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Lessons I learnt as a farm intern

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 18:34:00 +0530

Several months ago, I wrote about the potential for eco-agri-culinary tourism in India, as a way to create greater economic opportunities for small scale agricultural communities by creating travel experiences rooted in local food cultures while also replenishing and protecting the natural environment. The agriturismo model of Italy, a law since 1985, was one of the references behind my recommendations for India. I’d had the opportunity to visit several Italian agriturismos however, I wanted to see one from behind the scenes, to understand how it really worked, whether it worked. To understand if it was truly sustainable not just in its farming and production methods but, also economically sustainable. I also thought that it was necessary for me, with my own ambition to make a difference to the future of food systems, to know more about what it takes to grow good food. Good food can be interpreted in many different ways; I use the definition of Slow Food which defines good food as good, clean and fair i.e. – food which is tasty, grown in a way that does not harm the natural environment and fetches a fair price to the grower or producer. I decided to educate myself in a ‘live’ setting and I became an intern…again.

After many months of texting with Andrea, waiting out the winter and a last minute cancellation in spring, it was autumn when I finally arrived in L’Orto Del Pian Bosco, a large organic farm and agriturismo in Fossano, northwest Italy. Fossano is a small town with a population of approximately 25,000 people, quiet and relatively unexplored in comparison to its neighbouring towns of Bra, home to the Slow Food movement and Alba, home to the world famous Barolo wines. Large parts of Fossano are agricultural and one can see tall, dense, golden maize or corn fields for miles on end. The exponential growth in corn farming in many parts of the world is a topic for another day but, just briefly for the purposes of this post, a majority of this corn is grown using inorganic methods and it serves as fodder for animals, bred in larger numbers to meet the growing demand for dairy and meat. For an area which receives little rain, a crop like corn which requires a lot of water significantly depletes groundwater reserves. In this land of corn, L’Orto Del Pian Bosco, owned and run by Andrea Giaccardi is a lush, colourful jewel. 16 acres of vegetable, fruit, hazelnut fields, 100% organic for more than 20 years, a 60 seater restaurant which serves homestyle, delicious Italian food, a store which sells fresh farm produce and a range of homemade compotes, creams, sauces and chutneys made in the food transformation laboratory.

It all sounds charming and warm and fuzzy, doesn’t it? Even as I am writing this, I am reminded of the delicious plum cake made from the Susina Clara plums, deep purple skin with a ruby red pulp. Charming indeed but, there is nothing fuzzy about building and running a place like this. My time as an intern with Andrea and his family and was deeply insightful. The days were long and full to the brim, spent in the fields doing whatever needed to be done for the day – harvesting, planting, sorting; sometimes on the road delivering farm produce to regular customers and occasionally in the farm store, preparing and labelling bottles of freshly made compotes and sauces. In less than a week, I sorted through more than 100 kilos of onions, planted 400 strawberry saplings for the winter, picked hazelnuts off the ground for 7-8 hours and was an assistant to Andrea while he supervised the crushing of more than 300 kilos of hazelnuts. The work is physically demanding but, what truly matters is Andrea’s tremendous knowledge of soil, biodiversity, climate and the skills to create the conditions in which good food can be grown. He has the reputation of being a pioneer in many ways. More than 15 years ago, he was the first in Fossano to plant hazelnut trees, recognising that the conditions were good for hazelnut farming. Following in his footsteps, several hazelnut farms have mushroomed in the area and have been contracted by companies which produce chocol

The farm restaurant serves a fresh, seasonal menu using whatever is grown on the farm. Other essentials like wine, cheese, meat, honey which are not produced on the farm are sourced from producers in the vicinity who also practise sustainable methods. It means that quality and traceability are guaranteed in nearly everything that is served in the restaurant. Andrea’s farm is increasingly modern, with machines which simplify or automate heavy manual work without damaging the soil or the produce. While Andrea is the visionary and the ‘chief farmer, naturalist and technical officer’, his wife Emanuela looks after the sales and commercial side of the business and his sister Irene, who retired after a long career as an architect is in charge of the laboratory. They are accompanied by a small team of warm and energetic people, who made me feel very welcome. I thought to myself that they must really enjoy what they do; they never stopped working and yet, they never stopped smiling.

Every now and then, groups of students, from agricultural and food sciences universities come to the farm on study trips and I accompanied one such group as they walked around the farm, fascinated by seeing in practice what they had only read in theory. And that brings me to my own reflection that the agriturismo model, underpinned by sustainable methods does work and it is economically viable.

