The state of Kerala, India is on its way to becoming a model state in organic farming. With a clear roadmap of converting 20% of total cultivable land to organic farms it plans to go 100% organic in 5 years.

The truly green ‘organic revolution’ is expected to be launched in the state with the implementation of the Kerala Organic Farming Policy (KOFP) on November 1.

With that, Kerala would be a model for other states. As reiterated by Air Commodore Radhakrishnan (Rtd) based on a policy expert’s statement, “the requirement of organic farming policy is not for the farmers or for the state but to prevent our children from consuming toxic food contaminated by pesticides”.

Currently, about 7000 farmers in the state are engaged in organic farming covering a land area of 5,750 hectares. 

To read the article visit newindpress. Way to go…

A classroom without walls, is the perfect way one can describe the Holly Hill Farm in Cohasset, MA. They take students during the fall and spring and teach them farming. The young farmers program expose them to basics of farming: planting, fertilizing, weeding and harvesting.

On the final day the students prepare lunch from the harvest. To read in detail visit Holly Hill Farm, classroom without walls.

I wonder if in India, all students start getting into such programs during summer or winter break, we will be teaching a lot to them starting from dignity of labour to appreciating healthy food. The schools can start this kind of programs by having common patches for each standard where the social work hours can go.

I remember we used to cut grasses, weed, plant trees, water the plants etc during the social work hours. But what fun it would have been to have a complete vegetable garden in the school. May be today I would’ve been in a different profession altogether.