Following its resounding success in local schools, the Elampalloor grama panchayat is expanding its ‘Poshakatottam’ (nutri-garden) project, an initiative that aims to ensure safe, nutritious food for children and inspire the younger generation to embrace farming, to anganwadis.
The project was originally launched across four schools in its first phase including Elampalloor KGV UPS, Perumpuzha Government LPS, SABTM UPS, and Alamoodu UPGS.
Each selected school was provided with 25 flowerpots, seedlings, and organic fertilizers free of cost. The primary crops distributed included easy-to-grow vegetables such as tomatoes, green chillies, brinjal, lady’s finger, and beans. Additionally, high-quality fruit saplings were handed over to the schools under the Agriculture Department’s ‘Development of Fruit Cluster’ scheme. Comprehensive training sessions were conducted for both students and teachers on cultivation and garden maintenance, contributing to the initial phase’s great success and prompting the panchayat to include 10 Anganwadis in its upcoming second phase.
Beyond providing toxin-free vegetables for school mid-day meals, the project aims to nurture a hands-on connection between children and nature. Agriculture Department officials regularly visit the schools to monitor the gardens’ progress and motivate the young growers. “The ultimate objective is to encourage children to progress from small schoolyard plots toward broader and sustainable farming,” said Elampalloor Agriculture Officer G. Anjana.
Published - October 21, 2026 07:13 pm IST