Coimbatore: Isha Agro Movement (IAM), an initiative to transform Tamil Nadu into a natural agricultural state, organized a 2-day nature farming tour on February 19 and 20 for the farmers of Tamil Nadu. The objective was to raise awareness and visibility for the highly successful tree-based agriculture and multi-tier cultivation models of farming.
55 farmers from different districts of Tamil Nadu came together to visit plantations in Udumalaipettai, Kinathukadavu, Anaimalai and Pollachi areas which have been established under the guidance of Isha Agro Movement. The plantation owners, who introduced the sustainable natural farming models on their lands, testified to the enormous economic, health and ecological benefits.
The touring farmers and the plantation owners were involved in absorbing interactions on techniques, feasibility, climatic conditions, soil, crop resilience, irrigation and other challenges and solutions. Creation of chemical free five-tier cultivation system; converting existing farms into integrated farms; establishing rainwater harvesting systems, water management, and value-addition of produce were some of the popular topics of discussion among farmers during the 2-day tour.
The IAM team which has worked closely with farmers all over Tamil Nadu for over a decade, shared their knowledge, experience and expertise with the farmers. The team has worked to successfully convert thousands of farms into natural farms. IAM works with individual farmers from conceptualizing through planning, preparing and implementing sustainable natural farming models.
Isha Agro Movement
Isha Agro Movement (IAM) was established in 2007 under the guidance of
Shri. Nammalvar, the pioneer of organic farming movement in Tamil Nadu. Since 2015, Isha Agro Movement has focused on reviving natural farming methods that were traditionally followed in India up until four decades ago. IAM provides practical support to farmers in all aspects of natural farming including training in efficient organic farming methods, value addition, marketing and procurement. Till date, over 12000 farmers have been trained in Tamil Nadu in natural farming methods and several have converted to natural farming leading to improved produce, enhanced market rates and significant health benefits.
