Kerala Village Creates Its Own ‘Green Army’ to Improve Agriculture

A local panchayat in Ker village (Kerala) has created its own "green army" to promote agriculture and address the acute labour shortage at a time when it is confronted with numerous obstacles, such as climate change and a lack of skilled labourers.

The village of Thycattussery, which is located in the Cherthala taluk of the Alappuzha district, now has its own "karma sena" (task force) to handle all manner of agricultural-related tasks.

The workforce, which consists of 20 women and 5 men, was created in collaboration between the panchayat authorities and the Department of Agriculture.

The initiative is being introduced, according to panchayat president D Viswambharan, primarily to address the growing labour shortage in the industry.

Karma Sena's actions are coordinated using a unique mechanism. The initial training in the use of agricultural machines was given to the chosen members. Tractors, tillers, weed eaters, and coconut lifters have all been taught how to operate, the man claimed.

The Karma Sena staff will be more active in the field once they have completed training in the production and application of organic pesticides and scientific sapling production, according to the agriculture officer. He stated that they would be assigned to tasks in response to the farmers' requests.

"They'll offer services from clearing the land to harvesting at a fair price. Farmers themselves should pay the wages for the labour. As needed, saplings and grow bags would be prepared and given direction, the officer continued. The panchayat authorities further said that reservations must be made in advance in order to use the "karma sena" members' services.

In my opinion, the problem of labour shortage is severe, as it affects the timely completion of crop agronomic operations. The demand for labour in agriculture, particularly in the crop system, is highly skewed. For example, in paddy, wheat, and similar crops, more labour is required/demanded during crop sowing and harvesting, while labour requirements are significantly lower during another period. As a result, there aren't enough job opportunities for agricultural (wage) workers outside of crop sowing and harvesting. This is the cause of agricultural labour shortages.