Farmers' visit at Savera Farms

Earlier this summer, the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Kundrakudi center at Sivaganga expressed an interest in visiting Savera Farms. We were delighted when the KVK staff brought along 16 local farmers from the Sivaganga district. Each district in the country has a KVK and they strive to help farmers with exposure visits to farms embracing precision farming, latest agricultural practices etc, training rural youth, facilitating extension programs and knowledge transfer.

With the KVK staff and local farmers

The focus of their visit to Savera Farms was primarily on our Mango UHD and Moringa plantations. Most of the farmers who visited were traditional farmers but showed interest in embracing precision farming and modern methods of cultivation. Some of them were astonished on seeing the close spacing of Mango plots. A lot of questions were asked on the pruning method of mango which indicated they were interested in knowing more about this innovative method of cultivation.

 Farmers inspecting Mango saplings

Phase 1 UHD Mango plots at Savera Farms

Drip system was another area with a lot of queries. The drip design was explained and why we chose to do things the way we did, relative to the tank (minimizing risk in case one of the bores goes dry in future) and four control valves (controlling water in each direction for ease of operation)

 Discussing drip irrigation techniques

At the drip system, explaining the different filters

Group inspecting Morgina plantation

It was humbling to share our knowledge with these 3rd/4th generation farmers and we really hope this visit can catalyze a change in the way they view and perform agriculture. Sivaganga is not known for flourishing agriculture due to various reasons like climate, lack of agri-promotion, migrant population etc. However, I think the biggest compliment we have come across yet was by the KVK convener, who told the farmers that Savera Farms was an example of 'Israel' right here in Sivaganga. The climate can be merciless, soil is not exactly the most fertile, water availability is about average and yet we were able to transform this landscape (with about 5 palm trees at the time of purchase of land) into a patch of greenery. Come September, we will be able to extend the green-cover into our second phase.

 If any of our readers have encouraged their local community in this manner, please share your experiences and learnings. We would be happy to include your site links in the 'Blog' section on the right.