Homa Farming with Jason Davis

By Jason Davis

Every month we highlight the many aspects of nature and how to be in sync with the ecosystem. We cover topics such as animals, garden tips, land destroyed by pollution, and more. This month the topic is Homa Farming.

Many organic farmers and people that grow food at home are concerned about pollution contaminating their food. There is also concern about GMO seeds from conventional farms contaminating organic crops from the natural pollination process that occurs in nature. Most conventional farms in the United States use GMOs, so there is no true organic farming. GMO seeds are everywhere since birds, bees, and the wind spread seeds everywhere. Organic farmers do produce less tainted fruit and vegetables, but GMO seeds and pollution still affect the crops.

The only way to continually protect the soil and food that is grown in it is to adopt an Ayurveda farming technique called Homa Farming. Farming with this method makes the food grown even better, more nutrient-rich than by doing organic farming by itself. 

Excerpt from: Homa Farming: A Guide to Better Farming by Jason Davis.

Jason is a Homa Farmer and Director of Agriculture at Shanti Villa Institute

Homa farming is a totally revealed science. It is as old as creation. In the course of time, this knowledge was lost, but it is now being resuscitated to give people guidance about how to correct the polluted conditions of the planet we find ourselves in today. HOMA farming comes from the VEDAS, the ancient most body of knowledge known to man.

The word Homa means, purification through the agency of healing fires.  Agnihotra is the smallest type of fire that can be done and one the most powerful. Agnihotra is based on the circadian rhythm of nature, sunrise and sunset.

Perform Agnihotra regularly exactly at sunrise and sunset in the center of your farm. A minimum of one person should perform Agnihotra daily. If more people are available, each one may practice separately at different spots. This will add to the total vibration effect and make more ash available.

A small platform or hut like enclosure can be prepared for performing Agnihotra. In this way, it can be performed in all weather, rain, cold, summer, etc.

                               The Aim of Homa Therapy Farming

• To Heal and improve the land that we cultivate rather than polluting and destroy it with chemical poisons and thoughtless farming practices.

• To GROW SUPERIOR CROPS WITHOUT THE USE OF CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS, PESTICIDES, HERBICIDES AND, THE LIKE.

• To give back to the planet by improving and healing the soil, air, and water resources.

A. Preparation of Soil

1. A soil test can be done to find out what nutrients and pH modifiers are needed in your soil.

2. Soil should be prepared using strictly organic fertilizers and pH modifiers.

3. Compost, well-rotted manure, Homa ash, phosphate rock, and dolomite lime are some recommended materials.

4. Spread Homa ash, especially Agnihotra ash, over the soil with your other fertilizes before tilling or digging.

5. It is best to plant in mounds like done in the Biodynamic/French Intensive method. It allows more food to be grown in less space, and it is much easier to maintain.

                                           Vedic Method of Seed Treatment

B. Planting Seeds

Use organic seeds, i.e., seeds which have not been treated with chemicals. Treating seeds by following this method can make them more disease and pest resistant and gives them an initial boost.

1. Place seeds in paper cups or jars and label each container with the name of the seed.

2. Cover seed with cow’s urine (obtain from the local dairy farm) and soak the seeds for one or two hours. Make sure that seeds mix well with the urine, and none are floating on top.

3. Drain the seeds and cover them in cow dung. Seeds can be spread out to dry on paper plates, screens or boards.

4. As some seeds cannot survive complete dehydration after having been moistened, it is advisable that the seed/dung mixture be dried until just damp dry. The mixture can then be crumbled easily and sowed down a row in the garden or a planting pot or flats. If you are planting in a small amount of seeds and if the seeds are not too small, each seed can be wrapped in an individual bit of cow dung.

5. Phases of the moon by which we plant have a great deal to do with the success of Homa gardening. Plant on a new moon day or full day, depending on the type of seed planted. Try planting root crops on or before the new moon and above-ground crops on or before full moon day.

6. When you plant the seeds, try to be full of love, do Mantra, and be clean in body and mind.

7. Plant the seeds with Agnihotra ash. It can be sprinkled along with the seed down each row. As you water the newly planted seeds, Mantra should be performed.

8. When transplanting seedlings to the garden, be sure to plant them with Agnihotra ash around roots the roots. Planting or transplanting should never be done in the heat of the day. Women in monthly period should never plant or venture near the garden.

C. Daily Care of Garden

1. Do Agnihotra at a central location on the farm or in the garden. If the farm is a large one, Agnihotra should be done on the four extreme corners of the farm: north, south, east, and west. If the farm exceeds 2000 acres and if the personnel are there, you can perform Yajnya in the interior. Use a lot of dung and other ingredients.