Will plant 10,000 more saplings in two years: Environmental Entrepreneur Aseem Gupta
New Delhi: City-based Environmental Entrepreneur Aseem Gupta has confirmed that a total of 10,000 trees of Jamun shall be planted at a plantation in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan within the next two years. These trees shall be of the Raja Jamun, J – 45 & J – 37 varieties with the saplings nurtured into trees using organic farming practices. Most of the earlier saplings have been of Amla much of which was from Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh. There are a few hundred mangoes and lemon trees also at the plantation.
“Jamun has excellent antioxidant properties and protects the body against damage by free radicals. The fruit is especially effective for Diabetes patients and with India having an extremely high number due to fondness for sweets, the plantation will enable organically farmed bespoke produce to be supplied to quality conscious food processors and fruit aficionados.” said Aseem Gupta
The agroforest aims to kickstart a very sluggish fauna ecosystem and will be looking at setting up an apiary in the coming times as the bee population is dwindling due to increase in the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Aranya agroforest is being developed organically and also has a shelter for stray cattle especially bulls. The male calf is of no use commercially once he has grown and the cow stops producing milk for its offspring. The bull has lost commercial value after the wide adoption of the tractor, since the tractor is a fossil fuel-driven machine, bullock carts will be used here instead.
“We will be giving shelter to the stray cattle population from the area, as we see great value in having them at our farm. Cattle are intelligent animals who can be cultured to create value in an ecosystem. When they graze, it removes the need for cutting of over-grown weeds and during the day they can be used to ferry produce and materials. The area is deficient of manure, an inhouse population will severe our requirement for purchase of organic manure.”
While the Raja Jamun is more preferred in India due to its large, oblong shape, small kernels and sweet juicy texture upon ripening, the J – 45 is seedless.
“This is a very ambitious target and is being set after planting upwards of 2100 saplings in the last two years. The land here is arid, rocky and experiences extreme climate. Ground preparation here is a herculean task requiring heavy earth moving JCBs at certain places. Pit digging and sapling acclimatization, seed germination and nursery preparation are other things with require constant attention and care. I particularly like to take on tough challenges with a smile.” beamed Aseem who also runs Sahy Electric, an EV charging company which aims to make charging almost free for its users by 2027.
The project was previously named Loved for Gia and was also featured in the World Resources Institute’s Land Accelerator Asia 2022 cohort. The agroforest aims to be compliant with multiple United Nations sustainable development goals with a focus on good health and wellbeing, life on land and a special focus on gender equality practices like pay parity.
