An Introduction to Organic Farming (And Why We Should Support It)

Image: naturalnews.com

Michael RavensthorpeSpiritfoods

Organic farming is a method of farming that rejects the aggressive machinery and chemicals used by conventional farming in favor of gentle techniques that are in accord with nature. Whereas conventional farmers use mechanical plows to till the soil, for instance, organic farmers prefer to use natural tillers – earthworms and microorganisms – to till the soil for them. And whereas conventional farmers use chemicals to spray the crops, organic farmers prefer to deal with pests using natural repellents.

Though organic farming cannot compare to conventional farming in terms of crop production per area, it surpasses it in all other avenues.

Reasons to Support Organic Farming

Environmentally-friendly – Organic farming methods observe the laws of Nature, are sustainable, and respect the rights of livestock and crops. Using natural farming methods, soil that has been degraded by chemicals, fertilizers, and machinery is healed. Soil ecology becomes balanced once again, and water returns to its natural purity.

Tastier and more nutritious crops – Organically-farmed crops are considerably more nutritious than crops that were modified and sprayed. In some specimens, crude fat, amino acids, protein, and trace minerals were identified to be 300 percent higher than in their non-organic equivalents. This is understandable, since a crop can only provide as many nutrients as the soil in which it grows allows. If the soil has suffered from erosion and its earthworms have been killed by machinery, then it will produce inferior crops.

Respect for life – Organic farmers do not feed their livestock growth hormones, antibiotics, or other poisons that damage the animals’ immune systems and make them more susceptible to disease. Organic farmers also tend to provide their animals with large spaces in which to walk and forage, whereas conventional farmers favor cages or cramped indoor environments.

No chemical fertilizers – Organic farmers do not use chemical fertilizers. Instead, they stick to natural alternatives. For example, fish amino acids provide nitrogen, eggshells provide calcium, and animal bones provide phosphorous. These alternatives are inexpensive as well as effective.

No pesticides or herbicides – Pesticides are used to kill insects that threaten crops. Unfortunately, many sprayed insects find their way into the crops anyway, meaning that the toxic pesticides are passed onto us as well! Therefore, instead of using chemical pesticides, organic farmers use alternatives such as alcohol, light, aromas, and poisonous plants, which do the job just as well. And when it comes to herbicides, most natural farmers don’t use an equivalent at all. Instead, they use the weeds as compost to create ideal growing situations for their crops.

Conclusion

As you can see, the benefits of organic farming are considerable. Conventional farming is not a wise practice; it favors the profits of today over the planet of tomorrow. Eventually, land that was repeatedly farmed using aggressive machinery and toxic chemicals will turn to desert, forcing the farmers to move outwards and degrade other locations like a virus. Organic farming, however, is embraced by farmers who love the land that sustains them and ourselves. Their gentle, natural methods of farming ensure that the soil remains rich, that the insects within it are happy, and that the crops produced are robust and nutritious. Therefore, if you care about your health and the environment, then it is a good idea to support your local organic farms whenever possible!

About the Author

Michael Ravensthorpe is an independent writer whose research interests include nutrition, alternative medicine, and bushcraft. He is the creator of the website Spiritfoods, through which he promotes the world’s healthiest foods.

Source: naturalnews.com

10 Natural Cures from Honey


Honey is nature's greatest gift to humanity. It does not decay, it is sweet and edible by all. There are many diseases that can be cured by honey.

ARTHRITIS

Arthritis is one of the diseases that can be cured with a mixture of honey and cinnamon. The paste to reduce pain in minimal time would be composed of one part of honey, two parts of tepid water and one teaspoon of cinnamon. Patients can take a cup of warm water with one spoon of cinnamon and two teaspoons of honey in the morning. Copenhagen University verified this theory by giving the mixture of 1 tablespoon honey and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to the patients before breakfast. The results showed that within a week 73 out of 200 patients felt good and they were able to walk with agony.


CHOLESTEROL


Cholesterol can be cured with honey.Prepare a mixture of 3 tablespoons of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of honey in 475 ml of tea. Within a short period of time, this mixture can demote cholesterol level by 10%. Just like arthritis, regular intake of honey can reduce cholesterol level. Taking honey and cinnamon in breakfast can revitalize the veins and arteries of heart. It is very helpful in preventing heart attacks.


HAIR LOSS
 

Important for men.So, pay attention! To avoid hair loss and baldness, mix a tablespoon of honey and cinnamon in hot olive oil. Before taking shower, apply it onto your hair and leave it for 5-15 minutes and then wash your hair. 

COLD

Cold can be cured with honey. Regular intake of a tablespoon of honey with a quarter (1/4) teaspoon of cinnamon can cure bad coughs and it also helps in clearing the sinuses. A mixture of lemon juice, whiskey and honey can be effective too.

PIMPLES


Pimples can easily be removed in two weeks if this paste is applied. The paste would contain 3 tablespoon of honey and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Put the paste before going to bed and wash it off in the next morning. People in Japan and India believe that it helps to prevent stomachaches and it breaks stomach ulcers in the very beginning.

CONSTIPATION 


It also helps to relieve constipated situations. Mixture of cinnamon and honey can help in digesting the heavy meals easily.

LOSE WEIGHT 

Weight loss, drink a cup of water with honey and cinnamon. You should drink it twice a day. One at night and the other half an hour before breakfast.

