IIT alumnus quit his job to cultivate over 400 hectares of community forest with 160 farmers

About Entrepreneur from Hyderabad…Know more…

Tuesday, 28th September 2021

Community Forest Initiative helps weekend and full-time farmers learn organic farming and lead healthier, more sustainable lifestyles

Sunith Reddy, an entrepreneur from Hyderabad, wanted to move out of the urban settlement to lead a "more lifestyle. sustainable".

She says that constantly overcrowded urban centers and hectic lifestyles such as long commute times and unhealthy diets make living in cities unprofitable. "Like many, I got tired of the stressful life in the city and decided to leave it and move to a secluded place and dedicate myself to agriculture to connect with nature," she tells The Better India.her Around 201516 she tried to practice organic farming on a small plot near Bangalore.

But shortly after the initial difficulties, reality arrived. “I got to know the economic challenges of small-scale farming. I have also consulted individual farmers. Many bought farmland and became weekend farmers. Some made it work, but many struggled because the farm failed or their enthusiasm waned after a few years. Recurring expenses, human resource management and infrastructure investments were financially onerous and presented other challenges, ”he explains.

"Also, the amount did not produce significant returns, even with one harvest," he says.

Sunith says he has learned from talking to many that full-time farmers who focus entirely on the initiative have been more successful than their weekend counterparts. “The success rate for farmers growing in a larger geographic area was higher,” he says, adding: “However, not many people can afford much of the land. This can be done with the help of a small group of farmers ”.

So, in 2017, Sunith made a life-changing decision. He quit his job to start a successful community forestry project for like-minded people with similar values.

 Building a Sustainable Community

 IITMadras alumnus says his friend Shaurya Chandra and five other members originally became members. They began identifying 10 acres of abandoned land in Hyderabad to begin their project.

“The objective was to restore the land, agriculture was not in the foreground. The community worked on small patches and saw results. Motivated by early successes, we turned to agriculture. At some point more people came and in a year our number grew ”, he says, adding that they called the initiative“ BeForest ”.

“We have created and managed a sustainable food forest and communal habitats based on regenerative farming methods that lead to food, water and electricity security,” he says.

The concept became a startup that allows the same for others. “There are many people who want to make a sustainable change, and the startup is holding on to them by allowing them to create a space in a self-sufficient forest. The houses are equipped with modern amenities made from local materials with a variety of plants, crops and trees,”he says.

The News Talkie Bureau

Source

ThebetterIndia