A model of integrated agriculture farm

Aadarana padi panta

Hampapuram (Anantapur): The 125 acre lush green organic vegetable and horticulture integrated farm with dairying and sheep rearing at Hampapuram village in Raptadu mandal in the district is a model organic farm and an educational centre for farmers to have exposure on farm mechanisation, organic farming, marketing and exporting of produce. As one enters the sprawling farm with even an agriculture polytechnic, it gives one an experience of being in Kona Seema in the Godavari district with rich greenery and best agriculture practices.

The vast integrated agriculture farm established by N Rama Krishna, a progressive farmer bustles with activity with hundreds of visitors, farmers and government officials coming to have a glimpse of the model farm and study the best agricultural practices. The farm dubbed as 'Aadarana Padi Panta' was established in 2011 and ever since has become a cynosure of all eyes and a place worthy to visit.

Rama Krishna believes in the farm practices advocated by Subash Palekar of Maharashtra who promotes natural farming practices and calls upon farmers to return to farming practices of old. The students of agriculture polytechnic set up in the farm call themselves as lucky people as they are exposed to practical farming and also to interaction with leading scientists and agriculturists who visit the farm. The serine climate in the green campus provides the perfect environment for them to study and also get exposed to practical training.

Sailaza, an agriculturel polytechnic student is overjoyed to study in the lovely and serine campus. She stated that they are privileged to study in the campus as they have opportunities to interact and learn from several experts who visit the campus. Studying in the campus is enriching, she adds.
Rama Krishna talking to 'The Hans India' at his farm house stated that he is engaged in cultivation, marketing and even export of products.

He also procures from small farmers who follow his line of agriculture practices and markets them along with his produce. Cultivation, packing and marketing through own transportation forms part of his integrated project. He helps the farmers in direct marketing without any role for middlemen to ensure higher profits to his co-farmers. He has 18 bore-wells in the campus always teeming with life and even in the hottest summer, his bores did not fail him, he says with pride as he dug large farm ponds and trenches to conserve every drop of rain water.

These measures helped recharging of bore-wells and there was no dearth of water in summer. As part of mechanisation, he introduced JCB's tractors, ploughing machines, drum seeders, thrashers, groundnut decorticatots, de-stoners, millet cleaning machines, banana fiber and bio-mass pellet machines.

As part of integrated farming he is running a dairy with 70 animals and rearing 500 sheep and goats. More than 100 people live in the township and are fortunate to get pure milk and curd, organic fruits and vegetables and unpolished rice. A Farmers Training Centre is in place for according training to small and marginal farmers.

A big cold storage facility would shortly be established for storage of 8000 metric tons of produce with the cooperation of the Central government. The agriculture farm has emerged as a modern farm with even the government utilising the infrastructure and training facilities to train agriculture officers of the department.

By Ravi Benjamin