Sustainability, biodiversity, harnessing natural resources and Organic living is the driving principle of Organo.
However, it’s not just within the community, but Organo has made an impact on the neighboring villages – Aziznagar, Yenkepally, and Bakaram – as well. “Ecological balance cannot be achieved in isolation,” says Lakshmi Battula, who is in charge of the farming and animal husbandry at Organo.
“It is important to spread the science of organic farming to the surrounding areas as well. Otherwise, the soil, air and water contamination cannot be undone. Simply because the chemically polluted air and water harm Organo and may reverse the positive changes brought in the environment by Organic farming. That is why we have taken up the responsibility of creating awareness and sensitizing the farming communities followed by training them in organic farming as well as providing the necessary manure, pesticides, and insecticides to the farmers.” That the impact has been tremendous and near perfect is reflected in the mindsets of farmers who have switched to nature’s ways.
“The reason I considered Organic farming is the fact that our soil had become depleted,” explains Tirupati Reddy, “The yield was reduced every year. It worried us because farming is our livelihood, and everything will take a beating if our crops get affected. When we heard from one of Organo experts that this happens with prolonged use of chemicals, it was a wake- up call for us. The health benefits of organic yield were secondary at that time because we just wanted to feed our families first. After we started adopting techniques and organic products imparted to us by Organo, our crops have become abundant. The best part is, we don’t have to go looking for a buyer, everything we produce is bought by Organo. For us, it is a win-win situation. In the process, we’re also contributing to nature, and that makes us doubly happy.”
The Organo the farming team visits villages, mobilizes the farmers, imparts training in Organo’s fields first to ensure the thorough transfer of practices and knowledge which then get implemented by the farmers in their farms.
“Jeevamrutham, Ghanajeevamrutham, neem cakes and organic pesticides which we have learned to produce on our own after training at Organo have become our lifelines now,” says Tirupati Reddy.
He adds, “Our lives have improved and our outlook towards the environment has undergone a total transformation. But for Organo, we would never have known the damage we were creating with conventional farming. We would blindly use urea and spray chemical pesticides earlier. Our ignorance and greed for increased yield albeit temporary made us adopt harmful processes. No more, now. We will be eternally grateful to Organo for opening our eyes, holding our hands and helping us to walk on the path of nature.”
Tirupati Reddy has, in turn, spread awareness to others in his community. Most of them turned to Organic farming mainly because of better crops and guaranteed sale. The products needed for organic farming are available at Organo. The ripple effect Organo has created has been increasing each passing day and is there for all to see.
“It is not just farming that benefits from Organic methods,” elaborates Lakshmi, “It also works in favor of cows and goats which feed on organic crops. The meats are also far healthier and tastier.”
“I never liked cluster beans,” says Shashibhushan, one of the early Naandians whose favorite hobby is farming, “But now it’s one of my favorite vegetables. Organic vegetables are a lot tastier than the ones we pick up from the supermarket.
“If you eat the papayas from our kitchen garden, you’ll come back asking for more,” Says Madhu Reddy, an avid photographer, and the first resident Naandian, “Tomatoes, bottle gourd, karela, taste like heaven. Juicier and tastier. However, the benefits of Organic farming go way beyond great taste. It’s our way of enriching our own lives by returning to nature. The flowers are much more vibrant and richer. The birds thrive in such environs and that’s why you’ll see a vast variety of them. For every Naandian, especially for a photographer like me, it’s absolute paradise.”
The impact of organo extends from empowering farming communities by imparting organic farming techniques practices, producing organic vegetables, poultry, meats and milk, beekeeping, solar power generation to biodiversity. Organo derives its strength from the assistance of its conglomerate of highly qualified and experienced technical experts & associates from diverse fields.
