Ever since I settled in a village near our factory located in Uthukottai, I have been drawn to the lush green landscapes over there. Seeing the farmers toil hard to make both ends meet, I was equally impressed and concerned about them. They were using harmful chemical fertilisers and pesticides without realising the harm it might cause them. While pondering about a way to solve this problem, I came to know about the natural farming classes in Trichy conducted by Subash Palekar in 2019. I registered for the classes, and that was a real eye-opener for me! His natural farming methods impressed me beyond words!
Later, I attended a few classes in Karur conducted by Nammazhva’s followers. It further helped me understand both the benefits of natural farming and the detrimental effects of chemical farming. This triggered in me the desire to produce my own naturally farmed products without using any harmful chemicals or pesticides. I decided to cultivate rice, vegetables, and fruits naturally by using natural resources like sunlight, water, and natural manure. Thus, Inspace Natural Farm was born as 2020 peeped its eyes open to welcome a new ray of sunshine and a new glimmer of hope!
One of my favourite visionaries would be Subash Palekar, the Indian agriculturist who advocates farming practices followed by farmers around 50-60 years back in India.
At Inspace Farm, we make Jeevamirtham made up by mixing desi cow dung, urine, flour, jaggery, and a handful of mud from the same land in which the plant is cultivated. We ferment it for around three days and then spread it all over the land. This acts as a natural manure for the plants to grow and flourish.
One thing we noticed after using the Jeevamirtham is that the number of earthworms in our land increased considerably. This helped in making the land naturally fertile and further ensured that all the vegetables and fruits farmed here are tastier, juicier, and healthier. Inspace Farm papayas are particularly popular in this area.
In case there are any harmful insects in the field, we prepare a kashaya. The thick liquid kashaya is made by mixing together leaves of village plants like Erukku leaf, Custard lead, etc. All the leaves are mixed together with cow urine and then kept for fermenting. Once it is completely fermented, the mix is transferred to a bottle and then sprayed on the plants.
Today, as technological advancements made everything available in the click of a button, we forgot the beauty and the benefits of natural farming somewhere along the way. Our one-day tour takes you back to the roots, from where it all began.
We aim to teach both kids and adults about how natural farming is done. We teach them natural farming practices and gives them hands-on experience in farming vegetables and fruits. We explain the benefits of natural farming and help them understand the importance of it. Further, we stress on the necessity of not wasting food as each morsel of food is the result of years of hard work of a farmer. We also offer farming activities like the plucking of fruits, milking cows, fishing, feeding animals and pot making as recreational activities for our farm visitors.
Statistics show that more than 90% of our Indian farmers are cultivating crops using chemical farming techniques. Together, we should strive to bring down that percentage and introduce natural or organic farming to every nook and corner of India. We aim to bring about that change by showing every farm visitor the benefits of organic farming so that they understand the difference between both and be a part of our mission to propel a change!
Together, let’s build a greener India!