The colonial enclave of Tangasseri in Kollam city is no known area for farming. But Fr. George Ribeiro, parish priest of the enclave's Infant Jesus Cathedral, intends to change that. Along with the Word of God, he now spreads the message of farming among his parishioners.
Fr. Ribeiro is one who sees farming from God's perspective. The Bible, he says, has some of the most beautiful verses on farming. A rich harvest is blessing in abundance from God. “Only a person who obeys the commandments of God can become a successful farmer,” he says.
The parochial house where he stays is also a farmhouse. Its courtyard and backyard have crops which can tempt even the laziest among the laity to try farming. A good number of the nearly 800 families in the parish have already taken to the vocation with religious enthusiasm. Many grow vegetables on their courtyard and backyards. “They are making their own contributions to the government's food security programme,” says the priest.
Fr. Ribeiro provides high quality seeds free of cost. If tended well, the yield is high. From 40 tomato plants in his courtyard he has already harvested more than 150 kilograms of tomatoes. He also has a spread of turnip, beans, brussels sprouts, papaya, capsicum, and tapioca crops.
Organic farming is the medium employed, even for dealing with pests, and the method is highly successful, according to him.
A popular 'lady'
The one plant from his farm that has become highly popular among the parishioners is the red lady papaya from Taiwan. Almost every house in Tangasseri now has a ‘red lady' with a good portion of the trunk covered with fruits, says Fr. Ribeiro. It earns its name from the red hue of the flesh when ripe. In addition to providing seeds, Fr. Ribeiro also grows vegetable saplings distributes them to parishioners.
He also shares his harvest with the parishioners. Fr. Ribeiro says that one vegetable or the other is grown in a majority of houses under the parish. “Tending to the crops after performing the sacerdotal responsibilities giving me a spiritual bliss,” he says.
