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Saturday, October 17, 2009
Holistic Farming
Monday, 27 July 2009
Written by Jacqueline Toyad & Elaine Lau
Yahqappu found meaning for his life through organic farming. He was on a search for the meaning of life when he finally found his calling. Taking up farming was a vocation for Yahqappu who previously was an ordained minister with the Ministry of Christ church and after that, a restaurateur.“It is people who give meaning to life and that is why I decided to find something to do that was at the base of the social strata. That’s why I got into the restaurant business, but that’s when I discovered it was not low enough,” he says.
Putting up the restaurant for lease after six years of operations, Yahqappu went to India for six months, spending time in the Catholic ashrams to “understand more about life and where I should be heading to”.
He found it at an ashram in Bangalore where the ashram had its own organic farm. Inspired, he returned to Malaysia and found himself a plot in Batu Arang, Selangor, a lowland plot measuring 1.5 acres. This was six years ago — and he plunged himself right into the deep end, reading books and stuff off the Internet to learn how to establish his own farm.
Right now, his biggest concern is a jasmine plantation nearby. He had initially thought that being close to a flower plantation would help him as the birds and bees it draws would contribute to the biodynamics of his farm. He was mistaken.
“I thought the neighbouring jasmine farm would help, pollination and all that. When I could smell the pesticides, I wasn’t happy at all. I never used to smell it so much but I think they’re using a more potent pesticide now,” says Yahqappu. According to him, pests are virile and can mutate and build immunity towards the chemicals, so he surmises that that’s why his neighbour has resorted to stronger formulas. “I’ve gone over to my neighbour’s to look at their pesticides. It smells awful, very pungent. I noticed that quite a few were brought in from Thailand, illegally.”
What’s happened is the pesticides have contaminated Yahqappu’s chillis which are grown closest to the neighbour’s property. Yahqappu says he never thought their spraying would have an effect as he has grown banana trees as a buffer zone and there is a road that divides the two properties.
There are a few organic farmers in Malaysia suffering the same plight as Yahqappu. Our country has yet to impose strict integrated pest management standards on conventional farms, leaving the farmers the freedom to be trigger happy with their pesticide spraying. That’s why organic certification bodies impose strict criteria when it comes to buffer zones, especially if an organic property is in close proximity to a sprayed farm. Requirements are based on height of vegetation and predominating wind direction and spraying intensity. Width of buffer zone can range from a mere 2m, based on the requirements, to 100m. Organic farmers also have to take into account boundaries to prevent rainwater flowing from conventional fields into their fields.
“We try to do our best,” says Yahqappu. “We have our buffer zone. We don’t take water from the river which has been contaminated. I’ve dug my own well because I don’t know the source of the river but I know it runs through an oil palm plantation and there is usage of pesticides there. So, I’m trying to keep away the pesticides but if it is still like that, I will have to think up better ways to manage… maybe put up a bigger fence, plant bigger trees, things like that.”
Official Article Link
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Map And Directions To The Lord's Garden
The red landmark is The Lord's Garden Organic Farm. The blue landmark is the Mahamaariaman Temple. Click on the landmarks for more information. View Larger Map
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Farm Visit By JustLife Retail Trainees
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Early as 5 minutes past eight, group of 6 Justlife retail trainees departing from warehouse going on a day farm visit to the nurturing Lord’s Garden organic farmland. Yagappu, the humblest down-to-earth organic farmer I ever known, he is the owner of this farmland. I met him once in the Climate Change campaign event at Bkt Jalil on last August 9-10th. So much little I know about him and this trip has brought me another surprising heartfelt waiting for me to discover more, how the agriculture been produce in uniform ecological way.
Around 35mins ride on North-South Highway exiting to Rawang Toll from Kota Damansara, we cruising along in country-hill like place reaching on Batu Arang rural estate. I was never thought of his guiding the way to his farmland house, the sign board appears to be so small yet noticeable while lucky you found it in sudden turning corner lot; glad I found his farm site or getting lost in rural estate.
We were warmly welcome by his great personality, as it was like the Lord’s Gardener hug bearing around your arm! Taking a short hour profiling chat with him was the greatest moment you shall experience. He shares lots on his inspiring philosophy to sustain organic grown farming, his family and the only one servant. Congratulate to him as his wife were giving a newborn child on 31st August.
Yagappu first got his inspiring on organic farm since young. He loves philosophy so much which leads him to study abroad on New Zealand and graduate as respected Christian father. According to him, the organic farmland took 5 years to make a life-sustain harvest. He facing many critics from conventional farmer, friends and family whom seeing organic farming was a way of out-fashion agriculture. The food we eating now, has never been change for past 5 thousand years ever since agriculture develop, he emphasize organic farming is the only way human should continue cultivate in order to support every living life on earth.
He is the youngest twin brother among his 4 brother. He marrying his wife just last year ago and his mom was past away recently. To me, he is the strong man which his strong faith has guided him who he is. Yagappu says “I feel more like chosen to be, not what I am choosing way of life”
His farmland has more than 12 existing local fruits and vegetable. Namely some like Ladies finger, longbeans, Bayam, Tapioca, Radish, Papaya, Banana and etc. Most of the vegetable is grown on integrated ways. Taking for example; Kangkung, Radish and Sweetcorn are sharing to grown in same soil only distance for few centimeter apart from each other.
