To our fellow Natural Farmers who wants to cross cut Feed-cost up to 90%

AZOLLA SEMINAR OUTLINE

- THE ARCTIC AZOLLA EVENT: How the 2004 Arctic Coring Expedition to
the North Pole discovered that Azolla covered the Arctic Ocean 50
million years ago and changed the climate by drawing down enormous
amount of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
- WHAT IS AZOLLA: Azolla is a unique free-floating freshwater fern
that has been formally designated as a unique 'Superorganism'. It is
one of the fastest growing plants on the planet and it only needs
freshwater, sunlight and air to grow.
- AZOLLAS USE IN THE EAST: Azolla has been used for thousands of
years in the East as a green biofertilizer for rice - more than
doubling the yield of rice paddies. This knowledge was spread by
travelling Buddhist monks and parts of Vietnam and India have temples
and annual festivals commemorating the 'miracle' plant Azolla.
- AZOLLAS DISCOVERY BY THE WEST: Azolla's potential is now being
recognized in the West and Duke University in the USA has just begun a
project to determine Azolla's genome, in conjunction with the Beijing
Genomics Institute of China and the Philippine's International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI), which has the world's largest collection of
Azolla species and hybrids.
- AZOLLAS MULTIPLE USES: Azolla's ease of growth in just a few
centimeters of water means that it can be grown by anyone to produce a
range of renewable products that can help to feed the world's growing
population and reduce the use of harmful synthetic chemical
fertilizers.
- CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS: Nitrogen is essential for by all plants to
grow and more than half of the world's food is relies on chemical
fertilizers for the nitrogen needed to grow the food crops. Less than
20% of the nitrogen in chemical fertilizers is used by the target
crops - the remainder goes into freshwater and marine ecosystems where
it has numerous harmful effects. Natural biofertilizers can reduce our
reliance on chemical fertilizers.
- AZOLLA AS A BIOFERTILIZER: Azolla provides three times more nitrogen
(fertilizer than any other biofertilizer, as well as other essential
nutrients, resulting in larger and healthier plants. This is provided
by both the Azolla plants and the water in which they are grown, and
both can be easily added directly to the soil because of the small
size of the Azolla's leaves.
- AZOLLA AS A LIVESTOCK FEED: Azolla is widely used in India and the
Far East as a feed for many types of livestock, including cows, goats,

pigs, chickens, ducks, geese and freshwater fish. Integrated systems

developed in Japan combine the cultivation of rice, ducks and fish
with Azolla, which provides nitrogen for the rice, and food for the
ducks and fish.
- AZOLLA AS A FOOD: Azolla is also a nutritious food for people and it
has been taken on Space missions to confirm its use as a source of
food, purified drinking water and oxygen. An Azolla cookbook published
by Erik Sjdin has recipes for Azolla bread, Azolla pancakes and
Azolla burgers.
- AZOLLA AS A BIOFUEL: Azolla is a source of renewable biofuel, and
new research indicates that several types of biofuel can be generated
by individuals and communities.
- OTHER APPLICATIONS: Azolla reduces harmful chemicals from water,
including industrial discharge, human waste, and the runoff of unused
chemical fertilizers. It also reduces the growth of mosquito larvae
and the spread of malaria - hence its name 'mosquito fern' in parts of
Africa and the Far East.
- HOW TO GROW AZOLLA: Azolla can be grown by anyone at almost no cost.
All that is needed is a shallow container or excavated pit less than a
meter deep, and the addition of small amount of nutrients (mostly
phosphates) that can be provided by livestock droppings. All areas of
the Philippines are ideal for Azolla's growth, providing a constant
supply of renewable food for its people and an improvement in their
living standards and quality of life.