61-Year-Old Karnataka Woman Farmer Empowers 400 Women with a Vision for Sustainable, Eco-Friendly Coffee Farming

Agriculture, Amazing Feats, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All, Women/Girls (wef. Sept 03rd, 2022), , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Anitha Nanda, a coffee farmer from Coorg, blends 22 years of farming expertise with sustainable practices on her 150-acre estate. With strong community involvement, she has empowered around 400 women and helped preserve Coorg’s rich biodiversity.

Anitha Nanda Appanervanda is her coffee farm

Coffee farming is more than just growing beans—it’s the source of livelihood for around 2,50,000 coffee growers across India. As of 2024, India ranks sixth in the world for coffee production, with Karnataka being the top coffee-producing state. One of the most beautiful areas in Karnataka is Coorg (Kodagu), where  Anitha Nanda Appanervanda lives, a woman who has turned her love for coffee into a lifelong journey. With a passion for farming and a dedication to sustainability, she has become a successful coffee farmer, making a big impact on her community.

A Childhood Love for Farming

Born and raised in Bangalore, Anitha’s interest in farming started during her childhood. She spent every vacation at her grandfather’s coffee estate in Coorg, where she fell in love with the land. “I knew from those early days that I wanted to return to the hills and be part of coffee farming,” she shares.

After marrying Nanda Belliappa, a coffee farmer from Coorg, her dream became a reality. Together, they managed Surya Kiran Estate, a family-owned coffee plantation.

Challenges and Success in Coffee Farming

Coffee farming presented significant challenges for Anitha and her husband in the beginning. Initially, they struggled to achieve a good harvest, but their dedication to sustainable practices led them to adopt intercropping techniques, blending coffee cultivation with black pepper to boost productivity. Anitha recalls, “It took almost 10 years before we saw good yields from our robusta coffee plants.” Their patience and hard work paid off, as they now cultivate 110 acres of robusta and 40 acres of arabica coffee.

For Anitha, farming is beyond merely producing coffee; it’s a commitment to protect the environment for future generations. Her farm is situated in Coorg, a region rich in biodiversity, where coffee is grown under the protective canopy of rainforest trees. “Our shade-grown coffee farms provide shelter for birds, insects, and wildlife, helping to maintain the natural balance of our ecosystem. We must protect this land from climate change and global warming,” she emphasizes. This dedication to sustainability has earned Anitha’s estate Rainforest Alliance Certification.

Anitha Nanda addressing audience about black pepper cultivation

Anitha encourages fellow farmers to embrace sustainable practices that safeguard the environment while also ensuring stable incomes. “We need to secure fair prices, but we should never harm the land that sustains us,” she asserts. Although her farming methods are primarily organic, she does use some fertilizers. “I avoid harmful chemicals and focus on natural methods. I maintain native trees and utilize weeding machines to enhance soil health and preserve the environment,” she explains. 

Blending Tradition with Modern Technology

While they rely on traditional farming methods, Anitha and her husband have also introduced some modern techniques to make their work easier. “We use machines for irrigation and weeding where we can. But for the most part, we stick to the old ways that work well for us,” she explains.

In addition to coffee, they have also planted pepper and areca in some parts of their land, which helps them diversify and make the farm more sustainable.

Coffee Farming: A Source of Income and Community Support

The money they earn from coffee farming can vary depending on market prices, but Anitha says that robusta coffee has been very profitable in recent years. “Our costs are about Rs. 70,000 per acre for robusta and Rs. 1 lakh for arabica, but with high coffee prices, it’s worth it.” She produces 19-20 bags per acre of Robusta, with the current price for Robusta cherry being Rs.10,000 per bag, bringing in strong financial returns through her sustainable farming practices. Additionally, her Arabica parchment yields 6-7 bags per acre, fetching a price of Rs.16,000, further boosting her income.

Beyond farming, Anitha is an active member of Biota Coffee FPC, an Indian producer organization, and she serves as the secretary of the Codagu Women’s Coffee Awareness Body (CWCAB). This group, started in 2002, helps women coffee farmers promote eco-friendly farming practices and spread awareness about the benefits of drinking coffee. “We started this group when coffee prices were very low. Now we have 400 members who support each other and promote coffee.”

