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Rural young couple quits city jobs to mark the difference in the life of farmers
“We are born and brought up at our respective villages so we can very much relate to the hard work farmers instill in growing food! Besides, life in the villages was extremely fulfilling in all aspects before so called ‘green revolution’ because farmers went to the market only for earning money by selling their farm produce and never really spent money for farming! However post this period the first step in agriculture became spending money to buy seeds and fertilizers, then produce and later sell. This shift has turned the economies of rural India upside down. To embark the correct change, we started farming at our ancestral village following natural farming practices,” says Ms. Rekha.
Ms. Rekha & Mr. Partha
Ms. Rekha along with her husband Mr. Partha is growing traditional varieties of paddy and pulses at Pandeshwaram village, located at 36 km from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Couple quit their city jobs in early 2011 to become full time farmers. Their farm spread in 35 acres. In 2014 they started supplying their farm produce to the urban organic stores. Looking at their success of natural farming other farmers in the same village too stopped using the chemicals in their farms. To assist them in selling varied agricultural products couple ventured into wholesale and retail. Hence Farmer and Co was established in 2015 at Chennai. Company supplies organic grocery items along with fruits and vegetables at affordable price. “We ensure farmers get their due share for growing food and the prices are reasonable for the common man’s pocket,” she asserts.
Sharing the details on manures used in the farm, Ms. Rekha says, “We definitely use the cow dung and urine based panchgavya and jeevamrutha etc. These are the intrinsic part of agriculture. In addition we also make fish amino acid fertilizer. It creates balanced nutrition for both plants and soil microorganisms. It contains high content of vital nutrients namely nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium thereby is the best alternative to NPK fertilizers. We make these inputs in the farm itself.”
To make fish manure, fish waste is mixed with jaggery powder and allowed to decompose. In 30 days period the mix turns into liquid concentrate. “To use in the farm for spraying on the crops it must be diluted in the ratio of 1:40 times of fish fertilizer and water. The solution is then filtered and sprayed in the fields. Ideally it must be sprayed once per crop. It boosts the plant growth. This measure is sufficient for one acre farm. The cost incurred is Rs. 30/acre against Rs. 900/acre NPK chemical fertilizer,” she adds.
India has plentiful treasure of native varieties of seeds as well strongly opines Ms. Rekha. These seeds need to be sown in the particular season then it can withstand any natural calamity or climate fluctuations. There will be no loss of crop if the right season cycle is strictly followed. “Samba season is from July to November (Aadi Pattam). In this period precisely all different Samba rice varieties should be cultivated. It is the longest duration of paddy farming. On the contrary the shortest paddy farming period is Kar season apt for growing all the red rice/kar rice varieties. Farmers must follow these season cycles with respect to the native seed varieties. As a result the yield will be very good,” she elaborates with examples.
Similarly pest, insect and diseases in the crop can be managed with preventive measures and intercropping. Growing anyone of adite kere leafy vegetable, sesame or black lentil (urad) on the edge of the paddy field attracts all the bugs. “Growing these intercrops will safeguard the paddy crop and if it is not affected by pests then it will give an add-on income to the farmers,” she narrates. Unfortunately the knowledge of these time-honored Indian farming practices got lost in particular due to the invasion foreign multinational companies in agriculture industry.
“We observed our immediate seniors, our fathers’ generation had totally succumbed to scientific farming and were completely unknown to the traditional knowledge of seeds, farm yard manure, pest control techniques and livestock rearing! It was hard to convince them to believe that without using chemical fertilizers it is possible to grow food! Partha and myself tried to revive this knowledge by interacting with the senior most people in the village. We learn and apply it with immense belief on our own farm. The results achieved are phenomenal as soil quality has improved considerably and consequently the quality of food is improving every season,” highlights Ms. Rekha.
When asked about the affordable pricing of the agricultural products at Farmer and Co, she responds, “We want to create high demand of organic food. The demand would escalate only when it is within the means of masses. So we had to price it reasonable because we want to reach all income groups. Although compared to other organic stores our prices are less but these are subject to fluctuations as now we are sourcing commodities even from other villages too so the transportation charges vary. But we are happy our loyal buyers understand the price change” she asserts.
Sharing future she concludes, “We have started doing big volumes so definitely we are encouraging more and more farmers to switch to natural farming practices. Further we want to have the precise documentation on the source of every product sold by us. For example, if the rice is sold, consumer should be able to know the village and farmer where the rice was grown. Farmer must be given his due share whether it is money or recognition!”
