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| Nikitha, Venganoor Panchayat, Thiruvananthapuram |
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A
seed fallen in fertile soil is sure to sprout and grow into a strong
plant. So also, an idea that
has fallen into the ears of an enterprising person is sure to germinate
and find its fulfillment.
Nikitha,
then Secretary of a Kudumbasree unit from Venganoor Panchayat was inspired
by the talk given by Esther, an organic farming expert from Bangalore.
“I was very impressed by the talk and when I came back and told
my neighbours about it, they were interested as well.
So we sat around discussing the possibility and finally decided to
give it a try.”
Their
first field trial was a barren strip of 30 cents, unused and wild with
bushes. By their hard work,
the 10-member women's team converted the breeding ground of snakes and mosquitoes
into a breeding ground for brinjal, chilly and lady's finger and even
cauliflower and cabbage.
They
then spread their skills to more unused lands and homesteads and even
tried to obtain land on lease.
What
they cultivate in the 2½ acres of land is totally green, for they don't
use chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
And to their surprise, they found that the vegetables tasted
better, for the children who had earlier refused to eat string-beans ate
the beans from their farm without a whimper.
While
compost pits exist in all their farms, they use cow dung and decomposed
leaves also. And for
pesticides they use ash, ginger-garlic paste, mixture of chilly and soap,
neem seeds or neem oil as spray.
Though
whatever they produce is sold out in the Panchayat itself, they are now
planning to expand their production.
Surely, the credit for inspiring many residents of the Panchayat to
try their hand at agriculture and for converting Ward No: 2 into a green
and organic farmland should go to these pioneering women.
Courtesy: Reema Narendran, The New Indian Express, January 10, 2004
Contributed by: Administrator