Anitha Nanda with her co-farmers in her coffee farm

Recognition for Sustainable Farming Practices

In 2020, Anitha was recognized for her efforts to promote sustainable farming. She received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Indian Institute of Spices Research (ICAR-IISR) for her work in intercropping black pepper with coffee. “It was a proud moment for me, showing that all our hard work towards sustainable farming was being appreciated,” she says.

Important Role of Women in Farming

Anitha believes that women bring a unique strength to farming. “Women are detail-oriented and care deeply for the land, plants, and the workers who help us. Our connection with the farm and the community makes a big difference,” she explains.

Since 2016, Anitha’s group, CWCAB, has celebrated International Coffee Day every year on October 1 by giving away free coffee to locals and tourists in Coorg. “It’s our way of sharing the love for coffee and celebrating the hard work that goes into every cup,” she says proudly.

Learning and Evolving: The Role of Beekeeping

Even after 22 years as a coffee farmer, Anitha continues to learn and innovate. Recently, she took up beekeeping, understanding its vital role in pollination and the overall health of her farm. 

Anitha Nanda pursuing her bee keeping passion

Journey of Passion and Purpose

Anitha Nanda’s journey from city life to becoming a successful coffee farmer is a story of passion, hard work, and dedication. Her love for coffee farming, combined with her commitment to sustainable practices, has not only benefited her own farm but also her community.

For Anitha, coffee is more than just a crop—it’s a connection to her roots, and a legacy she hopes to pass on to future generations. Her story is a reminder that with determination, care for the land, and a strong community, anything is possible.

source: http://www.krishijagran.com / Krishi Jagran / Home> Success Story / by Shreetu Singh / October 01st, 2024

Tanisha Kuppanda to play a cop in Pen Drive

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Women/Girls (wef. Sept 03rd, 2022), , , , , , , , ,

Pen Drive will be directed by the seasoned filmmaker Sebastian David, who has previously helmed over fifteen films.

Actor Tanisha Kuppanda, who gained widespread recognition from her stint on Bigg Boss Kannada Season 10, is set to take on a commanding role as a police officer in the upcoming film Pen Drive. The film’s title and cast were announced recently. Pen Drive will be directed by the seasoned filmmaker Sebastian David, who has previously helmed over fifteen films. Lion R Venkatesh and Lion S Venkatesh are the producers of the film.

During a media interaction, the makers clarified that while the film is named Pen Drive, it does not draw from real-life incidents relating to the gadget. Instead, the titular technology drives the narrative. This element adds a layer of intrigue, as the pen drive will play a pivotal role in the film’s plot.

Alongside Tanisha Kuppanda, the film’s cast includes Radhika Ram, Sanjana Naidu, Archana, Renuka, Geeta, Bhagya, and Geeta Priya, among others. The film, which is currently in production, will have Nagendra Prasad scoring the music and penning the lyrics.

source: http://www.cinemaexpress.com / Cinema Express / Home> News / by CE Features / July 09th, 2024

Wake up and smell the coffee, says Kodagu

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Meanwhile, the Rotary Misty Hills organisation hosted a unique inaugural event to introduce Coorg Coffee to tourists.

Members of Codagu Women’s Coffee Awareness Body with cups of coffee during the event in Madikeri | express

Madikeri : 

International Coffee Day was observed with fervour across Kodagu. While the women of Codagu Women’s Coffee Awareness Body (CWCAB) served hot cups of filter coffee in the morning, the Rotary Club members served coffee to everyone gathered at Raja’s Seat in the evening. 

“We want to promote our coffee and we decided to use the opportunity of the International Coffee Day to serve everyone a warm cup of filter coffee,” said Jyothika Bopanna, the Joint Secretary of CWCAB and added that the government needs to support the sector as production has come down. The international coffee day was observed in Madikeri at Coffee Krupa building.

Meanwhile, the Rotary Misty Hills organisation hosted a unique inaugural event to introduce Coorg Coffee to tourists. A total of 1,000 cups of filter coffee was sponsored by Rotary Misty Hills and the event was inaugurated by DC Charulata Somal and ZP CEO Bhanwar Singh Meena, who signed the painting of a coffee cup created by artist BR Satish.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Karnataka / by Express News Service / October 02nd, 2021

How ‘Black Gold League’ is transforming black pepper cultivation

Agriculture, Pepper

A band of five successful farmers are orchestrating a comeback for the king of spices.

