SOLUTION 1: GROW BIOINTENSIVE AGRICULTURE (GBIA) PRACTICES
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GROW BIOINTENSIVE AGRICULTURE (GBIA) is a sustainable, organic form of agriculture in which a small area of land is intensively planted using nature’s own ingredients to rebuild and then maintain the soil’s fertility and productivity.
In this method, the farm is managed as a self-contained, living organism with its own ecosystem. The farm’s organic bio-materials are recycled back into the farm by composting plant matter and animal waste to feed the soil. Sustainability is of the greatest importance.
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| GBIA practices are environmentally friendly, health and nutrition-promoting, and economically productive. GBIA farming has social benefits too. A community with families that can feed themselves well, send their children to school, and generate some income is more able to maintain peaceful relations and tackle issues they share at the community level.
GBIA practices are applicable in both dry and wet areas. They are very suitable in areas where land is scarce and plots are small, as only a small piece of land is needed to produce adequate food. Household wastes (wood ash, egg shells, food leftovers and other materials that can decompose easily) are recycled to return valuable nutrients back into the farming system. The foods produced are chemical-free and healthy.
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Principles of GBIA:
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Composting
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Double-Digging
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Close spacing of plants (“biointensive” planting)
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Crop Rotation
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Companion Planting
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The use of open-pollinated seeds
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Calorie Crops (Diet Crops) and Carbon farming for soil fertility, seed and food
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Whole system farming
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