8 km away from Thiruvananthapuram City in Kerala, Anitha and Jayakumar undertake a thoughtful and loving task of growing vegetation on a small and mostly barren ground. They are motivated by their commitment to impact climate change, and by their knowledge of the Miyawaki Model of Afforestation. The couple decide to use two cents or 870 square feet of land and plant about 350 saplings. Each sapling will be planted in pots that will be filled with rich soil, cow dung and coir pith.
The next step is to prepare the ground for planting. After removing the stones and rocks from the earth a mixture of cow dung, coconut peat and chaff from rice which has been mixed into the soil. They now demarcate their piece of land into 1 metre squares. 2-3 month old saplings are planted in each denoted plot. 4 saplings are planted per sq m. Since the saplings are planted in such close proximity, the plants grow faster as they compete with each other for sunlight. Each tree is planted in the centre of the square. Shrubs, subtrees and creepers are carefully placed around the tree. The idea springs from the afforestation techniques developed by Dr. Miyawaki. His theory states that from the day they are planted, the various species and individual trees undergo a process of natural selection through competition resulting in the creation of a diversified natural forest. After planting all the trees, Coir pith is used for mulching the land. Stacks of hay are also added to the ground to add moisture and mulch the soil. It is understood that roots spread and grow faster in organic mixture and softened soil. These plants grow at an amazingly fast rate.
In a month it is time to remove any of the weeds that have grown. Anitha and Jayakumar must ensure that adequate support and hydration is provided to the growing plants. It is heartening to watch this private urban micro-forest, a mere 8 km from the heart of the capital Thiruvananthapuram, ready to take off. Here is a great example of ordinary citizens using their own resources to positively impact the environment and combat the global threat of climate change.