Our approach to sustainable farming
Below is more information on some of the key elements of Farasi Lane Farm's approach to regenerative, sustainable farming.
Soil conservation
Obvious as it is to say, in farming soil is almost everything. With organic farming, soil is absolutely everything. Without the potent fertilizers of conventional farming, organic farmers rely on healthy, living soil to succeed. This requires not only careful management of the soil that you are given, but also actively building the soil. For the most part this involves as large a composting process as we can manage, to constantly build our soil’s nutritional value. In addition, we practice crop rotation, cover cropping and minimal tillage techniques, such as solarization and strip tilling.
Yields aside, strong, healthy soil leads to plants with robust immune systems that are more able to resist agricultural pests. This is critical when you aren’t spraying with synthetic pesticides.
Water efficiency
Having grown up in Kenya, we are accustomed to relatively common regular water shortages. But these are getting worse with the effects of climate change, compounded by the decades-long degradation of Kenya’s water towers. So we are super aware of the need for water efficiency, using drip irrigation to ensure that water goes directly into the plants’ root zone, minimizing losses to evaporation. The few crops for which we use overhead irrigation – feed for horses, chickens and fish, as well as maize and beans for ourselves – we time it to avoid the hottest times of the day and mulch wherever the soil is exposed to reduce evaporation.
The water we use to rinse our veggies is collected and sent down to our budding avocado trees, while across our property we are making constant improvements to how we reuse grey water and harvest rainwater.
Integrated pest management
We spray our crops with organically certified pest control chemicals, such as oils and neem-based solutions. But to be frank, we are not fully convinced of their efficacy! For the most part we bank on strong soil to grow strong plants that are just naturally able to resist pests. To bolster this, we also have wild zones across the farm so as to attract beneficial insects and birds that prey on agricultural pests. They are also just nice spots for recreation.
Our adherence to crop rotation also works to interrupt pest and disease cycles, improving soil health by increasing biomass from different crops' root structures, and increases biodiversity on the farm.
Permaculture
We have actively learned about and drawn from permaculture principles in the initial design and ongoing management of Farasi Lane Farm. Permaculture is an approach to land management and settlement design that draws from the balance found in natural ecosystems. It is a farming approach of working with, rather than against nature, looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system.
Permaculture is also inherently based in an acknowledgement of the environmental crisis threatening the planet, requiring a cultural shift towards providing for people’s needs within the ecological limits of the planet. Aware that we all need to individually do our share to address and avert this crisis, Farasi Lane Farm is our small contribution towards positive climate action.
