Two years ago, they began organic farming. Now they're spreading the knowledge to the locals.
After spending 15 long summers earning a livelihood and also conserving resources to realise the dream, they began cultivation on their farm of 27 acres, Oasis, in Nakkanapalli village of Kuppam in Andhra Pradesh, in July 2003.
To begin with, the Raos have restricted organic farming to just 4 acres on Oasis, lest the whole project becomes "unwieldy" and "impractical." Although they plan to grow a variety of fruits later ("a polycultural orchard") they are confined to musk melons for now, but grow a good number of vegetables that include cucumber, radish, spinach, okra, capsicum, baby potatoes, jalapenos, baby corn, bitter gourd, cherry red tomatoes, ridge gourd, zucchini, french beans, chilli sweet banana and drumsticks. "The normal impression about organic farming is that you are going back a 100 years, but it’s not so, especially if you are trying to make it commercially viable. It’s actually a blend of natural principles of ecology and modern technology. This makes it a very knowledge-intensive activity," says Rao.
The example set by the Raos has had its impact on the villages in and around Oasis where farmers still grow paddy, which is water-intensive, in a drought-prone area. "They have watched us in the last couple of years and feel confident to shift to natural farming. We’re already teaching them rainwater harvesting. We also want to get the younger generation to be involved so we’re planning summer eco-camps for children," say the Raos.
According to the Raos, growing one’s own seeds is an activity that most farmers in the area have forgotten. Seeds are the defining aspect of organic farms. The Raos make their own seeds and store it. "We allow fruit or vegetables to ripen on the plant naturally and then collect them. The workers on the farm initially thought we were fools to not pluck them, but now they understand. It’s really surprising that villagers have forgotten the primordial activity of seed-making, they have become accustomed to buying it at a seed shop," the Raos lament. This is one area where the couple want to create awareness.
Oasis is in the drought-affected district of Chittoor. There has been no decent rain here in the past four years. Very often, the entire year’s rain comes down in one or two sharp and short spells. So conserving water is vital. One has to dig as deep as 400 feet to hit water below the ground. The Raos have landscaped their farm in trenches and bunds. They are staggered from the highest point of the farm to the lowest point to facilitate rainwater harvesting. In addition, drip irrigation is essential to save on water. The local farmers are also learning these methods of water conservation from the Raos.
The quality of their produce has been approved by IMO Control, a Swiss-based certifying agency which is accredited by the Union ministry of commerce. In fact, Oasis was the first organic farm to be certified in AP. The Raos use no chemical pesticides but go in for natural alternatives like neem cake and pest-repelling plants like tulsi and marigold.
Contact the Raos at: Oasis Farm, Nakkanapalli Village, Gudipalle Mandal, Chittoor District, AP. Tel: (08570) 256433, (0)98490-95005.