GEMS19040: The Soil Story
GEMS19104
"Coming from a farming tradition in Araku, this farmer tends to a two-acre plot inherited from his father, who once cultivated pulses & millets, and turmeric. While this couple converted the plot to grow coffee, they cultivated it without ever fully understanding it. The coffee bushes in his plot were weak; the soil dry, and lifeless; and the yield was uncertain. Stripping the cherries, regardless of ripeness, also affected the bush's health and yield, reducing both for next year.
All this changed when the couple joined Naandi in 2015. The use of bio-inputs, compost applications, and soil-enhancing practices, like mulching, helped the coffee bush grow healthy and restore soil health. Slowly, the plot began to respond, the soil became richer with earthworms and microbes, better moisture retention, and the bushes became healthier with juicier coffee cherries.
The farmer reflects their journey’s simple truth: “as humans need food, vitamins, and minerals to remain strong, coffee bushes, too, need nutrient-rich topsoil to grow and produce quality cherries.”
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