Neem on the farm and at home

At the end of 'Neem Baba' in your book, Poorvi, Amber asks: is neem any use to farmers? Neem Baba says yes, and tells her how.

If the powder of neem seeds is mixed in water and sprayed on plants and trees, locusts (flying insects that damage crops) do not eat them.

Rice grows in fields full of standing water, and standing water is where mosquitoes lay their eggs. Neem seed powder in a rice field stops mosquitoes from breeding and helps the farmer get a bigger crop. It also saves the crop from termites (deemak), which eat the roots of crops, and stops other crop-eating insects from breeding.

Amber has an idea. If we put neem seed powder in stagnant water (water that is not flowing) around our homes, mosquitoes will not breed in it. She says this must be a cost-effective way to stop mosquitoes: a good result for very little cost. Fewer mosquitoes also means less of the illnesses they spread, such as dengue.

Neem Baba tells her about uses at home too. People mix neem seed powder with stored grain to keep insects away. Neem oil is used to make soaps and toothpaste. Termites do not eat furniture made of neem wood. And neem purifies the air, which means it removes harmful particles.

Neem Baba says it has many qualities still to be discovered, and asks Amber if she will discover them when she grows up. Amber says she will, and thanks Neem Baba for its time. Neem Baba blesses her.