Sembodai shows way forward with mixed farming for self-sustainability post Gaja

“The body, consisting of 20 farmers, was formed to find solutions to damages caused and seek need-based funding to make Sembodai a self-sufficient green village,” said Sadhasivam, former Panchayat President of Sembodai, also one of the coordinators of the body.

In Sembodai village, more than 90,000 trees were uprooted and close to 380 houses were damaged.

However, the village people decided to take matters into their own hands and with the help of people settled in Chennai and abroad decide to cope with the disaster and also help farmers of the entire region.

Speaking to DTNext, Sadhasivam said the primary aim of the farmers body was to make sure farmers generate revenue at the earliest. “To earn money in a short period of time, farmers have been asked to opt for horticulture crops like vegetables and groundnut. The body will approach research organisations and NGOs for plant seeds at the earliest,” he added.

The major problem faced by farmers is removing uprooted trees from the farmland before cultivation. However, they have found a solution for this. They will now convert wooden logs into fertilisers use them for farming. A section of farmers are planning to visit Auroville this week to learn the technique of converting damaged wooden logs into fertilisers.

A youth from the village, Cholarajan, working as a Central government employee in Chennai, said the cyclone had taught them a lesson to not depend on cash crops and trees alone but also look for long-term alternatives in the form of mixed cropping.

“Farmers of our village have decided to adopt sustained farming mechanisms so that crops are not destroyed completely if another natural calamity strikes our area,” said Cholarajan.