball
Honor Chance, Ireland, teaching skills to Kids

Florian, Belgium, sharing the 7000 km Cycling

Preparation of seed ball with love and affection experience across 34 countries
 THANKYOU!

Entire method is based on Fukuoka's principles