Dubai resident helps feed Kerala community with home farm produce

Sijo Zachariah began planting vegetables on his family's farm in India after the Covid-19 outbreak hit local food supplies

A Dubai resident who became stuck in India this year started a community farm to help feed his neighbours as shops' stocks dwindled because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Sijo Zachariah, 22, was visiting Alappuzha, in the south-west India state of Kerala for a wedding, when flights around the world were grounded to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The aircraft maintenance engineer saw shop shelves around him quickly empty and the community begin to worry about a lack of food.

“That’s when the whole thing struck me. What’s going to happen?” he told the Associated Press. “You know, how are we going to feed ourselves?”

We started teaching others how to grow their own crops so that everyone can have some sort of crop growing in the land

He and his neighbours banded together and began sharing what remaining fruit and vegetables they had. Mr Zachariah and his father began saving the seeds from whatever produce they could no longer buy in shops and planted them on their family’s plot of land.

"We started saving the seeds; we started sharing the seeds. We started teaching others how to grow their own crops so that everyone can have some sort of crop growing on the land,” Mr Zachariah said.

His father was already growing coconuts, jackfruit and rambutan, a lychee-like fruit.

“I had time, I had this energy, I had nothing on my mind so I thought, 'OK, why don’t I do something that’s good for the Earth, good for me, good for the community and sort of goes on?'"

He began learning from his father, who had been taught by his father before him, while supplementing his knowledge with informative YouTube videos to successfully grow produce.

Eventually the garden helped to feed 20 neighbouring households during the pandemic.

When flights restarted, Mr Zachariah returned to Dubai and left the farm in the hands of his neighbours. The experience inspired him to change careers, from serving the skies to working the soil.

“This is what makes me happy – helping others and being in nature.”

The time Mr Zachariah and his father spent together also helped bring the pair closer together.

“We started bonding and I think that’s why I got into gardening,” he said.

“All of these things used to spark curiosity in me and then I was getting quality time with my dad as well, so it was like a win-win.”