What keeps farmers in Coimbatore and its neighbouring districts awake at night? It's not just the usual worries of weather and market prices, but the looming threat of wild animals, especially elephants and boars.

"Every other day, I lose crops worth up to Rs 150," said ‘Manpuzhu' (Earthworm) Ravi, an organic farmer in Uppupallam, Sathyamangalam. For over a decade, he has been waging a silent war against wild boars on his four-acre farm.

In Coimbatore and Sathyamangalam, farmers cultivate various crops such as bananas, mangoes, tomatoes, brinjals, and turmeric. Millets like sorghum and ragi, along with pulses such as black gram and green gram, round out the crop diversity. TBut there is a serious threat to their livelihoods lurking in the form of wild boars. These animals can adapt to diverse habitats, breed quickly, and feed on just about anything, making them well-suited to areas with human activity. The farmers struggle to protect their crops, with the state forest department's measures often falling short. The wild boars wreak havoc on the fields, damaging every stage of the crops from seedlings to maturity.

"Unlike elephants, boars cause seemingly minor damage. For example, they just knock down a few trees. Even getting a paltry compensation of Rs 500 for those few trees is a hassle. So, many farmers simply don't report boar attacks. But the losses add up significantly over time,” said Dr Jayaprakash CR, an expert in human-animal conflict and a certified organic farmer in Thadagam.

Perfect storm

Farms are easy to attack and combined with deforestation and fewer natural predators like tigers, leopards, panthers, wild dogs, and jackals, allowed the wild boar population to grow quickly. According to globalforestwatch.org, Coimbatore lost 262 hectares of natural forest from 2010 to 2023.

Kerala’s boar population grew by more than 40% in the last 15 years, from 40,963 in 1993 to 58,000 in 2019​​.  Since 2022, culling efforts have been enforced with proper protocol to ensure the humane treatment of the boars while not disrupting their role in the ecosystem. Determining the exact wild boar population in Tamil Nadu is challenging due to the lack of a comprehensive statewide census.

The consequences of boar attacks go beyond mere crop damage. “The fear they create is palpable. Farmer unions demand vermin status for wild boars, Centre highlights their role in forest habitat and workers are afraid to even come to the fields," said an office bearer of the Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam's (Tamil Nadu Farmer’s Union) G Ranganathan. 

Ideally, a buffer zone of 100 to 200 metres from the forest boundary should remain undeveloped to allow wildlife to move freely and mitigate human-wildlife conflicts. “However, this practice is often ignored, with cultivation extending right up to the forest edge, exacerbating conflicts and disrupting wildlife movements,” said N Sadiq Ali, founder of Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust (WNCT) in Nilgiris.

Culling vs conservation

In Kerala, the government encourages local bodies to cull wild boars that threaten crops or human life. In March, the government decided to designate the conflict as a state-specific disaster. As a result, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) will also be involved in implementing various remedial actions.

Farmer organisations across Tamil Nadu have also urged their state government to classify the animals as vermin, allowing for their culling. In December 2023, farmers in Tirunelveli asked the government to remove wild boars from the Wildlife Protection Act's 1972 Scheduled List of protected animals. As per the latest announcement, TN’s forest minister M Mathiventhan has officially declared that the government will hunt wild boars that damage agricultural crops beyond 5 km from reserve forests. 

Conservationists, though not entirely against culling, are sceptical of misuse. "A significant fear is that without strict oversight, such measures could lead to indiscriminate killing, affecting not only the targeted wild boar populations but other wildlife species as well," said Ali. 

Kalidasan, founder of Osai, a Coimbatore-based environmental trust, emphasises the wild boar's ecological importance: "It is an essential link in the food chain by providing prey for predators such as leopards and tigers. Its habit of digging the ground fosters plant growth, and its scavenging behaviour helps with nutrient recycling. So, a drastic action like culling must be carried out with careful consideration.” 

The state government formed a 19-member committee in November 2023. Headed by Chief Wildlife Warden Srinivas R Reddy, the committee included forest officials, scientists, and farmers. It conducted field visits to assess the situation and recommend mitigation strategies. Antony Rubin, one of the committee's members, said it found no concrete evidence of culling in Kerala reducing the wild boar population in the long run. "They might disappear for a day or two due to fear, but they eventually return. The compensation system is broken. Lack of transparency in promised payments and municipalities not paying further complicate the situation. To make matters worse, regulations against culling young and lactating animals are being ignored," he added.

