(“Paavam” is used to show pity on naive & innocent people, who are not well-versed with the ways of the world)
In a world of modern scientists, farmers are our natural scientists. They are uncomplicated, provided we ask the right questions by keeping our shortsightedness aside.
They carry thousands of years of sound knowledge on animals, cooking, medicine, building natural homes, recycling/reusing, minimalism – by creating the least amount of disturbance to their surroundings. For starters, they have the ability to predict climate by observing tree/animal behaviour, making villages self-sustainable using cows, optimally using neem trees for hygiene and finding groundwater sources by using coconuts, among a million other capabilities. Farmers are commonly labelled as old-school and shown in a backdrop of famines, poverty and droughts. They are not ‘paavam’ and never have been. At Agremy, we wish to make people see beyond this perception and appreciate these natural scientists of our lands. This is why we are working with farmers who still have a strong grip on their tribal roots in the forests balanced with their current lifestyle.
The brilliance of our farmers can be seen in the way they have handled cows since ancient times. In a farm, the daily waste that is generated like grass hay (vaikol), rice husk (thavudu), oil cake (punnaku), will be consumed by cows. It can eat whatever humans can’t, but in return helps us with milk, giving birth to offspring yearly, manure, transport and ploughing.
The maintenance of cows is also very cheap. For instance, when you give water to the paddy fields, grass grows along the area through which water flows. Cows will give milk just by feeding on this as well.