Twin joys from students’ farming efforts in Thrissur

In a heartening blend of sustainable farming and social commitment, the National Service Scheme (NSS) unit of Government Higher Secondary School, Marathamkode, here has reaped not just a bountiful paddy harvest, but also the joy of transforming it into a meaningful act of compassion.

Students took charge of every stage of cultivation, from preparing the soil to harvesting the crop, at the Eyyal padashekharam in Kandanassery panchayat. Using the Uma variety of paddy, they embraced a fully organic farming method and achieved an impressive yield.

Laborious process

The process reflected careful planning and traditional wisdom. Seeds were germinated in a mixture of cow dung slurry and moringa leaves. The 35-cent land was prepared by ploughing in chopped leaves of Seema Konna as green manure, while a separate nursery bed was readied on one side. After ploughing, fresh cow dung was applied to enrich the soil. Fifteen days after planting, a mixture of bone meal, neem cake, and powdered cow dung was spread. At 45 days, ash was applied to further nourish the crop.

The saplings planted on October 18 were harvested on February 9. From the harvested paddy, the students processed 280 kilograms of rice and 30 kilograms of flattened rice (aval). Packaged under the brand name ‘Marathamkode Mahima’ , the organic matta rice in 2 kg and 5 kg packets, and aval, were taken directly to households for sale.

But the most touching chapter of the story unfolded during their door-to-door campaign. When the students reached the home of Greeshma, a former student of the school, they learned that her 20-day-old baby was awaiting an urgent heart surgery. The family was struggling to raise the substantial amount required for the procedure. Deeply moved, the students decided to donate the entire profit from the rice sales, ₹15,000, towards the baby’s treatment.

Principal Smitha V. said the initiative once again demonstrated how experiential learning could shape socially responsible citizens. “The profit earned through organic farming has become a lifeline for a child,” she noted.

Landslide victims

This is the second consecutive year that the NSS unit has turned agricultural success into social service. Last year, the students handed over ₹25,000, the profit from their previous harvest, to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund for the victims of the Chooralmala landslide in Wayanad.

For the students of Marathamkode, farming is no longer just about cultivation. It is about nurturing empathy, responsibility and hope, proving that when young hands sow with care, they harvest far more than grain.