Containing the wild boar population requires a multi-pronged approach. "While the forest department initially considered capture and relocation, the logistics have made it unviable," said Kalidasan. "We need to conduct a thorough survey to map wild boar populations and crop damage outside forested areas before making policy decisions. We must also identify and clear their hiding places, such as overgrown areas near streams which are often choked by invasive plants. This could discourage them from encroaching on farmland,” he added.

Ali suggests that camera traps, typically used in forests, could be deployed on forest edges to track the movement of wild boars. This data, he reckons, would help target interventions to reduce conflict and protect animals and communities.

The state government's committee also favours a multifaceted approach, according to Rubin. Apart from identifying 'hot zones' of the wild boar population, he believes studying the impact of feral pigs (which seem to result from interbreeding between domestic and wild pigs), examining the insurance schemes for farmer compensations, and exploring bio-repellent options is crucial for resolving the conflict. "We have suggested all these mitigation measures. And the final framework of the committee will be released soon," said Ali.

"As an organic farmer, I understand biodiversity," said ‘Manpuzhu’ Ravi. “The wild boars aren't at fault. Human encroachment—like resorts on forest land—disregards the environment,” he added. 

To address the growing crisis, GV Sudarshan, a third-generation organic farmer from Gobichettipalayam, Erode, has developed a liquid bio-repellent. Validated by the Forest College and Research Institute of Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, this bio-repellent, according to Sudarshan, can also increase yields and improve soil health. "We've conducted tests in various locations against elephants, wild boars, and even bats," he said, "Once these tests proved successful, we started collaborating with Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) through the Indian Council of Agricultural Research district research stations for wider application." 

The product is available in Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, and Kashmir.

Jagadeesh Reddy grew up watching his grandfather lovingly tend to their family farm in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. When Reddy’s father later used chemical fertilisers and pesticides on the farm, he felt a sense of loss.

When it was Reddy’s turn to care for the family farm, he decided that it would be completely chemical-free. He was drawn to the zero-budget natural farming (ZBNF) techniques of Subash Pakekar. The approach requires minimal external inputs and is based on the principles of natural farming. 

It took Reddy two years of hard work to see results. His biggest challenge was getting rid of harmful metals —including nickel, cadmium, and arsenic— in the soil from 40 years of chemical use. As Reddy began applying the techniques he learned from the ZBNF workshop, he noticed the reappearance of small creatures like earthworms, beetles, and weaver ants in his land. Their return was a clear indication that the soil was free of harmful heavy metals. “When they came back, I knew the soil was free from heavy metals,” he said.

Today, Reddy grows a diverse range of crops, including four mango varieties, six indigenous rice types, millets, groundnuts, sugarcane, pulses, lentils, turmeric, tamarind and vegetables in his 35-acre farm. His natural farming methods have gained widespread attention. Neighbouring farmers, professionals from different states, and industry experts visit to learn from his practices.

Reddy is also a recipient of numerous prestigious state and national awards, including the “Innovative Farmer Award'' by the Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi, and the Adarsh Raitu Award by the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

Zero-budget revolution

The ZBNF technique is a holistic and ecological approach to agriculture. It recognises that the diversity of nature is essential for growing healthy food and maintaining a healthy planet.

ZBNF emphasizes the importance of using indigenous seeds and livestock, which are well adapted to local conditions and minimise the need for external inputs. Cow dung and urine are the primary ingredients for microbial concoctions for seed treatment (beejamrut), soil enrichment (jeevamrut), and pest management (neemastram). 

The method also encourages mixed cropping for several reasons, including improving soil health and reducing dependence on a single crop in case of a bad season, as well as biomass for livestock to ensure work and harvest are available throughout the year. Some farmers even grow trees to create a microclimate for heat-sensitive crops.  “Through years of practice, we learn the right combinations. For instance, I deliberately stress the roots of sugarcane by only watering the chilli plants in the next row. This forces the sugarcane roots to reach out further,” he said. 

Natural farming, in contrast to conventional chemical farming, relies on the natural decomposition of organic matter by earthworms to maintain a healthy and nutrient-rich soil. This healthy soil not only improves crop yields but also helps to mitigate the effects of climate change by increasing the soil's moisture retention and reducing flood vulnerability.

I deliberately stress the roots of sugarcane by only watering the chilli plants in the next row. This forces the sugarcane roots to reach out further.

As a result, natural farming is more ecologically sustainable and climate resilient than traditional chemical farming. Unlike organic farming, which typically requires the purchase of vermicompost, natural farming does not require this additional input, thus saving the farmer money and increasing profits.

The lack of chemicals on his farmland keeps his workers cheerful and healthy. “They are long past the days of being exposed to toxic and carcinogenic chemical inputs. Natural farming also requires minimum ploughing and weed removal,” Reddy said. Spraying natural pesticides like Neemastram keeps diseases at bay.

