Garden city it may not be any more. But urban organic farming capital it should soon be, going by the number of people who are taking to their farming seriously. Working professionals through the week, and farmers on the weekend. Worrying about codes and markets through the week, and rain water harvesting, earthworms and manure on the weekends. They head out with their families to the city’s outskirts where they raise vegetables, fruits, paddy, millets, and a hope for their children’s future. They use their harvests in their kitchens, and share with friends and relatives.
What drives many of these new-age farmers is a big worry — what are we putting on our children’s plates, how do we fight the flood of poisonous pesticides in our lives? There is also a larger concern — is our present way of living sustainable? Some find farming the best way to connect their children and themselves with nature, rather than hang around in a mall, or let kids slug away at gadgets.
Friends get together and buy land. If that is not viable, they rent plots to farm on, barter the vegetables they grow. For most, it is an eye opener — into the life and travails of a farmer — a learning experience that can be matched by no other. Those with ample experience behind them have moved on to opening stores and restaurants, or being suppliers to restaurants and stores. Read on to find four inspiring stories.
Girish Krishnamurthy
Support manager in an IT firm
Farms at: Rocky Ridge Farm, Denkanikottai, Tamil Nadu (about two hours from Bengaluru)
I bought this 15-acre abandoned mango orchard in 2007 as an investment when real estate in Bengaluru plateaued. When we started cleaning it up with an intention of selling it at some point of time, I heard of an organic farming course run by ISKCON and enrolled. I came across like-minded people -- some who had succeeded, some who had failed -- at organic farming. But that motivated me to set up the farm as a self-sustaining venture.
A farmer's family from the village had moved to a nearby town -- I set them up on the farm. I trained myself, and then them, in organic farming practices. I wanted my land looked after and they got a steady revenue stream too. We struggled in the initial phase -- there was no consistency -- and whatever little we grew, we sold off in the local market.
Later I adopted natural farming practices as propounded by Subhash Palekar, which believes in multi-cropping, is low on labour, uses Jivamrit catalyst for in-situ manuring. Right from 2008 I had applied for organic certifications. We renew it every year. I have supplied vegetables and fruits to three organic stores in south Bengaluru but it proved to be a logistical challenge in terms of transport; and I had a full-time job so couldn't give it more attention. Finally Lumiere organic restaurant near Marathahalli offered to pick up vegetables at our farm's doorstep.
This farm is not a money-making venture. It's a learning experience. My kid loves going there, and that's something I cherish. Instead of spending on a grand vacation every year, we go to the farm every weekend.
Shirley Peries
Clinical psychologist
Farms at: Brindavana Community Farming, Bannerghatta Road (11 kms from her home in J.P. Nagar)
We are about eight people who have rented small plots from a farmer to do our own organic farming; we started of in January 2014. This rental community farming started as a break-off from the larger Organic Terrace Gardening Group on Facebook. It's a two-acre farm, which we've split into 1,000 sqft plots. We're all connected on a Whatsapp group. Most of us visit the farm on weekends, though some who live close by go even during the week.
I've been a balcony gardener growing fruits and vegetables, but I wanted to grow much more and wok towards a bigger goal of sustainability. Growing in pots and then learning to grow on land is such a different ballgame altogether. You have to understand the seasons, soil, figure out what to do for pests; container gardening is so much more controlled. When the pump fails, we run dry. We get a closer experience of what a farmer goes through and you have a deeper appreciation of how your food comes to the table. We have a like-minded and supportive owner who backs our organic initiative and responds very quickly when we have issues. We have an appointed caretaker who de-weeds, waters and acts as security. We all pool in to pay him.
We grow almost all varieties o fruits and vegetables between us. We also do "bartering" among ourselves -- sharing and exchanging excess produce is a regular feature. We have only recently started growing thoor dal as an experiment.
This farming initiative has been a great experience for us as a family and specially enriching for the children. My kids, aged 10 and 7, recognise birds by their calls, play with earthworms, and get to climb trees regularly. Generally people to malls to entertain themselves on weekends. Instead, this, I feel, is a great outlet and release, and a great connect with nature.
Laxminarayan S.
Works in the software industry
Farms at: Bettada Budadha Thota, Malavalli, over 70 kilometres from Bengaluru
We are a group of 11 like-minded friends who bought land as a shared investment, and are growing everything our families might consume on a 20-acre organic farm. It works like an apartment association! We all contribute every month to pay the labourers. None of us do this full-time, because it is not viable. Many of us are in the software industry and go to the farm when time permits.
Our aim is to grow local dryland crops, and slowly bring about a change in lifestyle by consuming this nutrient rich local food. This year we are growing ragi and millets, in addition to vegetables, groundnuts, and fruits. I am personally looking at living on a farm full-time in the future, in a sustainable manner, and making small-scale farming viable for everyone to hopefully follow.
Water and power are challenges. We have created bund and tanks, and practise rain water harvesting. We are researching solar power to pump water.
I spend a minimum of two days every week on the farm, but it doesn't always happen. Some of us manage to go more often, some others visit once in two weeks or once a month. At the end of the day, the venture works because everything depends on trust in the group.
H.R. Jayaram
Lawyer turned full-time farmer/organic hotel owner
Farms at: Sukrushi Organic Farm, Marasarahalli, 6 kms from Nelamangala
I’m a farmer by birth, and by default, our farm in my village, where my father at 86 still ploughs the land, that’s the only way of life I have seen. I came to Bengaluru, became a lawyer, made my money, and decided to go back to being a farmer; I’ve almost quit my legal practise. Life in Bengaluru is not good – it’s all artificial. I strongly believe organic is the only way forward. If only our farmers turned organic, they would hardly incur any farming costs, wouldn’t be in debt, and wouldn’t commit suicide.
On my farm Sukrushi, started 18 years ago on barren land, I grow fruits, vegetables. In Coorg I have another farm where I grow organic paddy and coffee.
My farm is run entirely on rain water – we are a “no borewell” model and have been awarded for this initiative. One day’s rain is enough for about 20 days of watering on the farm; we save every drop. I also adopt the “food forest” model of growing, where we do tree-based agriculture — it’s also called multi-storey farming – it allows for mulching. Everything gets generated on the farm – from manure to pesticide, naturally. I have trained the 15 people who work on my 40-acre farm. I opened Era Organics earlier in Dollars Colony. Now in Malleswaram I run The Green Path, which has an organic shop, an organic detox café, an eco-hotel, and will soon have a full-fledged restaurant.