I saw 5 principles in action which make L’Orto Del Pian Bosco a role model :

Andrea has a clear vision, intrinsically aligned with his values and propelled by capabilities which are constantly evolving. He believes deeply that the only way to produce good food is by practising natural methods and even after 25 years in agriculture, he is continuously building new knowledge and skills about soil, climate, crops, farming methods and use of modern technology

The farm has developed the financial capacity to invest in growth. It was only a few acres and inorganic when Andrea was handed the reins by his father. It is now sixteen acres of cultivated land with numerous varieties of vegetables, fruit, herbs and thousands of hazelnut trees. There is a growing market for organic produce and in most years, the laboratory produces at least 50,000 bottles of jams and sauces. Growth in financial terms is not just about earning revenue but, it enables ongoing investment in good methods, technology and people

The farm restaurant, which is the agriturismo, enables circularity. In some sense, it marks the closure of a loop. Organic food is grown on the farm, sold in the farm store and can be tasted in the restaurant in the form of a freshly cooked meal. A visitor to the farm has the opportunity to learn a lot about what a good food system can be by spending just a few hours

The circular nature of L’Orto Del Pian Bosco and its collaborations with other producers, restaurants and stores contribute in a significant way to the community and beyond. When restaurants in Cuneo, about 25 kms away, use the produce from Andrea’s farm, they are reinforcing sustainable practices and serving good quality food to their customers. The ripple effect of a good food system benefits the entire community which includes the people living in it, other businesses and the surrounding environment

Finally, it is simply the right thing to do. It isn’t always easy or even comprehensible to imagine something at a global scale. But, it is always possible to take meaningful action at the individual level and within a community. It is possible to grow, produce, procure and consume good food in ways that are beneficial to all stakeholders, if we treat growers and producers as equal, if not even more important stakeholders than consumers. As is my wont to say, there is no food without the people who grow it.

I am grateful to Andrea and his family for hosting me; in his gentle way, he taught me a great deal in a short period of time. I believe it has become important for everyone to receive some education in food – where it comes from, what it takes to grow and produce, why it means so much to our own lives and to the planet. It does not need to be an internship for everyone. It can be revived in our homes, provided in schools or community gardens, through visits to small farms and through urban food experiences which go beyond consumption and shine a light on provenance. We need to reimagine contemporary education to enable all people to feel a sense of clarity and connection to the things that help us lead healthy and happy lives. Food is undoubtedly one of those things.

Why we need eco-agri-culinary tourism in India

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 11:25:00 +0530

Imagine a little cottage in the Nilgiris biosphere reserve, atop a hill with breathtaking views of two shimmering lakes, lush tea plantations, carrot and potato farms. As you check in, one of the first things you’re told is to wake up early and peek out of the window to see the sun rise over the lakes. I first went there more than a decade ago and it has remained vivid in my memory, not only because of the resplendent natural beauty but, because of the food. I went back recently and was delighted to find that nothing has changed. Delicious meals, made with what is in season and served in small portions. Nearly all of the food is grown in the property’s kitchen garden. Milk and eggs too. What is not grown on the property is brought from local farmer’s markets or nearby farms. A small team of soft spoken, efficient people from the local area look after the rooms, the gardens, the kitchen and double up as hiking guides and as drivers to bring cars up the last stretch where the road is far from ‘pukka’. Red Hills Nature Resort in Coonoor, is the extension of Vijay Kumar and Banumathi’s home and they have been hosting guests for more than 20 years. To do this as thoughtfully as they do is not just a matter of doing good business. Vijay said it was his way of putting back into the earth and into the local economy.

On the one hand, this sort of a travel experience is not unique – natural beauty, great local organic food, comfortable stay, polite and efficient service, reasonable price. But, in a country as large and as diverse as India, places like this are still far and few in between and we need more of them. Hundreds of thousands of them. Here is why.

India is a country of many realities. It has a history more than 5000 years old, it is a fount of traditional knowledge and a global hub of modern, scientific capability. The topography is unique with a coastline of more than 7,500 kms across three of its borders, crowned by the majestic Himalayas, with abundant biodiversity and the world’s largest rainfall system, the monsoon. India is a vibrant democracy of more than 1.25 billion people and it is one of the largest economies in terms of purchasing power parity. Over the last four decades, real per capita income has increase four fold and poverty has declined considerably; by nearly 20% just during the decade between 2005-20161.

Yet, despite this remarkable progress, there is more work to do to enable equitable growth. Nearly 300 million people continue to be extremely poor and many experience chronic hunger. India’s public distribution system to provide food provisions to low income households is the world’s largest but, it remains afflicted by execution issues. Hunger in India is not caused by food shortage or conflict, as it is some other parts of the world. India achieved food self sufficiency a long time ago and has been a net exporter for at least 30 years. Food is available but, it is inaccessible to many people due to unemployment, low wages and a growing rural-urban income divide. 450 million people live as internal migrants, with an average 5-6 million people migrating every year since 20012. People from rural places, dependent almost entirely on agriculture migrate in search of better livelihoods because agricultural income is much lower in comparison to other sectors. If often means that they move alone in the hope of sending money to the families they leave behind.

