Tom Kiran Davis, an organic farmer from Thumboor, has won the Swami Vivekanandan Yuva Prathiba Award instituted by the State Youth Welfare Board for 2018.
A postgraduate in economics from Christ College, Irinjalakuda, Tom turned to farming after leaving his job in Dubai.
A former volleyball player of Calicut University, Tom always had a fascination for farming. When he quit his hospital administration job in Dubai five years ago to pursue his dream in farming, many raised eyebrows.
However, after five years, the 36-year-old farmer proved that his passion for farming was not a mere time pass. He led a mission to turn 200-odd acres of paddy fields in Velukkara panchayat, which had been lying fallow for two decades, to cultivable land. He could inspire many farmers, especially youth, to return to farming.
At a time farmers lament about huge loss, Tom set up a successful marketing model using social media platforms to sell produces of farmers in his area.
“Fair price for the farm produce is the basic need for survival of farmers. Unfortunately, most of the time farmers end up selling their products at a loss. Middlemen eat up the big share of their profit. Here, we are utilising social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram to reach directly to consumers avoiding middlemen,” Tom says.
Velukkara farmers can sell anything through the social media platforms, whether it is rice, nutmeg, pepper, turmeric, jackfruit, tapioca, mango, even Malabar tamarind ( kudam puli ). They have developed a water conservation system at the paddy fields.
He is the secretary of the Kannukettichira- Vazhukkilichira Padasekhara Samiti and member of the rubber production society, Karur. He is also a member of the district Jaiva Karshaka Samiti.
