Farm Update (Random) on 5th April, 2014

1. New appointment : Two female workers have been appointed. It will take one month to confirm. Kandan needs a helping hand in this hot sun. He is unable to manage all by himself drawing water from hand pump and watering the plants across.  The mud is very hot.   He used to fill the tank in the morning and pour the water in the evening. His little daughter used to give him company occassionally. Now a days due to hot sun, he is not keeping well. Therefore one women worker was decided initially. But later it was her preference and also collective wisdom that we should have two female workers for safety and company for each other.  That means cost of wages will go up for me. But that is a happy problem. After all, the purpose of this venture is to provide more job opportunity.
2. The intensity of heat is so high that around 7 casuarina sibling plants have got burnt in above 39dec C and hot air. They were promptly replaced with stock available.
3. Wages :  I believe they had expectations of wages equal to NREGA (The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act)  which comes to around Rs. 130/- per person per day. It was explained to them that we cannot pay that money much as there is no production yet.  The work is also less - only watering now.  We settled for little less. But in the mind i was thinking that these workers will in fact get more salary in the long run by working for me than working for Government.
4. What's the Plan: The justification for appointing them now is that they will slowly get used to a monthly salary routine (Our farm believes in monthly salary and not daily wages) and the farm and its developments. Once the water is arranged, there will not be work of drawing the water. Only irrigation. Then around 2 months from now, we can start creating raised soil beds and start the crops. Most of the crops will be local country organic varieties (Non-hybrid) and will be for seed generation. Therefore there will be plenty of variety, but small in quantity like a nursery. This will require the kind of skillset only women have - patience and routine tending.
5. I reminded  Subbu that we have temporarily deviated from our mission. In the sense that I wanted to appoint a female worker only after construction of toilet and a resting room.  That is a little away, not due to lack of efforts, but for water.  We can construct a toilet only when there is flow of water to water tank for flush out. Otherwise it is of no use.
6. Foundation is complete. we decided not to dress the upper portion of foundation with another layer of concrete. It is only for beauty and we don't require beauty now is what Subbu opinioned.  He had put 16 bags of cement and has done a 4 feet deep foundation - too solid.  We may spread small gravel stones on the top or even dress it up with cement after the tower is done.
7. Tower is getting welded starting today in its ABS factory some 1200 Kms away in Mumbai city.  I mentioned to the coordinator that we need that painted in green color. They were planning red color earlier like a typical cell phone tower.
8. I made friendship with a Goshala owner (Cow Protection centre), some 60 kilometers away. he has promised to supply a lorry load of cow dung manure some 2 months from now.  That should be ideal to enrich the soil.
9. The country is facing election in starting this week. There is frantic activity all over.  Someone in Govt level who is outgoing before election wanted to make quick buck. By promising that he will help me convert all pending patta at a cost of  whopping a lakh of rupees. They are cheats and they will not do that. I have experienced that already.  Moreover I have waited for 3 years and I can wait for few more years.  World is not going to come to an end. I have confidence in Government and taluka rules that it will protect the interests of farmers in the long run.  I refused the offer.  Farming is an activity which require long periods of "waiting". It is not a business model to make quick bucks. If anyone is making quick money either in farming, or in business, then we can be rest assured that he is compromising on something else. 

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