The Miyawaki Model of Afforestation is a technique, one that helps simulate a natural forest in a very short period of time. I have emphasized this point many times over. But everyone asks: What do we get from it? The answer is: Customize the Miyawaki Method to get whatever you want. For instance, a fruit forest. Prof. Miyawaki never spoke about that. His aim was to simulate natural forests. But we can adopt and adapt his technique.
This is a two-cent Miyawaki forest that a person at Kannur has made in his plot. It was set up in October 2019. Two cents of land is 80 sq. m. Last week we visited this plot to see its progress. It yielded a lot of fruits and the owners plucked them. This is what it looks right now. This video is to show you what fruits and flowers are left hanging on the trees. Cashew. Star fruit. It is very sweet when it ripens. Bilimbi. We make pickles with them. Mulberry. It has grown in profusion here. Watery rose apple. Soursop. Chickoo. Cocoa. It has not become ripe yet. African bird’s eye chilly. Many more such plants stand here. This is a two-cent fruit forest at Kannur that you just saw. No other plants or trees were planted here.
This is my own Miyawaki forest where I have also grown a few vegetable plants for domestic use. These are visuals to serve as inspiration to whoever is interested. You will see that fruit-bearing trees can be planted on the sides of Miyawaki forests. African bird’s eye chilly. As is done conventionally during planting, we made out some space for the saplings. Chilly plants grew well. A species of lemon called Odichukuthi narakam. Both have fruited. This is the side of another forest. Peanut plant. It is about to put out fruits. We hope to get a lot of peanuts from it. The peculiarity of the African bird’s eye chilly plant is that it does not require a lot of sunlight. In a forest, it is attacked by insects but not as much as it would be if it stood alone.
This is the parapet wall of the first Miyawaki forest. We have pepper vines in buckets, and you can see a lot of peppercorns here. Star fruit. It is fruiting well. It stands on the side of the forest and does not get sunlight at all. But it produces a lot of fruits. So Miyawaki forests are growing on all four sides. We do a bit of farming in the middle. Bananas. Papayas. Curry leaf. African bird’s eye chilly. Guava in plentiful numbers. Brinjal. Its season is over but we got a lot of it. We have the file shots. Passion fruit. The vine climbed all over the trees, and the fruits can be seen hanging. This is another corner where you can see Mulberry. Drumstick tree. Curry leaf tree. Lime tree.
This is a forest we put up on a rock last year. It is one year and three months old. You can see the Golden shower in bloom here. Curry leaf is a tree that is treated with huge amounts of pesticides. Malayalis use the leaves in huge quantities. This curry leaf tree has been attacked by insects but, generally speaking, this is a healthy specimen. No pesticide or chemical fertilizer has been used here. As it grows in a forest, it is attacked by pests which in turn are eaten by predatory insects. This is the benefit of having a forest. The plants and trees are healthier.
This is another side of a Miyawaki forest. The passion fruit vine has grown over the fish tank. There are forests on all four sides. The forest on one side has not grown fully. Turkey berry plant grows here in the forest. Another plant which grows well among the trees is the coffee bush. This plant puts out flowers every three-four months and we will get the berries. All the coffee bushes have started flowering here.
Look at the sky from here. Sunlight does not fall directly on the soil here. But all the plants are growing well. Banana. Elephant yam. Colocasia. Tapioca. Ginger. Drumstick tree. Curry leaf tree. None of them require a lot of sunlight.
There are many who complain about lack of space. This bit is hardly 100 sq. ft. The jack tree was here already. The rambutan too. But you can see a lot of fruit- and vegetable plants here. This is just one-fourth of a cent in area. Anyone with five cents can set apart so much space for growing vegetables and fruits. And the Miyawaki Method is best suited for your needs. Plant the saplings close to one another, and they will grow fast. You will get the fruits of your labour very soon too.