What began as a protest against mindless urbanisation has now reaped rich benefits for a group of activists-turned-farmers.
About three months after they adopted a five-acre field at Chembanpadam near the Angamaly Basilica for paddy cultivation, a group of young farmers on Sunday harvested their first crop amid a festive atmosphere.
“We received a yield of about 160 grains per paddy stalk, which is higher than the average yield recorded in the region over the past few years,” said Martin Gopurathingal, a member of the group. The property, which forms part of a farmland collective, had been lying fallow for years.
“To cash in on the real estate boom, land filling operations began on a large-scale here. The reason cited was that the land had become uncultivable. So, we took to cultivation to prevent them from acquiring more area this way. The remaining land was planted with paddy saplings in January this year,” Mr. Gopurathingal added.
According to the group, Angamaly is one of the few regions in Kerala where groundwater is still fresh for direct consumption. “The paddy fields in and around Angamaly town, which lie in the downstream of the Manjalithode, is crucial in maintaining the groundwater table in the region,” they said.
Besides drought, reclamation of land also resulted in water clogging in the region during the previous monsoon.
As part of the initiative, they procured local varieties of paddy seeds for cultivation. Once the land was made fit for cultivation, they employed labourers for the rest of the work till harvest.
The group, which comprises autorickshaw drivers, businessmen, doctorate-holders and employees in the Gulf, has also adopted a few other vacant cultivable plots in the district including the one adjacent to the upcoming metro coach yard at Muttom near Kalamassery.
