Farming with a passion

“When I saw a reporter doing a video recording of the krishi mela, I recalled with him another report that mentioned the white plum four years back. Within minutes I had the contact number of the person who had reported about this rare variety,” recalls Edward Rebello. And soon enough, he had the plant in his farm. 

A regular visitor to agriculture seminars and farm-related melas, Edward pools information on agricultural practices, and fruit and vegetable varieties. He also shares this information with like-minded farmer friends. He visited the Dharwad Krishi Mela a year ago and went home with his list of  DHS1, DHS2 sapota, red tamarind and a grass sapling. “I read about red tamarind in a newspaper a few months ahead of this mela,” he points out.  

Farming with a passion
Florina and Edward Rebello own two-and-a-half acres of land at Takode near Mudabidri. They do not depend on external labour. Edward’s mother Elizabeth guides them while sons Elson and Rolson assist the couple when they are free. Florina looks after the nearby areca farm while Edward is constantly experimenting on his two-acre farm a kilometer away.  

“I am just back from a trip to Koppa. I went to collect the lemon variety that was written about in the newspaper a month back. On my way back, I also collected five varieties of jackfruit - Hallimane, Keremane, Sakrayapatna, Shashimane and Shettimane. All unique varieties. The Sakrayapatna tree bears jack fruit till October,” Edward says. He has given the saplings to a grafting expert so that more farmers will be benefitted. Ever since 1995, he has been travelling widely to get hold of new varieties.

Farm supplements in different newspapers, farm magazines and agricultural programmes on television channels are his major sources of information. After gathering information from all these sources, he has created a network of farmers, institutions and journalists. If he finds a magazine interesting, he encourages fellow farmers to subscribe to that. Farmer self-help groups in his village often request him to be a resource person on their field visits.

On such trips he has travelled to agricultural institutions and universities in other states also. The presence of more than 200 plants in his farm reflects Edward’s passion. He waters the plants only once a week for two hours by way of sprinkler irrigation. He carries gobar gas slurry on his shoulder to the farm.
“The geography of the area doesn’t favour a pipeline. In fact, I cannot afford costly alternatives. Covering one kilometer with such a weight is a tough job but I am not fazed.” On rotation, every plant gets this nutrient three times a year. Biowaste of the plant is its only other fertiliser. 

Edward’s wife Florina also follows the same method in the areca farm. Edward proudly points to the banana plants grown by her. His mother Elizabeth agrees. “Florina manages both her home and the farm work. Edward is on tour at least one week a month. At such times, she pitches in to look after that farm too. This understanding has helped us cherish the fruits of our farm,” she says. They also grow vegetables for domestic use. They stopped buying vegetables a few years back when they realised the magnitude of pesticides sprayed on the vegetables.

Edward has realised his dream of developing an unconventional farm inside the forest. Seven types of sapota, five cocum varieties, six flavours of lemon, four areca varieties, eight mango species, ten species of jack not only attract farmers but also birds, insects and wild animals. “I am planting this cocum sapling for the third time. Monkeys enjoy tender leaves while wild pigs uproot it in their search for tubers.” Plum varieties like nakshatra nerale and varieties of jambu nerale bear a lot of fruit. These plants bearing red, green, white and cream coloured juicy fruits also have a good market.  “Now that Mudabidri has turned into an educational hub, fruits are in great demand. Students living in hostels love these fruits,” he says. Last year, rambutan fetched him a good income.
He has three trees that bear this tropical fruit variety. He has tropical fruits such as mangosteen, yellow rambutan, egg fruit, langsat, durian, snakefruit and many other traditional varieties like Devanahalli chakota, Sathkudi musambi, Nagpur orange, Cambodian milky fruit, sweet star-fruit and Burma bamboo.  

Networking with other farmers
A small farmer, he has managed to collect these varieties without extra expenses. He plans his trips ahead. He has a network of friends with similar interests in almost all regions of the state. He is either accompanied by or accompanies farmers who share his interest. If the price is affordable, he buys a few more saplings for distribution. He also exchanges plant varieties with other farmers. 

After testing whether conditions in the area are favourable for the growth of a particular plant, its usefulness and market, he takes a call on growing more of that variety. “I get a good price in the market for my fruits and vegetables. Cocum products take care of a part of my house.” He has created his own network for selling the produce too. Small shops in the city buy fruits from him for a good price. “Whenever I go to the city for some work, I either carry tender coconut or whichever fruit is available at that time.” Frequent bus services to the city seven kilometers away has saved transportation expenses. Sometimes, the sale of rare variety of saplings ensures that he recovers the money he has spent on buying them.

He remembers the history, nature and unique quality of all the plants in his farm. As he narrates the story of his journey towards owning one of the finest farms in the region, he also throws light on the different dimensions of agriculture itself.