Project Hightlight:
Goura Vrindavan, Brazil
The concept of "Sustainable
Development" is,
without doubt, one of the ideals the the present humanity
needs the most. The modern
man lost the notion of healthy and harmonious co-living with
Nature.
 Specifically in the last century, much more was
destroyed in the world than in all of the centuries before
together. The industrial Revolution,
the exploitation mentality both of communism and capitalism,
the idea of "unlimited progress", the artificial urban life, the materialism,
greed, the irresponsibility towards future generations are some of the
causes of unbalance among Man and Nature, of their deterioration and consequent
destruction of our Planet as a whole organism. It's like the history of
the “Golden Egg Chicken”— the owner of the chicken was
greed for its golden eggs, but was not worried in feeding it,
and ended up losing it all. In the same manner, keeping the immediate
profit , greed
and exploitation mentality that penetrated our society, healthy
life, with opulence which is natures gift, is basically impossible
for the future
of this Planet.
 Sustainable Development means to know and to respect the natures cycles.
Mother nature is supplying all of our necessities. We are able to extract
unlimited resources, as long as we have the vision to observe and respect
the time that it demands to reestablish itself. Therefore, sustainable
agriculture means a productive activity where this natures recuperation
time is part of the program, with the intuit that the production cycle
may repeat itself continuously, not being interrupted by the weakening
and destruction of the natural resources.
 One of the hopes for the reconstruction of the planets forest covering
is the use of agro-forestry. Different from the conventional type of agriculture
and cow-raising, that requires big deforestation processes to create usable
areas, the agro-forestry practice enables native species to live together
with the productive species. Instead of monoculture, agro-forestry enables
cultivation of different species at the same time. Many kinds of trees,
like for example the Banana Tress, are much more productive and less vulnerable
to diseases in a forest environment, with no need to turn to pesticides
and other chemicals that are very dangerous both for the plants and for
who else is in touch with them. In this environment the Banana Trees live
together with other kinds of fruit trees, as well as palm trees and other
species.
 Another type of agro-forestry is the one that
has been developped and used by the Swiss researcher living
in Brasil, Ernest Göeth. His
technique works from an area totally depredated. Many different
types of vegetable species are introduced simultaneously. In
the beginning the
trailing species will grow; on a second stage, small trees; and
than, the forest covering will appear with the bigger trees.
In all of theses
stages, the land will produce economically. A very important
aspect of this forest recovering process is that, the soil,
instead of getting weak,
will be getting richer and richer in nutrients, due to the constant
deposit of organic material in the land, and protection from
the direct contact
of sun and flowing water. The trees, when in a adult stage, can
be used for wood, and then the cycle can again restart, now
with a rich soil.
In Goura-Vrindávana, we are applying this agro-forestry principles.
Four scientific research projects are going on, that are part of a global
project called PRODETAB, financed by the World Bank and Brazilian Government.
Theses projects have been managed In Goura-Vrindavana by many different
institutions: Rio de Janeiro Federal University, EMBRAPA— Instituto
de Agrobiologia e REBRAF— Rede Brasileira Agro-florestal.
 The Dried Banana production of Goura-Vrindávana,
that represents the most important economic bases of the project,
is being managed strictly
according to the sustainable development principles.
An other very important aspect of sustainable
development that is being worked out in Goura-Vrindávana is the
energetic resource. We have developed an electric energy self-sufficient
project from water-fall resource
that supplies energy to the whole farm. (see
pictures here ).
We are also working to use other sources, such as solar energy.
Some other ideas of the project in this field:
- Install a biodigestor for production
of bio-gas and bio-fertilizer.
- Develop medicine herbs plantation for
production of paints, extracts, teas, and natural medicine.
- Enhance the activities of the drying
factory, so we can also dry other kinds of fruits, vegetables,
herbs, so on.
- Develop other kinds of plantation using
agro-forestry.
- Develop the handling of bulls for plowing
and traction works. Try to keep theses practices alive,
since they have been loosing space
for machines and other artificial techniques.
Resources
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