Agriculture is a tough and challenging business to be in, even at the best of times. Ask any planter, big or small, and he’ll give you an extensive list of the myriad challenges he faces. Where sometimes the best of planters take a beating, my grandmother, who has been in the agricultural business for a while now, has adapted comfortably and almost wonderfully to it.

There’s a lot we can learn from her simple techniques of yield enhancement. Keeping it uncomplicated and effective is certainly something she believes in.

She’s been sustaining herself with a tiny parcel of land handed down from her husband’s side of the family. And mind you, she does it like a maestro. Surprisingly sharp in her early 70s, she uses her mental faculties to the optimum by planning long-term.

The Good Business Woman!

Of the two varieties of coffee, Arabica and Robusta, she quickly interplants the one that fetches better in the market among her existing plants. By incorporating banana, pepper, and local tamarind among her crops, she makes her own additional revenue.

Paddy cultivation on her land works in several ways according to the ancient barter system, where her neighbours use her land and give her a sizeable portion of the produce in return. This spares her the additional pressure of cultivating it herself or otherwise having to leave it barren to waste away to nothing. Like I said earlier, she’s one clever woman!

Everyone knows how a good and enthusiastic workforce is the spine of any booming enterprise. Without them, little gets done. Therefore, clever people put in the extra effort needed there. One can take guidelines from my grandma in that regard. Whether or not there are labour problems in surrounding areas, she will indefinitely have one cheerful and enthusiastic brood of workers at her door step.

She treats her workers with respect, strictly adhering to the ‘give respect and you’ll get respect’ dictum.  Additionally, the small, non-monetary bonuses that she gives them to keep them motivated, work like a charm.

Also very commendable is her effective and productive utilization of her spare time. She gets her workers to use the agricultural residue to make cost-effective and extremely yield enhancing manure.

With sustained efforts and negligible infrastructure, she’s comfortably ensconced in her little world that she built around herself!

Comfortable in Her Own Little World!

Sanjana Achayya

Sanjana Achayya is a student at Clarence High School, Bangalore. Being born into a Kodava family gives her an insight into the hopes and ambitions of this beautiful district neatly tucked away near the Karnataka-Kerala border. An avid reader and writer, Sanjana is guided by her own experiences and interactions with relatives from Coorg.