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A seminar on “Sustainable Income through Vegetable Cultivation”, jointly organised by Isha’s Save Soil Movement and Vanam India Foundation, was held today at Vanam India Foundation in Palladam. The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from numerous farmers.
The seminar commenced with the traditional lighting of the lamp by Sky Sundararaj, Secretary of Palladam Vanam India Foundation, along with pioneering organic farmers Kethanur Palanisamy and Vavipalayam Sundaramoorthy.
Delivering the welcome address, Muthukumar, Field Coordinator of Isha’s Save Soil Movement, remarked, “Our lifestyle is changing, and physical labour has diminished. For us and future generations to live healthily, we must return to organic farming.”
This was followed by a project overview by Swami Srimukha, Tamil Nadu Project Coordinator of Isha’s Save Soil Movement. A felicitation address was then delivered by Sky Sundararaj.
Nagalingam, a renowned farmer from Ramanathapuram who earns ₹6 lakh per acre through trellis vegetable cultivation, shared his journey, “Since 2014, I have been practising natural farming on eight acres. I initially enriched the soil with compost and bio-fertilisers applied at regular intervals. Seed selection is critical in organic farming. I sow 10,000 seeds per acre, and even a 2 kg yield per plant ensures a good income. Snake gourd grows well and is easy to market, with traders purchasing directly from my farm. For nutrient management, I prepare and use fish amino acid and Jeevamrutham. Natural farming requires determination and family support. I thank Isha’s Save Soil Movement for giving me the opportunity to share my experience here.”
Entomologist P. Selvam addressed pest and disease management in vegetable cultivation, stating, “Pests go through four stages—egg, larva, pupa, and adult. They should be controlled at the pupal stage by maintaining soil moisture or mixing in neem seed powder. Harmful pests arrive first, followed by beneficial predators. While harmful pests feed on plants, beneficial ones prey on them. In fact, only 40% of pests in a field are harmful; the remaining 60% are beneficial.”
The seminar continued with a session by Coimbatore-based vegetable healer Arunprakash, who discussed the medicinal value of various vegetables. Tiruppur farmer Jagadish, who earns ₹10 lakh annually by cultivating 15 vegetable varieties and 10 types of greens, and Coimbatore farmer Kandasamy, who profits significantly through small-scale greens cultivation, also shared their success stories.
The seminar provided valuable insights and practical knowledge, inspiring farmers to embrace sustainable organic farming practices.