Tamil Nadu’s young organic farmers forge new paths

Farmer’s friend

Organic farming often requires round-the-clock work. This is apart from extra care in the form of natural inputs added to the soil to aid in crop growth. V Dharani Vendhan makes the process easier for farmers by concocting these soil inputs himself. The 33-year-old is based in Aarani in Tiruvannamalai district and has been a natural farmer since 2013. “I started out by cultivating greens,” says Dharani, who eventually moved to vegetables and groundnuts. “After that, I started producing cold-pressed oils,” he says. This is when he experimented by sprinkling the powdered form of dried oil cakes, a by-product, to the soil. “This enhanced crop growth,” he says.

Dharani now makes a powder, that is a mix of a variety of oil cakes, selling them to people in and around his village. He has formed four groups to support farmers too. “Around 20 farmers from the district are part of these groups. Through this network, I offer support during cultivation while also helping them market their produce,” says Dharani. Farmers can also drop off their produce at his farm or sell directly at the weekly market at Aarani.

Dharani now cultivates paddy, spending most of his time helping organic farmers in his support groups. “Farming is a difficult job; we have to deal with yield that varies according to the weather and soil condition. New farmers find it even more overwhelming,” he says. This is where he comes in. “I hope to reduce their stress a little bit and ensure they are able to sell their produce,” he says. Dharani says that he began farming after training under G Nammalvar at the Vanagam Foundation in Karur.

The seed collector

P Janakan gave up his job as a quality engineer in Chennai to collect seeds of native millets. He then decided to propagate them among other farmers in Tamil Nadu. “Millets did not get the importance that traditional rice varieties did,” feels the 33-year-old, who is based in Rasipuram near Namakkal. Most consumers only know of a handful of millet varieties that are in popular use. Janakan says that are several others. He has travelled across the Kolli and Javvadhu hills to collect their seeds, and has given them away to farmers who were interested in cultivating them.

P Janakan
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Special arrangement

“I felt that farmers would be keener to cultivate millets if there was the promise of buyback,” he says, adding that a little over a year ago, he started Even More Foods, a brand that makes value-added products with millets, such as flakes, flour and breakfast cereal. “The idea was to create fair trade through which cultivators, consumers, and I are able to benefit from,” he says. Janakan supplies to organic shops and food outlets across the state, and has 35 people working at his facility at Guruvala, a village in the foothills of the Kolli hills.

Over the last seven years of seed collection and working with millets, Janakan has come to understand a system that will keep the cycle of cultivation running smoothly. “We should be able to process produce right where it is grown,” he says. “This will create employment opportunities for the locals, who will otherwise have to travel elsewhere for work.” Although Janakan never got the chance to meet him in person, he counts organic farming pioneer the late G Nammalvar as his inspiration.

Hillside story

P Kandhavel from Oddanchatram in Dindigul district is an organic farmer who loves to experiment. The 39-year-old predominantly supplies organic cauliflower to shops across Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The vegetable that is usually grown in the hills, thrives on plains under his care. He also cultivates beetroot, which is also usually grown in the hills. “I pick up something from every farmer around me,” says Kandhavel, adding that he follows YouTube videos to create natural inputs for the soil himself.

P Kandhavel 

P Kandhavel 
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Born into an agricultural family, it was only natural that Kandhavel took up farming. But he was sure of only adhering to organic methods. He has been on the job for 20 years now, during which he has seen plenty of ups and downs. “Losses are part of the process,” he says, adding that several cultivators give up as a result. “But in farming, there are ways to make up for what we once lost,” says Kandhavel. “The soil will not let go of us. It will lend us a hand someday, if not today.”

Kandhavel, during his experiments with cauliflower, has at times faced serious financial constrains. “But I realised that in order to continue, I have to move on,” he says. It is this philosophy that drives him. Today, he ensures that he makes his yearly profits despite the fluctuating weather and pricing. “It took me five years to learn what I’m doing today,” he says. Constant discussions with farmers young and old, experiments with crops, and networking has ensured Kandhavel’s success. He is now trying to grow broccoli.

A model farm

M Ashok Kumar lives with his wife and two children at his farm in Nagapattinam, that he calls Ashoka Vanam. Keeping them company are his four native cows and 28 goats. He starts his day at 6.30am, taking his cattle for a drink of water and then offering them fodder. He is on his feet, watering his crops and tending to their needs till 1.30pm. After this, he starts his second job: that of a mechanic.

M Ashok Kumar

M Ashok Kumar
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Special arrangement

The 35-year-old, who grows organic greens and vegetables, has chosen to live close to nature. “I want to show that it is possible to lead a self-sustained lifestyle,” he says, adding that for his farm, he does not depend on any resources from the outside. “I use manure from my cattle for my crops and do not spend on anything extra,” he says. “I hope mine is a model farm that other farmers can emulate.”

Ashok has innovated and created several farming equipment to simplify the everyday lives of the farmer. For instance, he has come up with a movable stand that can be placed in between the cow and the person milking it. “This will be useful for people who own cows that charge at them,” he says: “Several owners tend to sell their completely healthy milch cows since they are unable to milk them.” His innovation will make milking temperamental cows stress-free.

Ashok sells his vegetables at the Nagapattinam market. He has printed tags that say where they are from, and that they are chemical-free. He says that organic farming can be profitable if done right and is happy to be roping in the next generation into the field. He says, “My daughter, who is in Class II, heads straight to graze our goats as soon as she comes back from school.”