Woman agriculture officer inspires team to launch group farming

KOCHI:  She hails from a family of agriculturists and understands the worries of farmers. She has been a source of relief for farmers during hard times. And agriculture department Kothamangalam assistant director VP Sindhu is on a mission to inspire farmers to take up vegetable farming by setting an example.

The entire staff under the Kothamangalam agriculture assistant director office, including 11 Krishi Bhavans, have joined hands to cultivate vegetables to impress upon farmers the benefits of organic farming. They cultivate brinjal, tomato, ladies finger, spinach, bitter gourd, ash gourd, snake gourd, beans, pumpkin, cucumber and green chilly. The farm is located at Chelad, around five km from the office.

The employees have split themselves into five groups and each group will attend the farm after office hours once in a week. On Saturdays and other holidays, the entire team gathers at the farm to remove weeds, add organic fertilisers and water the plants. “We started cultivating vegetables as a modest venture to get closer to farmers and understand their grievances.

The farming activities started with tilling the land on April 16. We started farming in a 50 cent plot which had remained fallow for years. Initially, we aimed to set an example and inspire people to cultivate vegetables. But as days passed, it transformed our lives. We started worrying about heavy rain and dry weather. Farming has motivated the entire team,” said V P Sindhu. She ensures that the farming does not affect the functioning of Krishi Bhavans and the assistant director's office.

“I have instructed the staff that nobody should leave the office early to tend to the crops. No farmer should complain that the staff are not available during office hours,” said Sindhu. In 2020, the team led by Sindhu launched a campaign to promote the cultivation of vegetables, which had won appreciation.