Contact details:
Farmer and Co
3, Lamech Avenue, Spurtank Road, Chetpet, Chennai - 600031
Phone: 9840894786
Email: rekha.ramu@gmail.com
“We are born and brought up at our respective villages so we can very much relate to the hard work farmers instill in growing food! Besides, life in the villages was extremely fulfilling in all aspects before so called ‘green revolution’ because farmers went to the market only for earning money by selling their farm produce and never really spent money for farming! However post this period the first step in agriculture became spending money to buy seeds and fertilizers, then produce and later sell. This shift has turned the economies of rural India upside down. To embark the correct change, we started farming at our ancestral village following natural farming practices,” says Ms. Rekha.
Ms. Rekha & Mr. Partha
Ms. Rekha along with her husband Mr. Partha is growing traditional varieties of paddy and pulses at Pandeshwaram village, located at 36 km from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Couple quit their city jobs in early 2011 to become full time farmers. Their farm spread in 35 acres. In 2014 they started supplying their farm produce to the urban organic stores. Looking at their success of natural farming other farmers in the same village too stopped using the chemicals in their farms. To assist them in selling varied agricultural products couple ventured into wholesale and retail. Hence Farmer and Co was established in 2015 at Chennai. Company supplies organic grocery items along with fruits and vegetables at affordable price. “We ensure farmers get their due share for growing food and the prices are reasonable for the common man’s pocket,” she asserts.
Sharing the details on manures used in the farm, Ms. Rekha says, “We definitely use the cow dung and urine based panchgavya and jeevamrutha etc. These are the intrinsic part of agriculture. In addition we also make fish amino acid fertilizer. It creates balanced nutrition for both plants and soil microorganisms. It contains high content of vital nutrients namely nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium thereby is the best alternative to NPK fertilizers. We make these inputs in the farm itself.”
To make fish manure, fish waste is mixed with jaggery powder and allowed to decompose. In 30 days period the mix turns into liquid concentrate. “To use in the farm for spraying on the crops it must be diluted in the ratio of 1:40 times of fish fertilizer and water. The solution is then filtered and sprayed in the fields. Ideally it must be sprayed once per crop. It boosts the plant growth. This measure is sufficient for one acre farm. The cost incurred is Rs. 30/acre against Rs. 900/acre NPK chemical fertilizer,” she adds.
India has plentiful treasure of native varieties of seeds as well strongly opines Ms. Rekha. These seeds need to be sown in the particular season then it can withstand any natural calamity or climate fluctuations. There will be no loss of crop if the right season cycle is strictly followed. “Samba season is from July to November (Aadi Pattam). In this period precisely all different Samba rice varieties should be cultivated. It is the longest duration of paddy farming. On the contrary the shortest paddy farming period is Kar season apt for growing all the red rice/kar rice varieties. Farmers must follow these season cycles with respect to the native seed varieties. As a result the yield will be very good,” she elaborates with examples.
Similarly pest, insect and diseases in the crop can be managed with preventive measures and intercropping. Growing anyone of adite kere leafy vegetable, sesame or black lentil (urad) on the edge of the paddy field attracts all the bugs. “Growing these intercrops will safeguard the paddy crop and if it is not affected by pests then it will give an add-on income to the farmers,” she narrates. Unfortunately the knowledge of these time-honored Indian farming practices got lost in particular due to the invasion foreign multinational companies in agriculture industry.
“We observed our immediate seniors, our fathers’ generation had totally succumbed to scientific farming and were completely unknown to the traditional knowledge of seeds, farm yard manure, pest control techniques and livestock rearing! It was hard to convince them to believe that without using chemical fertilizers it is possible to grow food! Partha and myself tried to revive this knowledge by interacting with the senior most people in the village. We learn and apply it with immense belief on our own farm. The results achieved are phenomenal as soil quality has improved considerably and consequently the quality of food is improving every season,” highlights Ms. Rekha.
When asked about the affordable pricing of the agricultural products at Farmer and Co, she responds, “We want to create high demand of organic food. The demand would escalate only when it is within the means of masses. So we had to price it reasonable because we want to reach all income groups. Although compared to other organic stores our prices are less but these are subject to fluctuations as now we are sourcing commodities even from other villages too so the transportation charges vary. But we are happy our loyal buyers understand the price change” she asserts.
Sharing future she concludes, “We have started doing big volumes so definitely we are encouraging more and more farmers to switch to natural farming practices. Further we want to have the precise documentation on the source of every product sold by us. For example, if the rice is sold, consumer should be able to know the village and farmer where the rice was grown. Farmer must be given his due share whether it is money or recognition!”
Contact details:
Farmer and Co
3, Lamech Avenue, Spurtank Road, Chetpet, Chennai - 600031
Phone: 9840894786
Email: rekha.ramu@gmail.com