Sunshine Vegetables Private Limited is one of the largest producers of English carrots in India. The company was started in 2006 by Col (retd) Subhash Deswal along with his friend, Lal Kishan Yadav.

“I served in the Indian Army for 21 years. Whenever I would go home during the holidays, my family members would talk about their farming business and how it was performing badly. Although it was true, I knew that with the right methods of farming and proper marketing, it could be successful. This thought motivated me to take early retirement, and move from Delhi to my village, Sikandrabad, which is located in UP’s Bulandshahr district,” begins Col Deswal in a conversation with The Better India.

On his return to the village, he met his friend Lal Kishan Yadav, who holds a degree in Chemical engineering and was working as a farmer and an agriculture-input dealer.

“I had very basic about farming, but Yadav knew the techniques, so we decided to join forces in 2002. We did not have land of our own, nor did we have the necessary equipment. So, we approached another farmer in Bulandshahr, leased 2 acres of his land and some equipment on lease. Then, we procured necessary seeds for potatoes, okra, onion and began farming, using the regular techniques such as manual ploughing, then sowing, adding nutrients, and watering the crops in timely intervals,” he mentions.

After a few months, the crops were ready for harvest but their produce was poor. For the next three years, the duo didn’t make any profits, and all their efforts were a failure. That is when the retired colonel decided that they needed to pause, and possibly even unlearn what they knew about farming.

Unlearning to Re-Learn

In 2005, with the idea to re-learn farming, Col Deswal approached agricultural scientists from ICAR, Punjab Agriculture University, Pantnagar Agriculture University and more.

“I travelled to many places, and directly approached scientists. Most of them were glad that a military man had taken up farming, and offered to give advice. Yadav and I assumed we knew everything about farming because our families have been doing it for generations. But we couldn’t have been more wrong, and after meeting various scientists, I learned how to increase the quality, and quantity of our produce. This was through several informal discussions, and field visits,” he recalls.

One of his key learning during this time was about the farming system in India and how farmers get trapped in debt. The commission agents in wholesale markets who are responsible for marketing the produce exploited the farmers through unscientific means of pricing.

“I was at their mercy to sell my products in the market. I wanted to break free from this vicious chain and help other farmers too. I knew it could be done through controlling 50% of the production from the village, that is when I decided to focus on growing only one crop—English carrots,” says the retired army officer.

“English carrots are high-quality vegetables that are native to Europe and not commonly grown in India, so we had an untapped market right there. We also considered the soil-type, fertility, and agro-climatic conditions. Bulandshahr has sandy-soil which is great for growing root vegetables. Then, we needed to expand, so we offered contract-based farming options to other farmers in the same district. We approached the ones growing wheat and sugarcane, as carrot cultivation offered them 2.5 more times the revenue,” he mentions.

In 2006, the duo decided to start Sunshine Vegetables Private Limited. Their mission was to focus on a single crop, bring a large number of farmers together, adopt appropriate farming methods, and establish post-harvest management infrastructure.

Scaling Production and Maximizing Profits

Once they had several farmers to cultivate carrots, the duo focussed on scaling their production and maximizing profits, by reducing their cost of production. The farming practices used before this were traditional means of land preparation, sowing, and harvesting. This proved to be expensive as it consumed a lot of time and labour. So, the retired army officer decided to minimize production costs by procuring machines to work efficiently.

“Since importing this equipment from Europe proved to be expensive, I worked along with Agri dealers, and found local manufacturers in UP, to help me build a seed sowing machine, vegetable washing machine, and harvesting machine. What cost Rs 10 lakh in Italy, could be manufactured in India at a cost of Rs 50,000. The seed-sowing machine also has an additional feature which creates soil beds before sowing,” he mentions.

Things moved smoothly until it was time to harvest the carrots. Harvesting is a highly labour-intensive process, especially in the case of root crops like carrots, and this would be a huge cost that the organisation would have incurred. Moreover, imported machinery could not be deployed for harvesting because the size of the landholding was different in foreign countries and rural India.

“A partially-mechanised technique was invented to unearth carrots and drop them safely on the group to be picked up by the labourers. This reduced labour-costs and requirement by three folds. Finally, the vegetable washing machine was made from a drum and soft scrubbers that remove all the external dirt. It was locally inspired and developed in Sikandrabad,” says Col Deswal

According to him, cold storage is the most essential part of carrot distribution. The vegetable needs to be kept at at temperature between 0 to 2-degree Celsius to remain fresh. Since there were very few cold stores in Uttar Pradesh, Col Deswal and Yadav invested in their cold storage unit. With the help of aggregators dealing with cold storage management, he set up a unit across 5 acres of land.

“Since 2007, we have been harvesting nearly 20,000 metric tonnes of carrots every March. This is the produce collected from all contract farmers and from the lands we have taken on lease. Half of it is sent directly to markets, the other half is stored. It is sent for distribution in the following months, across the country,” he explains.

The Carrot King’s Farmer Engagement Model

Along with the development of new technologies and the adoption of best farming practices, Col Deswal and Yadav felt a need to develop Farmer Engagement Models. This would build trust among the farming community, and to maintain shared values and resources.

“Some farmers had left their land uncultivated because they were under huge debt or they were not motivated anymore. We financed some of them who were interested and gave land to cultivators for lease along with necessary equipment. They carry out carrot farming and we buy back the harvest for a fixed price,” says the former army officer.

Today, Col Deswal is popularly known as the Carrot King for the quality and quantity of his produce. The company has 1000 employees (approximately 100 farmers and 900 labourers) and as mentioned earlier, produces more than 20,000 metric tonnes of English carrots every year from Sikandrabad, that are distributed across the country.

He also claims that more than 500 farmers in Bulandshahr district who cultivated rabi crops such as wheat, have diversified to growing English Carrots.

“The future of India lies in farming. More youngsters who are well-educated and technology-savvy must get into the field. It is a very respectable profession, and not a poor man’s job as it is commonly thought to be. Also, the farming business, like any other business, is profitable only when you take the time to learn and specifics and understand them thoroughly,” concludes Col Deswal.

All pictures courtesy: Colonel (Retd) Subhash Deswal

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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If you pass by Bindu’s and Jojo’s and Bindu’s house in Perampra, Kozhikode, you’re sure to be awestruck by the brilliant colours of the bougainvillaea flowers their garden is brimming with. Yellow, pink, purple, green, you name it, they’ve got it all.

This couple has been cultivating these paper-like flowers for the past 20 years in their 36 cent land and is now earning a monthly income of Rs. 2 Lakhs through their garden! Attracted to their garden like bees to flowers, people came to them asking for tips and techniques. The enterprising couple not only readily obliged but soon turned it into a flourishing business where they sell their beautiful plants, provide flowering arrangements to weddings and set up instant gardens for their clients.

In between the hectic personal job/farming schedule, the couple manages to conduct motivational and entrepreneurship classes on the weekends for several institutions including schools and colleges.

No wonder that the busy husband-wife duo has been honoured with the Kerala State Yuva Karshaka Award in 2003 and the National Progressive Farmer Award From the Prime Minister for their amazing work!

Being Rooted In The Family

“When I first moved to the house, I saw that Jojo’s mother, Tresiya, 85 had created a mini Amazon in the 12 acres of land that they owned. And although I also came from a family with a farming background I had never seen anything like this in my life. It was absolutely stunning. They had coconut trees, livestock, beautiful flowers and several fruit trees,” says Bindu Joseph, (40).

“We lived as a joint family at that point, which included 11 of Jojo’s sibling and their families. It was a completely new experience for me. Everyone including Jojo’s mother used to work day and night on the farm. This was a real motivation for me and soon I also started pitching in my time for farming and learnt several lessons from Tresiya about cultivation. You could say that was like a training period for me. I also took this as a chance to really become a part of Jojo’s family,” she smiles fondly.

After their children were born, Bindu and Jojo moved a few kilometres away from their family home to their new place and soon started cultivating in the 36 cents of land surrounding their house. At the same time, Bindu restarted her career as an economics teacher at St. Mira’s Higher Secondary School, Perambra.

“The children were grown up and Bindu was ready to restart her career as a teacher. So I decided to make use of the land that surrounded our house and started cultivating several plants – some of the sapling that we collected from our family home and some from nurseries that we had collected from across Kerala. It was a lot of new things at once, but both of us were determined to make everything work, ” says Jojo Jacob, a full-time farmer.

Besides bougainvillaeas, they also grow turmeric, ginger, bush pepper, litchi and have even started a nursery, selling saplings to their customers and visitors who stop by to see their magnificent garden.

A Floral Haven Where the Bougainvillaea Blooms

In just a year’s time, the couple had left no space in the land and had cultivated plants in its every nook and corner. And yes, the terrace and the fences were definitely not ignored.

“The bougainvillaeas that we grow are not the local variety, so they would grow upto even 7-8 feet and would drop down on our fence. This attracted a lot of people to enquire about our cultivation methods and in no time we started selling saplings, providing flowers arrangements for weddings and even helped our customers set up instant gardens,” explains Bindu.

And Maria Thomas, one of the couple’s clients, is extremely happy with her instant garden. “The instant garden that Bindu created for my new home was absolutely fantastic. In just a week, she had filled the space with beautiful bougainvillaeas along with a few ball aralia shrubs which gave life to the garden just in time for the housewarming function,” shares the satisfied client.

Simultaneously, the couple started cultivating several other plants like turmeric, ginger, litchi and mangoes. To make the maximum use of the space they have, they would alternate the position of the plants according to their climatic needs.

“Bougainvillea, for instance, needs a lot of sunlight so, during the summers we keep the pots in the garden and during the rainy season, we shift them to the terrace while we bring down the turmeric and ginger in the grow bags to the yard,” explains Jojo.

Jojo’s and Bindu’s 36 cent land cultivation started gaining a lot of popularity leading to several recognitions including the National Progressive Farm Award from the Prime Minister.

After the couple had received the National Progressive Farm Award, the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK ) under the administration of the Indian Institute of Spices Research Kozhikode, decided to sponsor the couple with a nursery set up in order to encourage farming and provide training in Kozhikode.

“The KVK set us as a model farm and soon several students and researchers started visiting our home to see the cultivation that we did. Several of them started purchasing our saplings as well. This became a weekly routine and soon our sales started soaring and we began to have an average of atleast 60 visitors every week,” explains Bindu.

“Everyone wanted their garden to look like ours, so we started providing our fully grown bougainvillaeas in pots helping them set up an instant garden for Rs. 20,000-30,000 depending on the number of potted plants,” explains Bindu.

Efforts Bearing Fruit

For the past few years, the couple has been following a 5 Am – 11 PM schedule which includes cultivation, sales, teaching and even motivational talks and classes!

“Since I have to teach at school, we wake up at 5 Am to clean the nursery and pack lunches for everyone, the day time work for the garden is taken care by Jojo and I join him by 4 PM after I get back from school. Somedays we even stay up till 11 in the night to work on the garden,” explains Bindu.

Bindu also has a channel on Youtube with more than 64,000 followers. “Around two years back I started a YouTube channel named ‘Tech Flora’. It is a great source of inspiration and it gives me a lot of joy to know that people are truly appreciative of the work that we do,” Bindu explains.

“But beyond the money and the fame, we find true happiness in seeing the fruits of our labour flourishing,” she smiles.

Jojo and Bindu’s land burgeoning with the fruit of their labour now stands as a great motivation to several urban gardeners and a testimony to the fact that with the right amount of dedication and time, any kind of cultivation, in any amount of land can reap a fruitful harvest.

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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Corn in regal blue, round bottle gourd, a not-so-spicy chilly, Italian basil with an exotic fragrance, an off-season but naturally sweet watermelon, and more — welcome to Indra and Malvika Singh’s colourful terrace garden in Delhi.

With 35 rare and exotic varieties of organic vegetables and fruits, this garden grown by the mother-son duo is a feast for the senses — the air around it redolent with a mix of delicious smells. The two-people team set up their urban garden with less than Rs 500 and more importantly, they spend zero money on its maintenance!

And the cherry on top is that this resilient garden thrives even in the scorching heat of Delhi. They recycle discarded waste like fruit crates and use wastewater and home-made compost.

Setting up A Colourful Terrace Garden

“My professional life involves a lot of travelling both in India and abroad. I come from an agrarian family and by that virtue, seeds are my souvenirs. I covered over 1,200 villages and even got some seeds from friends living overseas,” Indra, who is presently the Writer and Director of Policy and Outreach, National Seed Association of India, tells The Better India.

Indra has an avid interest in collecting and preserving rare and endangered plant species like spinach seeds from Uttarakhand, Naga chillies, five varieties of tamarind and three of tomatoes.

It’s no wonder that Singh family’s terrace garden boasts of 14 crates and over 25 pots.

The duo began by planting easy-to-grow seeds like chillies, tomatoes, tamarinds in crates and then branched out to pumpkin, brinjals, bottle gourd. Indra recommends planting not more than two seeds in one crate/pot.

And the fertiliser?

“I build the soil’s fertility by adding dry leaves, cow dung and compost. A few months later, I saw earthworms thriving naturally. In no time, I saw the garden was home to biodiverse residents such as butterflies, ants, and healthy microbes. To prevent the soil from spilling over, I covered all the crates with a garden cloth and placed old plastic bags on the ground,” he informs.

