Farmers in the village of Sadivayil in the Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu live in a rain fed area, and have cultivated just one crop a year for many years now. This year, with the support of AmritaSeRVe volunteers, things are different.
AmritaSeRVe decided to focus on organising the farmers to work collaboratively and to get the five bore wells up and running. They motivated farmers to undertake group farming which greatly reduced costs, and encouraging them to try organic methods of cultivation.
The farmers decided to try to cultivate organic rice, and after soaking them in indigenous organic fertilisers, they sowed the seeds. The seedbeds were irrigated with water coming from a natural stream atop a nearby hill. The cumulative land holding of 35 acres began to see action.
On December 21, a group of farmers from Sadivayil came to Amritapuri to present few bunches of the first harvest of their first-ever organic rice to Amma. Amma lovingly received the gift, inquired into the details of the farmers’ agricultural practices and encouraged them to continue group farming using organic methods.
The farmers are deeply grateful to Amma for her support in turning their community around. They are planning to cultivate millet and urad dal next. It will be the first time in many years that they will be sowing a second crop after harvesting the first.