Beyond the field

Reddy markets his produce directly to urban consumers. The millets from his farm are milled and turned into snacks, while the peanuts are used for both snacks and oil. "We ensure there is no loss of nutrients in these processes," he said.

Only the husk is removed from the rice kernels, and a stone crusher is used to grind the millets and produce cold-pressed groundnut oil. The snacks are prepared using firewood and seasoned with Himalayan pink salt. The farm’s sugar cane undergoes a similar process, yielding jaggery balls without any external additives such as chemicals or colors. This jaggery retains its richness in essential minerals, vitamins, and proteins.

To expand his efforts, Reddy has established a network of 100 farmers who collaborate to package and sell products to urban consumers. While these natural farmers have received support from the state government through various schemes, additional infrastructure is required to effectively market their produce. To this end, the farmers actively participate in exhibitions in cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi.

Reddy is dedicated to persuading and converting farmers to adopt natural farming methods.

“Like there is a family doctor for every family, there should be a natural farmer for every family. We can then be assured of delivering a healthy world for our children to live in and thrive,” he said.

Organic farming means returning to basics. Instead of relying on chemicals to grow crops, farmers use traditional and natural methods. They nurture the soil, rotate crops, and let beneficial insects control pests. Animals can roam freely and eat organic food too. Intensive inorganic agricultural practices deplete the physical, chemical, and biological elements needed for sustainable agriculture. 

In the late 1960s, India faced food security threats due to population growth and frequent droughts. In response, the Indian government collaborated with the U.S. to modernise farming, incorporating chemical inputs for cultivation, disease management, and weed control. This led to increased production and productivity, partially satisfying food security needs and even creating surplus for export.

Over the next 30-40 years, production and productivity declined due to rising input costs, soil degradation, increased disease prevalence, uncontrollable weed growth, excessive water use, and unfavourable market prices. Conventional farming became unsustainable and unprofitable for many.

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Organic farming emerged as a viable alternative to address the harmful effects of chemical inputs. It prioritises sustainable use of natural resources and environmental stewardship, making it a more suitable option in light of contemporary challenges. Here are five benefits of supporting and practising organic farming:

Improves soil health

According to Organic International (IFOAM), organic farming retains and sustains soil health in several ways. 

• Improving soil fertility: Organic farming maintains and builds fertile soil by using organic matter inputs such as green manures, compost, and farmyard manure. Techniques like cover cropping, crop rotation, intercropping, and low soil disturbance tillage also contribute to soil fertility.
• Integrating crops and animals: This practice reduces overgrazing and promotes nutrient recycling on the farm, leading to healthier soil ecosystems.
• Boosting water infiltration and retention: High levels of organic matter and permanent soil cover, like cover crops or mulch, improve water infiltration and reduce irrigation needs.

Research published in the Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences highlights that Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) increases more rapidly under organic management. SOC is crucial for enhancing soil physical structure, water holding capacity, aggregate stability, and cation exchange capacity. Increased SOC also improves nutrient composition, water cycling, and regulates pH levels.

Helps in pest control 

 Pests pose a major challenge for farmers, especially in India, where reliance on chemical inputs has degraded soil health and created a cycle of crop failures and debts. However, studies show that organic farming can effectively address pest issues:

• A study published in Nature indicates that organic farming enhances pest control, reducing the need for synthetic pesticides.
• Research in Nature Plants shows that organic management strengthens plants' natural defences against pests, even in their presence. Practices like crop rotation, cultivation, and using resistant varieties help manage pests without relying on synthetic alternatives.
• Long-term organic farms report decreased pest levels due to practices that limit pest build-up, increase predator biodiversity, and encourage beneficial insects.

Organic farms often have lower nitrogen levels, as organic fertilisers are less soluble than synthetic ones. This makes nitrogen-limited plants less attractive to herbivores, reducing pest pressure.

Environment-friendly

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, organic agriculture reduces non-renewable energy use by decreasing agrochemicals, whose production processes are carbon intensive. 

By improving soil health, organic farming improves its ability to sequester carbon, contributing to the fight against climate change. 

According to an article published on Organic Without Boundaries – a blog by IFOAM – Organics International, there is a direct correlation between nitrous oxide (a greenhouse gas) emissions and the volume of nitrogen-based fertilisers used in farming. 

The article also mentions that organic farms tend to have lower nitrogen levels per hectare than conventional farms because they focus on establishing closed nutrient cycles and minimising losses via runoff, volatilisation (transfer of chemical as a gas through soil-air interface), and emissions. Organic farming also does not pollute groundwater with chemical inputs. 

