Agriculture, a hit with the youth

KOCHI: Every attempt to revive the long-lost charm of agriculture is always welcome for it has been shunned by the youth for a long time, calling it a less paying vocation. But things are changing as many youths are emerging from their cocoons and looking at agriculture as a serious option.P K Vijayan from Puthiyoor took a degree in Botany for he wanted to pursue agriculture as his vocation. Thomas J George who is an architect by profession is also pursuing farming out of sheer passion for it. Narayanan Ilayathu from Kakkanad was yet another major success in this regard.Vijayan says that though he had to overcome a lot of hardships in the initial stages, he never ever thought of moving back from the vocation he always loved.“I did Botany for I was interested in agriculture right from the beginning. My parents were also into farming. I did a lot of odd jobs, but it never gave me any satisfaction,” he said. His love for agriculture has also led him to form a committee called ‘Oruma’ which has been operational since 2011. Its main purpose is to attract a lot of youngsters towards agriculture. “The indifferent attitude of the youth towards agriculture is the main impediment which should be changed. It is not difficult to grow a small garden in your compound. If there is less availability of space, you can resort to roof-top farming."Though he would like to stick to conventional methods of farming, he said that it was not easy. “I am using the conventional methods, but it is not easy to cover 50 cents of land when it comes to tilling soil.” The only regret he had during these years is that when he approached the Thrikkakara Municipality to get the tiller which has been rusting for quite long time due to disuse, it was rejected.Speaking on the help received towards such a venture, he said that he always got support from the Krishibhavan. “I get manure at a very subsidised rate, which helped me a lot.” He has been growing various crops in his 50 cents of land. “I never thought it could be a lucrative profession when I started this. But my life has completely changed when I switched over to this profession,” he said.