A little calf sticks out her tiny tongue at me in welcome, as I enter the gates of the C-SOF farm. She is only 6 days old and has not had sufficient time to learn either her manners or the fear of strangers 😀 She gently nuzzles my hand as I get close to click her picture. Her large eyes and delicate face make her seem more deer like than bovine and I promptly name her Bambi.
It is the harvest festival of Pongal and I could not have chosen a better day to visit an agricultural region, for what can be more auspicious than fortuitously celebrating the occasion deep within the folds of rural India, in the lap of the soil that gives birth to the food that we eat, amidst fields of vegetables and paddy and literally from the root of where it all begins.
Being passionate about ethical and sustainable farming, my enthusiasm today is twofold because apart from being an exemplary organic farm, the C-SOF is also the initiative of the reputed International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA), which is India’s leading networking organization in organic agriculture, an organization that has been a game changer in the field (pun intended).
The name C-SOF is the abbreviation for Center for Sustainable & Organic Farming. It is being established to serve as a model to demonstrate organic farming practices, as well as to generate and supply organic produce to consumers. It will also make available hands-on experiences to people from the city, who can visit and participate in its various day to day activities (eg. weekend farmers program or adopt an organic plot for a season, etc).
The C-SOF farm is nestled deep within the verdant countryside of the village of Kolatti which lies in the Denkanikottai taluk of the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, India.
Feel the excitement as you step inside with me and let us explore together, what it has in store for us.
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