Agro-Homeopathy based Organic Botanical Herbal Garden (AHOBHAG)

Inaugurated on Founder's day, 31st Jan 2020, AHOBHAG has the rare distinction of being the first herbal garden in the country to synergistically employ the protocols of permaculture, agro-homeopathy and zero-tillage simultaneously, as a proof of concept for the agrarian community at large. AHOBHAG is the brainchild of Dr. V. Gurucharan, an alumnus of Dayalbagh Educational Institute (D.E.I.). Currently, more than 60 plant species are growing at AHOBHAG, including some exotic ones like black turmeric, water lily and lotus.

AHOBHAG is also the first agro-homeopathy based organic botanical herbal garden in India to employ audio frequency to enhance the growth and health of plants. The aim behind this project is to popularize the idea of organic farming through a novel low-cost three pronged holistic and sustainable approach of employing - permaculture, zero-tillage and agro-homeopathy [1]. Another goal from the get-go has been to educate the community about the importance of healthy living by consumption of organic health foods. At AHOBHAG, we promote consumption of organically grown superfoods like moringa, various microgreens - wheatgrass, chickpea, chia, coriander etc. Microgreens have been grown using hydroponics at AHOBHAG.

An effort has been made at AHOBHAG, to develop a self-sustained mini herbal forest employing permaculture and agro-homeopathy techniques. The initiative named PeRmaculturE Medical Forest And Garden (PREM FAG) is developed in consonance with the principles of the “trinity”-permaculture, zero-tillage and agro-homeopathy. The above practices form a cost effective, environmentally sustainable and complete system of organic farming. It also demonstrates that these concepts can be conveniently adapted and adopted anywhere, from large farms to roof-top gardens and kitchen gardens.

Other innovations at AHOBHAG include, establishment of worm towers in various parts of the garden to enhance the fertility of the soil and adding biochar to sequester Carbon and increase water retention capacity of soil. Elements of other best practices in organic farming from around the world such as Korean natural farming and biodynamic farming are also being adopted at AHOBHAG.

A keyhole garden has also been established at AHOBHAG. As the name suggests, it is essentially a raised-bed planter in the shape of a keyhole. It can be built on a small space with a composting bin at its centre. The kitchen waste and water are periodically filled in this bin, which decompose and release vital nutrients to the plants. Keyhole garden uses considerably less water compared to a conventional garden. The aim is to demonstrate the utilization of small urban spaces for growing plants organically with minimum effort and resources. 

AHOBHAG draws its inspiration from the Sigma Six Qualities-Values-Attributes (Q-V-A) model of Dayalbagh and also ties in quite well with the grassroots movement of Zero Budget Natural Farming, which has been promoted by the Government of India [2]. AHOBHAG is a humble effort by a dedicated team of faculty and students at D.E.I. Information Centre, Roorkee to contribute to UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 2, 3, 4, 11 and 15 [3]. 

The garden has been established under the practical component of the innovative core courses of D.E.I. on agriculture, social service, environmental science and entrepreneurship [4]. This work is a culmination of Dayalbagh ethos characterized by the spirit of 'Sahyog', 'Sangathan', 'Sewa' & 'Safalta’.  

Every Sunday at AHOBHAG, a free weekly enrichment camp (called Srijanshala) is organised for students from any school, who wish to enjoy learning in a fun manner in the serene and natural environment of a herbal garden. Here we attempt to implement best practices from various premier schools and micro schools around the world. Mentors and volunteers use Socratic dialogue, activity-based personalized learning and blended learning with emphasis on our glorious culture and traditions to cultivate the habit of innovative thinking, collaborative problem solving and self learning by the students [5]. This enrichment program is very broad-based in its scope and vision. Activities here range from meditation and yoga to playing educational games like Jenga and puzzles like Sudoku, to gaining hands-on experience in cutting-edge techniques in organic farming. Educational documentaries are also shown to students as part of blended learning paradigm to enrich their knowledge and understanding. Even advanced topics like colouring problem in Graph theory, phenomena of surface tension etc are introduced to them in a conceptual manner with relevant experiments and activities. We try to identify and nurture the child's passions, as we believe all children are inherently inquisitive and have a strong desire to learn, therefore it is our duty to facilitate learning on demand. Unlike the industrial education system where pressurising students with tests and grades is the norm, we focus on competency-based learning and developing strategic thinking in the child. This is our humble effort to groom Generation Alpha into change agents to meet the challenges and opportunities offered by Industry 5.0 in the 21st century.

References:

[1].  https://hpathy.com/agrohomeopathy/project-agro-homeopathy-based-organic-botanical-herbal-garden

[2].  https://www.dayalbagh.org.in

[3].  https://sdgs.un.org/goals

[4].  https://www.dei.ac.in

[5].  https://sites.google.com/view/srijanshala