Tag: beans

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Maria Cristina Correa and Rafael Valenzuela’s Story

Cienaga, Magdalena
Colombia, South America

mango
banana
papaya
cassava
coconut
beans

“Our Homa garden on the Caribbean Sea”

“When we bought this house on the beach, there were cocoa plum bushes planted on the borders of the property. We began to recycle all fallen leaves and then we created a reafforestation system. We started planting trees and ornamental plants.”

“We planted cassava, mangos, guava, papaya, plums, beans, sapodilla, lemons, avocados, grapes and many aromatic herbs such as mint, oregano and plenty of basil around the house and all this on the salty sand of the beach. We spray everything with the Agnihotra ash water solution and of course, we practice daily sunrise and sunset Agnihotra.”

“We live practically on the ocean-front but all these plants really took off after we started doing the Homa fires. Now, we are surrounded by mango trees, which give fruits all year round! Usually the mango is a seasonal fruit, but on our land it gives fruit at all times.”

“Now can you imagine what happened? We were not here for 3 months (nobody did Agnihotra) and during that time the mango trees did not produce! We are truly amazed because we had mango all year round. Nobody has that around here.”

“Also, we had a papaya tree growing in the sand with a cluster of six papayas! Once we got a cassava plant about a meter long and 30 cm thick. It was very heavy. Nobody has what we have here. Practically speaking we have transformed our small farm of 2,700 square meters.”

“We also have 4 varieties of plantains and bananas which are the manzano banana (small banana), a thick variety banana with 4 edges, a big banana called “Harton” (eaten fried or green) and the regular banana variety which is eaten in fruit salads.”

“Our beans reach a length up to half a meter. We have a mango variety called ‘Tommy’ which gives big fruits and once we harvested a mango which weighed about 2 kilos and it was delicious. That tree gives baskets after baskets of mango.”

“Like the coconuts, which are full of water and we constantly drink coconut water. We have various kinds of coconut trees which are always full of fruits.”

“We recycle the water and we recycle all waste, except plastic, glass and metal. For example all organic waste material serves as fertilizer for the soil. When we arrived here, there was no grass growing. Now, as you can see, it is like a stadium and we did not bring this from outside. We are able to donate much of our delicious garden products to the nursing home.”

“We also take Agnihotra ash every day and we feel very good, very harmonized. Here, at our little farm, we invite the people for Agnihotra, because we want to share the good things that are happening to us. This is fantastic and a very real experience.”

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Virgilio Gavasso’s Story

Homa Farm: Huerta Ecologica
Mesa de los Santos, Santander
Colombia, South America

tomato
beans

“We have 18 years of organic tradition and we now have 2 years of HOMA experience. Since we began to use the HOMA farming technique, we have noticed an improvement in the quality and production of the fruits.”

Tomatoes:
“We used hybrid tomatoes called “Long Life”, these seeds are imported mainly from Holland and they are very expensive. Now, with HOMA, we can save the seeds from our garden and they are of better quality than that of
“Long Life”. Tomatoes that used to last 5 days after harvest, now, they last 45 days!”

“Also, the production level is permanently increasing. The tomato plant is growing better and the tomatoes are bigger and heavier. It is so incredible! A basket of tomatoes that usually weighed between 28 and 30 kilos, with our Homa tomatoes weighs 35 kilos. It is a tomato that has less water, is more resistant to damage and handling, has better flavor and lasts longer. HOMA changed the physical characteristics of the tomato. They have 25% more weight.”

“The hybrids have a good production, but they produce very few seeds. Non-hybrid varieties can transfe their genetic properties to the next generation but the production and quality is low. What HOMA does is to improve the seeds of both hybrid and non-hybrid varieties. So it increases the production and quality.”

Beans:
“Initially, we sowed a hybrid seed, imported from France, called “Habichuela”. It was a very good quality bean. We collected its seeds and, as always happens with hybrid seeds, it generates a number of other varieties: yellow beans, green beans, tasty beans, bad beens, etc. We selected one that seemed to be good in taste and color. The seeds of our selected variety were planted with HOMA Farming Technology and we were able to establish a new variety. It no longer generates other varieties.”

“It is a variety which is a little bigger and has some characteristics which are different from the original bean, but it is wonderful. It is such an incredible bean that, when the moms come to get products from our farm, they tell us that their children don’t like beans. I tell them to try ours and then they continue buying them, because they say that it is a marvelous bean and that it fascinates their children. Our beans can be eaten raw or for one minute cooked in water.”