For the first time in Uttarakhand, the forest department is engaged in preparing a food forest for which it has selected Lalkuan and Mukteshwar.
Till now, in some places in south India, only private organizations had done this experiment. Under the food forest, one-and-a-half hectares of the area will be prepared like a park. Developed like a natural forest, the food chain will appear in seven distinct phases in this area.
This food chain will be related to humans to herbivorous wildlife and birds. The special thing is that no external chemicals will be used in it. If the nitrogen demand of the land will be fulfilled by the pulses grown here, then the fertility of the soil will also be increased through the fish pond. Plants of herbal species will help to remove harmful germs from the food forest. That is, one species of vegetation will get life here.
Sanjeev Chaturvedi, Chief Conservator of Forests, Uttarakhand Forest Research, said the food forest proposal has been approved by the Research Advisory Committee. “For this Lalkuan and Mukteshwar were selected. So that the focus can be on the species found in both plain and hilly places. Under the supervision of Ranger Madan Bisht, the work of planting saplings in a one-hectare park in Lalkuan has started. Apart from this, the pond has also been prepared for the fish.”
Tree plantation will be done after the rains in July. This forest would be the best example to explain how the food chain from humans to wildlife and birds can be prepared by using natural resources. Where the plants will get nitrogen from pulses, their beet will automatically be used as manure when the birds arrive. Fish pond water will also increase the fertility of the soil. Apart from this, bees and butterflies will contribute to the growth of plants by pollinating. In this case, no external fertilizer will be needed.
Chaturvedi said that the work of making a food forest on one-and-a-half hectares of land in Lalkuan has started. “The land of Van Panchayat has been selected in Mukteshwar. This project will be started for the first time in the country at the level of the Forest Department. It will take some time to complete the work. Plants are being selected after a solid study. It is expected that the idea of Food Forest will be successful in Uttarakhand.”
There will be a mixture of species in the food forest comprising guava, apple, and papaya trees will be planted in the first cycle. In the second cycle, jamun, ber small forest fruit plants will be planted. Arhar, moong, urad, peas, and gram dal will be sown in the third cycle.
In the fourth phase, herbal plants like lemongrass, basil, and ashwagandha will be planted in the park. In the fifth cycle, vine species like Giloy, Angoor, Dambooti, etc. will be planted. Boxes for bees will also be kept here for pollination in the sixth cycle. The fish will be reared in small ponds.