THE SEEDS OF HOPE

India's first carbon-neutral organic seed farm in Kerala's Aluva is a role model for farmers in a world threatened by global warming

- JEEMON JACOB

"We have followed organic modules on the farm since 2012, while also sensitising farmers about reducing greenhouse gas emissions"

Lissymol J. Vadakkoot, Asst. director, Kerala agriculture dept.

A 120-year-old seed farm on the banks of the Periyar river has become a “role model for survival” at a time when climate change and the perils of global warming are on everyone’s minds. The 5.32 hectares of land in Aluva in the suburbs of Kochi became India’s first carbon-neutral organic seed farm in December 2022. ‘Carbon-neutral’ indicates that the farm does not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and that whatever is produced is absorbed by the soil and plants here.