Sikh farmers in Vallandhai village have turned barren land into orchards.

At a time when crop failure is increasing in Tamil Nadu due to deficient monsoon, these Sikh farmers in the state's Ramanathapuram district stand out with their innovative methods of farming - turning a barren land into orchards.Manmohan Singh and Darshan Singh in Vallandhai village have turned their land - popularly known as Sikh farms - into orchards of mangoes, guavava, amla and watermelons.The two farmers, who migrated to Tamil Nadu in 2007, brought around 115 acres of land at throwaway prices in the Ramanathapuram with help of their relatives.Judging the weather conditions, they dug bore wells and relied on sprinklers for irrigation to avoid wastage of water. Also, the farmers chose their crops depending upon the soil conditions.Their farming techniques have encouraged locals in the area. "Now a lot of locals around us have started farming. They grow chillies, corn. Whenever they ask us something, we help them out. It's good to see people get back to farming", says Darshan Singh.

They experiment with the variety of crops on regular basis to improve the productivity."We have worked very hard. The flowers of the mango trees have bloomed well this year. The fruits will be good. Last year was tough," said Bhupender Singh, one of the Sikh farmers who migrated to Tamil Nadu From Punjab.