Techies quit IT jobs, take up organic farming

Successive Covid-19 waves have not sapped the enthusiasm of youth who ventured into organic farming, after bidding adieu to their handsomely paying jobs in the IT sector.

Abhishek Gatty was working in Belgium after completing his Masters in Physics. A native of Moodbidri, he had been dreaming of leading a self-sustainable life. Soon, he quit his job and arrived at his ancestral land in Siddakatte. He built a small hut on the land, grew paddy and a variety of vegetables on the remaining portion of the land.

Abhishek even went to the extent of using a traditional pestle to dehusk paddy and ensure that rice retains all nutrients. Abhishek recollects leading a minimalist lifestyle during the pandemic.

Buoyed by his farming experience, he ventured into growing ‘kaje’ variety of paddy on seven acres of land in Kunjaru, Udupi.

Today, Abhishek has a long list of customers who seek his organically grown rice, vegetables and milk collected from seven cows.

“With customers realising the true value of organically grown crops, it is possible to ensure agriculture is profitable,” says Abhishek, drawing from his own experience.

Farming beckons

Prashanth Nayak, who was an IT professional, quit his job after working in India and abroad for over two decades. Two years ago, he purchased four acres of land in Petri near Brahmavar.

“As my parents too hailed from an agricultural background, I was returning to my roots,” he said.

Nayak asserts that the goal of earning huge profits with the use of pesticides is a myth.

“But, organic cultivation is profitable, good for the environment and people’s health,” he stresses.

In Petri, Prashanth has been cultivating coconut, paddy, black gram, vegetables and turmeric. He has been growing leafy vegetables in the greenhouse. He has also planted fruit-bearing saplings in 50 cents of land, to raise a forest.

There is an imbalance in the food chain due to the excessive use of insecticides. If there are no worms, the birds which feed on worms will not survive. If the caterpillars are killed, there will be no butterflies that play a significant role in food production, he said.

Prashanth predicts that with the ratio of farmers and consumers being 1: 200, there will be a huge scarcity of food.

Application of technology

Suraj Rao, a native of Mangaluru, was working for six years in a software company in Bengaluru. Crop cultivation using hydroponic technology attracted him and soon, he returned to Kunjaru in Udupi to take up farming and take care of his parents.

On his farm, he has sown several vegetables such as cucumber, drumstick, chilli and other leafy greens.

Owing to the increasing dependency on vegetables grown in other districts, Suraj says there is a need to save local varieties of vegetables and leafy greens, which is fast disappearing.

He plans to grow tubers and fruit-bearing saplings along the border of the farm so that the main crops would remain unaffected by attacks from porcupines and monkeys.

“Before growing plants, it is important to prepare the soil first. Due to the overuse of fertilisers, the useful microbes in one cubic centimetre of soil had reduced from 20 million to four million. Bringing the soil back to its original health is a process that may take many years. Organic manure will expedite the process,” he added.