Suresh K.P., an agriculture officer, has started a green revolution in the villages he serves, by turning barren farmlands into organic havens, with the help of the villagers.
Everyone knows the story of Verghese Kurien, the father of White Revolution, whose Anand pattern of dairy cooperatives (in which small producers join hands for efficiency of a large scale business with no middlemen) empowered the dairy farmers of the country by making them self-sustainable and increasing their life standards. replicating that model, Suresh K.P., an agriculture officer, has started a green revolution in the villages he serves, by resurrecting the barren farmlands and initiating the farmers to the long-forgotten organic practices.
"It's not my work; it's a collective effort," he keeps saying, stressing the word 'we'. But for any progress to happen, there is always someone who takes the lead. Along with the villagers of Angadippuram in Malappuram, Suresh converted the barren lands to organic paddy farms which give good yields every year. The investment was made by the farmers and the profit was credited to their account.
"When I came to Angadippuram three years ago, most of the fields were lying barren for over a decade. Around 100 villagers coordinated and renovated a 3-km watershed and three lakes which acted as a storage system for reserve water. Last year, we sowed paddy in the 10-acre Chathanalloor field with shares invested by 100 farmers. We follow organic methods and the Krishi Bhavan provides the machinery and other facilities. This year, paddy was cultivated in 60 acres of land under the guidance of Ayyappan, Rasheed Chatholi, Kunjeev and Hussain Kunnanatt.
On the ridges we planted flowers, making it a pleasant sight. Though the weather was unfavourable, we tried everything to save the crops from withering. The harvest festival was conducted like a big celebration and yielded 120 tonnes of paddy," recalls Suresh, a native of Manjeri.
State-run Supplyco procured 100 tonnes of paddy. Help came from unexpected quarters for distributing the rest of the produce. Suresh's school alumni — from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Malappuram - came forward to distribute the 'Ponkathir' rice among themselves. all over the state by paying the market price that would go to the bank account of the farmers. “That was a moving gesture. We never went for marketing, but children who were not even born when I had finished school were part of the 'Arivandi' campaign. They transported 3.5 tonnes of rice to the homes of those who ordered sacks. I was awestruck by their love and commitment,” he says. Equally happy are the villagers whose life was changed by this young man with bright dreams.
Suresh's office — the Angadippuram Krishi Bhavan- is unlike any other government office, with a vegetable garden and kara nellu cultivation in the courtyard welcoming the visitors. He has a theory for that, "Usually, a Krishi Bhavan is where people, mostly in bad mood, walk in seeking financial assistance or to file applications or complaints. The garden and the placards detailing farming practices lift their spirit and also earn us respect. What I learned from the fields is that agriculture is a continuous learning process, both for the farmers and the officers. This is what I tell my staff too."
Earlier, he has worked as an agriculture officer in Wayanad and Keezhattur, where he showed people the organic way to successful farming. From the 250 acres of agricultural land, after Suresh took over, the agriculture has spread in 475 acres in Angadippuram village. He has also facilitated cultivation in land provided by mosques and MES Medical College. Apart from distributing vegetable seeds and providing training programmes in schools and households, he has introduced the villagers to coir pith composting unit, bio-pesticides, bio-fertilisers, plant health clinics, agro mechanisation and production of fruit fly trap.
"We wanted to prove that paddy cultivation is profitable and I think we have succeeded in that. Our motto is to make every person a farmer and every land a farmland," he concludes.
