| Details of Innovation |
There are places where just about any sign of vegetation is good enough. These include parts of Saurashtra, such as the Bharpara area in the Bhavnagar district. One of the farmers there, Rukadbhai Ravjibhai Makwana, feels babul (Acacia nilotica) cultivation is good for the area given its economic importance. Besides, the tree grows on its own.
For babul (Acacia nilotica) cultivation, Rukabhai follows the traditional method. The ancient method is based on the observation that the goat that feeds on babul (Acacia nilotica) pods expels the seeds through its dung and that these seeds sprout healthily even in sterile soil. This led to the recognition that seeds saved in the cattle dung grow well.
Rukabhai follows the method in his practice. He first picks very ripe pods of babul (Acacia nilotica). Then he takes a vessel, puts a bit of cattle dung in it, and adds a little water. He ensures that the solution is thick. If it is not, he adds a little more dung, so it is of semi-solid consistency. In this babul, seeds are stored. Whenever the seeds are required to be sown, they are taken out and used. Babul seeds are thus prepared for sowing. This has come to be treated as the correct method of sowing babul by many people of the Bharpara area. Even the Gujarat forest department has come to accept the practice. |
Honey Bee Network Knowledge & Innovation Database (HBNKIND)
