Friday, 21 October 2016

Farm Visual Update 21-Oct-2016

The Farm has not got its shower since 11 months now.   Whatever be the climate in India, the local climate is dry and drought as it had been in the past.   Rain was there even some 6 kilometers from my farm, but not a drop here.  Here are the visuals that I persuaded Subbu to send (Otherwise he was reluctant to send me the sight of dry farm).

Fact is fact.  Sinc the pictures are self explanatory, I am not writing any commentary for anything except few slides that cannot be understood without my comment. However I must congratulate and be grateful to Subbu to have kept all the trees with borrowed water, stolen water, purchased water and stored water. The life is struggle and it keeps going........ You must contrast these trees with the die-hard juliflora weed which itself has dried outside the farm. The juliflora is supposed to live in near zero water conditions.


The beautiful seating arrangment is now having a setting

Tree is in shape of a tree finally

Not even a blade of grass.  Except trees which are tended carefully


On the way to mud pond


These coconut trees have not come up well. They are 2nd batch purchased from valliyoor.  The earlier batch
purchased form Ramji Nursary, Nagarcoil is excellent. Now we know where to purchase from


Jasmine 1st batch. Glad the bushes have become big.

Jasmine 2nd batch in famine


Just outside the farm, the shrubs are so dry

The new borewell is covered with an old hand pump. This will be where verticle windpump will
be built. Currently our folks are pumping water in hot sun. I asked subbu to construct shade
He had purchased the knotted coconut leaves, but lack of support kept is pending

Dry and no growth except casurina.  These trees are drinking purchased water  and is a mistake

Windpump at backdrop. Which is sustaining all living things for the past 11 months silently working to maximum capacity.

2nd seating arrangement. Otherwise for water this should be greenest of places.

Near the tower.  All banana trees have gone.


The Red banana. Atlast one or two have escaped hard summar. This was procured from Thirumurthy farm near Coimbatore

Banana used to be here




















Around the farm. This is the reality. My farm is an oasis.

Thursday, 6 October 2016

Farm Update 06-Oct-2016

Subbu is frustrated.  It is understood.  There is intense heat there continuously.  There is no rain for the past 8 months. No. Not a single drop of water. Not even clouds.

My guess is right.  The macro climatic predictions done by Government, Met and other agencies are still far from reality. They are done for policy makers, share market and general public in cities who are unconnected with reality. Clouds appearing on satellite maps not necessarily bring rain. They never.

There is drought in this part of country. there is floods in another. None of this appear in bulletin.

Something must be done to Farmers - to record and predict local micro climatic conditions.  Even their time tested traditional techniques of observing birds is failing them because of global climate (Warming).

So no drop of water. No wind either.  Subbu is disgusted because we had to purchase water several times.  Even then the water poured is drying up within half day and the trees are drooping down. This is exactly words of Subbu's explanation of why he is frustrated.  Generally villagers donot like spending money and that too wastefully on water.  Paying for water would be accptable to city folks. Even to drink one liter of water we pay 20/- without any shame.  But in village they are yet to be dragged into corporate exploitative vicious world.  For them purchasing water is still not digestible.


He had fixed the handpump in the new well.  Employed one lady employee to water the plants as we did 4 years back.  History repeats. I asked him to put a canopy for shade. He had purchased matted coconut tree leaves 20 nos for this. There is no helping hand for him to build a canopy.  Kandan is not coming

Kandan has vouched for a temple.  He has put "mala" for a local diety and has gone for alms around. Therefore he is unable to visit the farm. This will continue till he fulfils his vow.

I had asked for some pictures to be sent. But he has no time.  The coordination of water tracktor, pumping the water with hand, watering etc in the absence of Kandan is taxing on him.

The plight of small and medium farmers across the country is the same situation.   No opportunity to cultivate due to lack of water.  On a macro level the water politics, or water lobby is creating more hurdles for farmers.


Something must be done.
Something must be done.
Something must be done.
Something must be done.
Something must be done.
Something must be done.
Something must be done to small farmers.

I cannot let the farm dry after like this year after year.  Inspite of fact that now 2 bore wells are there, the pond is expanded, there are cement tanks and overhead tanks. Lack of power in the farm is another factor.

I must expedite my verticle windpump.   But even then it will not make my farm secure with water.  I need even more power. Perhaps concentrated Solar Energy again. I must ride two horses now on......

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