What’s the best way to encourage farmers to adopt modern agricultural practices? Demonstrate success. For them, seeing is believing. That’s exactly what five very successful black pepper farmers have done in Mudigere town in Chikmagalur, Karnataka. In 2013, after being adjudged as the best pepper farmer in the country by International Pepper Community, K R Keshav along with four like-minded individuals started Black Gold League, a non-profit extension service with the sole aim of reversing dwindling pepper productivity.

From time immemorial, the Western Ghats in Malabar was the only source for pepper. India ruled to roost up until the ‘50s with 80 percent market share and then slowly lost its vines to foot rot caused by a fungus Phytophthora. Today, pepper production in Kerala is a pale shadow of itself. Two decades back, Kerala accounted for 95 percent of domestic production with Karnataka contributing about two percent and the rest came from Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Maharashtra. Yields never exceeded 280kilos per hectare. 

Pepper is a vine that trails on a support, or standards. In India, it is normally grown as an intercrop in plantations using live standards such as silky oak, jackfruit, gliricidia, Indian coral and many others trees that allow vine to climb easily. The pepper is also grown as intercrop in coconut and arecanut farms.

But in South East Asia, especially in Vietnam, massive expansion of pepper growing acreage was achieved by using dead wood as standards. Up to 2500 wooden logs with 2-3 vines stapled on to each standard are planted in a hectare. This intense mono cropping allowed Vietnam to rapidly ascend as the largest grower in the world as productivity per hectare increased manifolds to 7,500 kilos. As wooden logs became expensive, some farmers in Vietnam and Cambodia have even tried trailing vines on concrete poles and brick columns but with very limited success. The intense monocropping has its disadvantages. Pepper is a shade loving crop and prolonged exposure to direct sunlight results in physiological disorders and diseases spread quickly in monocropped farms. 

Not to be left behind, some farmers like Mr. Keshav have achieved yields comparable to Vietnam by perfecting soil nutrient management, shade regulation and preventive measures to keep diseases at bay.

For coffee planters in Chikmagalur, who have been harassed by the white stem borer for decades, the Black Gold League training programme has been a savior. The meticulously designed programme, covers the entire gamut of black pepper production cycle—from nursery management to packaging hygiene. Apart from emphasis on ecofriendly practices, it also includes field visits and live demonstrations from scientists. This has made the programme wildly popular as more farmers have begun recording better yields by following the recommended methods. While dried pepper is traded in kilos, the quality is determined by its density i.e. gram per liter weight. The bulk density can vary between 300g/l to 600g/l. For every 10-gram increase in density, the quoted price goes up by a percent. The domestic price for bold grade is hovering around Rs.720 per kilo.

The six-year bull run in price has also made it easier for farmers to invest in technologies to improve productivity. Some are sending soil and leaves for testing twice a year to manage plant nutrients at an optimal level. The cost of analyzing a single leaf petiole is about Rs.6,500 and Rs. 900 for a soil sample. It is with these precision-farming techniques, Karnataka is beginning to cement its position as the top producer in the country and Chikmagalur has already displaced Kerala’s Idukki as the capital of Indian black pepper. 

The farmer-to-farmer knowledge transfer network now has set bigger ambitions. They want to promote high quality shade grown Indian pepper to the global community and highlight the flora and fauna that live together with the vines. The first global Black Gold League conference is scheduled in early June at Chikmagalur. 

Vietnam farmers too are realizing the hidden costs of short-term focus. Many consignments have been rejected due to high pesticide residues and long dry spell this year is set to drastically cut production and increase disease incidences. 

“In the long run, only shade grown pepper is sustainable. Chopping trees and using them as dead standards is counterproductive and unsustainable. We want to showcase to the world that high productivity can be achieved without disturbing the ecological balance of nature,” said Mohan G Alvares, co-founder and director of Black Gold League.

Aruna Urs farms in his village in Mysuru, Karnataka. He was co-founder and CEO of a database management company in Mysuru. Prior to that, he worked as an adviser to the government of Timor-Leste (East Timor).

Aruna blogs about farming, rural & agri economy on his blog, Rural Dispatch, a part of Business Standard’s platform, Punditry.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Opinion> Specials / by Aruna Urs / November 30th, 2015