Our Farming
As certified Organic farmers, our members are dedicated to following environmentally friendly agricultural practices in order to produce healthy and quality products.
1) Maintaining Biodiversity Of Farmland
As a fundamental concept of organic agriculture, we pay more attention to maintain the biodiversity of farmland. Our Members practice mixed cropping system with cash crops, shade trees, repellent crops, and medicinal herbs. Maintenance of biodiversity creates a suitable environment for more fauna diversity which is helpful to natural pest management and our farmers use natural pesticides and traditional knowledge for pest control.
2) Soil Conservation Methods & Soil Fertility Improvement
Members select soil conservation methods to suit the farm land. We encourage members to practice live fencing, the SALT method, and live mulching because it is important to prepare compost from residues generated from our own land. To improve the soil fertility, our members utilize compost, natural liquid manure, and Vermiwash as organic manure. Each and every member maintains a compost pit on their farm land. They add crop residue (lopping and pollarding) to enhance the soil fertility level.
3) Eco-Friendly Pest Control Methods
Use natural pesticides and traditional knowledge for pest control, except for maintaining the biodiversity of the land as the fundamental method to control pests.
4) Biodynamic Farming
In year 2004, SOFA introduced biodynamic farming to tea farmers in Diyathalawa region. Now it has expanded to a part of mid grown tea farmers and spice farmers in Matale region.
5) Quality Of Our Products
As a farmer organization, our objective is to produce healthy and quality products.
We have taken several steps as follows to maintain the quality.
- As a farmers’ Organization, our extension officers conduct the field inspection programs.
- Regularly update knowledge of field operations, harvesting, post-harvest practices, pre-processing, and transportation of extension officers of SOFA and Farmer leaders through the training programs conducted by resource persons from the Government Institutes.
- SOFA pays specific attention to its internal documents in order to maintain the high quality of its products. Standards of Government and requirements of trader partners have been used as guidelines for the development of the Quality policy of SOFA. The Quality policy of SOFA is used as a guideline to maintain the quality of products from the farmer level until they are handed over to the factory gate of our trader partner (Producer). It includes pre-harvesting practices, harvesting, pre-processing practices in the farmer level, purchasing and transporting of products (Maintenance of quality policy and other internal documents)
6) Encouraging the members
In order to strengthen the relationship between the farmers and the association, farmer members are encouraged to practice sustainable farming by providing planting material of cash crops, distributing farm animals & bee keeping units to enhance bio diversity and training programs are conducted to improve the knowledge of the members.
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