Memoirs: Neilagiri farm house - Bolanthoor (Mangalore)

Neilagiri farm, Bolanthoor (Kalladka)

Owned and run by Prof. Edmund Frank (St. Aloysius College - Mangalore)

Visited on 27^th January 2011.

We students boarded a bus from the Government bus depot, as the frequency of public transport to the farm is fewer to Bolanthoor compared to other locations in the town. After a journey of about an hour on road, including the traffic and frequency of stops we reached Bolanthoor. The distance to the farm is approximately 4 kms from the bus stop. For people who love their walk a very nice way to start the excursion. We however choose not to as there was an agenda planned with a schedule in mind and we did not want to mess that up.

Neilagiri Farm:

A total of 6 acres of barren land converted and well planned by choosing the organic method and neatly maintained and run by Mr. Frank himself.

Developments to the land:

· To meet the requirements of Organic manure he is raring cows, goats and birds.

· To meet his need for water round the year, he has invested in a technology that has converted the Bore well to Rain Water Harvesting, that helps in conserving rain water.

· Plantations include Banana cultivated using tissue culture, areca nut and coconut.

· Various stages are followed to in producing organic manure and how he makes sprays to destroy pesticides.

New addition to the farm:

A fuel efficient wood stove that has been installed inside the farm house. It helps recycle the waste collated after the finished products have been put to use from the plantation. It is known to be more cost efficient than the Solar water heating system too.

In India this technology is known as “Astra Vole” which in other words means a fuel efficient wood stove.