Farmers plant 2.1 lakh saplings across Tamil Nadu for ‘Van Mahotsav’

The saplings have already been transported from Isha Nurseries to the respective farm lands in Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Trichy, Thiruvarur and Perambalur districts.

Chennai: As many as 614 farmers spread across 32 districts in Tamil Nadu planted about 2.1 lakh saplings through Isha Foundation's Cauvery Calling movement to mark the nationally celebrated annual ‘Van Mahotsav’ or ‘Forest Festival’ that is observed during the first week of July.

Field workers of the ‘Cauvery Calling’ movement, which is run by Isha Outreach, studied soil and water quality of agricultural lands. They also recommended economically viable species that would help increase the income of farmers, such as - Teak, Red Sandalwood, Sandalwood, Mahogany, Malabar Kino, Mountain Neem and other valuable timber trees.

Cauvery Calling volunteers had also facilitated the planting of millions of saplings on the remembrance days and birth anniversaries of agricultural scientists Nammazhvar, Nell Jayaraman and Maram Thangasamy, all of whom have mentored various environmental projects in Isha.

‘Vana Mahotsavam’ is celebrated to create environmental awareness across the country and to encourage a culture of nurturing local ecology among people.

On Wednesday, the Foundation also held a webinar for nearly 3200 farmers, where a panel of experts discussed various agroforestry models that the farmers could implement.

On Tuesday, Isha Foundation donated 300 BiPAP non-invasive ventilators and 18 lakh KN95 face masks to DMK Youth Wing Secretary and MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin in Chennai, in support of the state government’s efforts to combat the pandemic.