Schools are among the beneficiaries of the ‘Onathinu Orumuram Pachakari’ project aimed at producing homegrown and pesticide-free vegetables for the festival

Just over a month remains for Onam and all that it is associated with – Pookkalam, Onakodi, and the grandest feasts of them all, the Onasadya.

Tapping into the sentiment of Onam as a harvest festival, the Agriculture Department’s ‘Onathinu Orumuram Pachakari’ project is aimed at a lip-smacking Onasadya cooked with homegrown and pesticide-free vegetables. Schools, being the venue for elaborate Onam celebrations, are among the beneficiaries of the project. Both seed packets and saplings are distributed to schools for free through the Krishi Bhavans under the project so that students can take these home and grow them in time for Onam.

A department official said 1.8 lakh seeds had been distributed in schools in the district under the project through the Krishi Bhavans.

First harvest

Besides that, the department, again through Krishi Bhavans, helps set up vegetable gardens in select schools with the first harvest taking place just in time for Onam. A few schools under each Krishi Bhavan are selected for setting up the vegetable gardens under the vegetable development programme of the department. The schools are selected on the basis of factors such as land and the interest expressed by them. An amount of ₹5,000 is given to the schools for the project expenses.

Navajeevan Bethany Vidyalaya, Nalanchira, is one the schools that expects an initial harvest of vegetables from its vegetable garden. At Navajeevan, the ‘karshika karma sena’ under the Krishi Bhavan at Kudapanakkunnu has prepared the land for growing vegetables.

Navajeevan had been growing vegetables and fruits to create awareness of organic farming among its students. Last year, it had a rich harvest of tomatoes, grapes, passion fruit, rambutan, guava, chillies, and so on. This year, it hopes to start cultivation with the Krishi Bhavan’s support.

Besides Navajeevan, vegetables gardens are also being readied by the Kudapanakkunnu Krishi Bhavan at SNM school, Peroorkada; Government Upper Primary School, Kudapanakkunnu; and the Concordia schools at Kudapanakkunnu and Mannammoola, says Joseph T.M., agricultural officer, Krishi Bhavan, Kudapanakkunnu.

The harvest from vegetable gardens is even taken home by students in smaller schools for preparing the Onasadya. In other schools, sale of the produce can help fund the vegetable garden project, he says.

Government Model Boys Higher Secondary School, Thycaud, too is preparing to grow vegetables for Onam harvest. School headmaster R.S. Suresh Babu says they plan to grow lady’s finger, brinjal, chillies, amaranthus, coriander and mint.

Noon meal scheme

At the school last year, under the project-based school vegetable project for ₹1 lakh, vegetables such as amaranthus, chillies, broad beans, cluster beans, lady’s fingers, tomatoes, brinjal were grown in 300 grow bags. In fact, nearly 50%of the school’s vegetable requirement for the noon meal scheme for 400 students was met through this, says Maya S.S., workshop instructor, who led the project last year. The school’s green army students were trained by Krishi Bhavan staff. Ms. Maya says the project has been nominated for a district-level award too.

At Karthika Thirunal Vocational and Higher Secondary School for Girls, Manacaud, lady’s finger, amaranthus, chillies, and long beans are being grown under the aegis of the National Service Scheme. Thirty-two Plus One higher secondary students across the three education streams have prepared the grow bags, and hope to see at least some of the vegetables harvested for Onam. Pratibha V.K., NSS programme officer, is leading the Plus One students. The students have planted 10 plantains too. “The children have been very enthusiastic and worked together as a team.”

The Onam harvest in city schools promises to be very rich this year.