|
The vision of one man has helped transform the lives of many, while his tea estate is a remarkable example of sustainable agriculture.
Rajah Banerjee and his family live on their estate, which produces some of the world's finest tea. It also nurtures a unique tropical forest that is home to the leopard, barking deer and hornbill. The Makaibari tea estate, near Kurseong town in Darjeeling, is unique in many ways. Tea production in Darjeeling has declined in the last decade due to a decline in soil fertility, overuse of chemicals and landslides. Forest covers in most estates have also reduced. But Makaibari has a different story to tell. Here tea cultivation and forest conservation go hand-in-hand. Of the 673 hectares, only 274 hectares are under tea cultivation. The rest are under forest cover. Permaculture rather than monoculture of tea is practised at Makaibari. Native plants and herbs are allowed to grow alongside tea in a practice called 'biodynamic agriculture'. Developed by Rudolf Steiner in 1924, it is based on the theory that each plant -- even weeds -- contributes in enriching the health of the soil. The tea bushes here become a part of a larger sub-tropical rainforest ecosystem. There are six tiers of plants -- local forests, leguminous permanent shade trees, temporary leguminous shade trees, indigenous fruit trees, followed by tea and finally weeds, creepers and ground vegetation. The tree cover helps protect tea leaves from direct scorching and loss of moisture. Some of the grasses and herbs have medicinal properties and are insect repellents. The leguminous plants increase nitrogen content in soil. Plant cover not only checks soil erosion but also improves soil fertility through organic matter from dead leaves, twigs and forest litter. Biogas units help meet the fuel needs of the growing population. Every household at Makaibari maintains a compost heap of cow dung (from their own cattle), the pruning litter from the tea bushes, and organic waste material from the kitchen. The management of the estate buys the compost from each house, subjects it to treatment with homoeopathic preparations and then sprays it on the tea bushes. Sustainable agriculture needs an integrated approach. To ensure that future generations are aware of the need to limit the pressure on natural resources, family planning programmes are conducted. Schoolchildren are sensitised towards environmental protection and encouraged to collect plastic bags scattered in the forest. Banerjee's mantra, "You have to reach out to the people who work for you, speak their language and live their life." Contact: Makaibari Tea Estate
Darjeeling
West Bengal, India
Email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
