A couple of months ago, when Usha Raju and Hima Bindu first stepped into a space in the Andhra University campus to create a community farm, they came across heaps of debris and overgrown weeds in the area that can be best described as a wasteland. The task in hand was challenging to say the least. But if they succeeded, it would become a unique community farm within the university, right in the heart of Visakhapatnam. It took them a month’s time to bring about the transformation.
Today, the initiative called as Andhra University Avani Organics Gardening Hub has grown into a thriving natural farm, which is gradually building a community of urban dwellers that seeks to understand the science of the soil.
In November 2023, Usha Raju and Hima Bindu of Avani Organics reached out to the Andhra University Vice Chancellor Prof. PVGD Prasad Reddy to introduce the concept of community farming on a piece of barren land opposite to the Dr Durgabai Deshmukh Centre for Women’s Studies. “We wanted to train the university students and residents of Visakhapatnam in natural farming techniques where they can volunteer as well as reap the benefits of farm produce,” says Usha, who has been in the field of natural farming from more than a decade and is one of the core members of Avani Organics.
It took Usha and Bindu days of hardwork to clear the debris and make the soil ready for sowing the vegetables. In the first phase, a variety of leafy greens like amaranth, spinach, mint, wheat grass, methi and sorrel along with sweet potato, tomato and cauliflower were grown in an area of 80 cents. Soon, university students, morning walkers, parents along with their children joined in to volunteer. “We have a small group of students who are also working as interns at the farm and are given a stipend. They spend their free time to work with us,” says Bindu, who gave up a career in Information Technology to pursue organic farming. Apart from managing the farm in Andhra University, she handles the retail management of Avani Organics stores located within the Rythu Bazaar premises at four locations in Visakhapatnam.
“Not too long ago, it was not unusual to find pockets of agricultural land in cities. Today, a deep disconnect has developed between urban dwellers and the agricultural community. The younger generation has little knowledge about farm-to-table concept. Our objective is to not only bridge that gap and instill a sense of connect with the farm land and its produce, but to also make them understand the health benefits of native seeds and natural farming, sans the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides,” says Usha and adds: “The beauty of community farming is that not a single person owns the farm; but it is a community that nurtures it.”
Based on natural farming techniques, a preventive pest management approach is practiced here. “The soil being absolutely virgin and chemical-free, pest attacks are less. But some vegetables are prone to pests. We use a combination of cow dung, cow urine, tobacco leaves, neem and pongamia to address the issue, depending on the extent of pest attack. For instance, in the case of ridge gourd which has frequent fungal disease, we use sour buttermilk,” says Bindu.
A majority of the seeds used are native varieties. Bindu says that they select special varieties. Recently, they sowed the seeds of chitrada beera, a variety of ridge gourd found in Kakinada. Similarly, a 10-line okra and pennada vanga, a variety of brinjal from West Godavari, have recently been introduced at the farm.
While she and Usha spend their mornings at the university farm, there are regular volunteers who drop in to offer help. “I generally go just after sunrise. Having a patch of vegetable garden at home, I understand how much hard work goes into maintaining a farm. And this is a beautiful concept where you become a part of a community to take care of a farm, nurture it, watch your greens grow and harvest it,” says Sireesha Gottipati, who visits twice every week. She says while sowing is one part of her responsibility, the main issue is to pull out the weeds.
Sree Karuna, who visited the farm two weeks ago with her 12-year-old daughter, says that it is a learning experience for children who get to understand various agricultural methods like inter-cropping. “While my daughter was planting ginger during our visit, she discovered that she was accidentally digging into a colocasia patch and was guided to shift her bed of ginger closer to it. These hands-on experiences offer a lifetime of learning. Now, she is looking forward to visiting the farm regularly and volunteer here,” she says and adds: “The best part is the accessibility to a community-led farm right at the heart of the city.”
(At Andhra University Avanic Organics Gardening Hub located opposite Dr Durgabai Deshmukh Centre for Women’s Studies, people can walk in between 7am and 9am, offer a hand at the farm, harvest their own vegetables, weigh them on their own and buy them).
