Safe farming practices that insure food security & community development Studying the viability of Neem plantations on Lombok Island Ascertain culturally appropriate working systems in Flores together with local community leaders.   Working with local NGOs to insure that education & community empowerment are pivotal elements to the project.

Neem products were found in clay pots in the 5000-year-old Indus Valley Archaeological site in Northwestern India by British Archaeologists in 1992. The medicinal benefits of Neem are also spoken about in the Veda's - considered to be the world's oldest books. India's ancient Ayurvedic texts confirm that every part of the Neem tree has health promoting benefits and the general population in India has used Neem safely and effectively for over 5000 years.       Validates the traditional uses of Neem in the maintenance of general health, and skin care. On the Indian sub-continent researchers have found more than 60 medicinal uses for Neem. Indians know the Neem tree as a virtual living pharmacy. It was not until the 1920's that formal research was begun on Neem trees. It was noted that during periodic locust plagues, while acres of foliage were stripped bare, Neem were left unscathed. Simply derived "tea" solutions made from the Neem seed were effective in protecting foliage crops. Additionally, several compounds were isolated from the seeds of Neem. One of these, azadirachtin, was found to both repel and disrupt the growth and reproduction of many destructive insect species. Unlike many synthetic insecticides, low dozes of azadirachtin were found to have little or no mammalian toxicity, and insects showed little resistance to the compound even through several generations. The range of insects affected by Neem extracts is impressive and includes beetles, flies, mosquitoes, caterpillars, true bugs, locusts and grasshoppers, aphids, weevils, moths, and roaches. The major by-product from processing Neem is called "cake." Fields top-dressed with cake were found to be less affected by nematodes, snails, and certain fungi. Later tests showed Neem oil to be very effective on plant diseases like rust and powdery mildew. Neem cake was also found to be excellent fertilizer, outperforming farm manure and sewage sludge.