Better economic output  

According to an article titled ‘The Economics of Organic Farming’ published by NGO ‘Nature’s Path’, organic agriculture, when compared to conventional farming, is a more efficient economic system, both for generating profit and reducing the sort of environmental impacts (often thought of as “hidden costs”) that end up costing consumers in other ways.

The article also highlights a concept called ‘natural capital’, defined as a branch of economics that recognises how people benefit from natural systems as a form of capital. In other words, it quantifies the ecosystem services and resources nature provides. When natural capital values are incorporated, organic farming provides long-term profitability for the farmers.

‘The economic implications of organic farming’, a study published by the American Journal of Alternative Agriculture, states that lesser dependency on fossil fuels, expensive inputs and annual loans makes organic farming less vulnerable to market fluctuations. It also avoids social and economic costs such as pesticide poisonings and costs of testing genetically engineered foods, says a study titled ‘Benefits of U.S. organic agriculture’ published in Researchgate. The premium prices that certified organic produce fetch in the market and exports further increase farmers’ profits.

The Marayoor-Kanthalloor region in Kerala is known for many things, including aromatic sandalwood forests, sprawling tea plantations, sugarcane fields, and fruit orchards. But have you heard of Keezhanthoor coffee, named after the small village about 40 km north of Munnar that cultivates it?

In late 2023, Keezhanthoor coffee took centre stage at the fifth  World Coffee Conference, hosted for the first time in India. With over 20,000 participants from more than 80 countries, the event's theme of 'Sustainability through Circular Economy and Regenerative Agriculture' provided the perfect platform for this unique brew.

Situated at 1,500 meters above sea level on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, Keezhanthoor boasts an ideal climate for coffee cultivation. The average temperature ranges from 23°C to 28°C, and annual rainfall falls between 150 cm and 200 cm. The region experiences a dry spell lasting 70 to 90 days. Despite coffee's inherent resistance to pests and diseases, Keezhanthoor tells a story of a community overcoming great odds to produce globally recognised coffee.

‍Field notes

Coffee production in Keezhanthoor dates back at least a century, according to V.V. Paranthaman, a village senior who has worked in coffee fields since childhood. For most of his lifetime, coffee and paddy were the main crops in the village. “Paddy was always grown only in small landholdings in our village for local consumption,” he said. When farmers tried to market it, middlemen reaped the most profits. Combined with changing weather patterns, paddy quickly became unprofitable. “We didn’t want to make the same mistake with coffee,” he added.

Over time, the paddy fields made way for Arecanut trees and sugarcane farms, which later gave rise to small industries producing jaggery. The remaining paddy fields were turned into fruit and vegetable farms. Among other fruits, Kanthalloor now produces apples, oranges, cabbage, and cauliflowers, making it the only region in Kerala to grow these cold-weather crops.

Coffee is an easy crop to grow. It is resistant to pests and thrives in the shade, allowing it to be grown alongside other crops and in forested regions. The plants do not require regular manuring, and the weed needs to be cleared only once every few months, which is then deposited back as natural fertiliser. When the coffee beans ripen, they occasionally attract monkeys, civets, and even elephants. “With no permanent solution to the animal attacks, we have made peace with these visits,” said Kumaravel Mannadiyil, who maintains a 1.5-acre coffee farm. Despite their hardy nature, coffee plants are susceptible to two things: unpredictable rain and unscrupulous middlemen.

Changing rain patterns

The region used to experience a unique phenomenon known as Noolmazha, thread-thin raindrops exclusive to certain areas (e.g. Wayanad) in the Western Ghats. The raindrops are thread-thin, like spun in a spinning wheel, also giving it the name ‘40 Number Rain’ (No. 40 yarn is generally thinner and finer). Noolmazha lasted for parts of the summer monsoon and helped coffee plants grow well. It kept things cool enough for the coffee flowers to turn into beans without getting ruined by heavy downpours. However, farmers from both regions have noted that Noolmazha has disappeared almost entirely.

“While it is still early to say whether there is a major change in the annual rainfall in Kerala, it is noticed that the number of rainy days is fewer in a year, leading to heavier rains during a short period,” said YEA Raj, retired director general of the India Meteorological Department. 

As coffee is not grown in conventional farming fields, it depends entirely on rain. The timing, intensity, and duration of rainfall are crucial. “If the rain does not favour us in a year, then the production from a single coffee plant can fall from an average of 10 kilos to as low as 3 kilos,” said Kumaravel.

For Keezhanthoor, coffee has become a crucial source of livelihood. Of the 240 families in Keezhanthoor, around 200 cultivate coffee as their primary crop, each holding between one and three acres of land. In a good year, they yield up to 8,000 kgs per acre.

