Agriculture

Srikanth Garampally, a farmer from Telangana, grows magic rice, or boka saul. This variety is mostly grown in Assam, and can be cooked in 30 minutes by simply soaking it in either hot or cold water. The rice requires no fuel to cook, and contains 10.73 per cent fibre and 6.8 per cent protein.

Tamil Nadu's Dharmapuri couple Ex-Joint Director of Agriculture RR Suseela and Ex-Assistant Director N Madhubalan are cultivating fruits, vegetables, flowers and small trees on their 1500 square foot roof garden.

Chidambaram Nair, a 93-year-old native of Kozhikode in Kerala, is a retired school teacher who has been organic farming since he was a child. He credits his health to the practice, and consumes only the produce he grows himself.

Samir Bordoloi's Assam-based initiative — SPREAD NE, trains 2,500 farmers and 326 'Green Commandos' using scientific and sustainable methods of farming.

Remya and Shijith, a couple from Kannur district in Kerala, wanted to lead a healthier lifestyle for the sake of their first child. They began growing vegetables and fruits at home, and eventually opened a nursery, wherein they sell a variety of fruits and vegetables, organic manure, groundnut cake, bone meal and cow dung powder, and hybrid seeds, among many other products.

Dilip from Odisha learnt an innovative method to grow potatoes using agro-waste, to put an end to stubble burning.

Vikas Arote planted 3 kg of black rice on his farm in Akola, and the result was a crop that acquires a bluish-purple hue when cooked, owing to the agro-ecological conditions of the taluka. This unique variety of black rice has now been named Neela Bhat, which the Maharashtra government now plans to promote across Akola.

Sakshi Bharadwaj from Bhopal has created a mini jungle behind her house with 450 varieties of rare plants.

Sandip Ghole from Daund in Maharashtra experimented with the Fursungi onion for eight years to develop his own variety — Sandip Pyaaz, which has a longer shelf life

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