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Organic Farming Bootcamp Curriculum

12 week Online Organic Farming Bootcamp Curriculum

June 2024 Intake is accepting signups now – Register Here – https://pages.razorpay.com/farmizenbootcamp1

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Weeks 1-4: Foundations of Organic Farming

Session 1: Introduction to Organic Farming

  • What is organic farming? A quick look at the various variations practiced across the world – biodynamic, SPNF, Cho-han-kyu, permaculture etc.

  • Importance and benefits

  • Organic vs. Conventional farming

  • Setting goals for yourself – what sort of farm do you want to build? Is it for profit, or for retiring with a healthy lifestyle, or both?

Session 2: The Science Behind Soil

  • Soil types

  • Soil health indicators

  • Living Soil – soil biota

  • Organic soil management

Session 3: Organic Principles and Practices

  • Fundamentals of crop rotation

  • Organic fertilization techniques

  • Green Manuring during resting

  • No-Till methods

Session 4: Basics of Agroecology

  • Importance of biodiversity

  • Building a healthy ecosystem in your farm

Session 5: Finding the right Farm Site

  • How to buy farmland

  • Understanding topography, drainage, farm infrastructure and soil quality

  • Learnig to interpret soil test reports

  • Market Access

  • Evaluating legal documents around land ownership

  • Leasing Land for Farming

Session 6: DIY Organic Inputs

  • Preparing organic manure, fertilizers, and pesticides

  • Composting and Compost Teas

  • IMO preparations

  • Importance of local materials

Session 7: Plant Nutrition Basics

  • Nutrient cycles

  • Signs of deficiencies

  • Remedies

Session 8: Introduction to Permaculture

  • Principles of permaculture

  • Designing a permaculture garden

  • Combining permaculture and market gardening

You end this first phase with a goals document and the first draft of your farm design blueprint

Weeks 5-8: Practical Organic Farming

Session 9: Crop Planning

  • Seasonal crops – when to grow what

  • Crop rotation strategies

  • Your 3 year cropping plan

  • Multi layer farming

Session 10: A. Water Management B. Seed & Sapling Management

  • Irrigation methods based on your crop type

  • Water conservation techniques

  • Direct Seeding

  • Seed Starting & Nursery Management

  • Seed Saving

Session 11: Pest and Disease Management

  • Identifying common pests

  • Organic solutions for control

Session 12: Weed Control

  • Identifying common weeds

  • Organic weed control

Session 13: Farming Tools and Equipment

  • Essential tools for small-scale and reduced-till/no-till farming

  • Equipment maintenance

Session 14: Soil Preparation & Soil Health – Advanced Techniques

  • Preparing for plantation

  • Soil testing revisited

  • Soil amendments

Session 15: Livestock in Organic Farming

  • Importance of livestock

  • Organic animal husbandry

  • Which animals to integrate?

Session 16: Harvesting and Post-Harvest Techniques

  • When and how to harvest

  • Storage and transportation

You end this phase with a detailed farm layout and irrigation plan, a production plan including crop rotation, capex plan for your farm.

Weeks 9-12: The Business of Organic Farming

Session 17: Market Research, Demand Analysis and creating Value Added products

  • Identifying your target market

  • Trends in organic produce

  • Choosing what to grow and deciding on your product mix

Session 18: Branding and Marketing

  • Brand building

  • Digital marketing for organic farming

  • Promotional strategies

  • B2B v/s B2C strategies

Session 19: Running Operations. Budgeting, Costing and Pricing Strategies

  • Crop Journals and Ledgers

  • Expense tracking

  • Pricing models

  • Lean Operating Models

Session 20: Supply Chain and Logistics

  • Packaging

  • Supply chain optimization

Session 21: Organic Farming Certification, Laws and Regulations

  • Local and international laws

  • Compliance, certification and paperwork

Session 22: Sustainability and Profit

  • Sustainable practices

  • Measuring farm profitability

  • Farming for ecology, community and lifestyle

Session 23: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and other innovative marketing models

  • How CSA works

  • Benefits and challenges

Session 24: Final Project and Course Wrap-up

  • Individual or group presentations

  • Reflection and feedback

You end this phase by creating your crop journal and other operating docs, full financial plan with budgets and investment outlay and your marketing plan.

Each session will have accompanying assignments, reading materials, and videos to enhance learning. Some of the live sessions will be conducted by practitioner guests and some by Farmizen course facilitators. Additionally, you’ll have lifetime access to all course materials and a support group and community to continue learning post-course.