Jayaraman Aloor
The whole Kerala state suffered from bad weather this season. We had four unusually hot months, with no rain at all. So many farms near us were almost damaged. But we were safe, all thanks to our natural farming and water conservation methods, which we have followed for some years. Now, because of the dry conditions, almost all cultivations had to wait for some months, but now that the rains have started, we want to start cultivating ginger and yam immediately.
Our farm is five acres and our main crops are coffee, pepper, areca nut, ginger, bananas and many vegetables. They are all 100% organic!
Not even one hour goes by without agriculture in our life, or without spending time with the plants we love. This is regardless of the season or weather conditions. So our daily life starts and ends with our farm.
In our farm, for the last ten year we have been following the methods of zero budget natural farming. This was developed by Subhash Palekkar who is an agricultural scientist from North India.
As a zero budget natural farmer, I am also facing some crisis. Sometimes a natural farmer can’t expect much profit from his crops compared to non-organic farmers. But I know, one day when my farming becomes more stable, I will make a higher income from this farm. Because Palekkar’s natural farming improves the fertility of the soil, makes it like virgin land. And I have noticed that every year we have healthier and more sustainable growth in our crops, especially the coffee plants, as opposed to the non-organic farms nearby.
Agriculture is part of our spirituality. We all are pure vegetarians too. This farm gives us pleasure, love and goodness. And we are giving the same back to the world!
My most important motivation in farming is family. My wife Sheela will always be with me in our farm. We have two children, Revathi and Rahul, both of them are very interested in agriculture, especially in organic natural farming. But now both of them are working and studying.
Our farm is five acres and our main crops are coffee, pepper, areca nut, ginger, bananas and many vegetables. They are all 100% organic!
Not even one hour goes by without agriculture in our life, or without spending time with the plants we love. This is regardless of the season or weather conditions. So our daily life starts and ends with our farm.
In our farm, for the last ten year we have been following the methods of zero budget natural farming. This was developed by Subhash Palekkar who is an agricultural scientist from North India.
As a zero budget natural farmer, I am also facing some crisis. Sometimes a natural farmer can’t expect much profit from his crops compared to non-organic farmers. But I know, one day when my farming becomes more stable, I will make a higher income from this farm. Because Palekkar’s natural farming improves the fertility of the soil, makes it like virgin land. And I have noticed that every year we have healthier and more sustainable growth in our crops, especially the coffee plants, as opposed to the non-organic farms nearby.
Agriculture is part of our spirituality. We all are pure vegetarians too. This farm gives us pleasure, love and goodness. And we are giving the same back to the world!
My most important motivation in farming is family. My wife Sheela will always be with me in our farm. We have two children, Revathi and Rahul, both of them are very interested in agriculture, especially in organic natural farming. But now both of them are working and studying.