Agriculture

When K Pathi noticed the notorious Fall ArmyWorm attack his corn plants, he didn’t rush to get pesticides. He did something entirely different.

And what does he grow to earn this kind of money? Tonnes and tonnes of bitter gourd.

These 100 acres symbolise the unbelievable determination of 21,000 families, who built something spectacular and earned huge profits.

This retired teacher from Kerala is helping farmers from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala by sourcing organic veggies from them for his shop.

While urban dwellers can grow organic food at home with limited water and no soil, a farmer even in a drought-prone area can profit from the hydroponic system.

"I remember my grandfather—a farmer—telling me that my generation wasn't resilient enough to practice farming. Those words made me take it up as a challenge," says Saniha.

Diagnosed with polio at the age of two, Mandya’s Ramakrishna J has helped 300 other farmers get started with this low-cost business!

“When I introduced Sonchafa among Mogra sellers, they had neither heard of, nor seen such a flower; and so for weeks, I offered it to them for free as an incentive,” says D’Britto.

“As a drought-resistant, frost tolerant, low nutrient requirement, high protein and low carbohydrate crop, it is well suited for our people.”

“Farmers are becoming more intelligent as well. Their attitudes are changing, besides looking towards what can fetch them better prices.”