Church, KSCDC join hands for food security

Vegetables and tuber crops, along with cashew plants, will be farmed in 50 acres of fallow land

Bishop Oommen George pointing out three acres of fallow land attached to the Kollam Bishop’s House that will be soon converted into a model farm.

In an initiative to ensure food security during post-COVID-19 times, the Church of South India (CSI) will join forces with cashew labourers to convert around 50 acres of fallow land into farmland.

While the green task force of Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC) will be in charge of planting and the initial range of agro services, parishioners and the clergy will actively participate in the upkeep of the farms.

“Sixty-two churches coming under the Kollam-Kottarakkara Diocese spread across 12 church districts in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta will take up organic farming with the help of KSCDC. Vegetables and other crops will be cultivated along with cashew plants and farming will start on June 5, World Environment Day,” says Bishop Oommen George.

CM’s call

It is for the first time the CSI is attempting an elaborate and systematic farming plan and the Bishop says the decision was inspired by Chief Minister’s (CM’s) call to attain self-sufficiency in food production.

“We had tried this before, but not all churches were very keen on taking up the challenge, mainly due to the shortage of manpower. Now KSCDC will be setting up the farms and the rest will be handled by individual churches. In the future these farms will provide work to local residents who need it and the income from the harvest will go directly to the churches. If a church is not in a position to maintain the farm, the dioceses will take over the responsibility,” he says.

While cashew plants will be one main crop, a string of vegetables and tubers will also find their place in the farms. “Shortage of raw material is the biggest challenge faced by the cashew sector that employs lakhs of people. It is also an attempt to revive the sinking industry as it will help the Corporation procure more raw cashew nuts (RCN).”

Model farm

The Church has already identified around three acres of land attached to the Bishop’s House to construct a model farm. “The land has been lying idle for a while and we are also planning to set aside a stretch for aquaculture in consultation with the Fisheries Department,” says the Bishop.

KSCDC had formed a plantation wing, training its mainly female workforce in organic farming in a bid to provide them maximum working days.

“We will be providing them free saplings and our plantation wing along with MGNREGA workers and Haritha Keralam Mission will be offering the Church all the support in this venture. A lot of intermediary crops will be cultivated along with cashew saplings and the church can sell all the RCN to the government in the future,” says KSCDC chairman S. Jayamohan.