Bio Char & Energy Production - Bio mass

Charcoal can do wonders to farming. It reduces the dependence on water by absorbing the same & gradually releasing it, absorbs toxic substance so that the plant can in luxury & also keep the soil around loose. To produce the same all that we need to is burn bio mass. While burning the same a lot of gases are released in air which is surely a negative for the environment. If the same could be trapped & used, it would have been very useful. Searching for a solution stumbled upon a farmer Mr.Rai Singh Dahiya, from Hanumangarh District. He had designed a Bio Mass Gasifier to run second hand four wheeler engines which was connected to a alternator producing electricity. Co Op Forest placed an order for two engines. One was installed at the Co-op Forest site, the other got struck in a feud between a partnership firm in Salem.



The Machine worked for a few months & started giving huge troubles. There was a lot of scope of improvement in the crude technology. In the meantime Rai Singh had opened a work shop in Jaipur & was very fast in improving on the machine. After a year or so we sent back the machine to his workshop. The machine has arrived in Salem & has been installed again at the  Co-Op Forest. Rai Singh is arriving by 25 th July 2012 & we would be producing power to  run our motors to pump water for irrigation.

The Altered machine.

Green & Sustainable Development Ventures Initiative

Co- Op Forest, an initiative to restore wasted lands by means of afforestation, water conservation etc for profits, is located 63 kms from Salem & 130 Kms from Bangalore opposite to a little known Nagavathi dam. The forest co-operative started in 2009 from a modest acreage of 1.5 acres stands @ 150 acres. The present action include forestry, vermicomposting, animal husbandry, water & soil conservaton, value addition of Bamboo etc. 

To push Green & Sustainable Dev Ventures, we propose to support aspiring green entrepreneurs to establish any green venture that they may propose to be set up @ Co-op Forest site. The Entrepreneur needs to spend at least six months on site before the chosen project could get started. The project either could be one that we have listed below or the entrepreneur could bring in his own project provided that it is tune to the policies of the Co-operative. 

We have listed a few project's below which could be undertaken most of which the Co-op  is well acquainted with- 

1. Areca Leaf Plates 2. Vermicomposting 3. Bamboo & it's value addition 4. Renewable Energy -  Bio Mass & Bio Gas 5. Briquette from bio mass 6. Honey 7. Mushrooms 8. Oil extraction 9. Aloe Vera Gel 10. Juices 11. Jam & Jellies 12. Essential oil 13. Tulsi tea 14. Soap's & other Cosmetics 15. Agave Fibre 16. Ice cream bowls from Coconut Shells 17. Millet's & its value addition 18. Dairy products 19. Herbal Kits 20. Bio Pesticides

The Co-op will support the Entrepreneur in finances, technology, marketing, resource management etc. There is no age limit for the Entrepreneur nor does a Educational Degree carry any additional value.  

The lands that have been purchased are all undulated & have been not put in use for almost a decade due to uncertainty in rain fed farming.Not a single family has been displaced in the process of purchase of land. The labour policy has been shoddy as on date & needs a lot of improvement inspite of the fact that we are running a year long alternate NREGA prog.