Small-scale farmers lack the resources and networks to find optimal buyers or access markets to sell their harvest. Until the early 2000s, the Kanthalloor co-operative bank supported the farmers by directly collecting the crop and ensuring a fair price, including a bonus later if the crop was sold for a considerably higher price. However, the bank withdrew from that role, forcing coffee farmers to rely on middlemen for more than a decade. 

If the rain does not favour us in a year, then the production from a single coffee plant can fall from an average of 10 kilos to as low as 3 kilos

Turning point

In 2014, the Manarcadu Social Service Society (MASS), a cooperative group committed to Fairtrade and organic products, stepped in. MASS revitalized the local procurement process. Under the cooperative bank and middlemen, Keezhanthoor coffee had little to no marketing. Now, the coffee processed by MASS is marketed and exported by Plantich, an agribusiness company in Kerala. Annually, approximately 60 tons of Keezhanthoor coffee are exported worldwide, primarily to Canada, the USA, and Germany.

Before 2014, farmers had to dry and extract seeds from coffee fruits before selling them to the lone cooperative bank or middlemen. The process was challenging as the harvest occurs in November and December, when heavy mist and fog make drying and seed extraction difficult. Now, the cooperative transports the fruits to its center in Andipatty, a hotter region in Tamil Nadu, for drying and seed extraction in a factory. MASS also provides the farmers with organic fertilisers like cow dung, oil cakes (punakku), and lime powder (kummayam). “Despite the challenges, we did not resort to using chemical fertilisers,” said Kumaravel.

As climate change continues to threaten agricultural yields, sustained support from organisations like MASS is vital for the resilience of small-scale farming communities. The story of Keezhanthoor coffee serves as a reminder of the power of cooperation and adaptability in the face of environmental and economic challenges.

Chess is an intense game that requires both physical and mental stamina. The loser not only faces physical defeat but also a blow to their pride. Both losses can be harsh—one physically and the other psychologically. Bobby Fischer, a former World Champion and one of the greatest chess players ever, loved seeing his opponent's confidence crumble.

Despite comprising only 2% of the body's mass, the human brain consumes 30% of our daily caloric intake. During intense chess tournaments, players can burn up to 6,000 calories. The high metabolic demand underscores the key role of nutrition in chess performance.

‍Breakfast for champions

A study by nutritional scientist Roberto H. Baglione, RD, found that 66.7% of Grandmasters eat at least three meals a day. However, 36.1% of them also skip breakfast often.

Baglione says skipping breakfast can hurt performance in mentally demanding tasks, including chess. Eating whole wheat bread, which has more fibre and complex carbs than white bread, keeps you full longer and maintains higher energy levels. It also helps prevent blood sugar spikes.

What you eat before a game matters too. If the food is hard to digest or you eat too much, more blood goes to your digestive organs and less to your brain, making you feel tired. To avoid this, Baglione recommends eating three hours before a game.

During matches, many players turn to quick energy sources like chocolate, dried fruits, and protein bars. Buttermilk is great for the middle of the game because it has lots of nutrients, helps with digestion, and keeps players hydrated and refreshed. Magnus Carlsen, the former world champion and highest-rated player ever, drank milk regularly during his intense 2018 game against Fabiano Caruana.

Some players supplement their diets with additional nutrients, particularly Vitamin B12, which aids in red blood cell production and may combat fatigue. Moreover, a majority of surveyed players incorporate regular physical activity into their training regimens. Baglione notes that aerobic exercise, with its endorphin-boosting effects, can contribute significantly to a player's overall well-being.

Chess as brain food

While the nutritional needs of chess players are becoming clearer, the cognitive benefits of chess itself remain a subject of debate. A large-scale study by the Education Endowment Foundation found no significant academic advantage for chess players in mathematics or English. However, teachers reported improvements in students' general life skills and behavior.

The findings align with research by Nuria Ciberia et al., which demonstrated enhanced quality of life and cognitive function—particularly in attention, processing speed, and executive function—among older adults who regularly played chess.

As the chess world continues to evolve, so too does our understanding of the close-knit relationship between nutrition, cognition, and performance. For players at all levels, a thoughtful approach to diet and exercise may just be the key to unlocking their full potential in this battle of minds.

Following Mahatma Gandhi's Nai Talim model of experiential learning, a small school in the outskirts of Guwahati, Assam addresses the struggle to educate its most vulnerable communities. Founded in 2016 by Parmita Sarma and Mazin Mukhtar, Akshar foundation provides free education to children from underprivileged families in exchange for plastic waste.  Many of these youngsters, under 14, used to work in local stone quarries for meagre wages. Now, instead of money, they pay fees with plastic waste, learning about pollution's impact while helping to keep the nearby Deepor Beel wetland clean.

