Sustainable agriculture

Varroa mite is a serious, exotic parasite of adult European honey bees and their brood. The mite occurs in beekeeping countries throughout the world but has not been detected in Australia.  There are several surveillance projects for early detection of an incursion of varroa at and near shipping ports.

Beekeepers are encouraged to test their own hives for varroa using the simple sugar shake (or roll) test. When varroa mites are dusted with pure icing sugar, the fine granules stick to their feet and they can no longer grip the surface they are clinging to. The dusting of adult bees with icing sugar causes mites to fall off the bee into the white sugar where they are more easily seen. This simple sugar shake detection method is now used by many beekeepers throughout the world.

Paddy cum fish culture helps in the economic utilization of land.  It helps to improve soil fertility & soil health. Enhanced rice yield by 5-15%, which is due to the indirect organic fertilization through the fish excreta.
Production of fish from paddy field which is the other way of additional income. Insect pests of rice like stem borers are controlled by fish feeding on them mainly by murrel and catfishes.
Cost of production will get decreased due to less usage of fertilizers and pesticides.

There are four major factors that affect crop production during the farming process. They are nutrients, water availability, climate, pest and diseases.

Sustainable farming methods make the most of available resources on the farm. Family work, intensive grazing systems, recycled nutrients, legume nitrogen, crop rotations, use of renewable solar energy, enhanced insect control, soils, and woods are just a few examples of internally produced inputs. These adjustments can be made with preserving yields, according to studies, and often result in higher net farm earnings.

Acid rain is the rain that contains larger amounts of acid than normal. Acid rain contains more pH than ordinary. This is caused by the presence of air pollutants, like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Acid rain is considered as the wet deposits of air pollutants, where it’s combined with moisture before falling into the ground. Acid rain can occur naturally, from the volcanic eruptions.

Given the importance of vegetables, the concept of growing our own vegetables in our backyards utilising abundant fresh water and a kitchen has evolved. This will only aid in the successful creation of our own vegetables requirements.
Cultivation in a small area facilitates pest and disease control measures by removing infected areas and avoiding the use of pesticides. This is a safe procedure that does not result in hazardous pesticide residues in the vegetables grown.