RID POVERTY & HUNGER IN 50 INDIAN TRIBAL VILLAGES

Report - October 2016-December 2016

The year has whizzed past. Varuna the rain God passed us by. The monsoon has played hooky yet again. The one good thing about the situation is that farmers are gaining awareness of the need to store rain –water, to create percolation pits on their lands. The Government is giving subsidies on drip irrigation systems. We have urged all our farmers in the co-operative –BioGain- to avail these subsidies. We facilitate these activities.

Finding that Awareness programmes conducted for farmers in groups were not very productive in terms of ‘conversions’, Nimmi our Project Director changed tactics to a one-on-one basis preceded by word of mouth follow-ups. This resulted in over 25 farmers converting from Inorganic to Organic methods of farming over the last 4 months. Each day brings in a new enquiry. This may sound like a small figure and we may be tilting at windmills, but nevertheless a movement that was started ten years ago by our founder Ms Vanya Orr is finally taking off. ‘Siru thuli, peru vellam’- a Tamil saying that translates to –‘small droplet, big floods’. The total areal extent of the Nilgirs district is around 2551 km2, out of which 20% is cultivated, dominated by tea. 

Mondays and Thursdays are ‘market days’ at our shop-ET organics. Eddy – a Volunteer for ET and an ex-Cisco employee in a senior position set protocols for grading and quality control of vegetables. Just the bustle of farmers bringing fresh produce, telephones ringing non-stop to take orders, the trio of Indu, Shanthi and Jaya all sorting weighing and billing, regular walk –in customers who generally turn into friends and co-opted volunteers when there is too much to handle--- it warms the cockles of one’s heart to see all the activity, the shining vegetables and fruits and even more happy staff. It all becomes one huge family affair. We have nearly 50 farmers now who are members of Biogain—thanks to the hard work put in by Nimmi and her staff. Nimmi, working towards  her aim to make ET completely self-sustaining has gone around Organic farms in a radius of 20kms around the Annur, Avinashi and Sathyamangalam areas over the last three months, to study best practices, to source non-Nilgiri produce and oils for our shop.

Preserves like jams, pickles, chutneys and peanut butter are part of the ET Organics palette now. Parleys are going on with Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, The Horticultural Research Station in Ooty to bring in small tea/coffee growers under the Organic/ET umbrella. This has been going on for the last two months. Ganesh our Research worker- an academician by bent has been thrown headlong into the melee of Organic versus Chemical agriculture, farmers haggling over the prices is seeing the whole thrust of Earth Trust activity from the ground upwards. He is a local- a Badaga and is normaly found in front of his computer in the office –‘far from the madding crowd’. Madam –he says with awe in his voice- “I am learning so much every day”. He has a PhD in Environmental technology; his area of expertise is effluent treatment in leather technology and has worked in France. He has dealt with pollution of a different kind. His disciplined approached to data and reports comes in handy for the staff who are heaving a sigh of relief at his ability to translate all their reports and stories  into cogent reading and which in turn is sent to his seniors. We pay him a pittance but he is content. ET must be doing something right to attract such talent. We get nearly 3 tonnes of vegetables and produce per week. All this hectic activity happens in a space of 750 sq ft!! 

Infrastructure work is poised to take off in the Holabettu Resource farm with the support of The Hans Foundation Delhi. Poly tunnels, rain-water harvesting tanks, solar pumps, not to mention toilets for the workers are on the card. Our boys cleaned the spring and the small revetment around it. They found a lot of crabs and promptly made soup and drank it apparently!! Every single vegetarian cell of this writer winced in protest.  Kadavule—(OMG in Tamil). But the realization hit immediately—our waters support life!!--- a huge achievement in the backdrop of the tons and tons of chemicals being leached into the soil, waters and streams of the Nilgiris courtesy the Chemical based tea industry and vegetable growers. We have fortunately a Reserve Forest above our Farm. As the year comes to a close, we wish all of you at GG and all our supporters Season’s Greetings and a Healthy poison- free 2017.