This article reminded me of a similar ‘practice’ I was told about in Fiji. Apparently in days gone by in the Rewa delta region of the country there was a practice of ‘floating cultivation’ involving the piling up of river soil (and other organic additives?) on to the traditional floating bamboo raft, bili bili, for the planting of taro suckers. Fascinating if true. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to verify or follow up. Vilikesa Masibalevu, now at Birdlife International in Fiji might know. Fiji has an interesting history of water management and taro cultivation especially raised bed cultivation.
Also, I recall there is something about ‘floating cultivation’ in David Thurston’s excellent book ‘Sustainable Practices for Disease Management in Traditional Farming Systems’.
Thanks, Danny. I think the whole idea of growing crops on floating organic structures fascinating, which is why I linked to the review of the practice in Bangladesh that I happened to run across. I just wonder how widespread this sort of thing is.
I was walking down the street and suddenly remembered that the example I was trying to think of from Thurston’s book was the ‘floating gardens’ or Chinampas in Mexico.
It’s all coming back! There is another relevant example. Again from the Pacific, and to do with taro. Harley Manner, who I believe is now at the University of Guam, has described islets of taro (Maa) which I recall were constructed on a similar principle as ‘floating gardens’. The Maa were a traditional practice on Pulawat atoll (which I think is in Chuuk, FSM). At one stage I was really into these practices and had integrated them into my teaching at USP because from all accounts they had important inherent sustainable disease management properties even though they were primarily designed to allow cultivation in aquatic environments.
Yes, the so-called floating gardens of Xochimilco in Mexico City are a fantastic remnant of the Aztec’s lacustrine agricultural system, though they are not really “floating,” as explained here. Harley talks about the “maa” here.
Friends! I just had to interrupt my holiday to say: you don’t have to go all that far afield to find floating gardens. Europe has them too, in France, near Amiens.
This article reminded me of a similar ‘practice’ I was told about in Fiji. Apparently in days gone by in the Rewa delta region of the country there was a practice of ‘floating cultivation’ involving the piling up of river soil (and other organic additives?) on to the traditional floating bamboo raft, bili bili, for the planting of taro suckers. Fascinating if true. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to verify or follow up. Vilikesa Masibalevu, now at Birdlife International in Fiji might know. Fiji has an interesting history of water management and taro cultivation especially raised bed cultivation.
Also, I recall there is something about ‘floating cultivation’ in David Thurston’s excellent book ‘Sustainable Practices for Disease Management in Traditional Farming Systems’.
Thanks, Danny. I think the whole idea of growing crops on floating organic structures fascinating, which is why I linked to the review of the practice in Bangladesh that I happened to run across. I just wonder how widespread this sort of thing is.
I was walking down the street and suddenly remembered that the example I was trying to think of from Thurston’s book was the ‘floating gardens’ or Chinampas in Mexico.
It’s all coming back! There is another relevant example. Again from the Pacific, and to do with taro. Harley Manner, who I believe is now at the University of Guam, has described islets of taro (Maa) which I recall were constructed on a similar principle as ‘floating gardens’. The Maa were a traditional practice on Pulawat atoll (which I think is in Chuuk, FSM). At one stage I was really into these practices and had integrated them into my teaching at USP because from all accounts they had important inherent sustainable disease management properties even though they were primarily designed to allow cultivation in aquatic environments.
Yes, the so-called floating gardens of Xochimilco in Mexico City are a fantastic remnant of the Aztec’s lacustrine agricultural system, though they are not really “floating,” as explained here. Harley talks about the “maa” here.
Friends! I just had to interrupt my holiday to say: you don’t have to go all that far afield to find floating gardens. Europe has them too, in France, near Amiens.
A bientot!
Here’s more on floating cultivation in Bangladesh from ILEIA: http://www.leisa.info/FritZ/source//getblob.php?o_id=70481&a_id=211&a_seq=0
Very nice! The site will be more resourceful if added the easy methods as practiced in different parts of Bangladesh.
Many thanks, Dr Afsaruzzaman. Perhaps you would care to send us a brief description of how they do things in Bangladesh?