Students’ farming initiatives gaining ground

The coming academic year will in all likelihood witness the expansion of organic cultivation initiatives of the Student Police Cadets (SPC) to more government colleges in the city.

“At present, we have initiatives in 14 different schools. The numbers have increased with every passing year. Considering the availability of space and other conditions at the respective schools, we will see how we can go about the expansion. We have got encouraging results from the schools in which it was implemented,” said K.E. Byju, district coordinator of the SPC.

The SPC unit of the SMV Higher Secondary School harvested their organic cowpea cultivation, which they started off at the beginning of the academic year, on Tuesday.

The unit, which has 75 students, has been spending their daily mornings watering the plants and tending to them.

According to the unit’s Community Police Officer Satheesh Kumar, though the harvest is good, it has been less than what was expected.

“The summer has been harsh and even with enough supply of water, the yield was not up to our expectations. Also, we were sure that we would follow only the organic method of cultivation,” he said.

State Nodal Officer of the SPC P. Vijayan said that such initiatives helped in taking the message of organic cultivation to society through the students.

“We consume on a daily basis pesticide-filled vegetables from across the borders, which could cause serious diseases in the long run. If all of us can do something like this in our own backyards, it can go a long way in ensuring a healthy diet,” said Mr. Vijayan.