In 2016, IT professionals Gnana Saravanan and Krishnasudha made a life-changing decision: the couple quit their corporate jobs in Chennai and returned to Saravanan's family farm in Palakkad, Kerala.

Driven by a sense of responsibility to give back to their roots, they transformed their 36-acre farm into an award-winning organic venture called Deesan Farms.

“Over time, I realised that my purpose wasn’t to work for corporations. As a farmer’s son, I felt a responsibility to help sustain our generational farm. After all, it was the income from farming that provided for my education and that of my siblings,” says Saravanan.

On returning, the first thing that Saravanan, 39, did was to implement integrated farming, starting with the addition of a dairy farm featuring 20 cows.

He designed the entire farm around this, as the cow dung and urine are converted into natural fertilisers, such as panchagavya, jeevamruth, amirtha karaisal, and vermicompost.

He also incorporated technology for making fertilisers by installing a biodigester. The farm generates almost 7,000 litres of fertilisers daily, Saravanan informs.

Their approach led to the establishment of a vermicompost unit that produces 1.5 tonnes of vermicompost per month. A biogas unit utilises the remaining cow dung.

To create a microclimate, Saravanan began intercropping the existing coconut trees with banana, nutmeg, areca nut. Guava and papaya were also introduced on open land.

“This has created biodiversity, giving us financial and biological benefits,” he shares.

To market their products, Krishnasudha stepped in and set up a production unit on the farm with a solar dryer.

Today, Deesan Farms produces a tonne of coconut oil and 250 kg of ghee per week, Saravanan informs. The couple’s model farm also attracts thousands of visitors.

Saravanan’s initiative has earned him several accolades, including the Kera Kesari Award in 2017, the Yuva Kesari Award in 2019, and the Akshayasree Award for Best Organic Farming in the state for 2022-23.

To share his expertise, Saravanan conducts classes for the Kerala Government under the Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhti (BPKP) and the Paramparagath Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) schemes. With at least three classes per week, he says he has educated over 15,000 farmers and students.

“We are facing a nutritional crisis today due to the food that is grown and consumed. The younger generation must get into farming and return to the way things were done before — organic and adding technology where needed,” says Saravanan.