The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : The green thumb family

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Monday, Jul 28, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

The green thumb family

T. Nandakumar

Professor-couple show how to be self-sufficient in vegetables

— Photo: S. Gopakumar

Farm fresh: V.B. Padmanabhan and O.K. Swadija on the terrace of their house in the city.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Call it a passion or an extension of their professional life. V.B. Padmanabhan and his wife, O.K. Swadija, both professors at the College of Agriculture, Vellayani, are virtually living their academic career at home.

The 1,000-sq.ft terrace of their house at Anayara is a demonstration of their professional commitment. The entire terrace has been converted into a farm. Using scientific agricultural practices and appropriate species, the couple have proved that even a family with the smallest landholding can be self-sufficient in vegetables.

They have not stopped with the demonstration of their capability. The professor-couple is busy popularising house terrace farming in the city and its suburbs.

Dozens of amateur farmers bear testimony to the success of their methods. Step onto the terrace of Dr. Padmanabhan’s house and one is greeted by a mass of swaying green in different shades, all planted in plastic sacks. There are different species of leafy vegetables such as amaranthus, tubers such as cassava, yam, colocassia, arrow root, coleus and sweet potato, creepers such as bitter gourd, coccinea, clove beans, pumpkin and cucumber and other vegetables such as okra, chillies, cluster beans, tomato and cowpea. Part of the terrace is covered with coconut leaves for the creepers to cling to.

“We use only organic methods for farming,” says Dr. Padmanabhan. The seeds are planted in plastic sacks filled with soil, sand and powdered cow dung in a specific ratio. For manure, the couple use vermicompost, oil cakes of neem and groundnut, bone meal, cow dung and azolla (a floating fern that harbours algae and is known to be a good manure). Organic pesticides such as tobacco decoction, neem oil and the suspension of neem seed kernel are advocated for pest control.

“The green canopy helps lower the temperature inside the house,” explains Dr. Padamanabhan. “Plastic sacks are ideal for terrace farming because using soil directly on the terrace is likely to result in a leaking roof slab.” Chemical fertilisers will also damage the surface.”

The couple procure seeds for their farm from the National Seeds Corporation and their college. They have also established an extended version of the house terrace farm in a coconut grove at Venganoor on the outskirts of the city where almost every kind of commonly used vegetable is grown as intercrop. “Terrace farming is eco-friendly, it can contribute to self-sufficiency in vegetables and also make significant savings in the family budget,” Dr. Swadija says.

It is not only vegetables that the professor duo is trying to promote. They also rear poultry, including the Japanese quail. The house has a tank to grow azolla. The household waste is converted into vermicompost in plastic containers.

Every harvest at the professors’ house is a celebration for the neighbourhood. “We give away the produce to neighbours, friends and relatives,” Dr. Padmanabhan says.

The couple offer free training for residents’ associations using slideshows and through lectures.

“We spend at least an hour in the morning and evening tending to the plants. Terrace farming should ideally involve the whole family. It offers an opportunity to bring children closer to nature,” Dr. Padmanabhan says.

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