When it came to the exotic corn, Indra planted the seeds in 15 inches of soil and it flourished in the dried tomato leaves used as manure

“In a couple of months, the corn was acclimatised to India’s climate and gave blue and bubble gem corn, “It was a miracle as corn usually grows in Kharif season but we got it in Rabi,” he adds.

Not shying away from a challenge, he took the risk of planting watermelon in offseason in April and the gamble paid off as the hot temperatures supported its growth.

Indra also used the companion technique where he planted two plants that support each other. For instance, chillies, grown on climbers, protected corn from harsh sunlight.

Sustainable Gardening Hacks

Indra and Malvika strictly avoided generating carbon footprints and spending a hefty amount in gardening.

“The purpose of gardening is defeated when you purchase a virgin planter or manure from the market. Instead, every aspiring gardener should reuse and compost. Do not spend more than Rs 1,000 to set up the garden,” explains Indra.

Indra purchased discarded crates at just Rs 20 from the vegetable vendors. Luckily, he even found pots that the previous house owners had left.

“Crates are lightweight, cheap and sturdy. Plus, roots get more space and time to expand freely and can accommodate multiple seeds. For example, a crate for growing garlic has spinach coming out from sides,” he adds.

Another cost-cutting measure is making compost at home. For the last two years, the Singh family has not thrown away kitchen waste.

Explaining the benefits, he says, “Compost provides nutrients and helps in recycling the soil.”

As for his water needs, Indra prudently collects the water overflowing from his neighbour’s water outlets in buckets with their consent.

Thanks to these gardening hacks, the Singh family has stopped buying a few vegetables like tomatoes and spinach from the market.

Each seasonal cycle, the garden gives 30 kilos of spinach, 15 kilos of chillies, two kilos of bottle gourds, and five kilos of coriander. In the most recent harvesting cycle, the garden gave a whopping 26 kilos of pumpkin.

Besides consuming healthy and fresh food, the duo also enjoys the chilled temperature inside the house as the plants on the terrace absorb most of the heat, “Gardening is a therapy that improves health and saves money,” adds Indra.

Suffice to say, this mother-son duo perfectly defines urban gardening goals by using methods that are in complete sync with nature’s ecosystem.

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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With its bright pink skin, lush green petals and whitish pulp fitted with black seeds, the Hylocereus undatus or dragon fruit, looks like something straight out of a vivid dream.

Parimal Das, a 57-year-old farmer based in Tripura, agrees. The man has been growing several varieties of fruits including mango, lemon, sweet lime for 12 years, but couldn’t take his eyes off the dragon fruit when he saw it for the first time on YouTube.

“It’s a fascinating fruit and looks magical. The first time I saw it, I was surprised and confused and wanted to know more,” he recalls.

Native to Mexico and Central America, dragon fruits, also known as pitayas, have become extremely popular in the last few years owing to their unusual looks, low-calorie content and abundance of antioxidants.

Parimal’s growing fascination with the fruit, pushed him to try and grow them in India, at the heart of Tripura, with amazing results. In fact, his efforts were even recognised by Chief Minister Biplap Kumar Deb in a recent Facebook post.

An Exotic Affair

Parimal is an avid horticulture enthusiast based in West Tripura. Speaking about his life, thus far, he says, “Plants have defined my life. First with my father and then independently, I started gardening and farming, not as a livelihood, but as a way of life,” adding that his passion soon became a profession, when he began to grow mangoes, lemons and sweet lime commercially.

Keen on expanding his knowledge in all things green, Parimal claims that he has gone to great lengths to discover new varieties in the plantae king—from visiting local nurseries, to passionate interactions with farmers and gardeners in India and abroad.

It was during one such endeavor through the internet, when he came across the dragon fruit. He started reading up about its benefits, and aside from its looks, he was also bowled over by its taste. “I have been growing lemon, rubber, mango and sweet lime in Kanchanmala, my ancestral village in West Tripura, for many years. But, now with more demand for such exotic fruits and better connectivity with the world, I wanted to try something new, so, I compared the traditional growing conditions of its plant with that of Tripura, and decided to grow them here,” he says.

In 2017, he managed to procure some 50 saplings from Kolkata and Bangladesh and began to prepare a 1.5 acre plot of land for the plantation.

“I decided that the 1.5 acre orchard would be an exclusive dragon fruit plantation and started out by building 8 concrete pillars that could hold almost 4 plants. In about 18 months of planting, they started to bear fruits, almost 5 kg per pillar,” he says.

Although a tropical plant, dragon fruit cultivation requires a temperature between 20 to 30 degree Celsius, and filtered sunlight. In case of high sunlight areas, one needs to grow them under shade. However, as Tripura’s climate falls under this range and is an area with moderate to low sunlight, growing dragon fruit plants is ideal, says Parimal.

“This part of Tripura is hilly, and has a cool temperature and is abundant in extremely nutritious and fertile red soil. As it turns out, it was perfect to grow dragon fruit, and since 2017 the harvest has only been increasing,” he adds.

According to Parimal, it takes a minimum of 3 years for its plant to mature and give good harvest, and so this year, the yield is likely to triple with almost 12-15 kg per pillar. Now with over 500 pillars bearing fruits from 2,000 plants, Parimal hopes to have a profitable future.

“This plant bears fruit all around the year, and in December 2019, I managed to sell over 50 kg of dragon fruit, at a wholesale rate of Rs 400 per kg. This year, the first lot has already been sold earning me almost Rs 30,000. When you compare the returns and the investment, you will realise how profitable this could be for Indian farmers,” adds Parimal who made an initial investment of Rs 15,000 to get the dragon fruit farm started.

Like him, few other farmers in Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal are also making efforts to cultivate this fruit, however Parimal believes that with proper awareness and support from the government, this could actually be a very viable livelihood for many.

Like Tripura’s famous queen pineapples that are exported to several countries like Qatar, Bangladesh, Dubai, etc in addition to several Indian metro cities, dragon fruit cultivation too can become a milestone in the state’s overall agricultural growth.

“It might have seemed like a crazy idea to many in the beginning but now they see the reality and the potential cultivating this has. I am glad I could be one of the few to bring that to light. After all it only takes one crazy idea to start a new wave of change,” he concludes.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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While every prison is a chance for countless convicts to rehabilitate and reform, an open jail in Nettukaltheri, Kerala, is bringing out the true essence of reformation through their programmes.

Situated just about 35 km away from the busy city of Thiruvananthapuram is the serene and breezy hills of Nettukaltheri. Although the climate is admirable, the biggest attraction of this village is the open jail which is home to around 390 inmates.

But what makes it truly one of its kind is the 474 acres of land surrounding the jail, which is cultivated by the inmates bringing in Rs 2 crore annually!

With 200 acres of rubber plantation, a 20-acre vegetable garden, a dairy farm, a goat farm, a poultry farm and even a check dam for irrigation purposes and freshwater fish cultivation, this open jail is the highest income generating jail in Kerala.

A Green Jail

Founded in 1962, this jail has no lockups and follows a dormitory system. Prisoners with good conduct are selected from the central jails across the state to reside and participate in cultivation at the Nettukaltheri jail.

The inmates begin cultivation activities at 5.54 a.m. in the two campuses of the jail — 274 acres in Nettukaltheri and 200 acres in Thevancode village about 8 km away that the forest department has provided.

Deputy Inspector General and Superintendent of The Open Prison, Sam Thankayyan says, “The system that we’ve adopted here at the open prison allows the inmates to make the most of their time and feel productive throughout. And when it comes to the cultivation, in particular, feeling of satisfaction that is experienced is truly something else.”

With 20 acres of organic vegetable cultivation, the farm is home to fresh spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, long beans, ladies finger, red ladies finger, long beans, cucumber and strawberries. After keeping aside the requisite harvest for the jail mess, the remaining is sold through their sale units garnering an income of Rs. 10 lakh annually.

“We’ve adopted a drip irrigation system for the watering of the plants and we use organic fertilisers and pesticides. It is made of the cow dung from the dairy farm along with the vegetable waste and dry leaves,” says Chief Jail Warden Sajikumar.

Besides profits from the vegetable garden, one of the major sources of income for the prison is from the 200 acres of a rubber plantation that makes 1000 rubber sheets every day and generates upto Rs 1 crore annually.

“We set aside 60 inmates for the latex tapping alone. They start their work early in the morning and dry the rubber sheet under the sun. In between the rubber farms we’ve also set up platforms for honey bee cultivation,” Sajikumar adds.

Alongside crops, the open jail also has a large number of animals with 50 cows, 50 goats, 20 buffaloes and a poultry farm which produces eggs worth Rs 6 lakh every year.

And the water for the irrigation is sourced from a check dam where they’ve managed to also grow freshwater fish like rohu, tilapia and catla.

Finding The Right Inmates

Every inmate in the open jail is given an amount of Rs 230 per day for the work they do and the total amount will be transferred to their account when they are released. They are also allotted 15-day parole for every 75 days in the prison.

“The inmates at the open jail are very carefully selected. A selection committee that consists of the central prison superintendent, zonal director general of police, chief welfare officer, central prison medical officer and open prison superintendent select disciplined inmates who have completed three years at the state’s central jails,” explains Sam.

“The atmosphere that we’ve created here is very pleasant. The inmates are allowed to walk around freely and even have a recreational centre along with a library with more than 20,000 books. The basic idea is to help the inmates attain a life of self-discipline and so far I think we’ve been able to achieve that,” he adds.

Beyond Agriculture

Right beside the 20-acre vegetable garden, the open jail has set up a carpentry workshop where 10-15 inmates make furniture for the jail and even nearby schools.

“The work done by these carpenters are super professional and there is no compensation for the quality of work done here. With the lockdown in place, we’ve even started mask stitching and have started selling them at nominal prices which have helped during the shortage that was experienced during the pandemic,” says Saji Kumar.

Besides carpentry, some skilled inmates also involve themselves in A/C and fridge mending, electrical wiring and computer animation.

“We have inmates who have been here for more than 20 years and almost 250 of them have been sentenced for life imprisonment but we’ve been able to see the gradual change in the attitude towards life throughout these years and involving themselves in activities like farming has helped this process to a great extent,” he concludes.

The work done by the inmates in Nettukaltheri has not only benefited the environment and the society to a large extent but also gives the inmates the courage, skill and the savings to start a new life after serving their time.

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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It was an unusually hot day in Didaga village in Hassan, Karnataka. Vishwa, a local farmer, was out in the sun milking his only buffalo. He stepped out with the milking bucket, expecting the usual less-than-one-bucket yield.

But to his astonishment, the bucket soon became filled up to the brim with milk. He asked his son to fetch another pail and within the next few minutes, it filled up with fresh milk. And another one after that! 

Bewildered, Vishwa wondered the reason behind the welcome change. The answer was in front of his eyes — Kambala. 

No, not the buffalo race in Karnataka, but a low-cost, sustainable innovation that grows high protein fodder through hydroponics. It was this highly nutritious fodder that helped increase the milk production for Vishwa’s buffalo. 

Identifying India’s Overlooked Fodder Crisis

Designed by Bengaluru-based agritech startup Hydrogreens, Kambala is helping solve the acute fodder crisis across India. In a conversation with The Better India, founders Vasanth Kamath and Jeevan M explained how they aspire to empower more marginal farmers through their innovation in the coming days. 

While working as a Director of Innovations at a popular retail chain, Vasanth, a Civil Engineer, learnt about the fodder shortage problem in India. “One of our suppliers, a woman farmer from a remote village, was complaining about the fodder shortage in her farm. However, soon I found out that she had managed to avert the problem by herself, using some hack from YouTube.”

“Upon a little in-depth survey, I realised that the problem is relevant to hundreds of farmers across India, and all of them are eager to solve the crisis at minimal expense,” shares Vasanth. 

An avid enthusiast of agriculture, Vasanth decided to explore the domain further and contribute to a sustainable solution. He quit his job and set out on a countrywide journey to observe the on-ground situation. 

For two years, Vasanth interacted with small and marginal dairy farmers and landholders in Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Odisha. He noted the constraints farmers face like altering climate, recurring droughts and the consequent economic turmoil at the grassroots level. 

India reportedly suffers nearly 29 per cent deficit in cattle feed, including 11.24 per cent in the availability of fresh green fodder. This, in turn, amounts to a loss in milk production from anything between 20 to 60 per cent than the global average. 

“In fact, the government has issued several advisories and came up with projects like fodder banks in the past few years, after the drought scenario intensified. However, the ground-level implementation of these programmes across India will take more time. Meanwhile, the farmers with cattle are struggling to make ends meet and feed their cows and buffaloes,” informs Vasanth. 

How A Kambala Works

While brainstorming for a feasible solution, Vasanth thought along the lines of hydroponics, since he had seen many farmers turning towards this method for better fodder production. “But what was lacking was a sachet model that would work for a small, marginal farmer and individual families. That’s why we came up with Kambala,” he informs.

The product can be compared to the structure of a large refrigerator, occupying 3 by 4 feet of ground space and standing 7 feet tall. Inside, racks are installed for growing fodder — 7 racks for 7 days of the week. 

