Paddy Cultivation Revives After Decades in Chemmaruthy, Thiruvananthapuram

Quick Summary

• Location: Panayara and Pichakkasseri padasekharam, Chemmaruthy grama panchayat, Kerala.
• Project Initiative: Revival of paddy cultivation on 59 acres of fallow land under the ‘Tharishu-rahitha Chemmaruthy’ (fallow land-free) project by the local panchayat and Krishi Bhavan.
• Recent activities:

– Last year, farming was revived on four acres, inspiring community involvement.
– This year’s plan expands to cultivate approximately 55 acres across Panayara and Pichakkasseri.

• Community Involvement:

– Farmers, padasekhara samiti representatives, landowners, and around 20 National Service Scheme students from Palayamkunnu higher secondary school contributed efforts.
– Students will grow paddy on a dedicated plot of 30 cents in the polder.

• Land Planning: Canal cleaning via Mahatma Gandhi National Rural employment Guarantee Scheme workers; tree removal for field preparation; sowing festival held with organic uma variety seeds.
• Leadership & Events:

– District Panchayat Member Geetha Nazeer inaugurated the sowing festival attended by residents. Other officials included Panchayat President Priyanka Biril and Varkala Block President Smitha Sundaresan.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The revival of decades-old fallow lands in Kerala’s Chemmaruthy grama panchayat is a significant step toward restoring agricultural sustainability at a local level. The success depends largely on robust community participation-school students’ active involvement signals promising intergenerational engagement with farming practices. Organic cultivation using Uma variety seeds aligns well with modern trends favoring eco-kind initiatives.

This model illustrates how combined effort from administrative bodies like Krishi Bhavan and participatory schemes such as MGNREGS can rejuvenate neglected agricultural zones effectively. If expanded beyond this district or integrated into larger rural growth frameworks,it could mitigate issues like farmland abandonment seen across India while boosting food security.

Such localized efforts also hold value for curriculum-linked environmental education in schools.Their impact may inspire similar projects nationwide focusing equally on ecological restoration alongside rural livelihoods.

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