On the 4th of December, Eco Rangers, as well as the Form 3 students of our school, who were recently freed from the constricting burden of their PMR examinations were treated to a high educational and interesting talk on Organic Farming by Mr Tapur, an organic farmer who collaborated with The University of Malaya to bring this talk to us. He was accompanied by a few volunteers from the University of Malaya.
Firstly, we were introduced to the basics of organic farming, such as the benefits of organic farming, as well as the advantages of doing so over commercial farming. We were also urged to grow our own vegetables over buying them as he said growing our vegetables is an economical as well as an environmentally-friendly decision, and doing so also reduces our carbon footprint. Growing our own vegetables also ensures that we will have a constant supply of food. We were also given some theoretical information on how to carry out organic farming.
We were then shown how to improve the properties of soil. First of all, he said that Malaysian soil is acidic in nature, which is why a combination of Calcium Oxide and Magnesium is used to reduce its acidity. We were then given a live demonstration on how to make fish amino acid, which is a good source of nitrogen and protein for the soil and plants. Firstly, we had to cut up some fish into around 5 segments. The fish is then mixed with molasses, otherwise known as brown sugar. We were told that if we made the fish amino acid correctly, kept it out of damp places, mixed it every now and then, and covered it with a porous cloth to prevent flies from alighting on our mixture, it should not smell after a couple of days. We were also told that the fish amino acid can keep for up to 6 months.
We were then shown how to extract the nutrients found in egg shells to increase the content of nutrients in the soil. We first had to juice enough limes to provide enough juice to immerse 10 eggs in. This is to corrode the shell of the egg, so that its nutrients can be extracted. The eggs would then be crushed and mixed into the concoction, as they are a good source of protein. Like the fish amino acid, this concoction can also keep for around 6 months. The upside to making this concoction? The peels of the limes used to provide juice for the eggs are perfect for making garbage enzyme, which is not only good for the soil, but also has a multitude of other uses. We were even told that it can be drunk!
After the demonstrations were over, every participant of the workshop was treated to a scrumptious late breakfast, consisting of chicken curry, roti jala, maggi goreng, pudding, and mango juice. After all the excitement, everyone was ravenously hungry. Thankfully, there was more than enough food to go around. Having sated themselves thoroughly, participants were more than happy and eager to move on to the next agenda of the day - the hands-on organic farming session.
Participants of the workshop were led to the proposed site of our vegetable garden, and were shown how to prepare vegetable beds. There was a lot to be done, apparently. First of all, all the grass had to be removed from the vegetable bed. Paths cutting across the vegetable beds also had to be dug, for our convenience. The soil also had to be loosened, and large rocks buried in the soil also had to be removed, along with any potentially harmful pests we uncovered as we were carrying out our respective tasks. Some corn seeds were then planted, and Mr Tapur kindly informed all of us that the corn would be ready for harvesting in a month.
The University Malaya volunteers added the finishing touches to our newly-prepared vegetable beds by sprinkling some compost over the beds. We were told that the compost was made using cow manure, which is a thought we would have cringed at, had we not obtained first-hand experiences in dealing with animal manure during our last composting session with Miss Tan. As it were, we bravely and boldly stuck our delicate, gentle (and gloved) female hands into the sacks of cow manure and sprinkled it over our vegetable beds as though doing so was part and parcel of our everyday lives.
We also harvested the batch of compost we made a few months ago, and Mr Tapur commented on the high fertility of our compost, a fact that was apparently evidenced by the fact that our compost was (and probably still is) completely overrun by earthworms and strange insects. Before taking his leave, Mr Tapur gave us a gentle reminder to keep up our efforts in organic farming by jokingly threatening to report us to the police should we give up on our vegetable garden. He then told us that he would return next year, after school reopens, to further assist us in improving the condition of our vegetable garden, a gesture we truly appreciated.
We can't wait for the next school year to begin, as we're eager to see our vegetable garden yield produce. Should we be allowed to consume the vegetables we planted, it would be the first time most of us got to eat vegetables planted by ourselves. That should be an unforgettable experience, as nothing tastes better than the fruits of our own labour. :)
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