Each rack comprises four trays where approximately 700 gms of high-protein seeds of maize are added one day a week. Alternately, seeds of wheat or barley can also be used. Within the next few days, the rack becomes covered with fresh, green fodder ready to be dispensed to the cattle. 

The insides of the racks are connected with 14 micro-sprinklers which spray water occasionally according to the need, once the system is connected to a power source. In a day, 25-30 kg of fodder is generated in a Kambala machine, thereby creating enough fodder for at least 4-5 cows in a week. 

The water requirement by Kambala is minimal, around 50 litres for 3 days, compared to around 70-100 litres of water required to grow just 1 kg of fodder in traditional field cultivation. The saved water can be redirected to farmlands through drip irrigation and similar methods. 

The Kambala is also enveloped with a black net cover from the outside, thereby protecting the growing fodder from excessive heat while allowing ample ventilation. This allowed the system to be installed in areas with high daytime temperatures like interior villages of Rajasthan. 

Priced at Rs 30,000, each Kambala generates an electricity bill of less than Rs 70 in a year. The founders have also commissioned a solar-powered version of the machine, which is priced at Rs 45,000 at present. Around 41 units of the solar Kambala is being installed in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, and several other units are already active in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka. In total, Hydrogreens have installed around 130 Kambala units all over India and benefitted hundreds of farming families. 

The Farmers of Fragmented Lands

“The set up was designed by Vasanth,” says Jeevan M, who partnered with the former after knowing about his initiative through a mutual friend. “The problem was so severe, that I decided to quit my corporate job and join Vasanth in this noble pursuit.” 

Together, they attended a rigorous course on cattle and fodder growth at National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology before establishing Hydrogreens in January 2019. From understanding the problems of farmers in fragmented lands to coordinating with the rural dairy cooperatives — the duo came a long way before officially registering their company. 

“It was quite the culture shock for us — from working in high-end corporate offices to working in heat, cold and rain to collect data for fine-tuning our machine,” says Vasanth. Interestingly, Kambala has been customised in a manner so as to withstand power fluctuations and extreme daytime temperature ranges in rural India. The design was patented by Hydrogreens in 2019.

Restoring a Farmer’s Lost Income

“Vasanth and Jeevan helped me install a Kambala at my home. Now, the entire community of small farmers like us is benefitting from the fodder generated from just one machine,” says Pukraj Jaipal, a farmer and social worker associated with NGO Urmul in Rajasthan. “The machine is very convenient to operate and gives fodder multiple times than what we used to procure from farming. The quality of the fodder is also better, which boosts milk production in cattle,” he adds.

Pukraj has also taken up the responsibility of demonstrating the benefits of Kambala among his fellow villagers, many of whom have decided to install the machine at their home. 

“Overall, a Kambala is aimed to restore 15-20 per cent of the farmer’s income from dairy which becomes lost in inputs for traditional fodder production. Fodder grown in Kambala has been found to increase milk production by around 2 litres per cattle,” asserts Jeevan.

Community Fodder Stations 

Presently, Hydrogreens is engaged in setting up around 25 community fodder stations in Chitradurga district of Karnataka. These are small commercial units, in each of which a Kambala has been commissioned under the patronage of local agricultural non-profits. Dairy farmers and villagers with cattle can come up to the station every morning and buy the required amount of high-protein fodder for their cattle.

The founders have also received requests of wheatgrass juice and other edible products from Kambala fodder — which is another aspect they wish to explore in these community fodder stations. They are also planning to grow nutrient-rich ragi, millets etc. along with maize, wheat and barley as fresh fodder. 

Making India Fodder-secure

The duo zeroed upon the name ‘Kambala’ after the blankets (kambala in Kannada) carried by farmers who spend their days in the field.This blanket serves as a bed for them in the middle of a tiring day, or as a warm wraparound in cold winter mornings. 

The ‘Kambala’ remains an unfailing companion of the lonely farmer toiling in his field. Hydrogreens have attempted to incite a similar feeling for a farmer with their innovation. 

“The idea is to make farming communities in India fodder secure,” says Vasanth, adding that the product will help foster more farm-based microentrepreneurs in the rural demography of India. 

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan) 

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Before the pandemic drove things awry, people would throng the club patio at South City-1 in Gurugram during the early hours every Sunday. A long line of people would queue up in front of the closed gates of a marketplace, waiting to fill up their grocery bags with organic goodness. 

Even in the freezing winters of Gurugram, when the market would start a bit later, there would be no dearth of eager customers lining up.

As soon as the clock struck 7 am and the gates opened, the market would be teeming with buyers and farmers — whose aim was to popularise clean and green food among consumers. Though the market is scheduled to remain open for three hours, the majority of the stalls are sold out within just an hour.

Since 2014, the Gurgaon Organic Farmers’ Market (GOFM) has been catering to the sustainable eaters of the city. The market is largely a citizen’s initiative, spearheaded by permaculture designer Manas Arvind, organic enthusiast Adarsh Kanwal and around eight other residents of Gurugram. 

“We wanted to switch to a cleaner plant-based diet and came together to form a consortium. After nearly six months of brainstorming and planning, we finally launched GOFM and there has been no looking back since,” shares Manas Arvind, one of the earliest propounders of the marketspace. 

Fostering Friendship with Farmers

Every Sunday, organic farmers from around Gurugram arrive at the market with their seasonal produce of vegetables, grains, fruits and homemade delicacies like pickles, chutneys, condiments and even baked goods. They put up stalls with their offerings and fix the rate charts on their own, without any intervention from the market organisers.

“The aim is to propagate the idea of treating a farmer as a friend, not simply a vendor. This attitude can impact the producer-consumer relation in the agricultural space of the country. That is why we offer full freedom to our farmer friends — be it in their products or prices. GOFM simply acts as a platform for them to showcase and sell their harvest,” clarifies Manas. 

Another significant aspect of this organic market is the absence of the vacant consumerist culture. The farmers and customers together have fruited a beautiful relationship which prioritises the community above everything — a community dedicated to sustainability. In fact, customers have the opportunity to pay a visit to the farms and assist the cultivator in his work as well. 

“Every single decision about the market is materialised only after discussing with all the proponents — from farmers to regular customers to volunteers. Such is our community sentiment,” reveals Kaushik, a weekend farmer associated with GOFM.

Vocal For Local

In around 5 acres of land, Prem Singh grows seasonal vegetables like ridge gourd, black-eyed peas, spinach, colocasia, okra, beetroot and also sugarcane, organically. Staying true to his objective — Healthy Kisan, Healthy Hindustan — Prem started practising organic farming to promote healthier eating habits among people. Eighteen months ago, he was selling his produce directly from the farm in the outskirts of Gurugram. 

The sales were never enough. Only few people were aware of the ‘organic’ status of his vegetables and bought from him regularly. 

“It was Brigadier Vishen, a regular at GOFM, who informed me about the existence of such an organic conclave. I have been a regular seller at the market ever since. It has been highly profitable for me,” shares Prem Singh, expressing his keen appreciation for GOFM to have created opportunities for many organic farmers like him. 

Ideally, GOFM believes in the ‘go local’ motto, which is why they give preference to organic farmers from within a radius of 50 km around Gurugram. “We want to minimise environmental pollution due to transport from a distant location as well as the waste from packaging. This is why we predominantly try to steer clear of sourcing produce from other cities and towns. Even if we do allow such aggregators once in a while for certain exotic vegetables like zucchinis, avocados, bell peppers or fruits like kinnows and apples from Kashmir or Himachal, we make our customers aware of that so they buy at their own discretion,” informs Manas. 

Encouraging ‘Plant-Based’

Around 50 local organic farmers like Prem Singh are associated with GOFM at present. Each Sunday, nearly 15-20 of them set up stalls, serving up to 500 customers. The turnover per table can range from anything between Rs 6000 to Rs 30,000, depending on the items on offer. 

However, the organisers do not demand a single rupee of the farmers’ profits. The farmers do pay a table fee and a nominal volunteer expense fee. “Our work is completely voluntary,” says Manas, reiterating their emphasis creating a citizen’s movement of clean, healthy and conscious eating. The ground management, stall checking and verification of the farmers’ backgrounds are all done by volunteers. 

Interestingly, the market is plant-based, which explains the absence of dairy, honey or poultry.

Supporting the Marginal Farmers

Kaushik Bandopadhyay, an organic farmer by passion, has been associated with GOFM since 2017. “I have seen Mandis in hill stations which sold produce locally, often organic, but always lamented the absence of a niche market for the same in our city. So, when I heard about GOFM from my friend, I was immediately stoked. However, getting a spot there was not so easy,” says Kaushik. 

The selection process of farmers at GOFM involves a rigorous series of assessment tests, performed personally by GOFM volunteers. Kaushik’s farm also had to undergo the same. From extensive soil testing to product quality check, Kaushik was on-boarded at GOFM only after checking all the right boxes.  It is not the same for each, as each case is different. “We ask for different credentials from different farmers/vendors, depending on their location, farm size, practices, produce, experience, certifications etc,” says Manas.

So, why not go by the organic certification granted by the government, since that would be way less cumbersome? Manas answers, “Gaining an official organic certification is no cakewalk. It is viable for farmers who want to export or sell in large quantities, either directly or through aggregators. At GOFM, while it is easier for us to enrol a certified farmer, we go the extra mile to verify uncertified ones to give them a fair opportunity. ”

Certified organic producers can sell at any corporate retail outlet across the country, which is not possible for these small-scale farmers. They often cannot sell their produce at the ‘organic’ market rate. Hence, GOFM vows to support these local cultivators and conducts its own evaluation of their crops. Their list of sellers includes farmers from all walks of life — from weekend hobbyists to certified organic growers to small farmers.

Go Local and Eat Greener

Since the spread of the pandemic early this year, the GOFM has gone online. Within a week from the announcement of the nationwide lockdown, their online portal was launched and the participating farmers were invited to upload details about their products.

The sales and product delivery are managed by the farmers themselves; GOFM online is simply providing a portal at a nominal convenience fee for them to sail through these trying times. “Thankfully, we are still able to supply the customers,” Prem Singh shares with a hint of gratitude in his voice. 

“We do not have any interest in turning ourselves into a national brand,” says Manas. The stakeholders of GOFM wish that such local organic market models are replicated all over India, enabling more and more consumers to go local and eat greener.

As the next initiative with the GOFM community, Manas is now using permaculture methods to help create an organic community project, where residents of Gurgaon will be able to closely connect and collaborate with an organic farmer to not only receive self-monitored organic produce, but also learn a lot about, food, environment and health, in an exciting way.

Information about this group was originally published by Vikalp Sangam, here. March 2020 onwards, the COVID19 pandemic related crises have affected hundreds of millions of people in India. In such a situation, it is vital India finds alternative pathways of well-being, that help generate dignified livelihoods for all, and that help us move towards ecological sustainability. In a series of documents in various languages, Vikalp Sangam is presenting such examples, from which crucial lessons can be learnt and adapted to achieve similar results elsewhere. We show how each of the major problems faced during COVID19 has solutions, already demonstrated by communities, civil society, or government agencies somewhere in India. Other than English, you can find the document in Malayalam, Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, and Spanish.

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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Microgreens are the first true leaves produced from the seedling of a vegetable or herb. These tiny leaves are imitations of their mature counterparts and are packed with intense flavour and nutrition.

“Simply put, microgreens are one of the initial stages of the plant’s growth, and are more nutritious than fully-grown vegetables,” says Swati Jain, founder of the Delhi-based startup, The First Leaf which sells live and organic microgreens. She has also conducted workshops to help other urban gardeners start their microgreen garden.

When consumed regularly, microgreens help detoxify your body. They are highly nutritious and even in small quantities, a powerbomb of energy. The only possible drawback is that they are expensive when purchased from the market, and not every variety is easily available.

But the good news is that they can be grown easily at home, in a tiny space, with readily-available supplies.

Mustard Microgreens

Using this simple, readily-available ingredient, you can grow microgreens that are rich in Vitamins A, C, K, and E.

Why Mustard?

The leaves of this plant are packed with phytonutrients such as glucosinolates and phenols which are known to strengthen the immunity system. Furthermore, Dr Ekta S, a Bangalore-based dietician, says that the leaves can prevent the growth of cancerous cells. “This leafy vegetable is rich in antioxidants which helps to fight against malignant cells. It is also rich in protein, fibre, calcium, and iron,” she says.

Here’s what you will need:

• Small Container (Pot, tray or plastic box)
• Mustard Seeds
• Potting mix

Step 1: Grab a handful of mustard seeds and pre-soak them in a bowl of water for 6 hours.

Step 2: Take the desired container and create two or three holes at the base. This facilitates the drainage of excess water and watering of the microgreens once they grow taller.

Step 2: Fill the box with any organic potting mix, or homemade compost.

Step 3: Scatter all the soaked seeds, and spread it evenly using the back of a spoon.

Step 4: Sprinkle or spray water to ensure both the seeds and the soil is moist.

Step 5: Cover the pot with another container with a few holes for air circulation. Or, you can use an aluminium foil or cardboard to cover the container. Punch a few holes on the surface to allow the plant to breathe.