He made his own compost and soil fertilizer by utilizing neighbors’ cow shit adding with charcoal, wild grass, vege garbage and yeast is covered layer by layer to left ferment for 1-2 weeks. There’s a 20 feet well nearby where he made it by himself, which taken 3-4 days to dig in order to keep rain water and underground water for farmland use and drinking water. He says those underground water are the most filtered high mineral water we should drink. Charcoal was added to alkaline and balancing rain water where he built on his house rooftop to collect the raindrops.
The farmland area is about 1.3 acre or 0.6 hectare. He always emphasizes to grow diversity farming method so the soil is well crafted for balancing harvest flow. There are a few herbs grown on the farmland. For example, the medicinal Nim’s tree, wild ginseng plant, misai kucing and etc. Farming is simple not is never been easy to manage for good harvest, climate change, soil pH values, microorganism activities, rotating plantation is some of the key to organic farming.
We manage to enjoy a banana leave lunch at his handbuilt house. Eating with bare finger hands is yet another best taste experience. The lunch is a simple 3 meals, just a fresh cook bayam, spicy onion longbeans, and curry cook raw banana cubes. Papedam and one sour sup being added too for good digestion. According to Yagappu, usually yogurt is served after meal to have for a well balance healthy diet in Indian eating lifestyle. Herbs and diversity of spices is the fundamental to gain a healthy body diet, a must for especially those with vegan diet.
A heavy downpour afternoon rain has caught everybody under one roof; it was heartfelt to leave such a simple, down to earth living place. Around 1.30 after rain started to reduces and finally we greet him off cruising back to warehouse office.
To Yagappu,
We have faith on you...keep on the Lord's spirit! Cheers!
Alex Tan
Article Link
Early as 5 minutes past eight, group of 6 Justlife retail trainees departing from warehouse going on a day farm visit to the nurturing Lord’s Garden organic farmland. Yagappu, the humblest down-to-earth organic farmer I ever known, he is the owner of this farmland. I met him once in the Climate Change campaign event at Bkt Jalil on last August 9-10th. So much little I know about him and this trip has brought me another surprising heartfelt waiting for me to discover more, how the agriculture been produce in uniform ecological way.
Around 35mins ride on North-South Highway exiting to Rawang Toll from Kota Damansara, we cruising along in country-hill like place reaching on Batu Arang rural estate. I was never thought of his guiding the way to his farmland house, the sign board appears to be so small yet noticeable while lucky you found it in sudden turning corner lot; glad I found his farm site or getting lost in rural estate.
We were warmly welcome by his great personality, as it was like the Lord’s Gardener hug bearing around your arm! Taking a short hour profiling chat with him was the greatest moment you shall experience. He shares lots on his inspiring philosophy to sustain organic grown farming, his family and the only one servant. Congratulate to him as his wife were giving a newborn child on 31st August.
Yagappu first got his inspiring on organic farm since young. He loves philosophy so much which leads him to study abroad on New Zealand and graduate as respected Christian father. According to him, the organic farmland took 5 years to make a life-sustain harvest. He facing many critics from conventional farmer, friends and family whom seeing organic farming was a way of out-fashion agriculture. The food we eating now, has never been change for past 5 thousand years ever since agriculture develop, he emphasize organic farming is the only way human should continue cultivate in order to support every living life on earth.
He is the youngest twin brother among his 4 brother. He marrying his wife just last year ago and his mom was past away recently. To me, he is the strong man which his strong faith has guided him who he is. Yagappu says “I feel more like chosen to be, not what I am choosing way of life”
His farmland has more than 12 existing local fruits and vegetable. Namely some like Ladies finger, longbeans, Bayam, Tapioca, Radish, Papaya, Banana and etc. Most of the vegetable is grown on integrated ways. Taking for example; Kangkung, Radish and Sweetcorn are sharing to grown in same soil only distance for few centimeter apart from each other.
He made his own compost and soil fertilizer by utilizing neighbors’ cow shit adding with charcoal, wild grass, vege garbage and yeast is covered layer by layer to left ferment for 1-2 weeks. There’s a 20 feet well nearby where he made it by himself, which taken 3-4 days to dig in order to keep rain water and underground water for farmland use and drinking water. He says those underground water are the most filtered high mineral water we should drink. Charcoal was added to alkaline and balancing rain water where he built on his house rooftop to collect the raindrops.
The farmland area is about 1.3 acre or 0.6 hectare. He always emphasizes to grow diversity farming method so the soil is well crafted for balancing harvest flow. There are a few herbs grown on the farmland. For example, the medicinal Nim’s tree, wild ginseng plant, misai kucing and etc. Farming is simple not is never been easy to manage for good harvest, climate change, soil pH values, microorganism activities, rotating plantation is some of the key to organic farming.
We manage to enjoy a banana leave lunch at his handbuilt house. Eating with bare finger hands is yet another best taste experience. The lunch is a simple 3 meals, just a fresh cook bayam, spicy onion longbeans, and curry cook raw banana cubes. Papedam and one sour sup being added too for good digestion. According to Yagappu, usually yogurt is served after meal to have for a well balance healthy diet in Indian eating lifestyle. Herbs and diversity of spices is the fundamental to gain a healthy body diet, a must for especially those with vegan diet.
A heavy downpour afternoon rain has caught everybody under one roof; it was heartfelt to leave such a simple, down to earth living place. Around 1.30 after rain started to reduces and finally we greet him off cruising back to warehouse office.
To Yagappu,
We have faith on you...keep on the Lord's spirit! Cheers!
Alex Tan
Article Link
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