Alangudi Perumal, a farmer from Alangudi near Kuthalam block of Kumbakonam, has come up with an innovative method of rice transplantation. His method has the objective of using fewer seeds and is based on five core principles: selection of quality seeds, preparation of nursery seed bed,...
A nation’s progress is first and foremost dependant on its farmers’ welfare. Only if agriculture thrives, industries and services can flourish. If we neglect farming, we cannot expect our nation to do well. The prime job of any elected government is to empower our farmers since this has a...
The whole vast edifice of agriculture depends on soil. Maintaining soil health is therefore top priority for farmers - without good soil, there is no food or profit. So let us look at the real nature of soil. It is the skin in which this planet is clothed. It is an organic and living part of...
My dear farming friends I had received some mails in which young men from some parts of the state had requested me to guide them in finding right information, regarding entrepreneurship programmes available in agriculture. This made me think? There are several hundred programmes available for...
Farmers were mostly independent, till the last three decades and agriculture was sustainable. Seeds were locally produced and conserved to plant during the next season. Farmers had complete knowledge, understanding and control of their seeds. High yielding varieties, BT seeds and GMOs...
My dear farming friends: In my last week's interaction, I had talked about a pond to store rainwater in a village in Pudukottai. After sharing the article in my network, I had gone to attend a farmers meeting in Kancheepuram district. Some farmers who had read the article asked me to help me...
A debate is ongoing in media as well as in Supreme Court if Mullaperiyar Dam played a role in increasing the disaster proportions during Kerala floods this year. This debate is not about the safe water level in Mullaperiyar dam considering its structural safety, it's more about the operational...
Today, Cauvery water has flooded almost all villages in the delta and fields are nothing but standing water patches. Not too long ago, the state was in the grip of a drought. In recent times, Tamil Nadu has been characterised by erratic and inconsistent monsoons, especially during the last six...
We all know that farming is a gamble. It doesn't assure a regular income. In spite of knowing this, people like Alladi Mahadevan have taken the risk of jumping into farming knowing fully well it’s a dangerous quicksand and have managed to keep afloat. Alladi left a high paying job in an MNC and...
My dear farming friends, all of us are well aware that many dams in the state are brimming to capacity and some have opened to release excess water, flooding villages. Television screens are full of these images and that of people being moved to safety. Not many can remember when was the last...