Place the container in a well-ventilated area of your house that does not receive direct sunlight. Remember to water the seedlings every 8 hours, by spraying or sprinkling. Continue doing this for the next three days until the seeds begin to germinate. The small leaves will start sprouting by Day 5.

Step 6: Now, remove the lid, and place the container in a well-ventilated area of your house that receives indirect sunlight.

Step 7: Since the seedlings are taller, it is time to water your microgreens differently. Place the container on a dish/tray, filled with water, for one minute. Do this twice a day for one minute only.

Once the seedling reaches a height of 1 inch, it is ready for harvest.

How To Consume Microgreens?

Always ensure that the microgreens are grown organically, and consumed as living foods.
“Never cook your microgreens, always eat them raw. They’re too delicate in nature, and the moment you expose them to heat, they start losing their vitality and nutrition,” says Swati.

She suggests adding them to everyday meals as a garnish, tossing them along with salads, squeezing them in between sandwiches, or blending them along with chutneys, dips, raita, or juice.

Photographs and GIFs courtesy: Swati Jain

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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A job at a reputable company, with a salary to lead a decent life — this is the dream for any young professional. However, for 27-year-old Mahesh Kumar, a resident of Lingampally, a suburb in Hyderabad, the dream soon turned into a life of drudgery. As the ennui grew, Mahesh began to seriously consider leaving the job, and starting a business where he could not only earn more money, but also make his own rules. After some deliberation, he quit his job in 2016, to start his own business related to agriculture, more specifically, mushroom farming.

“I was working as an HR professional with a reputed company in Hyderabad. But it was getting increasingly difficult for me to strike a balance between my professional and personal life. I could barely spend time with my family, or pursue any interest,” says Mahesh.

“I chose agriculture because I am deeply passionate about gardening. At home, I raised a mango tree in the garden that produces three varieties of mangoes from the same tree. I did that through grafting techniques which I learned by watching videos online,” he adds.

A New Profession

Before deciding what to cultivate, Mahesh had to take into account two constraints. One, he did not have farmland. Two, he needed to find a crop that would be suitable to grow in humid climatic conditions. After extensive research, he zeroed in on mushrooms, because they can be grown inside a room and have minimal water requirements.

“Additionally, they are not a widely grown vegetable in Andhra Pradesh — only the button mushroom variety is available in the market. I decided to grow other varieties like milky mushrooms and oyster mushrooms. Mushrooms also have a high nutritional value. They are rich in Vitamin B, protein, fibre and minerals.”

Learning About Mushroom Farming

Once he decided that he wanted to grow mushrooms, Mahesh attended two workshops to gain knowledge about the techniques involved in their farming. The first workshop was held at National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) in Hyderabad, while the second one was at the Indian Institute of Horticulture Research (IIHR) in Bengaluru.

“This was a 7-day programme which covered all the aspects of mushroom cultivation in depth. From substrate (medium) preparation, and sterilization methods, to the cultivation-room preparation, and temperature/humidity maintenance, I learnt everything there,” he says.

Upon returning to Hyderabad, with an investment of Rs 10,000, he purchased ‘oyster spawn’ (mushroom seeds) from IIHR, paddy straws, and a humidifier from a supplier in Hyderabad.

“I did not have a unit to sterilize the straws, so I washed them in hot water, and let them air dry. Then, I packed the straws along with the spawn, in a bag, and placed it in a dark room of my house. Within 7 days, the oyster mushrooms were ready to be harvested,” says Mahesh.

In a few months, he started growing both oyster and milky mushrooms, and harvested 50-60 kg every week. He started offering them to a local supermarket near his home for sale, but made no profits.

“For some reason, no one would buy the mushrooms! Though I tried marketing the mushrooms to other supermarkets, everyone was reluctant to sell it in their store. They were not aware of the oyster mushroom variety, and were unsure if it was edible,” says Mahesh.

To convince the store owners, Mahesh prepared a video showing his cultivation process, and the benefits of consuming oyster mushrooms. He even prepared pamphlets to distribute around markets, stores, and even clinics.

“After seeing the videos many stores agreed to distribute the mushrooms, but only on the condition that I supply it for free. That month, I had offered 5,00,000 free samples, of both oyster and milky mushrooms, across several stores in Hyderabad,” says Mahesh.

New venture

By the end of 2017, customers were familiar with these products, and supermarkets started placing orders with Mahesh. He went on to register his business under the name Swastika Mushrooms, and began distribution.

“The sale of oyster and milky mushrooms picked up, and by mid 2018 I was supplying to several supermarkets across Andhra Pradesh, and I started earning more than Rs 1,00,000 every month,” he says.

He also built his sterilization unit using a drum, and some other equipment for Rs 8500.

“An actual sterilization unit which is known as an ‘autoclave machine’ costs somewhere between Rs.50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh. By doing some research online I created a desi version of it and sourced all the materials locally. To bring all the elements together, I took help from a welder,” he claims.

Providing Employment

Around this time, Mahesh also purchased a new office space where he could provide training for others who wish to start their own mushroom business.

“I realised that this was an excellent business opportunity for unemployed professionals, housewives, and for anyone who wants to earn by practising farming. I decided to offer them hands-on training, along with a package where they could purchase all the necessary equipment from me, and set up their mushroom farming unit. All they would need is a 10×10 square feet room,” says Mahesh.

Till today, he has trained 5,000 people in oyster mushroom, and milky mushroom cultivation, and more than 30 of his students, have started a mushroom business. Not only has Mahesh provided them with the equipment, and the raw material, but he also offers regular visits to ensure the mushrooms are growing healthy.

Anitha Reddy, a resident of Hyderabad, who quit her job as an accountant a few years ago, decided she wanted to start a mushroom business after seeing Mahesh’s story in the news.

“I attended his training program in August, 2019, and by October, Mahesh sir had set up the equipment in my home. He also supplied necessary raw materials, and made weekly visits to my farm for the first few months to check if I needed help. It was a life-changing experience for me. This business helped me gain control of my life, and prove to those around me that I could achieve something too,” she says.

Today, she harvests 10 kg of milky mushrooms every week, and earns upto Rs 25,000 every month.

Mahesh also offers his students a buy-back option. “I purchase the mushrooms that cannot be sold on time from them for a pre-fixed price,” says Mahesh.

Mushroom By-Products

What began as an effort to reduce wastage, led to experiments with dry-mushroom powder and eventually, Mahesh managed to successfully create several by-products such as mushroom pickle, soup powder, noodles, and more. All his products are FSSAI approved.

“Currently they are available in most supermarkets in Hyderabad. There are also some clinics which sell our dry mushroom powder,” says Mahesh.

Ganesh Kumar, the owner of ‘Ganesh Future Group Vegetables’ has been selling oyster mushrooms, milky mushrooms, and the mushroom by-products in his Hyderabad-based store since 2 years. He says, “Customers were initially reluctant to try new varieties of mushrooms, but once they did, they loved it. Oyster mushrooms are a particular favourite for most customers, and the quality of mushrooms produced by Mahesh are exceptional. The best-selling by-product is the mushroom soup powder, customers enjoy it for the taste and its health benefits,” he says.

In 2019, Mahesh decided to venture into other methods of farming such as hydroponic soilless cultivation, sericulture, and apiculture. He registered a business, named Bhagavathimahima Agro Tech LLP, along with Manisha, his former student, who has a Masters degree in Agriculture.

“We had the same goal — produce food using different methods of organic farming,” says Mahesh.

The duo leased 80 acres of land at Shamshabad located 100 kilometres away from Hyderabad, and also hired 30 labourers to stay in the farm, and maintain the plants, bees, and silkworms.

“I decided to experiment with all these techniques because I had attended a few workshops at IIHR related to those topics. Apart from that, I also learnt a lot reading various articles published on the internet, and by doing site visits to other farms in Andhra Pradesh,” says Mahesh.

It has been a year since Mahesh and Manisha started experimenting with the methods of farming, and they have tasted success here as well. Apart from growing exotic vegetables such as bok choy through soilless farming, the duo has produced different varieties of honey such as eucalyptus-infused honey, coriander honey, ajwain honey, Jamun honey, and orange-flavoured honey.

“The products were supposed to be launched in 2020, but due to the pandemic, and the multiple lockdowns, our launch got delayed. We will hopefully begin distributing across stores in Andhra Pradesh shortly,” says Mahesh.

Does he ever think about his former life as an HR professional? “Never! It has been four years since I quit the job, and it’s the best decision I ever made,” he concludes.

If you are in India and are interested in learning about mushroom cultivation you can contact Mahesh at 7842911964. You can also purchase oyster mushrooms or milky mushrooms from him. He ships them throughout India.

Images courtesy: Mahesh Kumar

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

If you live in Bengaluru, and are looking for ways to ‘healthify’ your meals or add more greens to your diet, Earthistic Agro, a city-based startup has just the thing for you — fresh microgreens, delivered to your doorstep, for an affordable price of Rs 150/ box.

Microgreens are the young greens of vegetables and herbs, and a powerhouse of nutrition. According to several studies, they are 40 times more abundant in Vitamins (C, E, and K), tocopherols, beta carotene and lutein than mature, fully grown leaves.

“We offer a wide variety of live microgreens ranging from simple varieties such as coriander and mustard to exotic ones such as red amaranthus, and sunflower microgreens. They are all grown using organic methods. Since the product is delicate and has a shelf-life up to 3 days, they are delivered only in Bengaluru,” says Vikram Udaygiri, a chef and the founder of Earthistic Agro.

For people with green thumbs, the startup offers a Grow-Your-Own microgreens kit at an affordable price. The kit comprises one packet of seeds, potting-mix, a tray for growing the microgreens, a complimentary spray bottle to water the microgreens, and a special recipe by Vikram. All you have to do is follow the instructions, plant the seeds, and grow them.

Lavanya Akarsh, a resident of Bangalore, purchased two kits for her children aged 8 and 4. She wanted to give them an activity through the lockdown, and inculcate healthy eating habits.

“We purchased these kits one month ago, and my children have definitely become more responsible since they started growing plants. Every morning they wake up to water them, and also continuously measure how much it has grown. When it comes to consuming it, they make no fuss because it is a product of their hard work. Instead, they are very excited to try out special recipes that Vikram has included in the kit,” she says.

Inspiration

Vikram wears many hats. He runs this startup, works as a chef, and is also a professional consultant for restaurants and hotels.

“I assist restaurants in various aspects such as scientifically designing the kitchen as per food-service concepts, designing the menus, identifying chefs, training them, and advising them on food pricing,” he mentions.

Apart from that, Vikram also represents the Ministry of External Affairs in promoting Indian cuisine by organising food festivals all over the globe. In fact, it was during one such food festival that he first came across microgreens.

“I have organised food festivals in several countries including South Africa, Israel, and Egypt. During a food festival in Zimbabwe, I came across microgreens being used as a garnish for dishes, in the same way that we use coriander or curry leaves. This left me feeling amazed, because at the time, these tiny leaves were considered an exotic ingredient back home and were also quite expensive. I wondered if I could work towards changing that perception and make them affordable,” recalls Vikram.

Vikram put this thought into action in 2017, by converting his grandparents’ house, which had been empty for many years, into his microgreens farm.

“To learn the process of growing microgreens, I approached some experts at the University of Agriculture Sciences, Bengaluru, for advice, and also hired some horticulturists to help me set up, initially. For seeds, I got in touch with seed farmers in Karnataka, and some in Rajasthan,” he mentions.

In three 10×10 square feet rooms, Vikram installed five-storey stands and created a vertical garden setup to grow the microgreens. “This method was also the best way to utilise the space available,” says Vikram.

Today, he harvests up to 750 boxes of microgreens every week and supplies his products to more than 90 hotels.

Kasi Vishwanathan, the executive chef of Radisson Blu Atria, Bengaluru, says, “Being a chef himself, Vikram can understand the needs of other hotels. For my restaurant, we order microgreens thrice a week from him, and it has always been of exceptional quality. Apart from the regular varieties of microgreens, he grows different ones such as dill microgreens, or chard microgreens, according to our requirements. He also supplies edible flowers which are otherwise hard to source.”

Check out the live microgreens offered by Earthistic here. If you wish to place an order for a Grow-Your-Own microgreen kit, click here.

Image courtesy: Vikram Udaygiri

Green, blissful and uplifting are the words that come to my mind when I hear about a terrace garden in Delhi’s Moti Bagh area. It was created by homemaker Sumathi Chelliah in 2014 to improve the health of her family.

The 3,000-sq ft luscious garden thrives with 100 varieties of organic fruits, medicinal plants, flowers, and vegetables. Apart from a visual treat, this beautiful garden has created its biodiversity in a city that is otherwise infamous for its air pollution.

Hailing from Tamil Nadu, Sumathi moved to Delhi in 2004 along with her husband, Chellaiah Sellamuthu. Chellaiah is the Assistant Director of New Delhi Municipal Corporation’s Horticulture department.

The spiking air pollution, especially during winters, did not suit Sumathi, and soon, she developed breathing problems and dust allergy.

