Category: Others

The use of plant concoctions as foliar spray in crop production is a novel concept for the majority of Indonesian farmers.  When I taught them this method recently at a training session in Pekan Baru, Riau Province, it generated a lot of interest.

Specifically, I demonstrated how to prepare fermented fruit juice (FFJ) and fermented plant juice (FPJ).  For the FFJ, the materials used were papaya (other possible substitutes are banana, jackfruit, melon, mango, orange, and tomato), brown sugar, water, and a pail.  After the papaya skin was peeled and the seeds removed, one kilo of finely cut papaya fruit was combined with one liter of non-chlorinated water plus half kilo of brown sugar.  The pail containing the mixture was then covered with old newspaper to screen out dust and insects and kept under a shade.  After one week, the juice was extracted from the remaining solid by hand squeezing, separated using a fine mesh sieve, and stored in empty mineral water bottles.

For FPJ, growing parts of leguminous trees such as Gliricidia sepium, Leucaena leucocephala, and Moringa oleifera (the latter two generally used for fuel wood or fencing, and the third for its nutritional value) or common vegetables such as kangkong (water spinach, Ipomoea aquatic) and sweet potato can be used. The cut stems and leaves were combined with brown sugar and water in the same proportion and by the same procedure as those used for preparing FFJ.  Since the cut parts are where active meristematic cell division takes place, the concoction has the added advantage of containing plant growth hormone.

Two tablespoons each of FFJ and FPJ can be mixed separately with one liter of non-chlorinated water and applied as plant nutrients through root drenching. When foliar-sprayed, the concoction is a potent liquid fertilizer, fungicide, and insecticide.  It can also be used as nutrient solution for hydroponics.

By teaching them about plant concoctions, Goducate is able help the farmers optimize their crop yield potential and enable them to generate much savings from not buying expensive synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Four young ladies from Singapore went to Myanmar as Goducate’s Sing Your English (SYE) ambassadors from 21 to 24 November 2013. Their mission was to test how SYE might be received in communities where English is hardly heard, let alone spoken. The ladies looked forward to meeting the children in the four villages they were to visit. Yet apprehension and anxiety went with them as this would be the first time SYE entered such an environment.

SYE passed the test with flying colours! Our ladies led the gatherings of children and their curious parents from song to song and helped them understand the meanings of the simple English words sung. Actions when singing drove the enthusiasm. Although initially the children sang along with the songs played, they were quickly able to sing the songs by themselves without the accompanying music and lyrics. The adults in the crowd prodded the children along with gestures and enjoyed every moment of the sessions, seeing their little ones in action and song. To many of the participants, the sessions ended too soon. But this built up their appetites for more—which will be offered by our local workers, who were trained during our visit to use SYE to teach children.

As for the four young ladies, they were able to report a successful mission and a versatile SYE!