The school, which started with 20 students, has now reached its maximum capacity of 110, with seven teachers covering kindergarten to Grade 12. “The children collect plastic waste generated in their house and bring it to the school. Sometimes, the kids also collect plastic waste from their neighbours' homes,” said Sarma, adding that children are not encouraged to go beyond their neighbourhood to collect plastic waste. 

The waste undergoes on-site recycling, transforming into eco-bricks, dog feeding bowls, flower planters, clipboards, and jewellery.  The upcycled products are used in the school as well as sold to visitors. "Through this process, they are learning to see value in plastic,” said Sarma, who holds a master’s degree in social work.

The model

The school is in Pamohi, near Deepor Beel, a vital wetland and Assam’s only Ramsar site. The region is under severe threat of pollution, impacting the public health of local communities and disrupting the ecology. “We realised the villagers were burning plastic waste to keep themselves warm. Even toddlers would sit around the fire, inhaling the toxic fumes. This was alarming, and we decided we needed to find a solution,” said Sarma. 

Sarma and Mukhtar urged parents to send plastic waste to the school, but their efforts were met with indifference, as the community perceived waste segregation as a time-consuming task. The founders also observed that FMCG (Fast-moving consumer goods) products that the poor can afford come in plastic packaging, leaving them little room towards making sustainable choices. “So we gave them two options—you either pay fees or deposit 25 plastic items every week. This led to full compliance from parents and the children,” said Mazin, an African-American who came to Assam in 2013 from New York to work in a school in Lakhimpur district where he met his wife, Parmita Sarma. Together, they decided to build the Akshar Foundation.

Ending child labour

The school offers vocational training courses, including teaching, carpentry, recycling, first-aid and animal care, office assistant, gardening, tailoring, and electrical work. The students invest one to two hours daily in these vocational training courses. “Once the students have completed their education, they can choose from various professions,” said Sarma.

Many children come from low-income families belonging to Karbi, Mishing, and Bodo tribes. These tribes are spread across the state, and some of them migrate to areas near Pamohi in search of employment. Parents often depend on their children as an additional source of income. “Many of these students were dropping out of school to work as labourers to support their families. So we decided to find a way to engage the children at the school and help them earn money,” said Sarma. 

We realised that we would have to design our school and its curriculum around the realities of the children

Senior students spend around an hour everyday teaching juniors. In return, they earn points. “In this way, the older students develop skills like communication, leadership, and professionalism. The younger students receive private tuition daily from the older students. This arrangement proves particularly beneficial as many of the younger students lack the educational support at home, given that their families are predominantly illiterate,” she said.  

The points function as currency in the school's bank, where students can save and also spend on snacks, sports equipment, clothes, toys, and shoes in the school's store and local shops. This system protects children's earnings from being appropriated by parents for household expenses.

Open school system

The Akshar School follows the National Institute of Open Schooling system instead of the more rigid curriculum of the Board of Secondary Education Assam (SEBA). 

“We realised that we would have to design our school and its curriculum around the realities of the children. Some children join our school years after they drop out. We assess their aptitude and place them in grade levels that align with their abilities. This targeted approach has helped students make the most of their education,” said Sarma.

The curriculum combines hands-on vocational skills with traditional academic subjects. Students learn carpentry, solar tech, and tailoring along with mathematics, physics, and economics.

So far, five students have graduated from Akshar and are currently employed as teachers in the school. Some female students, who would have otherwise been married off, are now working and contributing to their families, said the founders.

Changing lives

Sarma cited the example of eight-year-old Nitumoni (name changed), whose parents struggled with alcoholism while he was toiling in a stone quarry. “Despite these challenges, he displayed remarkable intelligence and excelled in mathematics. He could have ended up like his alcoholic parents but is now on a completely different trajectory. He now has savings in his bank account and is thriving in his academics while residing in the school hostel,” said Sarma.

The foundation has also helped girls who were at risk of child marriage and has provided them with education and vocational training, allowing them to earn money and stay in school.

Working with government schools

The Akshar Foundation started its first government school intervention in Delhi in 2018. Last year, the foundation signed an MoU with the government of Assam to start interventions in at least 100 government schools across the state. They hope to start this process by 2025-26. The progress will depend on the receptiveness of the schools, Sarma said. 

The foundation is also working with 30 government schools across Assam and will soon implement the model in Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Maharashtra. 

