Saturday, December 31, 2011

How to conduct sprays at home garden and in agricultural work

Use of spray chemicals properly

In countries like India where the farming sector employs over 52% or the population the focus is on production at any cost. This is because farmers have small land holding and want to maximize their production and government is focused on growing majority of the produce with in the country rather than spend foreign currency to import food. There is nothing wrong with these goals. However what is becoming more and more obvious through reports in new papers is that safety is being ignored. Ignoring safety is not just a individuals problem it is country's, society's and family's problem too.

For a country which ignores the safe use of chemicals it has to face problems like that caused by Endosulfan resulting in over 4000 victims of cancer just in the Kerala state alone. Let us just look at the cost of unsafe spraying practices. First of all let us assume about 1000 of these people were farmers and these people had land holding of 2 acres. Let us assume they produce rice of about 1tonne each in the 2 acres. That means 1000 tonnes of rice. Now let us assume the cost of this rice is about 25 rupees per kilo retail. Therefore cost of 1 tonne of rice is about rupees 25,000. Now the 1000 tonne of rice will be worth 25,000,000.

Next the country because of the damage caused to these individuals has paid compensation. Even if each of these people was paid only 100000 rupees or 1 lak, that would be 1000 laks. Added to these is the cost of treatment for each of these individuals in public hospitals.

Next let us look at the family. The kids may not get proper education or nutrition due to this lack of safety. The wife may have to work in the fields and may not able to look after the kids properly. This of course will impact on the immediate society.

Below is the image of brain cancer MRI taken from a agricultural worker in Kashmir where the researchers found over 30 different pesticides were used. Among them was endosulfan too.
Brain cancer and pesticide relationship in orchard farmers of Kashmir. Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Year : 2010, Volume : 14, Issue : 3, Page : 78-86.




How to spray safely (head covered, hair covered, body legs hands fully covered and gloves worn)


How not to spray ( body exposed, hair, head and eyes exposed to the spray)

Body hair is one of the best absorbers of chemicals. Many of the insecticides are neurotoxins especially those which are used for agricultural purposed. Some of these chemicals used at home although at a lower toxicity levels care should be taken to read the labels to ensure right Personal Protective Equipment is worn.

Can one avoid using pesticides especially at home?

Yes there are many ways to reduce the insect damage in veggie patches. Use plants like Basil and marigold interspersed among the vegetables to reduce insect damage. The compounds emitted by marigold is a natural preventative of insect invasion. Basil attracts bees which once again prevent other insects from attacking your veggie patch.



Basil flowers with bees

Marigold Plant

One can use netting to prevent insects from attacking your vegetable plants or fruit trees. 



In addition to these one can use sprays such as Neem oil at the rate of 5mls to a liter once in 10 days to reduce insect damage. Neem oil has been used in countries like India and is a known insecticide. It is not harmful as neem leaf can be eaten (although bitter) and the oil can be applied on the skin. Unlike other insecticides it is not harmful although use of gloves, sunglasses, hat and a dust mask may be prudent.  Neem also kills juveniles and prevents further hatching from attacking repeatedly.

One homemade spray recipe to use is very simple.

5 broken cigarettes
5 dry chillies
1 spoon of oil
1 liter of water

Mix all of the above and leave it for about 2 weeks.

Use the mixture at 10mls to a liter and spray on plants. Ensure you wear gloves and glasses to prevent chili from entering the eye.


Disclaimer

People should undertake training to conduct sprays properly. Read labels and Material Safety Data sheets prior to conducting sprays. Labels are stuck to the spray bottles. Material Safety Data Sheets should be provided by the reseller as a hard copy or will be on the Internet.

As a precaution use personal protective equipment when spraying.
These kinds of things are highly preventable. I have used some images downloaded from the internet to illustrate how to use sparys either at home or in fields.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Smartphones and Agriculture

If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 MPG.
Citizen reporting in Kenya through SMS and the web.

Posted on 23/11/2011 by admin





It is amazing to see just how many mobile technology projects for development are happening in Kenya! But why has Kenya been such a fertile ground for these projects? In a paper titled “Mobile Telephony in Kenya… is it ‘Making the life better’?“, Luca Manica and Michele Vescovi examine the situation:

At the end of 2007, Kenyan mobile operators offer services to more than ten million people so that nowadays one in three adults carry a cell-phone in Kenya and about the 80% of Kenyans are covered by mobile network signals.

These are impressive numbers. However, Manica and Vescovi point out that it is difficult to establish the actual penetration of mobile phones in Kenya, because of the sharing of handsets and mobile payphones. Official numbers are around 30%, which is actually low in comparison to other African countries such as Nigeria or South Africa. This would mean that there are still about 25 million Kenyans to sell phones to. The great market potential, together with the fact that the mobile phone industry contributed to more than 5% of GDP in Kenya in 2006 brings Manica and Vescovi to raise the question: Is the mobile rush in Kenya just a matter of business, or is it really aimed to human and social development?

