One flew over the Chickoo orchard

On February 9 and 10 the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation MTDC hosted the Chickoo Festival organised by the Kokan Bhumi Prathishthan at Dahanu a coastal city on the MaharashtraGujarat border The space populated by a significant proportion of Warli tribals is famous for its Chickoo orchards that are owned mostly by the Parsi community Soma Das tries a session of rappelling across the artificial reservoir It was a colourful affair held adjacent to the picturesque Bordi beach where stalls showcased Chickoobased preparations including Chickoo Kachoris Chickoo Halwa Chickoo Milkshake Chickoo pickles as well as Chickoo chips Apart from these there were a display of tribal arts and crafts a photo exhibition cultural performances including tribal dances and a Chickoo Safari to Tarpa also known as the Save Farm The farm offered an ideal spot to unwind and escape from the cityrsquos madness while learning about sustainable ecological practices Chickoos are plucked using this sticku00a0 Green revolution Save Farm run by Prabhakar Save was established in 1970 on a barren piece of land The Save family opted for the land only due to their financial limitations and it presented a great challenge for them to develop the infertile eroded land into a horticultural orchard Using scientific technology and innovations they converted this onceneglected land into a productive farm Their aim is to share their horticultural knowledge with investors entrepreneurs farmers students hobbyists and nature lovers and expose city folk especially children to nature and rural lifeu00a0 Accommodation at the farmu00a0 During a visit to the farm we were amazed at the information about numerous plants grown on the farm chickoo litchi avocado farming techniques principles of organic farming rainwater harvesting fish farming and the plant nursery At the farm one can learn more about planting growing and plucking chickoos how fertilisers are made live in huts and houses decorated with Warli paintings and savour locally produced vegetables cooked by locals There are also activities such as rappelling over a manmade water reservoir that adds to the wow factor Turn for the better Speaking about Tarpa Prabhakar Save the man behind the organic farm recounts the uphill journey ldquoAfter graduation I opted for farming as my career I come from a farmerrsquos family who were poor financially but rich in the traditional knowledge of farming I am proud of inheriting it from my father and forefathers The land in Dahanu was grassland neglected and thus eroded The fertile soil was nearly washed out I had to settle for it because of budget limitations It took some years to make it productive to an extent Initially I used chemicals to boost plant growth but had to give up due to the cost Thatrsquos when I realised that practicing organic farming was one way of making farming sustainable Farm waste and crop residue get processed into valueadded manure and applied to the soil thus reducing the expenditure on manurerdquo The scarcity of water in the region also made Save give up traditional irrigation practices and switch to drip irrigation ldquoAfter attending an international course on irrigation and soil management in Israel in 1988 I realised that drip irrigation is not just a solution to water shortage but a proper application of water for better results Using drip irrigation I could manage to fulfill my water requirement quantitatively with available sources of ground water for some years This relief lasted only for ten years as I started facing the problem of water quality Though I was using ground water very carefully managing 30 acres of plantation with only three borewells I had no control on surrounding farms where several borewells were dug every year I decided to use the water quality crisis to fulfill my dream of having a lake of my own right in my farm Two years of pond making and rainwater harvesting was a mixed experience of financial stress and joy of creativity I thoroughly enjoyed bothrdquo he addsu00a0 The rainwaterharvesting project that Save undertook had unique features before the water entered the pond it was allowed to seep into the permeable layer of soil The water entered the pond lined with geomembrane film It was diverted to recharge the borewell by a siphon system Save also designed a solar drier to dry vegetables and fruits in hygienic conditions Nurse nature Among the many achievements the Save Nursery Farm is one of the oldest government recognised horticulture nurseries of the region At Save Nursery Farm post Gholwad Taluka Dahanu district Thane call 02528 ndash 241130 Email savenurserygmailcom Log on to wwwsavefarmin u00a0 Farmerrsquos collective in dahanu Gandhiana is an initiative working with communities in and around Dahanu which is a protected tribal district It is based on the belief that technology should facilitate community building Michelle Chawla a member of the Gandhiana Organic Farmers Self Help Group SHG explains that Gandhiana was initiated in 2003 as an online bookshop selling Gandhian books u00a0 u00a0 ldquoWe have expanded the concept to include a portal that attracts people interested in working towards an alternative lifestylerdquo she says Gandhiana was revived at the end of 2012 and behind it are two organisations mdash Tamarind Tree and Nomad ldquoAt one of the meetings we initiated the Gandhiana SHG to ensure they follow natural farming practices We buy their produce and sell at a higher price and with the money earned we attempt to cross subsidise the Tamarind Tree school for tribalsrdquo adds Chawla Nomad India a group of technology enthusiasts are their technological partner The SHG includes 25 farmers from Sogve village who practice natural farming u00a0 Activities Activities include an ecommerce portal selling nonperishable produce building a seed bank to preserve local seeds and starting an organic brunch at the farm where local organic food will be on sale Log on to wwwfacebookcomgandhiana u00a0 How to get there gtgt Dahanu is 143 km from Mumbai It takes around three hours to reach Dahanu from Mumbai by road gtgt By road you can take the NH8 and go via Mumbai to Thane to Charoli Naka and on to Dahanu Trains also ply from Mumbai to Gholwad and Dahanu railway stations gtgt You can also avail of state transport and private buses that head between Dahanu Road Bordi Mumbai and Thane