Flanking a stretch of a road on both sides in the 15th ward of Perinjanam panchayat in Kerala’s Thrissur district, is a rare sight – on one side, there’s a lush paddy crop, and on the other, many pots and plants with vegetables, ripe and ready to harvest. Anyone is free to come and pluck the produce. Despite being public, this vegetable garden isn’t a panchayat project, but the initiative of a single man – Anikumar Kattil.
Anilkumar lives nearby, and spends his free time cultivating organic vegetables on the sides of this street. A tourist bus driver by profession, Anilkumar has just three cents of land with his house on it. With no land of his own to cultivate these vegetables, and a keen interest in farming, three years ago, he began planting vegetables here after cleaning the area, ploughing the soil himself, and finding a good variety of vegetables seeds to plant. To maintain the farming area, Anilkumar also placed roof tiles on the edge of the land to prevent the soil from eroding onto the road.
After the coronavirus induced lockdown, he lost his job. It was then that he dedicated more time into cultivating this ‘roadside’ vegetable garden and stretch of paddy. "Earlier my day would start around 5 am. I would go plant seeds, water them, clear weeds and maintain them. From last March, I have been spending more time on it," he says.
When he lost his job, he struggled a lot, but the farming helped him because he could at least get enough vegetables for sustenance without having to spend on them. "I was able to cultivate the vegetables I wanted. What gave me more joy was also that many others also benefited from my farming. I have told everyone here that they can pluck any vegetables from the garden. I just cultivate them, I am not the owner. I am so happy to see others using the vegetables too," he says.
He also hopes that others will use this as an example and follow a similar model of cultivation to make use of land and resources.
"I am not a farmer by occupation, but I love doing it. If anyone is ready to do this in the area where they live, there are many benefits. Waste dumping on the sides of the road will also reduce, and it will help in beautification too," Anilkumar says.
Presently, the garden has brinjal, chillies, ladies finger, spinach, turmeric, long bean, among other crops. Anilkumar also prepares his own pesticides. "During the lockdown, I got some seeds from the agriculture department. I also prepare bio-insecticides myself to get rid of pests," he says.
Since the vegetables are grown organically, people are keen to take them too. Though they are ready to pay Anilkumar, he encourages people to plant something else in return, or offer donations such as homemade or organic manure.