Social Entrepreneurship on Health- the holistic way

Author: K.Mohan alias Mohan Sanjeevan Science and Science Fiction Writer, Poet , Researcher, Resource person, National facilitator, Xovian A real life venture model
The idea for this Health based entrepreneurship stems from witnessing a venture which worked out very well and still doing well in real life. A successful venture is better than a mere concept

Focus on health
Focus on health is essential for any progressive society . It also attains divinity if it incorporates a holistic approach. Though the term holistic refers to alternative traditional methods of health, it may also be extended to emerging fields like organic farming providing healthy nutritious food ensuring good health. This method also ensures a good

environment by protecting it by the harmless practices of agriculture.

Health gets affected when the bodys immunity gets affected

It is a known fact our health gets affected when our bodys ability to counter the illness causing factors , germs etc., is affected. The bodys ability to fight disease is called immunity and the lack of immunity leads to disease. When we analyse the reasons for the affected immunity the practice of agriculture using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides is largely responsible for toxic food thereby affecting our health when consumed. Use of these synthetic fertilizers and pesticides also affect soil health killing beneficial earth worms and affect the water bodies when they run off into them.

The need for the health oriented social health entrepreneurship

As we have seen the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides lead to poor health there is need for the suitable agricultural practice. That is where the

organic farming using natural fertilizers and pesticides comes in

Setting up the health/good environment based Venture

Having decided to set up the health oriented environment protecting venture we go about setting it up keeping the objectives in mind. The social entrepreneurship in this field may be taken up by acquiring agricultural lands and using them for organic farming as a collective efforts of youth. A group of enthusiastic youth interested in the well being of the people in the society and may take up this route to ensure good health by avoiding ill effects of synthetic pesticide and fertilizer fed route of agriculture. The practice of use of natural fertilizers and pesticides may be followed in the lands acquired and health wise nutritious produced. This venture ensures physical and financial health to the organic farming entrepreneurs and the citizens

Setting up self-owned outlets for selling the produce of organic farming lands

The produce of such organic farming may be sold by self-owned organic food outlets, where traditional nutritious varieties of rice, wheat ,other grains, vegetables, greens may be sold. Though this appears to be a commercial venture, the welfare and development of people is its basic objective making it a noble social entrepreneurship.

Organic food eateries may be run to cater to the citizens

Apart from sales, organic food eateries may be set up by the farms to serve as another farm of captive use for the farms ensuring at the same time good healthy hygienic nutritious food to the citizens

Well run farms to act as model farms

A well run farm may serve as a model farm for other aspirant youth to emulate and set up farms of their own. Necessary training may be had from the model farm.

Model farms may form co operatives amongst themselves

As more and more model farms come up leading to proliferation of these farms further the model farms and other farms can form co-operatives among themselves for better synergy and efficient distribution of their produce and creation of awareness on such farms

Workshop on Organic farming, home and terrace gardens, traditional variety nutritious food varieties of cooked foods preparation
Aside from the on field training imparted in the fields, workshops may be conducted in towns and cities too creating awareness on the organic farming and training the aspirants in this field among the populace. At the time of workshop training on home gardens, terrace gardens may be imparted and display of food grains and vegetables grown in the farms may be done. The nutritional values of the traditional food varieties grown by organic farming may be illustrated by posters and pamphlets during the training. . The long forgotten traditional nutritious cooked food varieties may be prepared and displayed to create awareness on the nutritious

traditional food which have been forgotten by the present modern day society.

Display of Organic farming produce for sales during workshops

As the workshops are strong points for interaction with the citizens of the cities, towns etc., they may appeal as a buying point for their needs. Once they come to know the availability of such produce through the outlets they may visit the outlets regularly for their requirements.

The Workshops breed more organic farms, home and terrace gardens
The workshops conducted motivate many to take up organic farms in their available lands. Home gardening and terrace gardening will also be taken up by many leading to consumption from their own farms and gardens

More Organic farms, home and terrace gardens lead to consumption of healthy leading to good health and sound environment

Creation of more organic farms, home and terrace gardens make way for production of healthy non toxic food stuff. The healthy agricultural and home and terrace gardens lead to healthy environment and increased consumption of healthy food. All auguring well for the sound health of the citizens.

