The modest front yard of Asha Shaiju’s home at Charamangalam in Kanjikuzhy grama panchayat is a mélange of greenery. There are hybrid okra plants, the ready-to-harvest pods hanging on the plants; red spinach; brinjal; and chilli. A winner of the Kerala government’s Yuvakarshaka, best young woman farmer in the State award, Shaiju, who once dreamed of becoming a teacher, ventured into farming 12 years ago. “It is a dawn to dusk, 365 days a year kind of job, but I am passionate about agriculture. It’s rewarding and gives me a lot of satisfaction,” says Shaiju, snipping okra.
Shaiju, now in her mid-30s set up this backyard kitchen garden on 13.75 cents (a little over 500 metres) inspired by the Haritha Samrudhi project of the panchayat in the coastal district of Alappuzha. On another 7.5 acres of land, she grows a host of vegetables and fruits including long beans, tomato, brinjal, cabbage, broccoli, chilli, and papaya, all in an organic way. Her farm, spread across different patches of land, produces 100 kg of vegetables daily during peak periods.
