Meet the Kerala cops who converted their station compound into an organic farm
Located in the Ambalavayal police station of Kerala's Wayanad district, this farm is home to four varieties of chillies, pumpkins, okra, tomatoes and close to 40 other vegetables. While one will obviously hold deep appreciation for the people behind this task of converting a barren land into a productive space, one would not expect them to be clad in khakhi.
Sub-Inspector Abbas Ali, who spearheaded this project, was meaning to put to use the 40 cents of land in the backyard of the police station. Proposing the idea to his colleagues, he came up with a plan and asked them to sign up to volunteer. To his surprise, over 34 cops signed up.
We knew that we first had to till the land around the station. We carried mounds of soil from parts of the yard and spread it. For the potted vegetables, we got grow bags, filled them with dung powder and cocopeat and sowed the seeds, says ASI Chami of Ambalavayal station, in an interview with The News Minute.
The routine then started with procuring the farming tools, the seeds and three to four cops dedicated their time to work on the farm. Today, the farm is a flourishing space with 40 types of plants.
"We will all eventually get transferred out of here, but there’s something highly satisfying about carrying out farming. Ours is a job that demands us to be on our toes all the time and is one that gives us a lot of tension. For us, farming is a getaway from all of that," say the cops in an interview with Quint.
The organic farm observes no hierarchy and stands a testimonial to what genuine intent could yield. Currently, the produce is being sold at market price to officers and the earnings is used for station upkeep.
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