SAMKHYA FOUNDATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 5 133 11ABOUT

USVISSION &

MISSONVERMI-

CULTUREOUR

INITIATIVESPOLLUTION?

WELCOME

MEANING OF THE WORD SAMKHYA

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AT SAMKHYA

When realization strikes right in your face that is when the change occurs. Same goes when the idea of Samkhya Organic was dawned upon. ‘Samkhya’, as the name defines, is ‘Sankhya’-number. This concept is interwoven with the Samkhya Philosophy, the sixth school of Hindu Philosophy which propagates a dual perspective of universe in terms of ‘Purush’ (conscious-ness) and ‘Prakruti’ (matter). It further emphasizes upon the fact that the ‘gunas’ held by the ‘Purush’ transform and manipulate to manifest realities of ‘Prakriti’. And in all there are 24 realities or ‘Tattvas’. This most influen-tial school of thought aims to see life in relation to its environment, and it is this realization which drives us at Samkhya.

We aim to illuminate the path towards to an enriching lifestyle by supporting organic farming. We strongly believe that for a healthy life, all we need is a healthy environment. And thus, we are actively engaged in supporting and promoting organic farming thereby, making it an integral part of life. By raising an organ-ic community, we aim to further catalyze our organic drive, ensuring well-being and health of the society for years to come. At Samkhya, each one us is commit-ted to this long-term vision because, we all have the right to live healthy, don’t we?

ABOUT US

VISIONMISSION

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VISION

MISSION

To build a stable and sustainable organic community, integrating organic products in their daily livesTo support and aid farmers towards their sustainable operationsTo offer a breeding platform to other growing sustain-able enterprises and together ensure well-being of the community

To maintain peace and harmony in nature through conservation, recycling & rejuvenation of the bio-di-verse ingredients available in abundance.

OUR INITIATIVES

ORGANIC FARMING

Nature is self-reliant in terms of maintaining and nour-ishing itself. And Organic Farming is all about under-standing and respecting this intrinsic characteristic of Mother Nature. Firstly, it is important to understand that Organic Farming goes much beyond just the avoidance of artificial and synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. It ’s about more about striking that perfect balance between the soil organisms, crop, plants, livestock and people involved in this process, en-suring better productivity. And this is done by relying heavily upon crop rotations, crop residues, animal manures, off-farm organic waste, mineral grade rock additives and biological system of nutrient mobiliza-tion and plant protection.

The ultimate goal of Organic Farming is to establish a harmonious co-existence between man and nature, eventually leading to a healthier environment.

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- Protecting soil quality using organic material and encouraging biological activity.- Indirect provision of crop nutrients using soil microorganisms.- Nitrogen fixation in soils using legumes- Weed and pest control based on methods like crop rotation, biological diversity, natural predators, organic manures and suitable chemical, thermal and biological intervention.- Rearing of livestock, taking care of housing, nutrition, health, rearing and breeding.-Care for the larger environment and conservation of natural habitats and wild life

KEY FEATURES

OUR INITIATIVES

ORGANIC V/S CONVENTIONAL METHODS

- Organic Farming totally relies on manure, compost and other natural waste to promote growth. While in Conventional methods, heavy reliance on chemical fertilizers is observed. Alteration of the genetic anat-omy and injecting growth hormones are also widely practiced.- Organic Farming majorly uses insects, soil organisms, birds and mating disruption techniques to reduce or prevent diseases. While, Conventional farmers heavily spray pesticides and insecticides.- Organic methods resort to crop rotation and man-ual picking of weeds while, Conventional measures liberally use chemical herbicides.- In Organic technique, the livestock is managed through rotations in grazing and providing organic and natural feed. Whereas, the Conventional meth-ods involve hormone & growth injections and antibi-otics as a tool to prevent diseases.

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SAMKHYA’S ROLE

At Samkhya, we aim to create a healthy interdepen-dence of life and nature. And our first step towards it is Organic Farming. We are actively engaged in pro-moting Organic Agriculture. Through audio-visual aid and seminars, we encourage and motivate farmers to make this organic shift. Usually, Organic Farming turns to be more expensive and time-consuming and so we provide constructive intervention wherever necessary.

For maintenance and cultivation, we offer training and guidance with regards to manure, soil manage-ment, disease prevention etc. We train them into pro-ducing manure through natural and agricultural waste and ways in which yield can be maximized. Guidance in Vermiculture and livestock rearing is also imparted in the most optimum way. Moreover, finances are also taken care of. Samkhya also ensures that farmers get their fair due in the market and in times of a financial loss, we immediately provide reimbursement for the same.

We further look towards associating with like-minded individuals and organizations, thereby giving this ini-tiative a wider platform.

OUR INITIATIVES

WHY/BENEFITS OF ORGANIC FARMING

Sustainability: As Organic Farming aims at establish-ing ecological balance, environmental problems are proactively handled even before they emerge.Soil Health: Through active crop rotation, and cross-cropping methods, soil’s ability to retain nutrients and water dramatically increases. This also prevents soil from being exposed to erosive materials thus, not only improvement in soil health, but also yield health.Water: Since there is no usage of chemicals in any form, water pollution is highly controlled. Also as soil has enhanced retention capacity, loss of ground-wa-ter is also controlled, rather prevented.Air-Climate Control: With no use of non-renewable re-sources, emission of harmful gases into the environment is avoided. Also through Organic Farming, mitigation of green-house effect and global warming can be curbed as it has the ability to seize carbon in the soil.Biodiversity: Through Organic Farming, species at all levels are benefitted. Right from, soil organisms, plants, climate to areas in and around the field.

