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BOSCHENDAL ORGANIC VINEYARDS & PERMACULTURE

Boschendal Wine Estate, pioneering the transformation from conventional chemical based cultivation, to complete Organic vine cultivation and Organic Permaculture food crop farming, including newly developed natural insect and weed control technologies.

The management of the estate talks about organic vine cultivation, organic food crop farming and includes newly developed natural insect and weed control technologies.

Conventional methods of farming are known to damage the crop soils. The use of long term pesticide and herbicide crop spraying results in very dead crop soils. This is something that can be combated.

This video sees beautiful homes that can be made for insects and rats using simple building methods from Europe. The women in the video talk about how more attention needs to be paid to the poisoning of the earth and how that can in turn poison the trees.

We hear from a farmer about how chemicals are very cheap to use but how that can be a massive expense to the planet. We need organic soil to be used in the growth of plants. Moreover the farmer who comes from a farming background admits that we have a massive issue with food production such as the fact that 60% of all food produced gets thrown away which is ridiculous. He says that science will help solve the issue along with knowing your soil and plants. Education is definitely the key. 80% of all chemicals end up in the sea which is massively polluted and phytoplankton may die off soon which could cause a massive disaster by 2030 where we have no oxygen in the sea.

Moreover we hear that the microbiome underneath the soil will be the key to cleaning out the co2 in the atmosphere. This will be the fastest way to build up circulation and cool down the planet. With the continual issue of non-organic farming we have problems such as “leaky guts” which is a disease prevalent in animals and is killing off 30% of cattle and even infecting humans.

We hear of a wonderful development in the world of fungi and how you can now buy natural fungal spray to spray insects and that will in turn grow inside the insects and kill them from the inside out. This is an excellent improvement using biology to battle the issues of modern farming. Science is to be embraced at every moment if we want to tackle these issues and really cool down the planet. Moving away from conventional agriculture and practising with modern techniques is essential.

Sadly the organic farmer himself tells us that “if not all of the farms tomorrow will start doing what I’m doing here, it’s going to crash and burn” and this again places emphasis on moving quickly. We have to move quickly because of the chemicals and how it’s affecting farming but we need a mind shift and “we need it yesterday” (Boschendal organic farmer).

For the public, health is a massive concern and it always comes to light when people die from diseases that could have been avoided. However it shouldn’t take human death to bring to light the importance of certain issues. If restaurants and hotels buy from organic food sources that will in turn grow the industry.

If we continue to pollute the soil we will no longer have soil to grow our food in. Chemical development in the previous century has been very damaging and we need to get rid of the idea that we can continue without using organic soil. Nature has so many natural processes that we need to listen to and adapt to. The continuation of GMF (genetically modified food) is something that is not helping the crisis but may be necessary to get a maximum yield. However there is a dangerous side to GMF and that is the glyphosate link. The Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl, glycine) is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide and crop desiccant. It is used to kill weeds, especially annual broadleaf weeds and grasses that compete with crops.

There is no need to use chemical substances as there is a natural option to almost any need we may have. The future must be bright and the children of the future must be educated.

Links: http://www.theorganicfarmer.org/Articles/organic-farming-maintains-soil-fertility , https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/pesticides-just-how-bad-are-they/ ,

 

By Alex Mitchison

About Jason Sole

One comment

  1. Congratulations to Boschendal for committing their wonderful Heritage Estate to a sustainable future and showing the way! What a beautiful, productive organic, permaculture garden. It was a deep pleasure to walk through it – to see and hear all the Gardeners wisdom and total commitment. I can highly recommend and encourage everyone to go see it, be inspired and enjoy their fresh organic salads and food in their wonderful deli and restaurants.

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