VOLONTARIAT INDIA
Agriculture
AGRICULTURE
The farm of Tuttipakkam (TTK), started on 1968, is located near the village of Tuttipeth at 20km from Pondicherry; most of it belongs to the Territory of Pondicherry. It was our contribution to the national scheme of “Green Revolution” whose aim was, for developing countries like India, to be self-sufficient for food production and avoid the food weapon used by developed countries to impose their policy.
Today the crops cover a large part of the Volontariat needs for its social activities (nutrition programmes). TTK is also a Seminar centre, welcome children (from KG; during the summer holidays; Nila Illam programme, etc).
The cultures made in 2010 mainly were paddy, fruit, vegetables, coconuts, spirulina, casurina trees [for firewood] and special grass for the cattle. The farm is making the breeding of different animals: the chicken poultry for the meat, a poultry with country hens for eggs and turkeys, goats and, very recently, fish farm in a water tank. The productions consist in rice, meat of chicken and goats, eggs, fruits and vegetables, coconut oil and spirulina.
TTK is certainly a cultivation place where grains, vegetable and fruit are cropped, with cattle and poultry breeding, but, on top of this, it is a place where an important social work of rehabilitation is made with children (abandoned, street children, gypsies) and adults (the foster parents) with difficulties in life.
TTK farm is not only the place of agriculture and the center of Nila Illam, it is also the place where, on Wednesday, a batch of KG children, by rotation, spends the day at the farm with their teachers and attenders. They enjoy the quiet place, playground, games, the animals and, during the hot season, the small swimming pool. It is a time of discovery for those small children who live in the city.
Holiday’s camps Every year, the farm is full of life during the months of April and May, the time of Summer holidays.