The integrated model farm achieves its objective of noble social entrepreneurship
The integrated approach of acquiring agricultural lands by collective youth, organic farming in them, setting up of organic food outlets either by just selling organic food varieties or by combining both organic food variety sales and eateries using the organic food varieties. This will make the venture a fully integrated one comprising farming, a training hub for other aspirants, retail outlets for the produce of the farms, organic food eateries ,conducting workshops on nutritional value of the traditional varieties grown organically

Make the produce available to the poor and downtrodden

It is agreed that any social entrepreneurship should also be profitable to make it sustainable. At the same time the produce and benefits of this venture should reach the poor and downtrodden as their health and well being have also to be taken care of. There should be a balancing act to sustain the venture as well as to cater to the lower strata of the society. We must bear in mind Swami Vivekanandas famous saying So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every person a traitor who, having been educated at their expense , pays not the least to heed them! Therefore it is our duty to make the fruits of our venture to reach the poor and downtrodden Only theory? Here is the actual model farm which meets most of the objectives While visiting a traditional food festival came across a name Nalla Keerai(meaning good greens) . This is an organic farm a venture floated by a group of young unlikely agriculturists R.Jagannathan, a business manager in a city firm, Gowtham Balaji, a former financial analyst with an MNC, Venkatraman, a software architect splitting his time between

software and agriculture, Viswanathan an engineer with a car firm, Punitha a professor at Pondicherry University; Shyam,a management consultant, Dr.Salome Yesudas, who worked with Sustainable food and agriculture systems, agricultural consultant of Radhakrishnan,Rajamurugan, researcher of south Indian traditional foods, Thirumalai who studied at IIT Chennai, Arivarasan, who is also a programme director,swabhiman bharat giving science education to children in villages and Raghuvaran ,a gold medallist in Economics- all quit their jobs to form this nalla keerai organic farm spread in 5.5 acres acquired on lease situated about 40km from Chennai. As I have heard its interesting story. I made a specific visit to it as a model farm discussed in this

presentation.

- Sadhana kudil the office cum stay in place for the inmates and trainees

Visited this farm which is the brainchild of Jagannathan. He once saw a farmer sleep with a damp towel over his stomach to overcome hunger. Moved by this and to do something for the welfare of the farmers. He conducted survey of 210 agricultural families in the village Melappedu and shocked to know the farmers spent about 1.6 fertilisers,

pesticides, medicines and alcohol and wanted to find a way out for this atrocious state of affairs. Jagan travelled farms across Tamil Nadu. He met pioneering organic farmers like G.Nammalvar saw first hand magic of luscious coconuts and radiant bananas. He saw how farmers could raise more than what they did if they went organic. They could save the mammoth expenses, be healthy and lead a comfortable life. The solution was simple but the problem and reluctance to switch to organic lay in the fact it took two years to turn the land fertile and cultivable for organic farming. They had to forego income for this period. Organic keerai or the organic greens are ideal to cultivate during this period. Realising this He floated this farm first for organic greens.

- The greens grown within rectangular bars

After a lot of trial and error they now raise 30 varieties of greens which are sold in baskets , bikes and cars of the volunteers in the team from various fields including couples from the IT sector. The venturists learned as they grew. Jagan discovered the green was standing over three feet tall in a spot where they dumped cow dung. Taking cue from the nature they learnt to spread cow dung

on the plant beds and harvested three bundles from one square feet. They also found organic greens had a huge market with Chennai alone consuming 10 lakh bundles per day. A customer base had to be created and their team just that by using facebook to good effect to promote the Organic greens. Volunteers are gathered online to pick the greens from certain points and sell in their localities. The organic green is a tool to sell other promote and sell other products like fruits, vegetables, poultry and milk. They are launching Nalla sandhai meaning Good market a producer company. Through this farmers will be able to raise and sell reaping maximum benefits. They also conduct workshops during week ends to aspirant farmers, students and others to impart training in organic greens and other farming. Students and other aspirants from all over the state come and stay there for training staying at the

cottage aptly called sadhana kudil

- Students from IIT Chennai who visited the farm at the same time the presenter visited as part of field visit of farmers symposium at IIT Chennai during class

- Jagannathan the founder explaining to students of IIT Chennai in the fields about organic greens cultivation

They are also assisting a community of irula farmers to raise in their farms One of the team members has started Nalla soru meaning good food to promote millet-based food and conducts cooking workshops across the state to teach traditional south Indian recipies. I could see

that after cultivating greens only now they are starting to cultivate bananas and paddy .

- After successful turn around of soil for organic farming by transit organic greens now paddy is being grown using a strong traditional variety. Greens can be continued to be grown

Most surprising aspect is that the soil at the farm is clay like not ideally supposed to suit agriculture and the greens and other crops are growing without any hitch.

Inspired by them now almost 12 groups of young people have started farming in the surrounding areas and more groups are likely to form in the near future leading to a possible co operatives among themselves