With each student's journey from labourer to eco-warrior, the school plays an important role in providing children with the childhood they deserve while providing relevant skills to break out of the poverty they were born into. With Sarma and Mukhtar’s work showing promises of scaling up, their mission goes a long way in building a brighter and more sustainable future—one student, one eco-brick at a time.

The second International Year of Rice in 2004, has had its impact on South India’s Wayanad too. The debates kicked off by it, gradually paved the way for forming an agri-producer company for traditional paddy seed conservation in Wayanad, a northern district of Kerala, that has metamorphosed farming in the region for the last seven years.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation declared 2004 as the International Year of Rice, purportedly in response to a Swiss agri-chemical company's interest to patent rice genome. This prompted the launch of India's Save Our Rice (SOR) campaign.

The campaign, led by Thanal NGO in Kochi, Kerala, aimed to protect and conserve the ecosystems, the culture, diversity, and traditional wisdom related to rice. Considering that rice is the main food crop in Asia and feeds half the global population, this campaign was significant. In keeping with these objectives, Thirunelly Agri Producer Company (TAPCo) was gradually formed in Wayanad, Kerala.

Founded in 2018 by a group of farmers, experts, and advocates of sustainable farming the primary objective was to conserve traditional paddy seed varieties by providing a fair price to the farmers. TAPCo was formed with 14 registered farmers and has now grown to 120 in the last seven years.

Rice on the rise

Paddy was cultivated on about 1000 acres in Wayanad last season, and TAPCo supplied seeds to most of the farmers. “In the last seven years, we distributed at least 40 tonnes of seeds going by the calculation of 40 kilograms for one acre. We distributed 15 tonnes of seeds last year. Conserved seeds have been cultivated on 1000 acres in seven years. Also, the seeds are being distributed in consortiums organised by NGOs and in government programmes,” said Rajesh Krishnan, CEO of TAPCo. 

TAPCo conserves 54 rice varieties and serves as an information centre for farmers. So far, the company has conserved fifty-four varieties of rice, including Mallikuruva, Jugal, Kagga, Palthondi, Mannu Veliyan, and Kodukanni. They support 5,000 farmers with climate-resilient projects, offering weather advisories. Additionally, 120 registered farmers annually market 100 tonnes of paddy as rice.

GM goliaths

India allowed Mahyco Monsanto to legalise genetically modified cotton (Bt cotton) in 2002, sparking debates on GM crops. Advocates argued they are essential for feeding a growing, urbanising population amid climate change, while opponents claimed they prioritised multinational agrochemical and seed companies over addressing hunger.

“Questions were raised at that time on whether all the possibilities of existing models were tested, and debates and discussions were held with a focus on traditional seeds, how to conserve them, whether the conservation would be sustained through farmers only, and on genome diversity. Save our Rice campaign has already been active in Kerala,” said Krishnan.

According to Sridhar Radhakrishnan, an environmentalist and former project director of Thanal, there was a challenge on paddy seeds by international giants like Monsanto, and the Save our Rice campaign in Asia was started to fight that. “If we look back at the 1960s (the first international year of rice was in 1966), production and productivity had increased, but farmland became polluted and water depleted, in some states, paddy was cultivated in land unsuitable for it. Hence, in 2004, during the second Save our Rice campaign, a debate emerged on the need for genetically modified seeds, crop intense hybridisation, and genetic modification,” he said.

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Hybridization is one of the ways of obtaining desirable characters into crop varieties and is done to produce hybrids that are genetically combined to give desired characters in one plant.

“Also a GM crop is a serious biosafety concern, a hazardous crop, and is rejected in many nations across the world. A major type of GM Crop is Herbicide Tolerant and would promote the use of herbicides that will again destroy the soil along with other crops and eventually increase weeds due to weed resistance. All this will completely destroy the agroecosystem in which the good health of the crop and hence the welfare of the farmers are dependent,” he added. 

On the contrary, traditional - local or native - seeds have developed resistance to pests and diseases, and are adapted to local agro-climatic conditions. 

In the case of traditional farmers, they have domesticated, improved, and conserved thousands of crop species and varieties, using their traditional knowledge. The diversity of traditional varieties is increasingly valuable for adaptation as climate changes, particularly as modern agriculture relies on a very limited number of crops and varieties. 

In addition, traditional varieties are better able to withstand environmental stress such as lack of water or nutrients. Traditional agriculture practices conserve key resources for resilience and adaptation- such as biodiversity, water, soil, and nutrients. “Save Our Rice campaign was built to promote indigenous varieties that can be cultivated without pesticide use,” said Radhakrishna. 

GM crop is a serious biosafety concern, a hazardous crop, and is rejected in many nations across the world.