—Technology and Human Development. Source: Manica and Vescovi



I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions they will be moved to act.


I'm a great believer that any tool that enhances communication has profound effects in terms of how people can learn from each other, and how they can achieve the kind of freedoms that they're interested in.


Bill Gates

The above quotes are from Bill Gates founder of Microsoft and a visionary when it comes to technoilogy and visionary when it comes to charity for good of mankind.

Todays smart phones have been evolving over a long time. However time has come to use these extensively for the good of public and for increasing productivity. One might ask what is the realtionship between smartphones and agriculture. Agriculture sector has always kept up with technology. Infact early calender systems were developed by our ancestors to predict as accurately as possible the weather systems to help farmers sow and harvest at the right times and understand the rain fall patterns. Indian calender system called as "Panchanga" or 5 elements always tried observed the elements and stars to collerate the visibility of stars with that of the rainfall pattern. Panchangam is now used to develop personal astrological predictions. However in rural areas panchangams are used by the local temple priests to predict rainfall etc for the knowledge of farmers.

Todays tools are computers and the capacity of computers to revolutionize mathematical calculations needed for accurate weather predictions. Smartphones are evolution of computers where information is there in the palm of the hand and todays smart phones have much more capacity and power compared to computers 5 years ago.

What can smart phones be used for?

By developing these apps smartphones can make themselves relevant

1. Local langauage converters for androids (iphone is another story but android development software is free)
2. weather apps to quickly and accurately show weather patterns to farmers (e.g., weatherzone weather underground etc)
3. Apps to show market prices around a location using google locations
4. Apps to show crops suitable for local areas, sowing times, harvest times etc.
5. Apps to show soil types based on locations
6. Apps to show local resellers silos/mandis/godowns in an area
7. Apps to show wind direction and speed for sparys to be used.
8. At a larger level a grain buyer may be able to use the database via a smartphone to know how much of any crop is being sown in any area and may be able to develop forward contracts to enable to get good prices depending on market demand.
9. Local agronomists can provide advice over sms in emergencies.
10. Local agronomists/organizations can send data/information/emergency informations over messages to ensure for eg., farmers secure their livestock during flood or heavy rainfall types.
11. Farmers can locate local agistment areas and during drought times may be able to book the site.
12. Farmers can use it for shopping ie fetilisers, seed, water etc at the best price from the best reseller. Infact farmers can form a collective to drive the prices down through volume purchase.

What about India?

India is an energy starved country with meager resources allocated to agriculture. A smartphone is something almost every farmer can afford to purchase. Infact govt can give a smartphone to every farmer with lower than 5 acres of land. This will help every farmer to get informaiton in a local language so that they are prepared, can make plans for agricultural use.

Indian government if it wants agricultural productivity to increase without increasing the land clearing and area of production should use smartphones to develop apps to help farmers in local languages in the above areas listed.

Read the story below as it is now ahppening in Kenya already.


 

Insecticides for Use - India

Insecticides for Use

The following Insecticides can be used in India. Some insecticides can be sold under a brand name therefore check their active ingredient using the list below (Name of the Pesticide).

Do not use the same insecticide again and again as it leads to resistance development among these insects making it difficult to kill later. Use different insecticides (with a different active ingredient) to prevent resistance development so that you can kill them with minimal use of insecticides.

