A farmer from Tamil Nadu, Valluvan (58) from Pollachi district, has been recognised as a “Soil Farmer Hero” by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for his remarkable transition to sustainable, tree-based multi-crop agriculture.
Once incurring losses of ₹200 per coconut tree, Valluvan transformed his 11-hectare farm into a highly productive enterprise earning ₹2.5–3 lakh per acre annually, demonstrating the potential of climate-resilient agriculture.
Valluvan’s Transformation Journey
- Faced continuous losses before 2009
- Shifted approach after exposure to: Isha Foundation’s Save Soil – Cauvery Calling programme promoted by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
- Adopted multi-crop, multi-tier tree-based farming system
Farming Model & Crop Diversity
- Expanded from 3 crops to 14+ crop varieties
- Crops include:
- Coconut
- Nutmeg
- Pepper
- 7 varieties of banana
- Turmeric
- Elephant yam
- Curry leaves
- 30 varieties of trees
Economic & Soil Improvements
- Income increased from: ₹30,000 to ₹2.5–3 lakh per acre annually
- Soil organic carbon improved from: 0.5% (Year 1) to 1.56% (Year 7)
Climate Resilience & Water Efficiency
- Farm survived two severe droughts, including: 2017 drought (no rainfall for 2 years, groundwater below 1,000 feet)
- Key practices adopted: Mulching and Rainwater harvesting pits
- Outcomes:
- Reduced water usage to one-tenth of earlier levels
- Expected to eliminate irrigation needs in future
Multi-Crop Farming as Climate & Income Safeguard
- Provides economic stability (risk diversification)
- Acts as a natural hedge against crop failure and climate shocks
- According to project leadership: Tree-based agriculture is critical to tackling climate change and global warming
Cauvery Calling Initiative
- Since 2019, the programme has: Planted 13.4 crore trees on private farmland
- Target: 242 crore trees to restore river flow in Cauvery basin
Challenges Highlighted
- Scaling and funding constraints
- Policy barriers such as: Restrictive timber-sale regulations
- Need for:
- Drip irrigation support for tree crops
- Insurance and subsidy schemes for agroforestry