Low Carbon Farming
With the Low Carbon Farming (LCF) programme, SEDS propagates traditional innovative farming methods to break the cycle of heavy pesticide usage, soil depletion and successively reduced crop yields. Conventional wisdom advocates intensive use of pesticides and fertilizer to increase crop yield and force more out of smaller plots of land. This however, depletes the soil, forcing the farmer to use greater amounts of fertilizer and pesticide with each crop to maintain the yield.
Through LCF, SEDS encourages farmers to minimize pesticide usage and try alternative ideas such as planting a slightly earlier crop around the perimeter of the field so that pests attack that instead of the main crop. Planting fewer seedlings with greater spacing between them ensures that each stalk can grow stronger and healthier without competition from a crowded field. This in turn minimizes wastage in the crop and helps reduce fertilizer usage. Finally, the demands on the soil are not as intensive allowing for natural regeneration and improved results.
From a small demonstration plot of half an acre, LCF initiatives in the region have caught on and spread to over 2000 farm plots today.