Insecticides Registered as on 13/11/2009


S.No.Name of the Pesticide
12,4-Dichlorophenoxy Acetic Acid
2Acephate
3Acetamiprid
4Alachlor
5Allethrin
6Alphacypermethrin
7Alphanaphthyl Acetic Acid
8Aluminium Phosphide
9Anilophos
10Atrazine
11Aureofungin
12Azadirachtin (Neem Products)
13Azoxystrobin
14Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.)
15Bacillus thuringiensis ( B.S.)
16Barium Carbonate
17Beauveria bassiana
18Bendiocarb
19Benfuracarb
20Benomyl
21Bensulfuron
22Beta Cyfluthrin
23Bifenazate
24Bifenthrin
25Bispyribac Sodium
26Bitertanol
27Bromadiolone
28Buprofezin
29Butachlor
30Captan
31Carbaryl
32Carbendazim
33Carbofuran
34Carbosulfan
35Carboxin
36Carfentazone Ethyl
37Carpropamid
38Cartap Hydrochloride
39Chlorantraniliprole
40Chlorofenvinphos
41Chlorfenapyr
42Chlorimuron ethyl
43Chlormequat Chloride (CCC)
44Chlorothalonil
45Chlorpyriphos
46Chlorpyriphos Methyl
47Cinmethylene
48Clodinafop-propargyl (Pyroxofop-propargyl)
49Clomazone
50Chlothianidin
51Copper Hydroxide
52Copper Oxychloride
53Copper Sulphate
54Coumachlor
55Coumatetralyl
56Cuprous Oxide
57Cyfluthrin
58Cyhalofop-butyl
59Cymoxanil
60Cypermethrin
61Cyphenothrin
62Dazomet
63Deltamethrin (Decamethrin)
64Diazinon
65Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane (DDT)
66Dichloropropene and Dichloropropane mixure (DD mixure)
67Diclorvos (DDVP)
68Diclofop-Methyl
69Dicofol
70Difenocenazole
71Difenthiuron
72Diflubenzuron
73Dimethoate
74Dimethomorph
75Dinocap
76Dithianon
77Diuron
78Dodine
79D-trans Allethrin
80Edifenphos
81Emamectin Benzoate
82Endosulfan
83Ethephon
84Ethion
85Ethofenprox (Etofenprox)
86Ethoxysulfuron
87Ethylene Dibromide and Carbon Tetrachloride mixture (EDCT Mixture 3:1) 89Fenamidone
90Fenarimol
91Fenazaquin
92Fenitrothion
93Fenobucarb (BPMC)
94Fenoxaprop-p-Ethyl
95Fenpropathrin
96Fenpyroximate
97Fenthion
98Fenvalerate
99Fipronil
100Flubendiamide
101Fluchloralin
102Flufenacet
103Flufenoxuron
104Flufenzine
105Flusilazole
106Fluvalinate
107Forchlorfenuron
108Fosetyl-Al
109Gibberellic Acid
110Glufosinate Ammonium
111Glyphosate
112Hexaconazole
113Hexazinone
114Hexythiazox
115Hydrogen Cyanamid
116Imazethapyr
117Imidacloprid
118Imiprothrin
119Indoxacarb
120Iprobenfos (Kitazin)
121Iprodione
122Isoprothiolane
123Isoproturon
124Kasugamycin
125Kresoxim Methyl
126Lambdacyhalothrin
127Lime Sulphur
128Lindane
129Linuron
130Lufenuron
131Magnesium Phosphide Plates
132Malathion
133Mancozeb
134Mepiquate Chloride
135Mesosulfuron Methyl + Iodosulfuron Methyl Sodium
136Metaflumizone
137Metalaxyl
138Metalaxyl-M
139Metaldehyde
140Methabenzthiazuron
141Methomyl
142Methoxy Ethyl Mercury Chloride (MEMC)
143Methyl Bromide
144Methyl Chlorophenoxy Acetic Acid (MCPA)
145Methyl Parathion
146Metiram
147Metolachlor
148Metribuzin
149Metsulfuron Methyl
150Milbemectin
151Monocrotophos
152Myclobutanil
153Novaluron
154Nuclear polyhyderosis virus of Helicoverpa armigera
155Nuclear polyhyderosis virus of Spodoptera Litura
156Oxadiargyl
157Oxadiazon
158Oxycarboxin
159Oxydemeton-Methyl
160Oxyfluorfen
161Paclobutrazole
162Paraquat dichloride
163Penconazole
164Pencycuron
165Pendimethalin
166Permethrin
167Phenthoate
168Phorate
169Phosalone
170Phosphamidon
171Prallethrin
172Pretilachlor
173Primiphos-methyl
174Profenophos
175Propanil
176Propergite
177Propetamphos
178Propiconazole
179Propineb
180Propoxur
181Pyrachlostrobin
182Pyrethrins (pyrethrum )
183Pyridalyl
184Pyriproxyfen
185Pyrithiobac sodium
186Quinalphos
187Quizalofop ethyl
188Quizalofop-P-tefuryl
189S-bioallethrin
190Sirmate
191Sodium Cyanide
192Spinosad
193Spiromesifen
194Streptomycin + Tetracycline
195sulfosulfuron
196sulphur
197Tebuconazole
198Temephos
199Thiacloprid
200Thifluzamide
201Thiobencarb (Benthiocarb)
202Thiodicarb  
203Thiomethoxain
204Thiometon
205Thiophanate-Methyl
206Thiram
207Transfluthrin
208Triacontanol
209Triadimefon
210Triallate
211Triazophos
212Trichlorofon
213Trichoderma Viride
214Tricyclazole
215Tridemorph
216Trifluralin
217Validamycin
218Verticillium lecanii
219Zinc Phosphide
220Zineb
221Ziram