REPORT OF FARM VISIT TO TAPOVAN JACKS
On May 24,2023 , The Department of Public Health Dentistry, Azeezia College of Dental Science and Research and NSS unit(NSS/SFU/KLM/KUHS/3), organized a field visit to an organic farm, Tapovan Jacks , Vetticaud, Veliyam, Kollam under the guidance of Dr Naveen Jacob Varghese, Senior Lecturer , Department of Public Health Dentistry.
Tapovan Jacks is an integrated organic farming unit covering almost 5.5 acres of land in the veliyam grama panchayat. As the name suggests, Tapovan Jacks mainly focuses on promoting cultivation of different types of jackfruit including hybrid varieties. One of the main varieties of jackfruit cultivated in the farm is Vietnam variety. It starts bearing fruit in the first year of planting and bears fruit throughout the year. Each fruit weighs upto 5-8kg. 550 yieldable jackfruit trees were present which are never off season and produces yield throughout the year. Intermittent method of cultivation of turmeric, arrowroot and ginger were also seen. Another part of this farm is Pisciculture.
The coordinators of the farm Mr. Shaji started our visit by welcoming us and introducing the base idea behind Tapovan Jacks. He shared his experience of popularizing integrated farming throughout the state. He explained in detail about the journey of Tapovan Jacks from a 5 acre land to a farm of high productivity. The farm itself was a refreshing experience which was explained to be due to the rich supply of oxygen from the jackfruit trees. The visit ended with students gathering for an interactive talk session with Adv. Veliyam Rajeev, the pioneer of Tapovan Jacks and Mr.Shaji, the coordinator.
Later, a fun game session of treasure hunt was held by dividing the number of students to different groups by exploring the farm. The field visit provided a good insight into the functioning of integrated farming system and its impact on the community and also helped us understand the challenges faced by organic farmers and provided a firsthand experience of the same. We sincerely thank the team of Tapovan Jacks and faculties of Department of Public Health Dentistry for giving us this wonderful opportunity.