TAPCo’s achievements

According to Krishnan, TAPCo is the largest Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) marketing traditional rice varieties in Kerala. He said, “On average, we cultivate, procure, and market 100 tonnes of paddy every year. We don’t believe in cultivating in a diversity block, we want farmers to cultivate in larger expansion, so that we can also market it and the market can sustain. For example, there is a traditional variety in Wayanad called Valiya Chennellu (bold red rice), which is rich in nutritional value. Its cultivation has been decreasing every year because it was not well-known in the market or among people. Its medicinal value lies in consuming it raw, making it difficult to find a market for it over the past three years. Since 2020, we have been making Aval (flattened rice) from it and marketing three tonnes of Aval per year. Now, more farmers are cultivating the Valiya Chennellu variety.”

The yield is not the same for all varieties. For example, Wayanadan Thondi, a high-yielding popular variety, has a yield of five tonnes per acre while the yield of other varieties, on average, ranges from two to 2.5 tonnes per acre.

TAPCo has expanded from introducing more seed varieties to farmers to conducting soil studies, helping farmers understand soil changes and adapt their farming methods accordingly. The soil is tested three times a year to monitor changes. TAPCo’s research and extension team regularly visits farmers' fields, providing alerts and warnings about pests and plant diseases. Additionally, TAPCo processes the paddy and works with a larger group of 5,000 farmers in Wayanad, who benefit from their research, extension services, and weather advisories.

Providing fair price

The minimum support price for paddy in the state is Rs 29.75 per kilogram. “However, we began procuring Valiya Chennellu last year at Rs 47 per kilogram, which provides an additional incentive for farmers to cultivate it. Market creation plays a crucial role in cultivation,” Krishnan said. Besides wholesale and retail marketing, TAPCo has been directly marketing to consumers in Bengaluru since 2022.

The FPO brings the major chunk of Wayanadan Thondi and Mullan Kaima, two aromatic rice varieties, into the market. Before the intervention of TAPCo, there was no market for the Mullan Kaima variety. TAPCo began selling puttu podi (rice cake powder) of Mullan Kaima last year and has sold more than a tonne till date.

The 126 farmers registered with TAPCo, from whom they procure paddy, receive additional support throughout the value chain, including research and extension services. These services bridge the gap between scientists, who work to solve agricultural problems through research, and farmers who need these solutions. Notably, the farmers do not use chemicals.

Since 2018, TAPCo has organised the Thirunelly Seed Festival in collaboration with other organisations, including Thanal. Thousands of farmers participate in this annual event. “We have done revival from an almost given-up phase, revived culture and created a source for seeds and popularised the idea. Now the State Seed Authority and Tribal Farming Department collect seeds from us,” Krishnan said. 

Support system

“In India, there were more than one lakh rice varieties in 1966, which has now come down to 30,000, that too, collected by universities and institutes, not with farmers,” said Usha S, an environmentalist, coordinator of Save Our Rice Campaign and founding member of Thanal.

After the Save Our Rice Campaign was launched, Thanal began to popularise organic farming. Thanal’s partner organisation in Tamil Nadu, Create, first popularised traditional seeds and the first seed festival was organised in Thiruvarur district in Tamil Nadu in 2007. 

“Seed festivals connect farmers. In Wayanad, since some of the varieties were still in use, we organised a harvest festival with tribal and non-tribal farmers and around 70 traditional farmers since 2006, eventually forming the Seed Savers Network in 2008,” she said.

In due course, Thanal facilitated TAPCo’s formation to be later disassociated from it. 

The transformation

“Paddy cultivation was on 7,800 hectares in Wayanad last year and traditional seeds were used on a minimum of 1,500 acres. Along with reviving the traditional seeds, TAPCo provided farmers with a fair price more than the market price or the minimum support price,” said Krishnan.

According to Johnson OV, chairman of TAPCo, farmers' transformation from fertiliser-using varieties to traditional ones was gradual. “Traditional seeds don’t need pesticides or fertilisers and their immunity is higher than the hybrid varieties,” he said.

Johnson spoke about the gradual shift from chemical pesticides to traditional varieties during the Green Revolution, citing initial yield challenges. However, he has observed a recent move towards quality-driven farming, with a rising demand for organic rice prompting farmers to adopt traditional varieties. “We focus not only on conservation but also on raising awareness about the qualities of each variety. People are now demanding specific varieties like Black rice, Navara, Thondi, Gandhakasala, and Valiya Chennellu based on their needs and health conditions.”

TAPCo also creates paddy art with different concepts every year to attract people to the idea of paddy cultivation and traditional varieties.