more-in I am on my way to a workshop conducted by Indian Superheroes founded by organic farming entrepreneurs Vishnu Vardhan and Dhivya. The five-acre integrated organic farm was filled with enormous numbers of trees and the breeze makes short work of the scorching heat outside. Agricultural enthusiasts from different places and background are gathered there to learn about organic farming. It augers well in today’s scenario where concrete structures have swallowed up agricultural lands and the few remaining are infested with toxic chemicals and fertilisers. Many who want to bring back the early days of growing clean and healthy food don’t know where to begin. That is where Vardhan and Dhivya step in. Indian Superheroes is a direct organic farmer’s marketplace, where they organise farm rental workshops. Vishnu explains the concept: “After the success of Indian Superheroes, many customers started showing interest in organic farming. They said that they wanted to learn what it was about. So, we came up with the farm rental concept where people can grow plants in organic farms that are not theirs. And this workshop is like playing Farmville in real life. Workers in the farm will take care of plants in their absence and they can claim the produce once it is grown! People learn about organic, chemical-free crops and can experience the joy of growing their own food on these farms.” Shankar from Bengaluru is interested in large-scale organic farming in the future. “I have a terrace garden of around 300 square feet where I want to grow organic produce,” he says. Shanthi from Chennai, on the other hand, has a small kitchen garden but wants to learn more about growing plants without fertilizers. That is why she is here. Software engineer Praveen says, “I am scared about what will happen to the next generation. I feel that my profession is meaningless, so I want to venture into farming. But before that I felt the need to learn the basics and this is why I am here.” For Barathi, it was the joy on her kids’ faces when they saw their saplings grow on their terrace, that led her to join the workshop. “I want my children to eat healthy, we work so hard only to live a healthy life. We read so much about the harm inorganic produce can do but we still consume it and feed it to our children too. That is why I want to learn organic farming.” Vishnu and Dhivya, who worked for a corporate company, quit their jobs to support organic farmers full time. Vishnu explains why they did that. “We decided to create a market space for organic farmers through our e-commerce portal. We felt farmers needed a space where they could sustain themselves. We were disturbed by the number of farmer suicides and that is one of the compelling reasons why we founded Indian Superheroes” Vishnu explained how farmers benefit by Indian Superheroes. “We thought of connecting the farmers directly to customers by doing away with the super stockers, wholesalers, retailers, distributors. etc. And we did it through indianorganic.store where farmers sell directly to customers. We started with only two farmers; now we have 840. And the numbers are increasing.” For many farmers, Indian Superheroes has been a life saver. “We believe that farmers are the real superheroes. If all the farmers in our country go on a strike for three days, we will realise how indispensable they are. They are the reason we live and so they deserve the name Indian Superheroes,” says Vishnu. He says there is a gradual awareness about the benefits of organic farming. “We would like to believe that in a few years people will opt only for organic methods and we are doing our best to bring about that change” says Dhivya. What is ISH? Indian Superheroes (ISH) works with over 700 organic farmers by providing financial and native breeding education on a regular basis. The farmers are helped to procure organic certifications and also sell produce at a premium, which increases their income, and also allows the next generation to think about sticking to farming. For more info visit indiansuperheroes.com To check the list of organic products available visit indianorganic.store

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