“The doctors recommended that I stay indoors or live in a place that has fresh air and greenery. They also told me to consume organic vegetables. While I continued with the medication and a healthier lifestyle, my triggering point came in 2014 on a trip to Chennai,” Sumathi tells The Better India.

In Chennai, Sumathi met a couple of horticulture experts through her husband who suggested that she try her hand at rooftop farming. Intrigued, she visited experts at their terrace gardens to learn more.

They gave her organic seeds of easy-growing vegetables like tomatoes, brinjals and spinach, which she began to grow on her terrace.

She found success in the very first harvest and realised that one does not need any degree, course or workshop to grow their own food. “All you need is the willingness and the inspiration to go the extra mile,” she adds.

Chelliah agrees with his wife, “It is Sumathi’s devotion and determination that our harvest cycle gives us at least five kilos of fresh vegetables daily. Our market purchase has reduced significantly, and of course, health also has improved. Though I have studied horticulture, there are days when I am stunned to see my wife’s expertise in gardening.”

What Makes This Terrace Garden Stand Out

If you are a resident of Delhi, you probably know that growing even basic vegetables like tomatoes is an arduous task due to the extreme heat.

Meanwhile, most gardeners prefer growing vegetables, fruits, herbs or flowers. In some cases, gardeners adhere to one set of vegetables due to space and time crunch.

But not this Moti Bagh garden.

Sumathi went all out by growing all kinds of plants and varieties including insulin plant, kala basa, lemongrass, mint, banana, orange, guava, snake gourd, lettuce green, spinach, mustard, carrot, beetroot, celery, broccoli, red cabbage, zucchini, pumpkin, maize, muskmelon, watermelon, strawberry, ajwain, moringa and jasmine.

Rare and indigenous varieties like rhubarb, rosemary, Chinese cabbage, lettuce lollo rossa, gongura (hibiscus) and rosemary also flourish in her garden.

So, how does Sumathi increase the survival rate of her plants?

“Seed selection is very crucial, and thankfully I have an in-house horticulture expert that makes the task easy. Meanwhile, I learnt other hacks from my mistakes in the last couple of years. Having seen the results, I strictly abide by them,” she mentions.

Sumathi’s Gardening Rules:

1. Multi-Layer Farming

As pointed out earlier, heat is a significant problem in Delhi. So this homemaker has turned towards the multi-layer farming method in which two or more plants are grown in a single pot or very close proximity.

“The catch here is to provide shade to smaller plants by growing tall ones next to them. Or growing plants with big leaves. This has increased the survival rate of my plants for sure. Plus, this method is beneficial for those who have less space,” says Sumathi.

Backing the multilayer method in which plants support each other, Indra Singh, Writer and Director of Policy and Outreach, National Seed Association of India, tells TBI, “In soaring Delhi temperatures, the best way to protect your plants is to replicate the ecological system of forest where the underground crops and tall plants support each other. They not only provide shade but also nutrition to each other. Chilli and corn or beans and corn make for good examples.”

Giving an example from her garden, Sumathi says, “I grow corn and leafy vegetables in one pot. The height of corn provides ample shade to the greens. Meanwhile, I have sowed brinjal and coriander together.”

She has strategically placed medicinal plants and climbers like beans, cucumber, sweet pea and gourds next to pots with short-heighted plants.

2. Waste Management

Sumathi, who comes from an agrarian family, has always been conscious of her lifestyle. Like every homemaker, she believes in reusing household items before discarding them.

This principle is reflected in her gardening habits, as she has reused waste containers like vegetable crates, thermocol planters, plastic takeaway containers and so on to grow plants.

In the same vein, kitchen waste is converted to organic compost.

“It has been close to six years that we have been treating kitchen waste at source. I deposit all the wet waste into a container every day and add soil in between. After two months, the waste decomposes and gives us nutrient-rich compost,” she adds.

3. Natural Pest Repellent

Using chemical-based harmful fertilisers and pesticides to control or eliminate pests that are dangerous to plants is an issue often raised by agriculture experts.

When Sumathi was faced with a similar dilemma, she refused to give in and found natural pest repellents.

“I use buttermilk, fermented curd, neem oil, fish bones and cow dung to keep insects at bay and increase soil fertility. Sticky cards (glue-based traps) are also an alternative.”

She also planted jasmine and marigold that attract honeybees, which are excellent pest repellers.

What started with just 4-5 plants, has now bloomed into a garden with hundreds of plants that provide the family with organic food, pure air and a pleasant temperature even in the rising heat of Delhi.

The best part?

Sumathi no longer has breathing problems or allergies!

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

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In recent years, there’s been a drastic change in people’s lifestyles. From fast fashion, fast food and fast-paced consumerism, people are now moving towards slower, self-dependent ways of living. As a result, people have started incorporating organic and natural techniques into their lifestyle with a renewed stress on urban gardening and terrace cultivation. Following a sustainable lifestyle, Uma Maheshwaran and his wife, Rajasree, have been cultivating their land for the past 12 years and ensured that their whole family partakes in the farming activities. This family has also adopted the art of self-sustenance as a way of life.

They grow everything they eat — rice or vegetables in their 20-cent plot in Vilavoorkkal, Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala.

“It’s a lot of work to cultivate everything on your own, so besides the help of my family, I ask for help from the Krishi Bhavan nearby for levelling and ploughing the land. Most of the saplings that we’ve cultivated have also been sourced from there,” Uma, 60, a professor at the Vellayani College of Agriculture in the Department of Plant Pathology tells The Better India (TBI).

Rajasree, who works as the Joint Director of Plant Protection at the Directorate of Agriculture, Thiruvanathapuram says, “Last year we were able to cultivate 400 kg of rice, which was a huge win for us. Paddy cultivation takes only upto 3-4 months and is harvested mostly in November. During the rest of the year, we cultivate pulses on that land which usually gives us a yield of 10 kg every year.”

Uma & Family Grow Their Food

The family cultivates paddy in 20 cents of land and in the 6 cents surrounding their house, they grow essential spices like ginger, turmeric, pepper and vegetables like tomatoes, ladies finger, green chillies, cauliflower, along with bananas.

“Besides vegetables like potatoes and onions, potatoes and garlic, which tend to grow in cooler regions, we grow everything — tomato, brinjal, bitter gourd, beans, ladies finger, tapioca and local tubers like chena and chembu. The plants that are kept on the terrace are cultivated using grow bags,” Uma explains.

Uma’s son Anand U, a banker based in Thrissur has also been involved in the farming process from his childhood and has imbibed a keen interest for it from his parents.

Talking to TBI, Anand says, “It’s become a way of life for us, and even while I’m working a 9-5 job now, it’s nice to come home on holidays and help out in the fields. Subsistence farming is something that every family in the country can easily adopt. Especially with the current scenario of COVID-19, it has become a safer and healthier option for us to grow our crops.”

Now Anand’s wife Aparna, who recently joined the family, has also taken on farming with a lot of enthusiasm.

“Aparna didn’t have any prior farming background, but she picked it up within weeks while we were at home in Thiruvananthapuram. It may seem difficult in the beginning, but it is one of the simplest things and helps you save up on a lot of grocery money,” Anand adds.

Happy Neighbours, Happy Planet

We talked to Chitra Sasisdharan, a homemaker in Uma’s neighbourhood who says, “I’ve always been very astonished by the dedication Rajasree and Uma have shown towards agriculture. They wake up every day at 4.30 a.m. to weed the paddy fields and water their plants before heading off to work. The couple has also been very generous by giving a portion of their harvest to us every year.”

The plastic usage in Uma’s house has also come down with lesser products being brought from the market. “We have also seen a drastic dip in the plastic carry bags brought back to our house. Besides plastic packaged snacks, we don’t seem to have any kind of excess plastic lying around the house,” explains Rajasree.

As for their irrigation needs, the couple source water from a shared pond in the panchayat through a pump. This was set up by the panchayat to help all the farmers in the area.

Apiculture & More

The family has recently started trying their hands on apiculture to produce honey for the family and to help with the cross-pollination of their terrace crops. They have also set up vermicompost to collect biowaste from the kitchen to use as an organic fertiliser for the plants.

“A lot of seasonal pests come to attack the crops but never once have we resorted to chemical fertilisers and pesticides. That would defeat the entire purpose of our cultivation. Instead, we use organic pesticides made from garlic and neem and the vermicompost as a fertiliser,” says Uma.

In the present scenario of COVID-19, adopting Uma and Rajasree’s cultivation method would be highly beneficial to Indian homes in terms of health, safety and accessibility. In the coming future, this concept in agriculture is undoubtedly something we will move towards.

Picture Source: Uma Maheshwaran

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

Gudivada Nagaratnam Naidu and his wife, Satyavathy hailing from Hyderabad were comfortable with their well-paying stable jobs in an electronic goods firm but were struggling to find a sense of purpose with their lives. In 1989, the couple took a drastic decision to leave their jobs behind and start a career in farming. Naidu and his wife bought 17 acres of barren land near a quarry field in Taramathipet village, about 25 km from Hyderabad.

In a span of six years they converted 17 acres of land into a lush organic farm with 5 acres set aside for paddy and almost 20 varieties of fruits, pepper, cardamom and even coffee.

The couple earns close to a lakh from Nagaratnam Naidu Farm every month.

Reaching For The Roots in the Land

Born in Balakrishnapuram village in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, Naidu studied electronics in a polytechnic college and up until 1989 was working as a service engineer at an electronic goods firm along with his wife Sathyavathy who worked in the same firm as an office assistant.

“At this point in time, we were happy with the income we were getting and had enough savings as well but we wanted to get back to our roots and invest our time in something more meaningful like farming,” explains 66-year-old Naidu.

When he consulted with friends and family regarding this change, they naturally asked them to stick on to their jobs.

“Even with regard to the land that we were planning to buy, they said that it would be impossible to cultivate plants on the rocky terrain,” he adds.

But a determined Naidu and his wife went ahead with their decision and bought the land in Taramathipet. For six years, the couple lived on their savings and began preparing the land for cultivation.

“Besides the land, our first investment was the purchase of two cows. We used the dung from the cows to prepare the land for cultivation,” explains Sathyavathy.

The SRI Method

Naidu first started out by cultivating one acre of land and then later expanded into paddy cultivation when he learnt about the System of Rice Intensification technique (SRI), used to increase the yield of rice in farming.

“This technique was an eye-opener for me because I had always believed that paddy cultivation wouldn’t produce the expected yield. Another thing is something that I keep telling my fellow farmer friends. We should never plant paddy deep into the soil. All you have to do is place it on the soil and allow its roots to search for water. If they are planted at the right distance, the roots will search for water on its own and will also absorb the micronutrients it needs,” he adds.

Although conventionally 20 kg of seeds is used per acre for paddy, only 2 kg of seeds is required in the SRI method. Using this method, Naidu has cultivated almost 5 acres of paddy and has doubled his yield, getting upto 90 bags of rice every year.

Planning in advance

“If I had focussed on paddy alone, I would have been bankrupt. That’s why I adopted mixed farming. When a drought season is coming up, I drop the paddy cultivation for that year and cultivate something else. Besides the fruits and vegetables, I also grow upto 20 varieties of flowers which are sent out to the Bengaluru markets,” he adds.

Naidu grows several fruits such as papaya, guava, banana, seven varieties of mangoes, Indian blackberries, coconuts and even apples! He has also cultivated a variety of vegetables like tomatoes, ladies finger, brinjal, beans and even green chillies.

Today Naidu earns upto a lakh every month from his farm and manages 12 employees. Besides the plants, Naidu has also expanded into dairy and poultry farming and has around 12 cows and a few chicken and geese on his farm.

“I had complete faith in the farm from the very beginning and today it stands testimony to my husband’s determination. Although our house is in Dilshuknagar, Hyderabad, my husband travels to Taramathipet every day to take care of the farm and I occasionally accompany him. Besides farming, we also conduct farming classes for villagers and students from various schools,” Satyavathy explains.

Sura Dasidhar, an entrepreneur based in Hyderabad who visited the farm in 2018 as part of a field trip explains, “It was a surreal experience for me to see the Nagaratnam Naidu Farm. On the way to the farm all you can see are rocky plains and drylands. When you reach the farm it comes as a surprise that there is so much greenery amidst all of this.”

Awards & Achievements

Nagaratnam Naidu Farm received a lot of recognition for its amazing harvest. The former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy on visiting Naidu’s farm arranged for specially tarred roads leading up to the farm so that more people could have access to see it.

Naidu’s agrarian methods and techniques have inspired several farmers in and around the country to bring about a change in their cultivation techniques as well.

For his contributions, Naidu has also received the award for the best SRI farmer from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 2010, in collaboration with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics, Hyderabad for his efforts in promoting the SRI technique among farmers.

“I have not used any amount of chemical pesticides or fertilisers in my cultivation and have maintained it to be completely organic. This is a part of my philosophy and I firmly believe it is the reason why I have been able to get a good harvest for the past 31 years,” he concludes.

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

Almost all agricultural products have one thing in common. They are perishable. The only way to increase the lifespan of these goods is to use cold storage solutions. But cold storage in India comes with its own set of problems — high initial investment, availability of space, interruptions in electricity supply being some of them.

