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.

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Neem use in a garden also:

• Slows conversion of nitrogen in fertilizers, allowing the nitrogen to be released over a longer period of time, increasing total uptake by plants and prventing runoff in the environment.
• Improves the appearance of fruits and vegetables.
• Strengthens roots and accelerates their development.
• Increases the nutritional value of produce
• Reduces soil alkalinity when mixed with organic acids
• Improves soil fertility because of positive mixing with microbes

Note: Neem cake is made from the left over neem seeds and fruit from the oil extraction process, and its effectiveness is dependent upon the type of extraction process and the concentration of active ingredients.

Have you tried neem products in your garden?

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Antibiotic resistant bacteria, or superbugs, are germs that don’t respond to the drugs designed to kill them and they threaten to return humans to the time when simple infections would likely lead to a painful and torturous death. Today, antibiotic resistant bacteria annually cause more than 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths in the United States. But where do most superbugs get their start? See the infographic for the scary answer.

Neem cake is a byproduct of the neem tree that is created after the removal of neem oil from neem fruit. Neem cake has many valued uses because of its unique chemical properties, but one of the most important is its function as a natural antifungal and antiviral livestock feed. Neem could naturally replace the abuse of antibiotics and ultimately create a healthier farm and planet overall.

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Today, Cuba has 383,000 organic farms spanning 50,000 hectares. The most productive of these farms yield up to 20 kg of food per square meter every year. An incredible feat, not only because this is one of the highest rates of food production in the world, but also due to the fact that the country achieved this without using any synthetic pesticides or fertilizers!

With the unavailability of chemical imports, Cuba turned to more sustainable methods. Instead of growing sugarcane, people began to grow food crops and use oxen instead of tractors. They became experts in vermicomposting, crop rotation, soil conservation, and utilizing biopesticides, like neem. Neem trees were grown in large farms around the country and were used to recover over 1,000 hectares of land that were once eroded by sugarcane plantations.

This transformed the nation. With higher food production, calorie intake was able to return to a sustainable, healthy level. Cuban organic farmers produce 65% of the country’s food on just 25% of the land, truly achieving sustainable development with the help of the neem tree! However, today, this achievement may be at risk due to less strict trade embargoes, tempting farmers with synthetic inputs that may synthetically increase yields in the short term, but will eventually erode and degrade the soil and the environment.

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Natural additives for livestock feed such as neem cake are gaining popularity in farms worldwide, as a natural feed as well as due to problems with and ineffectiveness of antibiotics. This means that these antibiotics are given to livestock used in food production and the animals develop drug-resistant bacteria in their stomach. These bacteria reach humans through food, the environment, or direct human-animal contact.

Containing essential nutrients such as protein, calcium, and carotene that are required for healthy growth in livestock, and able to eradicate microbes that cause infections and disease, neem helps to fight bacteria and alleviates the pressure of rising antibiotic resistance.

Mixed with other feed or consumed alone, neem cleanses the stomach and kills intestinal worms. Neem leaves also increase secretion of milk after pasteurization. In poultry, it could replace up to 20% of groundnut cake without affecting egg production.

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Neem cake is a product of the left over neem seed kernels that remain after extracting neem oil from the seeds. It is mainly used as a fertilizer, but has properties of a pesticide, as well, because of its azadirachtin content. It can help to control nematodes and other pests found in the soil, in addition to nourishing the plants and soil.

Neem cake contains the essential nutrients that plants need for successful development and growth, like nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Additionally, the application of neem cake increases water retention in the surrounding soil, which means that the plants grow in more ideal conditions.

When used as a fertilizer, neem cake has many benefits for both mankind and the environment. It is non-toxic, with no risk to human health or environmental contamination. The cake nourishes the soil without reducing biodiversity, ensuring a positive environmental and societal impact.

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