What a way to celebrate the 75th Independence Day! Sunny morning with patriot songs wafting along with the soft breeze and mingling with the giggles and laughter of children and adults alike!
But first, we started off with checking for weeds, removing them and making sure the soil is healthy. After this, the children were introduced to Effective Micro-organisms (EM) and how they help with both soil health and plant health.
What are Effective Micro-organisms?
Effective Microorganisms (EM) are mixed cultures of beneficial naturally-occurring organisms that can be applied asinoculants to increase the microbial diversity of soil ecosystem. They consist mainly of the photosynthesizing bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, actinomycetes and fermenting fungi. These microorganisms are physiologically compatible with one another and can coexist in liquid culture. There is evidence that EM inoculation to the soil can improve the quality of soil, plant growth and yield (Kengo and Hui-lian, 2000). (Source: https://www.permaculturenews.org/2016/01/19/what-are-effective-microorganisms/)
The children applied EM to the plants and soils. They were taught to look for pests and diseases in the cluster beans and chilly plants. They were also taught how to remove any impacted plants or leaves.
After applying EM, we had a circle time where the children shared why they were proud to be India and 1-2 facts about India that they found interesting. We also had a young child play the National Anthem in the piano and the rest of us chimed in to sing it with pride and joy.
After the session, we dispersed for the week, eagerly looking forward to the following week, where we were going to do Staking for the Tomato plants!
About Organo Et School (OES)
We recognize that for any positive impact to be sustainable, it has to be long-term and inter-generational. OrganoEtSchool strives to create an apt learning environment that will support and empower families as well as individuals to embrace sustainable living mind sets and habits.
Organo Et School is a learning initiative set up by Organo in 2017 and has been facilitating fields visits and workshops for Schools and Interest Groups. Organo Et School has had over 25+ schools, 6000+ students and 2500+ adults participate over the last 4 years.
We believe in connecting children &adults with nature. Connecting children with the natural world at a young age is the first step in creating responsible stewards of our collective future.
If you or your children are interested in future Be a Farmer programs, please connect to us at oes@organo.co.in and by phone 9154100775 today! You can also click here to express your interest. We will keep you posted on our future farm cycles.