This is where RuKart Technologies comes in. A Thane-based agri-tech startup, it was founded in 2019. RuKart focuses on giving farmers access to low-cost technology, which can improve the quality and quantity of their produce, thereby increasing their income.

On that note, the startup has developed a low-cost innovative machine called the Subjee Cooler to help marginalised farmers get access to cold storage facilities.

“Marginal farmers usually have landholdings of less than one hectare, and vegetable cultivation is the primary source of income for most of them. Due to its high moisture content, this commodity has a short life span and is easily perishable. While a cold storage facility can increase the shelf life of vegetables, marginalised farmers cannot afford that. With the Subjee Cooler, farmers can store their produce for up to seven days before selling them in the market, and it also helps them fetch better prices,” says Vikash Jha, the founder of RuKart Technologies.

Inspiration Behind His Startup

Vikash is a graduate of IIT-Bombay, and after graduating in 2016, he started working on a three-year-long research project, which was funded by IIT-B, and headed by the institute’s own Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA). The focus of the study was farmers in Maharashtra and Odisha, and aimed to understand the interaction between marginalised farmers and technology.

“Initially, I had no direction. I was unaware of the problems that farmers faced. But my professor, Satish Agnihotri, helped to sensitise me towards their plight. He had been involved in a previous research project on marginal farmers, and after detailed discussions with him, I had a better understanding of the issues they faced, and decided to work on finding solutions to improve their livelihoods,” says Vikash.

The findings from his research showed that most of the agricultural-technology available in the market did not suit the needs of a marginalised farmer, nor was it affordable for them.

“In India, three out four farmers fall under the marginalised category. Meanwhile, the companies which are currently manufacturing agricultural-technologies like coolers, or planting machines, are producing them for ‘large farmers’ who have land holdings above two hectares,” says Vikash.

Another finding from his study was that there is a huge gap between professional companies that manufacture agricultural machinery, and the district administration of villages who are involved in introducing new technologies for these farmers.

“Based on the findings from this research project, I, and two of my batchmates — Sharayu Kulkarni and Gunavant Nehete started to work on ideas I had noted down, and worked towards developing affordable machinery to reduce input cost and mitigate cultivation risks for farmers. The Subjee Cooler was one of the first products that we designed, and the work was sponsored by the CTARA department,” says Vikash.

Once the design for the technology was ready, he asked another friend from his batch to design the structure. “At that time, he was living in Bidar, Karnataka, which is also a district that practises farming widely. So once he developed the prototype, it was installed at a farm in Bidar for a test run,” says Vikash.

Though he had perfected the technology, the following years were spent on modifying the design, and materials used to build it. The organisation was finally launched in September 2019.

“We spent our savings, and we also received seed funding from CTARA – IIT Bombay. Till date, we continue to receive support from professors across Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), and the Shailesh J Mehta School of Management (SJMSOM),” Vikash mentions.

Subjee Cooler, and other Solutions

The cooler is a brick-and-mortar storage facility fitted with a galvanised iron tank, with a covering on top. This simple device works on the principle of evaporative cooling — a phenomenon when water evaporates, and draws energy from its surroundings, producing a cooling effect.

Nitrogen balls in the cooling chamber ensure the temperature of the tank is lower than the ambient temperature by a margin of 5-15 degrees Celsius. It also helps to maintain the humidity 85-90 per cent higher than what is outside. The Cooler does not require any other utilities like electricity. However, it requires watering once a day.

“The cold storage units sold commercially cannot be customised for a marginal farmer’s requirement, and their capacity is more suited for farmers with larger land-holdings. Apart from that, those cold storage units require maintenance, and electricity which a marginal farmer cannot afford,” says Vikash.

Apart from this, Vikash and his team have developed two other useful products: Peek-Rakshak — a defence system to minimalism human-animal conflict, and Treadle Pump, a foot-operated water pump.

Adopting the Technology

In September 2019, RuKart approached district administrative officers in Maharashtra, and Odisha to work with them and set up these units across villages under their jurisdiction.

“Most of the units are set up in Sundargarh district of Odisha, while there are three of four in the Vardah district of Maharashtra,” says Vikash.

Bhairab Singh Patel, the District Administrative Officer of Sundargarh who was involved in the project of introducing the subjee cooler in three Odisha villages — Balisankara, Kuarmunda, and Tangarpali — says, “The farmers in these areas face a major loss in summer every year when they have to sell their produce in the local mandi. Some of them bring 100 kg of one particular vegetable and expect to finish the sale within one day. Otherwise, the produce would go to waste. With the Subjee Cooler, they can store their produce for seven days, and earn more from it.”

When the officer was approached by Vikash with the machinery, he knew immediately that it would bring a change to the life of the farmers there. Apart from that, Patel also helped RuKart Technologies identify women across those districts, who can be trained to build the equipment, deploy it, and provide help with repairing the machine.

“That same month, a women technology centre was set up in Sundargarh, and a few members from RuKart spent a few weeks identifying women across the district with the help of other self-help groups. They were given two months of training, and now these women can build technology, and repair it if necessary. Since too many elements are not involved, it is easy for them,” says Vikash.

According to Bhairab Singh Patel, the District Administrative Officer of Sundargarh, and Jayati Ekka, till date, 54 Subjee Coolers have been set up in Sundargarh, Odisha, and more than 100 farmers have benefited from it. But, the target is 100.

“Currently, a unit which can hold 1 quintal of produce is being shared by two farmers. 100 units were supposed to be installed by March or April but work had slowed due to the lockdown. We could not receive shipments of the raw materials on time. But, we are slowly getting back on track,” says Jayanti Ekka.

25-year old Sajan Kiru, a farmer in Balisankara, Odisha, has been using the Subjee Cooler since December to store the harvest from his 2.5 acre land.

“Every year, the harvest during summer months is poor. The vegetables go bad within one or two days, so we rush to sell everything. Last year, there were times when I sold a kilo of brinjal for Rs 10, and sometimes lesser. But this year, we had the Subjee Cooler, and it can hold 60 kilos of my produce. Owing to the lockdown, there was a severe disruption in the supply chain of agricultural produce. I could not take my harvest to the market because the local mandis were shut. At that time, the Cooler was very useful. I was able to store the tomatoes, brinjals, cauliflowers, and long green beans in the cooler for up to five days. In May, I was able to earn Rs 1,500 compared to last year, when I earned less than Rs 800,” he says.

Apart from that Sajan also says that the cooler encouraged him to grow more vegetables, and now it has become small for his produce. “With the Subjee Cooler, I was encouraged to grow more vegetables, and now it seems small for my use,” says Sanjan.

In the future, RuKart is working on expanding to other villages in Odisha and Maharashtra to deploy the Subjee Cooler, and their other inventions.

For price details, please write to namaste@rukart.org.

Images courtesy: Vikash Jha and Jayanti Ekka

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

One of the hardest things I faced while trying to set up a balcony garden in my Bengaluru home was sourcing good soil. No matter how much effort I put into taking care of the plants, they would die in about three weeks time. After consulting with my ‘green-thumbed’ friends I realised that the villain was the potting soil I used.

But as a saviour for several urban gardeners like myself, Anas Nasser of Aluva, Kerala has come up with a ‘soil-less’ potting mix using coco-peat and several other organic materials that replace soil completely.

“I grew up in a home with a garden and the entire gardening process fascinated me. And I learnt gardening tips from my parents who are expert gardeners. The varieties, its immense possibilities and the interest people have for it always made me feel that there was a lot to explore in this particular field,” says 28-year-old Anas Nasser.

Despite his interest in gardening, Anas Nasser worked with an IT startup after graduating with an MBA in 2014 but continued to experiment to find new possibilities for gardening. After several attempts at finding eco-friendly and cost-effective gardening solutions, in 2017 Anas came up with ‘Organure’, a soil-less potting mix.

Gardening Without Soil?

Space and the availability of soil have always been a problem for gardeners living in urban homes like apartments.

“During all my experiments, I kept this problem in mind and that’s how I came up with the Organure potting mix. The mix is completely soil-free and is made from treated coco peat, the pulp extracted from the stem of banana, sugarcane extract and elements of water hyacinth that has been subject to bio-reaction,” he explains.

“These raw materials are cleaned, treated and are then mixed in the required proportion. After this process, we also include natural fertilisers like seaweed to increase the mineral value of the soil,” adds Anas.

The proportion of the components included in the mix is customised according to the plants to be potted, depending on whether they are medicinal, herbal, flowering plants or succulents.

“Succulents are often overlooked but they also have requirements that need to be met. These plants need more heat at the bottom, whereas the soil for herbs or fruits would require something more fertile. This is something that can be made possible by altering the proportions in our potting mix and sometimes even including more elements to the mix,” he explains.

From his college days, Anas has been researching for alternate and eco-friendly ways of cultivation, especially for indoor spaces. In fact, he has been cultivating several varieties of plants in his own home with a kitchen garden that gives him a harvest of tomatoes, spinach, broccoli along with several ornamental and medicinal plants.

“Before starting out as a business, I obviously experimented with the plants in my house and honestly I was amazed at the kind of harvest I started getting and my indoor plants were flourishing,” says Anas.

He also spoke to several local farmers to narrow down the raw materials to be used. With regard to the proportions, he took help from Dr G. Nagendra Prabhu, Associate Professor at S. D. College, Univ. of Kerala, Alleppey. Principal Investigator at the Centre for Research on Aquatic Resources.

Getting Down To Business

For the past three years, Anas has been receiving an excellent response for his venture for which he runs a website and social media accounts and has been selling 2-5 tonnes of potting mix on a monthly basis.

“Most of the orders I receive are in bulk and some customers even buy soil for their grow bags and terrace cultivation which has shown to be very effective after using the organure mix,” says Anas.

Saritha Fernandes, a customer of Anas’ potting mix from Kalyan, Mumbai shared, “My plant babies have been flourishing ever since I bought the soil-less potting mix. I could see the results in just seven days and the best part is that the medium is super lightweight.”

Haris Kavanoor, a Kerala-based gardener shared a similar sentiment, “The potting mix is absolutely porous and is well blended. From my experience of using it for more than a year, I can say it is great for indoor plants and does exceptionally well for succulents.”

Hydroponics Or Soil Alternatives?

In recent years, several urban gardeners have adopted hydroponics as a soil-less alternative and although Anas agrees that this is a feasible method, he says this is comparatively expensive.

“The basic raw materials required for hydroponics like a nutrient tank might not fit into an urban gardeners budget, although it is a great way to produce a good yield. And if you’re looking at expanding into the hydroponics business, then the investment will be worth it. But for small scale or medium scale gardening, I would always prefer soil alternatives. The potting mixes that I sell range from Rs. 45-Rs.120 depending on the quantity,” he adds.

Uma Maheshwaran, a professor at the Plant Pathology department at the Kerala Agricultural University says, “Many of us are abundantly blessed with natural soil that is enriched with the right nutrients, but for the urban community, soil alternatives are always a good option. Even if you have access to soil, it might not be fertile enough to give you a good yield. When the potting mix uses cocopeat as the base medium, it is just as good as fertile soil.”

Anas points out that his soil-less farming business has been doing exceptionally well during the lockdown season as many people have started investing their time in indoor and terrace gardening and are looking for ways to source nutritious mediums for their plants online.

If you wish to place an order for this soil-less potting mix, you can contact: 8848644650 or reach out to his Facebook page ‘Organure’.

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

Laxmi Nadendla, a 60-year-old retired nutritionist from Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad began gardening in 2014 when she was introduced to the concept of permaculture. “My house has an expansive area for gatherings, and that year, permaculture expert Padmavathi Koppula from Aranya Agricultural Alternatives, conducted an urban forestry workshop at my home. I was deeply intrigued by their concepts. Taking a look at my dry and dull garden back then, I decided to try my hands at urban forestry and transform the space.”

Her efforts paid off in leaps and bounds. Within a year, her garden of around 2520 sq. ft. was resplendent with plants, all grown organically. She did not harvest any yield for the first few seasons, allowing the plants to redistribute seeds and flourish on their own. 

Today, a thicket of plants cover every nook and corner of her garden. “It’s quite the adventure to explore the garden and gather the daily produce for my kitchen,” she laughs. 

The seasonal harvest of fruits and vegetables of Laxmi’s garden often exceeds 17 kgs per day.

In an exclusive conversation with The Better India (TBI), Laxmi shares details about her gardening methods while offering a virtual tour of the garden.

From a dry garden with sterile soil to an urban forest

“You would not believe how barren and dry my garden once was,” laughs Laxmi. 

Her one-of-a-kind garden is entirely organic and low-maintenance, thriving mostly on its own. She grows a wide array of vegetables, fruits, flowers and medicinal plants. Every day, her garden swarms with bees and butterflies, which help pollinate her plants without any manual intervention.

“I don’t recall the last time I needed to buy leafy greens from the market,” says Laxmi, sharing how the greens like spinach, amaranth, sorrel, mint, moringa, chives or spring onion pop up anywhere and everywhere in her garden. All she has to do is water them every alternate day or so and forage through the garden while collecting greens for her table. 

The yield from her garden is enough to feed the family of four; however, she still needs to procure grains, spices and some other essentials from the market. Any surplus from her garden is donated to the local temple or left as it is, for birds and other creatures. 

