Is A One-Acre Miyawaki Forest Practicable?

Many people have been asking me repeatedly to tell them how they can go about simulating a forest in a one-, three- or ten-acre plot. I used to tell them it is possible but never went into the details. The reason was that I wondered whether they hadn’t heard me mention the cost involved. It takes us around Rs 1,60,000 to put up a forest in one cent of land for the government. If we do this on one acre, the corresponding cost may come down. The other factors that control the cost are the features of the land, availability of materials and so on. But, at the very least, a Miyawaki forest costs nearly Rs one lakh per cent of land. Therefore, one acre of forest will require Rs one crore. That is the minimum amount you would have to spend, after you have collected all the required materials.

I had earlier done a video about the farming efforts of Midhun, who has an M. Tech. degree in optoelectronic engineering, and takes interest in bringing down the expenses of farming by preparing compost in an cost-effective manner. He was able to put up a Miyawaki-style forest at the rate of Rs 20,000 per quarter cent of land. That comes to Rs 80,000 per one cent. Today, he is employed in a multi-national company but, with the Work-from-Home facility (due to COVID), he is able to continue his farming work. He observes his forests keenly and shares some of his findings with me. One of it is that the mangosteen plant usually puts out new leaves once in six months. But in his Miyawaki forest, new leaves come three times in six months! We shall video his forest once again, and show you the latest news from his end.

Now to our subject of creating a forest in one acre. That is not practically possible because of the enormity of the cost involved. Instead, we can make forests in two-, three- or four-metre-wide strips of land as a border of our one-acre plot. Twenty percent can be set apart for the forest and the rest for other purposes. We can create a pathway around the strip so that we can walk and watch the birds, flowers and fruits. These forest strips will act as green fences, and bring down the temperature considerably. Birds will arrive and drop seeds.
Here, I see plants that I had not planted myself. Like a couple of Chironji here. It is a rare plant. I’ve not seen it elsewhere. Similarly, we had planted two or three passion fruit vines and trained them over nearby trees. Later, we saw new passion fruit vines elsewhere too in our Miyawaki forest and, after the rains, we uprooted and planted them at the base of other trees. As to how much yield we get, let me admit, we get some in the beginning of the fruiting season. Later, the bulk of the fruits are eaten by bats and birds. But they don’t come here empty-handed. They leave something behind. Similarly, the droppings of civet cats also leave seeds. So, there is a lot of seed dispersal that is happening all around. That is why we find plants cropping out of rock fissures too.

There are two ways you can adopt in order to make Miyawaki forests. One, make small Miyawaki belts around the garden plot. We mentioned making one forest in 20 cents of land. That will cost approximately Rs 25 lakhs. This can be done all around the one-acre plot. Other kinds of plants will also sprout there, naturally. Two, create small forests in two-, three- or four cents of land. What you see here are tiny spaces where we can put up forests of this kind. This 25 sq. ft patch among this cluster of rocks too can be utilized for the purpose. Birds will come, drop seeds of other tree species, and gradually the in-between spaces too will get filled up with plants and trees.

So, don’t clear the space all at one go, even if it is a rubber plantation. I too claim that here, in two acres of land, I have put up a forest. But that is, strictly speaking, not true. I’ve simulated a forest in 30 cents in the form of one-, two- or three-cents island. When they grow, newer trees will appear. One species of tree that we had forgotten to plant earlier is the talipot palm. Now nearly 20 talipot saplings have been planted at various points. When different trees come up, birds will arrive to build nests. Monkeys too will come. They are generally seen as pests because they destroy everything. But they leave something behind too. The same is true of birds. Recently, an ornithologist-couple visited this place, and on seeing what I think is an Israeli fig (I had bought it from a nursery), they said, “If the Malabar grey hornbill visits this tree to eat the fruit, you can be sure it is an Israeli fig.” and Malabar grey hornbills have been coming here! That means, birds will come from far-off places in search of the food they need.

Therefore, do not worry about how to put up a forest in one acre. You don’t need to make forests in plots bigger than two-, three-, five-, 10- or 20-cent bits of ground. The rest of the area will be covered over by Nature. So, while you create small green islands, make sure you plant the saplings in places where water collects or on inclines in order to arrest the flow of water. Small forests in 200 or 300 sq. feet of land too, scattered here and there in your one-acre plot will look beautiful.  Later they will expand and fill up the entire space. So you don’t need to spend Rs one crore to make a one-acre forest. Instead, spend Rs 20-25 lakhs. The value of a plot with trees will be higher than barren land. Moreover, you can think of putting up a resort there. The trees will grow four times faster, and in 15-20 years you will have trees that will be of great monetary value. That will be a good investment. Therefore make small islands of forests. They will, in course of time, merge. Leave things to Nature. Thereby we will be able to convert more spaces into forests. Our needs will be taken care of and simultaneously we will succeed in bringing back Nature.