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Agriculture | Reaping success on a different turf -S Anandan

Reaping success on a different turf -S Anandan

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published Published on Sep 8, 2015   modified Modified on Sep 8, 2015
-The Hindu

When Sreenivasan took up farming, the thumb rule was that pesticides would not be used

Kochi: As we go about farming the fields using fertilisers and pesticides, who’s tending the dense and diverse vegetation in forests — which have more fruit-bearing trees and edible roots? The question by Subhash Palekar, noted propounder of zero-budget farming, got actor Sreenivasan thinking about modern farming practices.

“Everything that’s there to nurture vegetables and fruits is in the soil and we are destroying it. Indiscreet use of chemicals and pesticides denude the soil of nutrients, the residue contaminating what we eat. This is the biggest crime against humanity and deserves most stringent punishment,” fumes the versatile actor-turned-screenwriter and director sitting at his green home at Kandanad, a verdant village some 15 km away from Ernakulam.

Farmlands and paddy fields had remained fallow for nearly 20 years when Sreenivasan decided to move into his newly-built house in 75 cents of land that he bought some 10 years ago. He made friends with old-time farmers in the neighbourhood who had inherited the unenviable legacy of the Green Revolution.

With a bit of cajoling, he was able to take them on board to offer 3.5 acres of paddy land for rice cultivation in the natural way, on the condition that 25 per cent of the produce would be theirs. The actor himself would invest. The thumb rule was that even if it were to be an absolute disaster, chemical pesticides or fertilisers would not be used. Four cows in his small cattle farm provided manure.

“It was a mixed bag. We did not make much profit, but we were able to forge a strong bond of mutual trust,” recalls the actor.

As on date, paddy cultivation stands extended over 35 acres; buyers come in search of the produce. Vegetables are cultivated in 5.5 acres of land made available by the villagers. A shop selling organic produce 25 metres short of where the actor’s house is located is frequented by people from far-off places.

“Since people are used to taking polished rice, the rice we made available, with 60 per cent bran intact, did not have many takers initially. Rice bran, with nutrients and medicinal properties, should ideally be fully retained. We are now able to convince people about the need to take unpolished rice,” he smiles.

The socially-conscious actor is averse to taking rice thrice daily. “It’s an unhealthy habit we’ve developed over time. Like in the past, fruits and even some leaves are sufficient. In fact, this person in Thalassery has done extensive research on some 130 leaves that are edible. A book he has written, complete with recipes, will soon make it to the stands,” he says.

Sreenivasan argues that jackfruit, papaya, drumstick and coconut — available aplenty in the State —constitute a staple daily diet. “There’s no point blaming Tamil Nadu for Kerala’s veggie woes. We should be self-sufficient in farming. It’s possible,” he maintains.
 

The Hindu, 7 September, 2015, http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/reaping-success-on-a-different-turf/article7623950.ece


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