A Karnataka man has mastered organic farming and grows multiple crops in a year. He generates a revenue of Rs 25 lakh annually. While farmers continue to toil using only traditional methods, Channakeshava M. learned about modern techniques online, as per Startup Pedia. He has adopted sustainable agricultural practices on his eight-acre farm in Karnataka's Tumkur district.
His father primarily cultivated coconut and arecanut on the land. Channakeshava decided to diversify the farm's produce. He grows coconut and arecanut alongside turmeric, coffee, cocoa and different fruits and spices. Channakeshava decided to introduce mixed cropping and organic farming practices to increase his profits and make better use of his land.
How The Journey Started
Channakeshava joined his father in farming after finishing high school in 2003. He gradually introduced mixed cropping on the land. Channakeshava started growing different fruit varieties. He even developed a nursery with around 100 varieties of fruit plants.
Channakeshava received training from the Agriculture Department in 2004-05 about making vermicompost, mulching, and farm maintenance. He slowly started experimenting with different crops on his farm. In 2011, Channakeshava planted black pepper, cardamom, and coffee plants between the coconut trees.
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The 43-year-old decided to cultivate 10–15 trees each of mango, jackfruit, and custard apple on the farm's vacant spaces. After around three years, the trees started bearing fruits, which he sold. While taking his fruits to the market, Channakeshava realized that organic produce sold better.
He decided to plant exotic fruits such as mangosteen, rambutan, avocado, and dragon fruit between the existing trees and in other vacant spaces on the farm.
Channakeshava also learned about grafting from social media to reproduce selected fruits instead of only depending on seeds. He applied the techniques to guavas, water apples, and avocados.
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The Farm Today
Channakeshava's eight-acre land has around 3,000 plants, including 1,000 fruit plants. He sells the produce directly to customers from nearby areas. Around 150–200 customers buy fruits and other farm produce from him directly.
The annual turnover of the farm is about Rs 20-25 lakh.