300 volunteers harvest miracle food for village

Voluntourism at work in Kerala on super special rice

300 of us went into the field to harvest 20 acres of a Pokkali farm last week.  Writes Gopinath Parayil

The two days of festival saw the village hosting all the student volunteers into their houses and fed them like their own family. They shared their stories and legends and lifestyle to all those who were strangers till yesterday. Students learned about their struggles, farming and tradition and left behind staying connected to the movement and as many would say later was a "Life changing experience".

The Harvesting festival was organised by Villagers, Ezhikkara Co-operative Bank, The Green Army, The Blue Yonder & Nila Foundation. It was designed to ensure that Ezhikkara village will not go through a situation where they leave behind even a single grain in the paddy field due to lack of labourers or enthusiasm.

For years, it’s been a practice that most part of what’s planted used to lie wasted. Students in Palliative care as part of ‘ª#‎BecauseICare’¬ campaign and DISA an organisation based in Malappuram consisting of young students decided to join to support the initiative.

One girl said, "For me, I realised the importance of labour. The food we had after harvesting tasted much better than anything I had ever eaten. Here after I am sure I will appreciate food more than I ever did. Thoughts of these farmers and their hardwork to ensure that we have food on our plate will linger in my mind".

One of the community members said, "I really feel ashamed now. I came into this village after my marriage and in all these years I never stepped into these Pokkali fields. Seeing you coming from another place to help us inspired me to join the movement. I will join rest of the team till there isn’t a single grain remaining in the field."

Yesterday in the review meeting, the Co-Operative Bank Secretary Sri Vijayan said, "This initiative was special for the participatory model. A bank, producers association, farmers, students ( who normally otherwise volunteers in community based palliative care) and a tour operator came hand in hand to preserve an intangible heritage like Pokkali.

Among those who got into the field, there were people all castes and religion, there were politicians of opposing parties, there were rich and poor. They came from urban and rural areas, they came from different family back ground, social status. Even after three days of these students left, village level committees have been set up to volunteer and harvest the remaining rice. This initiative has inspired more people to join us."

A student said, "When I knew Students in Palliative Care is going to be part of this harvesting festival I knew it would be interesting and meaningful. So i withdrew the remaining 500 Rs I had in my bank and ran to join the team. On return I understood it was far more than a life changing investment for me and many of my fellow students".

Ezhikkara bank also mentioned that this was one of the best crops in several years and thanks to the speed in which we could harvest it will reflect in the quality of rice. The Blue Yonder along with its partners and friends have committed to purchase all the paddy that’s been harvested to facilitate a seed bank ( ten tonnes – managed by the cooperative bank) and remaining twenty tonnes as rice for consumption. Many hoteliers and restaurants along with resident welfare associations and community members have committed to purchase the rice to ensure a financial sustainability and to support a lifestyle that’s so local to the region.

Pokkali is a rare variety of rice that can tolerate salinity and the symbiotic farming ensures that after the one yield the field is prepared for prawn culture. As the stems are left behind in the paddy field, it becomes fodder for the prawns, while the waste deposits from the prawns become fertiliser for the next seasons cultivation of Pokkali.

A truly sustainable and healthy way of farming encompassing  thousands of years of history and life style.

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