K Chellammal

On the islands of South Andaman, farmers call K Chellammal “Nariyal Amma”, the coconut mother ^[2]. Her eight-acre organic farm has become a classroom for hundreds of other growers ^[2].

A farm full of crops

Chellammal studied only up to Class 6, and she has always been happy to share what she knows with other farmers ^[2].

Her farm is built around coconut palms, but she uses the space between them to grow many other crops ^[2]. Her official citation lists cinnamon, black pepper, bay leaf, areca nut, betel leaf, elephant foot yam, ginger, turmeric, papaya, banana and sapota, along with flowers such as heliconia and marigold, and vegetables ^[2]. Growing so many things on the same land gives her several sources of income instead of one ^[2].

Clever, chemical-free solutions

Rats are a serious problem for coconut farmers, because they damage the nuts. Chellammal came up with a simple remedy: she dips balls of cotton in jaggery or sugar syrup and ties them on the palms. The rats eat the sweet cotton, which kills them ^[2].

For insect pests, she uses integrated pest management, including pheromone traps that lure beetles into buckets of water ^[2]. She feeds her soil with natural preparations such as Jeevamrutham and Panchagavya, along with green manure and farmyard manure, and she keeps bees to help pollinate her crops ^[2].

Teacher to other farmers

Her farm is now a model for others. According to her citation, she has trained more than 170 farmers from nearby villages, and over 200 farmers from the islands and the mainland have visited ^[2]. Agriculture colleges send students to learn from her, and she has started welcoming tourists to see how an organic island farm works ^[2].

As a woman bringing new crops and ideas to the Andamans, she faced many difficulties, and worked through them ^[2].

Recognition

Chellammal has won several farming awards, including a national award from the Coconut Development Board as a best coconut farmer, and a best farmer award at a Kisan Mela organised by the Central Island Agricultural Research Institute in Port Blair in 2012 ^[2].

On 25 January 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs named her for the Padma Shri, listed under Agriculture, from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands ^[1]. She was among 34 awardees that year recognised for unsung and unique work ^[3].

Her farm proves that careful, natural methods can feed a family, protect the soil and inspire a whole community of farmers.