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| Nature's bounty |
When I was growing up, I often heard stories at meal times, mainly from the older generation, of how one leaf or another is good for you and how it has been eaten for generations. Most of these came from plants and trees that seem to grow easily in the Malaysian tropical weather, with its warm sun and plenty of rain. Some grow in the forests and jungles bordering the villages, some grow in the area surrounding the houses, some by the streams and rivers and in marsh areas but the one common element it that they seem to require no care, just happily growing. Through the years, with development and easy access to stores and supermarkets as well as the change in lifestyles, our diet has changed and some of the natural diet benefits have been reduced or lost.
With the commercialization of farms and push for "quantity production" and profits, how our food is produced has changed. Chemical pesticides and fertilizers as well as polluted waters now are often used - all in the name of producing larger quantities faster and cheaper. All these chemicals are introduced into our food, which even after cleaning or washing, would still remain within them, albeit in trace quantities. After years of consumption, the amount of chemicals within our bodies would increase. Our bodies become more "open" to illnesses and disease. So, what do we do, we start spending more money to strengthen our bodies with vitamins and supplements and go in search of better quality food. This is fine for those with bigger disposal income but what about those who don't. Cheap food doesn't mean quality food but at times, for some people, there is no alternative.
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| Over-run by vegetation |
It is from these thoughts within my head, that Suria Helang Lui was born, with a determination to go as natural as possible. When I acquired the land, it was an overrun of weeds, shrubs and trees and lots of unknown creatures that had overtaken this over 50 years of abandoned paddy field. Over time, the river and streams had also changed its flow including some additions and deletions of streams, with the last major change occurring in the early seventies after a major flood in the area. It took me about one year to study the land, looking at the soil, the contour of the land, the vegetation in existence, the sunlight movement, rain pattern and several other factors, before I formulated my development plan. In my estimation, it would take me about 5 years before it would reach what I would call "maintenance mode". This land is rich in its bounty and my development principle was to maximize its features.
I received a lot of advice that the easiest and cheapest way was to bring in a crew with bulldozers and just bulldoze the land to clear it and then I can start building quickly. This would only take a few days to do and then the land would be nice and clean for me to do whatever I wanted. The flaw in this advise would be by razing the land, the beauty and natural contour would be lost as well as the top soil - one of the important elements for quality soil for agriculture.
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| On-off stream, depending on rain |
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| On-off stream, now a fish pond |
Not only that, nature had provided for a natural draining mechanism to this land via its "stream-like" pattern on the land. This is also another important element as this area receives a lot of rain and the streams and rivers can overflow causing floods so why mess with the natural drainage pattern that had protected this land from major floods. My intention was to maximize this and turn it into my fish "pond" and start an aquaculture project thus achieving two objectives: flood protection as the fish pond would be my water overflow containment and producing another food source, fish.
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| Nature's beautiful gift |
The method I used to develop this land is in a way, more manual. I started by studying the land with many "walkabouts" on the land, using a machete (parang) to clear my pathway. Then I started using a brush-cutter. I had help, sometimes, from good friends. This enabled me to see the contour and flow of the land as well as identify what vegetation I wanted to retain and what I wanted removed. It was a slow process but the benefits were great as I found many plants that I wanted to keep, some that are harder to find, some that were considered as weeds by other but were medicine or food source for me, and some that were just beautiful for landscape. The additional benefit was that I got a good workout as a bonus while breathing in clean air with lots of oxygen and less pollutants.
I envision this land will become a beautiful farm with comfortable living quarters surrounded by Malaysian plants and trees that are not only beautiful but are a food or medicine source. Of course, I foresee some farm animals like chickens and geese. After all, no farm is complete without some animals.The planning for a house with features that take into account the purpose of the farm makes it a bit complex. I have to plan for work areas for preparation of produce, storage areas for produce and equipment, disposal of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, water and power consumption, ease of access and of course, ease and comfort for my visitors. All this would take time, effort and money so I had to prioritize. As such, I use the "Leggo" building method, building in phases with "build-on" concept, starting with a bathroom/storage. After all, there are limits to time, effort and most of all, money. Thus the adventure continues........
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