The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.112)

TZU CHI 112 19 Enrolling in the Parent-child Bonding Class has enabled Chin Siong (right) to spend quality time with her daughter. [Photograph by Teo Tze Earn] processes are only carried out on a seasonal basis, but weeding is a daily necessity. My employee who operates the weeding machine even claimed to have experienced jitters in his sleep!” he revealed. Furthermore, Chin Siong is faced with the threat of garden pests populating his farm. Once, a snail infestation destroyed a large proportion of his cucumber crops; even the farm workers’ repeated efforts to replace the ravaged crops with new seedlings failed to remedy the situation. However, he narrowly managed to evade a total loss as the market price of cucumbers coincidentally took a dip, leading to an unexpected demand for his remaining yield of cucumbers. The market price of cucumbers later stabilized and the snail infestation receded, but the episode prompted Chin Siong to begin cultivating a wider variety of vegetables with a more balanced distribution to minimize the damage inflicted on his crops by pests. Perpetuating the cycle of kindness Chin Siong’s transition to environmentally-friendly farming processes had resulted in a relatively limited harvest as compared to the abundant yield enjoyed by other conventional farmers. Nevertheless, he strives for continuous progress in his current farming methods and insists on donating his vegetable produce regularly to his alma mater and charitable organizations to be sold for charity. “I donate my vegetable produce to schools and charitable organizations with the aim of improving access to education for the needy with proceeds collected from its sales. I’m more than willing to share my insights on agriculture with fellow farmers to promote the concept of environmentally-friendly agriculture for the benefit of all,” he said. In 2017, Chin Siong had the fortune of attending a master class by Chen Rong-san, an expert in organic farming from Taiwan. He learnt that fertile soil is a crucial component in ensuring the healthy growth of crops and fortifying their resistance towards pests. Since then, he started practising various methods to increase soil fertility levels, including crop rotation, using organic compost made from oil palm waste and residue from coffee grounds, as well as organic fertilizers and fruit enzymes. Chin Siong’s farm is now a picture of nature at its most vibrant, enlivened by various species of flora and fauna. His employees are full of praise for him, commending him for never harming any living being out of the OneStepataTime SavingtheEnvironment