On 17th April 2022, we had lovely weather at the OES Children's Farm. It sure was a very pleasant Sunday morning, despite the summer. All the Spring Batch young farmers arrived early at 8:00am for the session. All of them were extremely excited to have a look at their respective farm patches, as they came to the farm after a gap. So, they ran up to the patches and were delighted to see small vegetables on the plants. Some flowers and some vegetables were there on the plants which were not ripe but soon to mature. Seeing this all the participants were incredibly happy.
As Shilpa OES farming coach called them all to start the session, soon all of them collected their farming implements and intended to listen to her. She briefed them about the harvesting process. While the Brinjals and Tomatoes were not yet ready for harvest, Beetroots and radishes were almost ready to creep out of the ground. This was a learning for the young farmers, that different crops take different time to mature, even though they were sowed and planted at the same time. They harvested beetroots and radishes, some with leaves, some without, and filled their harvest cloth bags. Few of the patches had some red tomatoes to be plucked. Kids enjoyed this activity.
Once they were done with their patches, they harvested bottle gourds and bitter gourds from the farm bio-fence. Each of them took one bottle gourd with them. The harvest session was truly a harvest time for them, as they further went on to get mint from OES farm patch. Collecting bunches of fresh green mint which had heavenly aroma, brought smiles to their faces. Another vegetable coriander was also ready for harvest, which all of them gladly collected and put in the bags.
Then came another interesting, rather official part, the Graduation Ceremony. Each of the spring batch farmers was awarded a Certificate of completion for this 10-week (about 2 and a half months) farming program by Organo Et School (OES). Ms. Meena Murugappan Director OES, felicitated them one by one and wished them a good start to their farm journey back home. She suggested they grow one vegetable of their choice in pots or garden beds at home. And follow a crop plan so that supply of this vegetable is always there for their family's consumption. They all promised to do so!
This brought the last session of BAF Spring Crop Cycle to an end. Wishing each other goodbyes and luck they all moved towards their vehicles.
We recognize that for any positive impact to be sustainable, it must be long-term and inter-generational. Organo Et School strives to create an apt learning environment that will support and empower families as well as individuals to embrace sustainable living mindsets and habits.
Organo Et School is a learning initiative set up by Organo in 2017 and has been facilitating field visits and workshops for Schools and Interest Groups. Organo Et School has had over 25+ schools, 6000+ students and 2500+ adults participate over the last 4 years.
We believe in connecting children & adults with nature. Connecting children with the natural world at a young age is the first step in creating responsible stewards for our collective future.
If you or your children are interested in future Be a Farmer programs, please contact us at oes@organo.co.in and by phone 9154100775 today! You can also click here to express your interest. We will keep you posted on our future farm cycles.
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