Life of an organic farmer- Munisamy

Munisamy is a 31 year old organic farmer from Krishnagiri, Tamilnadu. We have been working with him at Healthy Buddha for more than 2 years now. He is one of those passionate farmers who is really interested in honing his craft. He grows amazing Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Cabbages, Brinjals, and white pumpkins for us.

Recently, I met up with him at his farm and he shared his story. "I used to initially work in a marketing company and was doing well. But I was a farmer at heart and started farming in 2013. I was not much aware of organic farming at that time and I tried chemical farming initially. But, I lost about 30 lakhs due to crop failure, huge pesticide bills, and lack of any marketing." 


"Post that, I got inspired by Subash Palekar and Nammalwar, and got into organic farming" 

"It was a bit of a struggle in the initial days, handling the pest issues and soil fertility." As part of learning, he traveled around, visiting multiple organic farms, and met up with other farmers. He says "I used to see youtube videos of other organic farmers, and then would reach out to them and visit their farms in person to learn from them". 

"I am happy to say, after 3 years of trial and error, I am now able to grow about 1.5 Tonnes of good quality organic vegetables per week in my 4 acre farm. Most of it is consumed by Healthy Buddha Customers."

He also took me around to his shed and showed me the 12 different bacteria culture he uses to improve soil fertility as well as handle pest issues naturally. 

At the end of the visit, while drinking tender coconut water, I asked him how HB has made a difference for him. He said, with a smile, "I went from earning less than 50k per month to almost Rs. 1.5 Lakhs per month. More importantly, there is transparency in pricing and there is no uncertainty of who will buy my produce when it is ready for harvest. I can just focus on growing good organic vegetables. I am also able to give employment to 5 ladies and 1 gent." 

Munisamy is married to Kalavathi and has 2 kids. He lives a very content life. When I asked him how he liked living in the village, He said "I absolutely love living here and working on my farm. It is very peaceful and gives me great satisfaction. I reach the farm every day at 6 am and spend the whole day at the farm doing what I love."

Tags: farmer, organic, munisamy, life of a farmer