“My garden is not a manicured one with perfectly trimmed hedges, carefully curated floral bed or ornamental plants,” declares Laxmi. She indicates how her forest garden is all about celebrating nature’s bounty at its best. 

Padmavathi tells TBI, “I have known Laxmi for a long time now, since our workshop at her house. She had immediately expressed interest in permaculture. And now, she has created one of the most spectacular permaculture forests in the heart of the city. She regularly shares her produce with her neighbours and has inspired many to learn about the concept. Laxmi ensures that there is zero wastage of any resources – be it rainwater or kitchen waste or dry leaves.” 

Padmavathi adds, “Being a nutritionist, she has also taught me how to prepare different kinds of fermented drinks and dishes which are exceptionally healthy and delicious!”

Celebrating Nature

The entrance to her garden is lined with tall trees, including a little bamboo grove. Tall bamboo trees shed leaves abundantly, which in turn helps to supply never-ending mulch and compost for the garden. The bamboo patch also helps generate ample shade for the smaller shrubs growing around it.

Among vegetables, Laxmi grows almost every common vegetable found in India ranging from potatoes, several types of tomatoes, turmeric, chillies, gourds, garlic, tapioca, string beans, sweet potatoes, lettuce etc. Her garden also boasts of a large number of fruit trees — pomegranate, custard apple, mango, papaya, lime and even banana, that thrives on recycled greywater from the kitchen outlet. A small patch of medicinal plants also lines the front yard. 

The urban gardener resorts to the traditional ways of composting for her garden as well as making mulch. She collects the fallen leaves, dried fibres and kitchen scraps to prepare compost at home in two compost pits. She also makes vermicompost in a large barrel.

“I also follow another innovative Korean method of adding nutrients to my plants. When rice or pulses are kept soaked in water for long, the turbid water that is left is packed with starch and other beneficial nutrients. I add that water periodically to my garden plants,” she reveals. 

Once every two weeks or more, Laxmi adds compost and mulch to her plants which helps enrich the soil, retain the natural moisture and prevent soil leaching or erosion. The plants are watered every alternate day through drip irrigation, redirected from a household rainwater harvesting unit. The garden requires barely 25 litres of water. She prefers not to use a lot of pesticides, but whatever she uses is all organic and homemade.

Laxmi believes urban forestry is the most rewarding gardening method. “The yield might not be much in the initial years, but once the soil is naturally replenished over the years, you will be overwhelmed with the bounty. You need to put in minimal effort. The key is to let nature thrive on its own.”

“Urban forestry is the need of the hour. Not only is it highly rewarding for the plants, but it also involves the least amount of maintenance. I would urge every urban dweller to integrate this gardening practice in whatever little plot of land they have at their home,” Laxmi Nadendla tells our readers.

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

It is the 127th day of lockdown, and the sun is just about to set in Hyderabad’s Kalyan Nagar. 67-year-old Tarakam Chaturvedula walks into his luscious garden to harvest half a kilo of tinde (apple gourd).

Just when he starts plucking, I call him to know more about his gardening goals and how he set up 200 plants on his terrace after retirement.

“I hope you don’t mind if I continue my harvesting while talking. I am trying to use the lockdown to grow more plants in my garden,” Tarakam tells The Better India, excitedly.

His love for gardening goes back to his childhood when planting a hibiscus plant and ensuring it survived was an achievement.

He has changed houses and witnessed technological advancements, while his philosophy of gardening remains the same.

Even today, the pleasure of a flowering plant or spotting birds on his terrace due to the biodiversity is unmatched. “Yes, sure I want to consume healthy and organic food, but gardening for me is more about serenity and peace. All my worries magically disappear once I enter the terrace.”

Tarakam decided to nurture his hobby after he retired in 2011. He surrendered himself to gardening tutorials and learned all about it. As a teacher, he said that a good student continuously learns from his mistakes and does not fear failure. The committed teacher crossed the bridge and became a sincere student.

The result?

The 1,000 sq ft area in his garden blooms with medicinal herbs, fruits and vegetables grown without chemicals.

Exotic and Rare Varieties

From red aloe vera, bael, pashanbhed (Bergenia ciliata) (which can treat renal problems), punarnava (anti-inflammatory and diuretic agent), darbha (salt reed grass), heartleaf moonseed, black turmeric to black guruvinda plant, Tarakam’s garden boasts of some rare and exotic medicinal plants.

Likewise, he has taken bold decisions of growing aerial potatoes, sweet tamarind, Israel orange, dragon fruit and so on. Other plants include brinjals, tomatoes, pumpkins, moringa, papaya, guava, garlic, bottle gourd, and leafy vegetables.

He has also planted two or more plants in one container such that they act as companion plants and help each other grow. Ivy gourd with coriander and brinjals with tomatoes are some examples.

With so many edible plants at home, the family rarely purchases market produce. In fact, in the last four months, they have not purchased anything. “On good days, the produce is so much that we even distribute it to our neighbours.”

Find Everything At Home

Tarakam does not believe in investing a lot of money on setting up a garden. He looked around the house, picked up plastic containers, water bottles, and buckets to sow seeds.

Next, he converted kitchen waste into compost.

Elaborating, he says, “I mix garden and kitchen waste with bacteria activators like curd and jaggery and leave it. After a month or so, my fresh compost is ready.”

While his near ones suggested purchasing high-end organic fertilisers to enhance plant growth and keep insects at bay, Tarakam turned towards home remedies.

“I am a firm believer in finding solutions at home. There are 150 plastic bottles that we consciously chose to keep, thinking that they will be of some help in future. Likewise, I studied what properties are needed to protect the plants and found their equivalent in household items,” he adds.

His terrace receives ample sunlight that keeps away insects and pests. For the ones that still come, he recommends a concoction of garlic and ginger spray. Alternatives like eggshells and soaked neem also work.

“One can also take banana peels and soak them in water for 24 hours. Add a spoonful of jaggery and curd and keep it aside for some days. Then add the peels to the mixture in water and spray it on the plants.”

Dr Shivani Karla, a garden expert from Meerut too believes that home remedies could be more effective than chemical fertilisers.

“Plants require nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and micronutrients to grow. Use buttermilk or crushed amla as a foliar spray that acts as an organic replacement. Eggshells are a rich source of potassium and potato peels in water can increase calcium in the soil. Meanwhile, onion peels in water ward off pests. Planting marigolds and coriander can protect plants from pests and allow ladybugs and beneficial insects to thrive,” she tells The Better India. Read her story here.

To enhance nutrition in plants, Tarakam soaks betel leaves (which is rich in calcium) in soil and dilutes it with water. The final product is added to the soil. He also uses a paste of cow dung and jaggery.

The same philosophy of reusing is also applied when it comes to watering the plants. “We have leakage in our tank, and almost 400 litres of water is wasted every day. So I collect it for my garden.”

Start With Trials and Errors

“My vast knowledge of gardening is not an overnight phenomenon. It was the result of a series of failures and plant damages. For instance, I learnt the importance of pH level after I overused compost for one of my plants. I also learnt that bushes could capture or retain water for longer periods,” says Tarakam.

His zeal and enthusiasm for gardening have inspired many, including his daughter, Namratha, who is growing a Miyawaki forest near Nandi Hills in Bengaluru.

“Gardening was an integral part of my childhood. My father never imposed his philosophy on us, but we imbibed it by experiencing his undying passion for plants and experiments. He excitedly updates me with his experiments. I admire him for also keeping certain plants for the birds,” she tells The Better India.

At an age when most people take rest or relax, Tarakam bounces around his garden, tending to his plants. When asked if gardening tires him, he responds, “No way. On the contrary, it gives me more energy,” and continues plucking tinde for dinner.

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

Gurudatt Naik is the proud owner of a luscious rooftop garden located in Borda, a bustling suburb in Margao, Goa. He has converted his small balcony, the adjoining sloping roof, and a portion of the terrace into a food forest with potted fruits and vegetables. He grows fruits such as chikoo, pomegranate, banana, guava, mango, and vegetables such as brinjal, gourds, celery, sweet potatoes, and more. He also grows a variety of adenium plants, alongside all this.

The man’s love for growing food-bearing plants started 30 years ago, the day he joined work at the Public Works Department as a Junior Engineer.

“There was space around my office building, and the officers were wondering what kind of flowering plants they could grow there to make the area look more aesthetically pleasing. But I suggested that they plant fruit-bearing trees like guava, and mango so that it will benefit us in the future. The other officers agreed, and I purchased seedlings from a local nursery, and carefully planted them around the building. Within two years, the trees started to grow fruits,” he recalls.

A Terrace Garden Full of Fruits and Vegetables

In 2010, Gurudatt was posted to Margao and moved into an apartment complex with five homes along with his wife and two children. Their house had a small balcony so he decided to start a garden which would produce fruits and vegetables for everyday use.

“My first attempt with growing vegetables started with onions and chillies. I decided to recycle milk crates that a local milkman was about to dispose of and grow the plants in them. I purchased an organic potting mix, and some seeds from a local nursery, and got to work. At that time, I was unaware of composting or how organic manure can enhance the growth of my plants, so all I did was water my plants regularly. Once the plants grew taller, I used neem oil as a pesticide. Within a few months, I harvested the produce, and till date, those plants continue to grow in my garden,” he states.

Soon, his interest to grow other varieties of vegetables expanded, and so did his garden. Gurudatt started visiting flower shows, and farming-related exhibitions held in Goa regularly and purchased seeds to grow a variety of plants. He also collected used paint buckets, water drums, a broken computer, and many other throw-away items to grow the plants in.

“While the onions grow in milk crates, brinjals, gourds, tomatoes, capsicum, amaranthus spinach, palak, sweet potato and more growing in 20-litre paint cans and broken buckets. Initially, most of these were growing in my balcony, but the space was too small, so I took permission from my apartment association and moved my plants to the common terrace. I took it upon myself, as a challenge, to grow my plants in various containers. In the future, I plan to procure broken toilets, washbasins, and pipes to grow my plants in,” says the talented gardener.

Cultivating Fruits

Apart from vegetables, during the exhibitions, Gurudatt also procured a variety of seeds to grow fruits. Before starting planting them, he attended workshops organised by other urban gardeners to understand how to grow them the right way. He claims he would also speak to many farmers at exhibitions to get their advice too. Today, he grows a variety of fruits such as chikoo, guava, banana, and mango.

“By the time I started planting the fruit seedlings, I started to gain more gardening knowledge. I started potting all my seedlings in an organic potting mix, mixed with a little cocopeat. Apart from that, I also purchased compost from a local nursery, to add nutrition to the plants. As a pesticide I used neem oil which I purchased during an exhibition,” says Gurudatt.

The first fruit he planted were pomegranates. For this, he converted an adjoining roof from his balcony into a plant-bed and hired professionals to raise a 3 feet high brick enclosure and divided the area into two compartments. After it was filled with potting mix and cocopeat, Gurudatt planted pomegranates and lemons side by side.

“I harvest more than ten pomegranates every year. But last year, the plant produced more than 35 fruits. It was the best season I have had until now. There are three varieties of lemons growing, one is small and round, the other is elongated, and the third one is sweeter compared to regular lemons,” he remarks.

Every year, he harvests more than 2 or 3 kilograms of fruits, which he distributes among his friends and neighbours. Gurudatt says he never weighs the vegetables that are cultivated because his family uses them based on their necessity. “If I have too much of one vegetable, I send the excess to friends and family staying in Goa,” he shares.

“That boy has a green thumb. He can grow anything! He sent me amaranthus spinach, palak, chillies, capsicum, sweet potato, and brinjal. All the produce was neatly wrapped in newspapers and plastic covers, so there was no damage. Though it had been four days since the harvest, the vegetables were intact,” says Sira Bai, a family friend who has known Gurudatt since he was a young boy.

Flower-bearing Plants

Apart from fruits and vegetables, he also grows approximately 100 plants, including four different varieties of adeniums and amaryllis lilies. They are grown in vases and other containers filled with a mix of sand and garden soil, vermicompost, and lined with charcoal or roof tile pieces at the base.

“The flowers come in more than 100 shades of colours, and they make the terrace look so vibrant. I started growing the flowers after seeing them at a flower show held in Panjim, Goa. I have purchased seedlings for the adeniums from dealers across the country. I usually place orders for them over a phone call, or online,” he says.

But he does not stop at just growing them. Keeping sharing as his core value, if someone seemed interested in growing adeniums, he would offer a graft of his plant for free.

Achievements

Early in 2020, he enrolled in a competition organised by The Botanical Society of Goa and won the first prize under the organic terrace garden category.

“Gurudatt is an enthusiastic gardener who has converted his home into a food forest. He grows vegetables of many kinds which are used for his family’s daily consumption. Apart from that, the flowers he grows are impressive, and they also make his terrace look exotic. His garden is an inspiration for other urban dwellers,” says Alvito D’Silva who is a member of the Botanical Society of Goa, and part of the judging committee for the competition.

In the future, he plans to grow apples, cherries, and figs in 50-litre water drums. He also hopes to procure grape seedlings, to start a vine on his terrace.

