: Homemaker Turns Barren Land Into Award-Winning Lush Organic Farm, Earns Rs 18 Lakh #IndiaNEWS #Kerala Maruti Gardens, located at Elappully village in Palakkad, Kerala, is a paradise sprawling over

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Homemaker Turns Barren Land Into Award-Winning Lush Organic Farm, Earns Rs 18 Lakh #IndiaNEWS #Kerala
Maruti Gardens, located at Elappully village in Palakkad, Kerala, is a paradise sprawling over 24 acres of land, filled with golden paddy fields, fruit orchards, vegetable farms, and more. No less than the Garden of Eden, this organic farm was the result of decades of hard work by 62-year-old P Bhuvaneswari, a homemaker turned organic farmer.
Her journey began with 4 acres of barren land in the 90s, which she was confident would bear her bountiful fortune one day. With determination, she transformed the land into a verdant one, and eventually expanded it to the 24 acres that it is today.
“In the beginning, the dry land was filled with stones and was infertile. I had to put in a lot of effort to transform it into what it is today. So, I cleared some land that was left without any stones and started farming there. I never used any chemical fertilisers or pesticides. All that we reap today is the outcome of natural organic farming,� Bhuvaneshwari, who studied till Class 10, tells The Better India.
From wasteland to flourishing fields

Born and brought up in a traditional agricultural family, Bhuvaneswari considers farming as the foundation of her education. “I learnt farming by shadowing my father, Kunjikannan Mannadiyar, who was always devoted to agriculture. So, the love for farming has always been there in my genes. Perhaps that gave me the confidence to dive into agriculture,� she says.
She took up farming in 1995, after her husband Venkatachalapathy, a school teacher, retired from his job. “We had to find a way to make a living, and I decided to take up what I love the most. It wasn’t easy to farm on our land, which was very dry, stony and had just a Ph value of 4. 8,� she says.
Bhuvaneshwari then started her efforts to revive the land. “I cleared the weeds and bushes and then planted sheema konna (Gliricidia). The leaves of the tree, as well as limestone, were added to the land, which helped in its revival to an extent,� she explains.
She also attended a workshop by Subhash Palekar, a pioneer of natural organic farming. Here, she learnt about chemical-free farming, and decided to try her hand at it. “I learnt about using natural manures to nourish the soil. For that, I started making natural fertilisers like jeevamrutham and panchagavyam, made mainly using cow dung and urine. This helped a lot in improving the soil quality, thereby promoting growth of crops,� she says, adding that 20 cows she bought with a bank loan also helped in her efforts while reviving the land
It took her around five years to transform the land. “Till then, we depended on the cows and made a living out of selling their milk,� adds Bhuvaneshwari, who recently won the Karshakasree Award by Malayala Manorama for reaping success through organic farming.

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