Plans on to create more eco-hamlets in Ooty

Ooty: The United Nilgiris Conservation Society (UNCS), an NGO here, vowed to work for the creation of 10 eco-hamlets in the Nilgiris. It has helped 28 families in Jandamedu, an eco-hamlet at Ketti, near here, practising organic agriculture for years to get house-pattas. Saying that this was the first step towards focusing on creating the eco-hamlet concept in the Nilgiris, Mr R. Jayaraj, field director of UNCS, said his organisation coordinated with the district administration to reach out to villagers at Jandamedu and help them get house site pattas as a tribute to their adhering to organic farming.

Nilgiris collector, Dr P. Sankar, issued the pattas to 28 families of farmers of Jandamedu during the mass contact programme held at Ketti recently, which was attended among others by Mr Sreedharan, retired principal chief conservator of forests and now chairman of UNCS.“Jandamedu hamlet, dominated by farmers practising organic farming for the past 35 years, has a few acres on their possession. In an effort worth emulating, these farmers instinctively took to eco-friendly organic farming to live in tune with nature. The UNCS has identified their effort recently and as in the past, coordinated with the district administration to bring welfare schemes to the 28 families living there. The UNCS in coordination with the forest department helped to construct a check-dam there to benefit the farmers,” Mr Jayaraj explained.

The UNCS will now focus on getting organic certification for the farm produce of Jandamedu village to help villagers fetch higher prices for their organic farm produce.The organic farming method is nothing but conservation-oriented, sustainable development that takes care of soil health and the environment. As Jandamedu hamlet now serves as a model eco-hamlet, UNCS will concentrate on establishing nine more such eco-hamlets to take the total to 10 to ensure that these eco-hamlets make a difference in eco-farming to draw the attention of other farmers, he added.