July, 2021. Another kharif season has begun. On the farms three week old saplings of soybean and pigeon pea await a good spell of rain. Here are a couple of observations from this season on our farms. Weather windows are getting considerably shorter. This leads to a very short period in which most cropping activities … Continue reading Notes on farming & mechanization
Tag: farm
The many mirages in Indian agriculture
After a week of harvest and another of preparing the farm plots for next sowing season, here are some quick notes. Farm mechanisation is a serious need. The processes in small scale farming are completely manual. These are limiting the ways in which farmers organize farm processes and their ability to extract efficiencies from the … Continue reading The many mirages in Indian agriculture
Days 106-111: Writing turns into daily log
26/08/2020 Day 155 Posting previous daily logs today. I am phenomenally out of sync. When the lockdown began the idea was to write at least 500 words everyday. It began lagging behind on date. Yet, in the city there was enough spare time to do this (what else can one do switching between drawing room … Continue reading Days 106-111: Writing turns into daily log
Day 105: Pandemic and us
Ajangaon, July 2020 07/07/2020 Day 105 This morning we went beyond the little hillock on which the road climbs up immediately, from the coffee point where we sit during rides. It is a short ramp, about a kilometer long. It then descends into an expansive flat land until the next low rise hill range in … Continue reading Day 105: Pandemic and us
Day 103: Farm and reading
05/07/2020 Day 103 While removing the weeds on the farm this morning I was struck by the burst of life that accompanies rain and the diversity of it. It is a fascinating world if exploring this diversity is appealing for a person. There is enormous beauty in watching the variety of flora and fauna in … Continue reading Day 103: Farm and reading
Day 99: From ‘camera to pen’
Anji, Wardha. July, 2020 01/07/2020 Day 99 This morning was a fast paced ride to a reservoir beyond Saldara. It sits at the base of a hill and has no human activity around it. Makes a good place to watch birds and early mornings. It has been a good month of nature walks and cycle … Continue reading Day 99: From ‘camera to pen’
Day 97: Few changes
Ajangaon. June 2020 29/06/2020 Day 97 Writing these daily updates has been slow and lagged behind in the past two weeks. When days begin to get filled with outdoors writing takes a hit. The tradeoffs are clear. Lockdown days helped in observing reading and writing beahviour closely. As of now, both of them stand severely … Continue reading Day 97: Few changes
Day 95: A growing thought
Farm. June 2020 27/06/2020 Day 95 The day began with a reminder of my stupidity. It had rained through the night yesterday. This morning after driving to the farm, I rode down to the waterline of the reservoir shooting down a muddy trail across the road. Over a water soaked bump on the narrow off-trail, … Continue reading Day 95: A growing thought
Day 90: In the now
Soybean crop. June 2020 22/06/2020 Day 90 It was an indecisive day for cycling. The town isn't big, but the chaos of vehicles during morning hours gets me. It is preferable to drive out with the cycle in the car, ride a trail and drive back. Early morning confusion about which direction to take meant … Continue reading Day 90: In the now
Day 73: Catching up
05/06/2020 Day 73: Catching up In writing these daily entries, I skipped a day of writing when I traveled. That lag has now amplified into being two days behind the current date in writing these entries. Losing ground starts with a minor thing, and when not fixed in time it grows into a larger problem … Continue reading Day 73: Catching up
Contested Realities 