One of the top agricultural producers in the United States, California produces almost 50% of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables in the US and almost all almonds, artichokes, raisins, olives, and pistachios. The 76,000 farms in this region are vital in strengthening US food security, which makes it necessary to develop and implement sustainable production strategies.

One of the best solutions for this is healthy soil. Why? Because when soil is healthy, it stores more carbon. If there is more carbon in the soil, it means that plants are receiving more carbon and are growing healthier, stronger, and filled with more nutrients!

Therefore, the California Healthy Soils Initiative will work to make agricultural land – over a quarter of California’s land – healthy again! Starting this summer, the Initiative will provide grants to farmers who are working to make their practices more sustainable. This is achieved through composting, organic fertilizer, or cover crops! Under this initiative, over 12 million tons of compostable waste that California typically designates to landfills will be used in a sustainable way. Famers will also be incentivized to increase their yields, reduce water use, and protect the planet through the grants provided in the program. Neem can also play an integral part in this initiative. When neem cake is used as a fertilizer, it increases soil health, fertility, carbon content, and nutrient content, providing a natural and sustainable way to nourish the soil!

The post Keeping Soil Healthy in California appeared first on Neem.World.

According to Dr. Gupta, who received the award for GNFC, they have set up over 2,200 neem seed collection centers that are accessible to over 4,000 villages in Gujarat. According to a survey completed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) from November 2016, the project has been successful, increasing women’s income by 56% as well as a reduction in domestic violence cases. As it was recently announced, the project is set to expand into six other states within India. There will eventually be 7,000 centers in Gujarat and 11,000 across the country.

The women supported by the Neem Project are helping to implement the goal of 100% neem-coated urea, set by the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narenda Modi, that is now required in India through their seed collection. This has allowed centers to produce neem oil, while creating a unique opportunity for rural, low-income women to support themselves, some using the money to pay for education opportunities that were not available to them before. This will also allow GNFC to use the extra neem oil created in future products!

The Neem Project shows the potential of big business, government, and socio-economic needs of citizens, working together in a sustainable, environmentally-friendly manner. From the success of this project, it is obvious that neem has the potential not only to save the environment through its sustainable and non-toxic properties, but also through creating unique and valuable economic opportunities for low-income communities.

The post The Neem Project: Creating Sustainability appeared first on Neem.World.