“It has been four months since I planted the apple graft and cherry seedlings, and they are growing rapidly. I had procured them from a friend who runs a commercial farm in Goa. Soon, I hope to purchase grape seedlings, to cultivate some, and make homemade wine,” says Gurudatt.

Image courtesy: Gurudatt Naik

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

Amrita Chaudhury and Sanmitra Pandharpur quit their respective jobs in the US at the peak of their careers and returned to India in the early 2000s to pursue organic farming.

They embarked on their agricultural journey by growing food at home and branched out to supplying to their friends and relatives. Once they were confident in their process, they started distributing in retail stores and markets.

“The mantra for a flourishing organic farm is first to grow your food,” says the Maharashtra-based couple, who registered their company, Offerings Farms, in 2010.

The firm harvests between 1-2 tonnes of rare and exotic varieties of produce per week that comprises blue corn, purple carrots, yellow sweet potatoes, heirloom tomatoes, edible flowers, spinach, microgreens, watercress, chia seeds, emerald-coloured kale, romaine lettuce, zucchini flowers and so on.

The couple had started growing these healthy and nutrient-rich vegetables and grains way before it became a fad. Naturally, less competition in the market attracted more customers who were genuinely looking forward to making lifestyle changes.

The firm focused on B2B clients and has a wide customer base in Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Gurugram and Jaipur. These include premium organic cafes like Kitchen Garden, The Masque, retailers like Godrej Nature’s Basket, Gourmet Delight, and Zama Organics, and high-end hotel chains like JW Marriot, Westin and Grand Hyatt.

But their transition from IT-professionals to farmers was anything but smooth.

Here’s their two-decade-old inspiring journey.

Making The Transition

Amrita and Sanmitra were software engineers who were introduced to exotic salad ingredients while working in the US.

“Back in the 90s, I volunteered with several organisations that worked on sustainable development projects for India, which introduced me to environmental issues. Plus, the concept of farmers’ markets further ignited my interest in organic food. I wanted to grow fresh food in my backyard,” recalls Amrita.

So, she quit her job and returned to India in 2000, hoping to purchase a small piece of land and farming there.

She, however, took up another job and met Sanmitra. With similar life stories and a mutual love for the environment, the two set the ball rolling for the venture.

Apart from Amrita’s mother, who grew basic vegetables at home, neither had any experience or networks in farming. Since the internet was still an alien concept then, the duo started reading books on farming and visited farms to understand the process.

“Books like Tending The Earth by Winin Pereira and The One-Straw Revolution by Masonabu Sukuaka were really helpful. Farmers in the outskirts welcomed us and taught us the basics. We also met with late environmentalist Kisan Mehta to get expert inputs. All these factors gave us the much-needed confidence to begin,” shares Sanmitra.

Instead of acquiring large farmland, they experimented at the household level by growing microgreens and salads, as they were rare to find in their region. Once they were satisfied with the outcome, including taste and nutrition, they involved their relatives and locals.

“We received an overwhelming response and constructive feedback that helped us improve the quality and yield,” points out Amrita.

Through word of mouth, more people inquired about the US-returned couple growing food without chemicals and harmful pesticides.

“The escalation from relatives to customers was very challenging. Farming is a generational occupation that depends on climate change. So there were days when we had committed order but couldn’t fulfill them because heavy rainfall destroyed the plants. Pests and diseases worsened the situation,” says Amrita.

The couple could have saved the yield by using a pesticide that would kill pests overnight, and delivered on their commitments. But compromising their ethics was a strict no from the very beginning.

Dorabjee, an organic retail store, in Pune was one of their first customers, who played a significant role in popularising Offerings Farms. Because of this, their client base expanded, and Godrej’s Nature Basket came through in 2009.

“80 per cent of our marketing was word-of-mouth by our customers. There were very few occasions when we approached retail outlets or hotel chains. Even today, we have a trusted network of chefs and small businesses that spread the word,” adds Sanmitra.

Agricultural Practices

Last November, heavy unseasonal rainfall damaged 54 lakh hectare of crops across Maharashtra. This year too, drought in many parts of the state created havoc, increasing farmer woes. Offerings Farms was also affected. However, while they had a good harvest, the duo went ahead and planted rice.

A major reason behind the flourishing farm is the rotational crop cycle; it keeps the soil intact, seeds healthy, and enhances plant growth.

“We have consciously stayed away from monocropping or practising one style of growing crops. This has tremendously helped us stay afloat through tough times, including during the lockdown. Our ultimate goal is to achieve the ecosystem of a forest where the soil is always covered with vegetation, and where seeds drop and grow on their own, while rainwater seeps underground,” explains Amrita.

In 2007, they purchased their first plot (an acre) and gradually moved to ten. At present, they cultivate on 15-20 acres of land, “We keep on leasing some of the farmland depending on the demand,” she adds.

Building a fertile soil is the most crucial part in organic farming as it determines the activity of microorganisms, protects plants from pest attacks, and increases the yield.

They follow green manuring where plants or crops are specifically grown to turn them into the soil to increase productivity. Uprooted or sown crops are left to wither on the field so that they serve as mulch and soil amendment. Examples include forage or leguminous crops.

Covering the field in compost is another measure. Carbon present in the organic compost helps in building the nutritional needs of the plant; it also promotes microorganisms.

To ensure that soil is always covered with vegetation, the duo practices intercropping and multi-layer farming. For example, a lemongrass patch is grown between blue pea flowers and bananas.

“Recently, we planted coriander with lollo lettuce. The idea is to plant short-term crops with long-term ones so that the field isn’t empty,” says Sanmitra.

For multi-layer farming, crops of different heights are planted together, and they grow as companion plants, “We have planted artichokes (a shrub) underneath heirloom bananas that provide shade. Artichokes attract ladybugs that eat pests and insects.”

The couple is now trying something called ‘chaos gardening’ where a bunch of seeds like radish, beetroot, and corn are thrown together in the soil. They figure out the right space to thrive, and the overall harvest is higher, says Sanmitra.

Another method is no-till farming. Under this, straw generated from oat cultivation is used as mulch to grow tomatoes in the field without tilling. When it comes to keeping pests at bay, the duo relies on neem cake, neem oil, and neem extraction. They also use bright sticky traps to attract insects in one area.

As for watering, they use a mix of drip irrigation, sprinklers, and ponds, “We save thousands of litres of rainwater every monsoon and drip irrigation directly waters the roots that helped us cut down our water usage by 80 per cent,” says Amrita.

Costs & Challenges

Rampant weed growth is a huge challenge that involves expensive solutions. They hire wage labourers who spend hours to remove the weeds from the fields, pathways, and boundaries. “If we delay this process, weeds become breeding grounds for pests. Of course, weedicide is available, but it contains chemicals,” says Amrita.

Purchasing compost is another substantial monetary investment.

“If in conventional farming, corn requires one bag of urea that costs Rs 400, in organic farming, it would need at least two truckloads of bags costing Rs 36,000. Plus, compost does not always ensure 100 per cent elimination of insects. If the virus sets in, a conventional farmer will lose 20 per cent crop whereas we risk 80 per cent damage,” they say.

Relying on natural methods increases their investment costs and the time taken to grow food. Despite these challenges, Offerings Farms refuses to rely on artificial ways. The high investments are reflected in their pricing range which is higher than chemically-grown food. But that has not deterred their customers.

“Our customers are fully aware of our farming process, right from sowing seeds to the final packaging. The quality is something that we never compromise on. So, our loyal customers are satisfied with the pricing,” they say.

Vanika Choudhary, the founder of Sequel, an eatery in Bandra, Mumbai, is one of the happy customers.

She says, “About five years ago, I was putting together the concept and business plan for a farm-to-fork restaurant. I came across Offerings Farm after extensive research. I fell in love with their produce because of the quality. We launched Sequel four years ago and subsequently set up a greenhouse at their farm. It is amazing how they have scaled up over the years to meet our requirements and remain willing to grow exclusive produce based on our menu.”

That said, the firm is proactively working to reduce prices as they move towards developing a forest-like cycle where inputs are less. Recently, they reduced the lettuce price from Rs 200 per kilo to Rs 175.

From growing 1-2 vegetables at home to a farm that gives healthy and organic food to hundreds of people, Amrita and Sanmitra have come a long way. Their only advice to budding farmers is to grow their food first, and then think about doing it commercially.

All images are sourced from Offerings Farms. Get in touch with them here.

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

Featured Image Courtesy: Sequel

Mere desh ki dharti sona ugle….ugle heere moti.. Mere desh ki dharti

Rajasthan-based bookseller, Narendra Kumar, never imagined that he would practice the lyrics of this patriotic song one day and grow moti (pearls) at home. 

In fact, no one in his family or friend circles is into farming. The closest he ever came was growing tomatoes and brinjals at home. A resident of Kishangarh, Rajasthan, the 45-year-old completed his BA and has been running a bookshop with his father for the last ten years. 

“While growing up, I watched programmes on farming and always wondered what it must be to grow food. Sitting at the bookstore also, I end up watching farming videos on YouTube. As we don’t own any farmland, I never pursued my interest. But then, I came across a video that said one doesn’t necessarily need land to practice farming. Inspired by that video, I started growing vegetables,” Narendra tells The Better India. 

He was content and satisfied with the healthy harvest at home until he came across a video on pearl farming.

Amused that pearls can be grown artificially, Narendra started spending more time on learning about pearl farming. He no longer had any excuses. He had the will, the passion and the space at home. What he lacked was guidance. 

So, he underwent a 5-day course on ‘Freshwater Pearl Farming for Entrepreneurship Development’ at Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) in Bhubaneswar in 2017. He recommends this course to understand the technical process.

Dr Shailesh Saurabh, Senior Scientist, Aquaculture and Fish Immunology, CIFA agrees, and tells The Better India, “Pearl farming is skilful technology, so not having the right knowledge can cause huge losses. The course offers theoretical as well as practical education on maintenance, food for pearl mussels, anatomy, and nucleus beads. Hands-on training on different plantation methods like mantle cavity, mantle tissue. and gonadal implantation is also included.” 

Every year. CIFA felicitates students who have been successful in the execution process. Dr Shailesh confirms that Narendra has been chosen for next year. He had invested Rs 40,000 to set up his farm in 10×10 feet area that fetches him close to Rs 4 lakh every year with zero maintenance. 

The Process 

Narendra grows two types of pearls — designer (moulded to various shapes and designs) and round — that take one year and 1.5 years to develop, respectively.

He built an artificial concrete pond (5-ft deep) in his house and purchased equipment such as surgery items, medicines, ammonia meter, pH meter, thermometer, medicines, antibiotics, mouth opener, pearl nucleus. Next, he prepared food for mussels (saltwater habitat), algae from cow dung, urea and superphosphate.

In the beginning, he ordered 1,000 mussels at Rs 10 each from Mumbai. 

The mussels are kept in fresh water for 24 hours before being shifted to the pond. Once there, they are given food for 15 days to determine or reduce their mortality rate. Once their needs are clear, the process of inserting the nucleus begins. 

Narendra explains, “Pearl nucleus are carefully inserted inside each mussel and immersed in water (at a temperature of 15-30 degree Celsius). Algae is added as food for mussels. A year later, the nucleus gives a pearl sac collecting calcium carbonate from the mussel shells. The nucleus covers it with hundreds of layers of coating that finally forms exquisite pearls.”

While there is no monetary cost in maintaining the pond, one has to be vigilant and ensure the water level, the health of mussels, the presence of algae and so on. 

Narendra recommends keeping the pH level between 7-8 to avoid mortality, “If the ammonia is not zero, change 50 per cent of the water or add chuna (lime) to increase the levels. Most importantly, you have to be patient for a year,” he adds. 

Once the pearls are ready, Narendra sends them to a laboratory. Depending on the quality, one pearl can fetch anywhere between Rs 200 to Rs 1,000. 

Over the years, Narendra has improved his output and produces around 3,000 pearls every year. The mortality rate of the mussels has also dropped from 70 per cent to 30 per cent. 

Spreading Knowledge 

Realising the importance of training, Narendra recently started taking classes on pearl farming and has taught around 100 students of all age groups. 

“When I began in this direction, my family mocked me saying it’s impossible to grow pearls at home. No one encouraged me. But I don’t want others to be discouraged and started conducting 2-day workshops with certificates of completion. This workshop also gives me an additional source of revenue,” he says. 

Natvar Acharya, one of his students, gives an insight into the workshop, “Before joining, I thought that two days would not be enough. But Narendra simplified the process for us and patiently answered all our queries. It was beneficial, and I have already grown 700 pearls.” 

One of the best things that have come out of pearl farming for Narendra is a secure livelihood and constant cash flow. 

Lockdown has affected his bookstore as customers have significantly reduced. Since pearl farming is done at home, he is taking full advantage of this period and giving more time to his pursuit.

“The lockdown has given me enough time to figure out how to scale this and grow more pearls. I am certainly going to double it by next year. For people who have an interest in farming, I highly recommend pearl farming, as it requires fewer investments and gives more returns,” concludes Narendra. 

Get in touch with Narendra at 94145 19379 or 8112243305. You can also write to him at nkgarwa@gmail.com.

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)