INVETERATE FATIGUE

Inveterate fatigue can be cured with ½ tablespoon of honey mixed in a glass of water water sprinkled with cinnamon. By taking this in morning and afternoon will increase your liveliness in one week.


INFERTILITY

Infertility, in the far East people cured this disease by the help of honey. They used to say that it strengthens the semen of men. 2 tablespoons of honey before bed can correct impotency. Some cinnamon on half teaspoon of honey applied to gums can help a women in conceiving.


BAD BREATH 


Lastly, bad breath can be cured with honey. A teaspoon of honey and cinnamon in hot water helps in keeping the breath fresh all day. 

Source: http://www.sciencegymnasium.com/2013/12/10-honey-cures-you-need-to-know.html

5 Foods that Boost Your Energy


 It’s afternoon, your energy is dwindling and all you want to do is take a nap, but instead you have to sit through a boring meeting/class or complete your work. While you could just have a second – or seventh – cup of coffee, you could also have some almonds, an apple, a banana, hummus, foods can help relieve fatigue, give you the jolt of energy that you need.

Nuts


 

Nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans and cashews contain protein for endurance, nutrients that help produce energy inside our cells. This combination makes them an ideal fuel choice for boosting energy.

Eggs


 

There are plenty of foods that provide the protein but none do so in such a powerful, compact package as an egg. Eggs offer many of the same benefits as lean meats, including protein, B-vitamins and iron.

Apples


 

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Apples contain fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants that have a lot of energy-boosting power on their own, but apples also contain fructose, which is quickly and efficiently processed by our bodies for energy.

Bananas


 

A favorite of bodybuilders, bananas offer potassium, which helps muscles contract properly, as well as the fruit sugars fructose and glucose.


Hummus


Hummus combines the protein of chickpeas and sesame-based tahini with vitamin-C-packed lemon juice and the essential fatty acids in olive oil. Eat it with strips of red bell pepper and some baby carrots for triple benefits.

Source: http://ecosalon.com/foods-to-give-you-energy/

India is Building Solar Canals to Produce Energy While Slowing Water Loss


Indian State Gujarat is set to potentially use the existing 19,000 km-long network of Narmada canals across the State for setting up solar panels to generate power.

The pilot project will generate 16 million units of clean energy per annum and also prevent evaporation of 9 million liters of water annually from the canal, an official told Business Line here on Monday. The concept will, therefore, tackle two of the challenges simultaneously by providing energy and water security. 




The cost of per megawatt of solar power, in this case, is likely to be much less than the estimated Rs 100 Million, as the two banks of the canal will be used to cover the canal by installing solar power panel and the government will not have to spend much on creating basic infrastructure, including land acquisition .

Today, Gujarat has about 458 km of open Main Canal, while the total canal length, including sub-branches, is about 19,000 km at present. When completed, the SSNNL's canal network will be about 85,000 km long. 



Assuming a utilisation of only 10 per cent of the existing canal network of 19,000 km, it is estimated that 2,200 MW of solar power generating capacity can be installed by covering the canals with solar panels. This also implies that 11,000 acres of land can be potentially conserved along with about 20 billion litres of water saved per annum.

Source: thehindubusinessline.com

Plants that can be Grown from Kitchen Scraps



Here are some simple ways and easy ways to grow plants from kitchen scraps

Spring Onions




Take the left over white roots and place them in a container with a small amount of water in it. You want the roots to be wet but you don’t want the entire thing submerged. Take your container and place it in a sunny window sill. Within 3-5 days you will begin to see new growth come up. Remove the produce as you need and just leave the roots in the water to continually harvest your kitchen scrap crops. You should refresh the water weekly to keep the plant healthy.

Lemongrass
 



Lemongrass is similar to all other grasses and because of that you just need to place the roots you cut off into a container with water and put in a sunny window. After about a week there should be some new growth from your lemongrass. Once you have new growth you will need to transplant the plant from the water into a pot with soil and put it back into the sunny windowsill. You want to wait till your lemongrass reaches a foot tall before you begin harvesting it. Just like before cut off what you plan to use in the kitchen and allow the roots to continue to sprout. It’s just like cutting your lawn, it will just keep coming on if you keep it healthy.

Ginger




Take a chunk of Ginger from your kitchen scraps and place it into the soil. Make sure the newest buds are facing up. Soon enough you will begin to see new growth sprouting up out of the soil, and under the soil roots will begin to sprawl out into the soil. Pull the entire plant out of the soil and cut off a the pieces you need, and just replant it like you did initially.

Potatoes
 


You can grow any variety of potato you like, it should just make sure the scrap has ‘eyes’ growing on it. With a potato that has a strong presence of eyes you can chop it up into 2 inch square pieces. Make sure each piece has 1 – 2 eyes. After you’ve cut your potato into pieces leave them out in room temperature for a couple of days. Leaving the pieces out allow the cut surface area to dry out and become callous which will prevent the pieces from rotting in the ground.

Potatoes need a very nutrient-rich soil, so if you have compost you should be sure to incorporate some into your soil before you plant it. When you are planting your potato cubes make sure they are in the 8 inch depth range with the eyes facing the sky. When you back fill your cube place 4 inches over the potato cube and leave the other 4 inches empty. Over time as your potato grows and roots begin to appear you will want to add more soil.