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HEALTH BENEFITS OF ORGANIC FOOD

-Nutrition Rich: Organic food is much richer in nutri-ents. Organic Farming enhances the nutrients of the soil which are passed on to the plants and animals.Free of Toxins: Organic farming does not involve use of poisonous chemicals, pesticides and weedicides. Studies have revealed that these substances play a crucial role in fatal ailments like Cancer. So, through Organic Farming these toxins can be completely condemned.Better Taste: Organic food often tastes better than other food as it is naturally bestowed upon with en-hanced flavor. Also, the sugar content in organically grown fruits and vegetables provides them with extra taste.Longer shelf–life: Organic plants have greater meta-bolic and structural integrity in the cellular structure of Organic crops give them a longer shelf-life, enabling storage for a longer time.

Advantages of Vermicomposting

Livestock and Organic Farming are closely interwo-ven. And their contribution in terms of providing ma-nure cannot be overlooked. Livestock is said to be the major contributor in soil fertility. They are known to maintain the agro-ecological balance. It is rightly said, that healthier the livestock, healthier the yield. While they feed on organic plants and crop residue, they end up providing nutrition rich produce. Be it, milk, eggs etc. Organic rearing of livestock along with organic farming are two major stepping stones to a healthier lifestyle.

Eco-friendly natural fertilizer prepared from biode-gradable organic wastes, is free from chemical inputsDoes not have any adverse effect on soil, plant and environmentImproves soil aeration, texture and tilth thereby reduc-ing soil compactionImproves water retention capacity of soil because of its high organic matter contentPromotes better root growth and nutrient absorptionImproves nutrient status of soil-both macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients

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VERMICULTURE

It is the scientific process of artificial rearing of earthworms for benefit of human life. Through this technology vermicompost is prepared which is used in Organic Farming and is known to be nu-trient rich. Vermicompost is basically excreta of earthworms that are fed on agricultural waste under controlled moist conditions. Their excreta is absolutely environment friendly and extremely helpful in improving soil fertility.

LIVESTOCK &VERMICULTURE

POLLUTION CONTROL

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While Samkhya is working towards enriching internal health through Organic Agriculture, we are also equally concerned about the health of our environment and its effects on our health. We aim to work towards controlling the pollution. We have come up with several measures to tackle this issue. But first let’s understand what exactly this pollution is.

WHAT IS POLLUTION?

EFFECTS OF POLLUTION

In simplest words, when any substance interferes with our natural environment thereby, altering or causing adverse changes in the normal lifestyle is called Pol-lution. It can be in any form- air, land, noise, water or radiation. Whatever may be the type of pollution, but it poses unimaginable threat to living beings.

Pollution affects in a holistic manner. And with mod-ernization and development, the hazardous effects have multiplied manifold. Some are:

Environment Degradation: Increased amount of CO2 in the atmosphere leads to smog, restricting sunlight from reaching the earth. This hampers the Photosyn-thesis process in plants. Moreover, emission of harm-ful gases into the air through vehicles and industries pose threat of acid rain time and again. Also con-

tamination of water is caused through industrial and human waste being emptied in water resources.Health Hazards: Polluted air makes a person suscep-tible to several respiratory problems including asthma or lung cancer. Also, chest pain, congestion, throat inflammation, cardiovascular disease, respiratory dis-ease may lead to fatal consequences. Contaminat-ed water may cause digestion and stomach related ailments. Similarly, Noise pollution may lead to hearing loss, stress and sleep disturbance.Global Warming: The sudden rise in the emission of greenhouse gases particularly CO2, is leading to global warming. With more and more deforestation occurring every other day, CO2 levels are steadily going up. As a result, the polar ice caps are melting and posing constant threat to an abnormal rise in sea levels.Ozone Depletion: Ozone layer is the thin shield high up in the sky that stops ultra violet rays from reach-ing the earth. Because of human activities that are unfriendly to the environment, there is a gradual but sever depletion of this protective shield.Soil Infertility: Last but not the least, increased use of harmful insecticides and pesticides have made the soil infertile and polluted. Also, increased use of plas-tic and other non-biodegradable substances have further damaged the soil.These underlying hazards of pollution are harmful not only to the humans, but to the entire eco-system. Thus, managing and curbing pollution has become inevi-table.

POLLUTION CONTROL

POLLUTION CONTROL

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MEASURES TO CONTROL POLLUTION

SAMKHYA’S ROLE

The damage is done, but why let it happen further? It ’s high time we get conscious and try to control pollu-tion. Here are few very much do-able things that can be easily incorporated in routine lives.

Avoid use of non-biodegradable items, majorly plas-tic bags.Switch to renewable sources of energy like, solar cooker, solar heater etc.Ban the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers in farms. Also, switch to food grown in organic manner.Use public transport or carpooling. This saves fuel to large extent.Avoid garbage piling up near your homes. Dispose it in an appropriate way so that it can be decom-posed to form manure.Plant more trees in and around your homes to main-tain natural supply of oxygen and light.Get into the practice of harvesting rainwater. Consid-ering the deficient rains, rainwater harvesting could be collectively taken up, thereby ensuring water sup-ply in times of crisis.

At Samkhya, we have ventured into this direction al-ready. Though at an initial stage, but we have started to produce ‘kullads’- clay glasses as a measure to reduce the usage of plastic/glass containers. And this concept has gained immense popularity both in terms of being stylish and nature-friendly. We are already on our way to come up fresh ideas and user-friendly items. At the same time, we are also educating and sensitizing people towards newer ways and means to curb pollution. We are focusing on communicating this to people/masses with a view that how easy or doable it is.

We are also conducting workshops, lectures and awareness programs at various schools and educa-tional institutions. As this sensitivity is ingrained within a child at an early age, it is bound to last for a lifetime. Taking this belief ahead we further hope to collabo-rate with like-minded individuals and collectively take the reins of this pollution control drive.