Redistribution of income and more balanced economic growth is important and there is no single solution. It needs multiple and multi-dimensional solutions, rooted in ground reality, funded through public and private investment and enabled by strong execution. In my view, one of these solutions is eco-agri-culinary tourism, even though I say it in a clumsy way at the moment. What does it mean? It is eco-tourism, in an agricultural setting, where local food and cuisine are the main showcase. How is this relevant for India? It is, for 3 reasons.

One, India’s vast food heritage and numerous local food cultures are relatively less known and they must be showcased with pride.

India is amongst the world’s largest producers, consumers and exporters of milk, spices, rice, a wide variety of grains, fruit and other food produce. We tend to homogenise India’s regional culinary diversity and label food as ‘north Indian’ or ‘south Indian’, rarely if ever, recognising that there is also cuisine from India’s west and east ! In reality, cuisine varies widely across and within India’s 28 states and 8 union territories. Dal is a simple and powerful example of India’s food diversity. Tadka dal in some states, aamti in Maharashtra, sambar in Karnataka, different from sambar in Tamil Nadu; the lentils, the spices, the recipes vary and are closely tied to local agriculture, climate and culture, passed down from one generation to another. We tend to express the richness of our food cultures at home while only a handful of dishes have national and global recognition – masala dosa, chana masala, butter chicken, palak paneer, rogan josh and such come to mind. But, they are not representative of the vastness and complexity of what forms the universe of Indian cuisine. From countless Indian communities emerge countless crops, ingredients, recipes, dishes and food cultures. They are often unknown to a broader diaspora of Indians in India, Indians abroad and people around the world who love Indian food and flavours.

Second, agriculture is the backbone of cuisine and India has extensive agriculture and tremendous capacity for tourism. Organised agri-culinary tourism has a large domestic and international market.

While most tourism involves viewing and visiting, agri-tourism i.e. tourist activity in an agricultural place involves participation in the life of a rural family, possibly some farming or food production and it enables people to acquire new skills and knowledge. Travel experiences in rural India are offered even today but, they form a largely unorganised sector and food does not always have a central role. That is interesting because eating a few times everyday is obligatory and eating on holiday is like consuming local heritage3. Gastronomy is integral to local culture and it is an important differentiator for tourism destinations. There is a natural relationship between land, climate and food and since food is communal, understanding the food culture of a place is essential to understanding the place. Agriturismo in Italy is a good example and in some part, a source of inspiration for me. Through my time in Italy, I visited many farms, vineyards, dairies, restaurants, food stores, meat producers. I experienced firsthand, their commitment towards sustainable forms of production, watched them create memorable culinary experiences for visitors and in turn, came to appreciate agriturismo as a model for balanced, inclusive, local growth. Italian agritourism has been an organised sector since 1985, to promote farm tourism, preserve and valorise agricultural territories and preserve heritage. More than 20,000 Italian farms operate as agriturismos, engaging in small-scale production, integration with the environment and enable visitors to understand Italian culinary arts.

Agri-culinary tourism is hence, a powerful tool for promoting a place and it also stimulates local agriculture, food processing, retailing and raises quality, especially as the demand for safer and natural foods increases. It does not have to be restricted to restaurant guides and restaurants; it is much broader and includes visits to food producers, food festivals, participation in a range of food activities. There are numerous examples of sustainable gastronomy events such as the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, Cheese the international festival hosted in Italy by Slow Food, the Bologna Slow Wine Festival amongst others. There is a growing interest in these experiences as travellers seek to spend more time away from the cities, are open to different food experiences and are discerning about the impact on the environment. Environmentally responsible practices are the urgent need of the hour for our planet. Hence, agri-culinary tourism is not adequate by itself, it must be eco-agri-culinary tourism.

Finally, there is a virtuous and natural cycle between agriculture, food, tourism and development. India can create new avenues for rural development by turbocharging this cycle.

The global tourism industry is estimated to surpass USD 8.9 trillion by 20264. International tourism is one of India’s largest foreign exchange earners, with USD 30B in 2020 and an annual growth rate of 5.15%. Domestic tourism is even larger, with 2.3 billion travellers each year and an annual growth rate of 25.3%. India’s rank as a tourism destination has gone up from 51 in 2001 to 23-24 (provisional) in 20205. This is good because tourism generates revenue and creates jobs in a variety of sectors. The manpower required in the industry is projected to increase from 800,000 people in 2018 to 11 million by 20256. However, the scale and variety of tourism experiences that India can offer far exceed what it offers today. India receives a mere 1.22% of all global tourist travel and 5% of all travel in Asia Pacific. The Indian central and state governments are upgrading hospitality education, investing in integrated development of destinations and conducting other programs under the Incredible India! campaign. India also a national rural tourism policy and guidelines for sustainable tourism, recognising the need for inclusive growth and minimising the negative effects of travel on the environment

Where can eco-agri-culinary tourism be implemented? It can be implemented everywhere in India but, let’s take the example of Karnataka, where I have been living for many years.

Karnataka is India’s sixth largest state, with 61% people living in rural areas. It has long been a hub for science and research and through recent decades, it has emerged as the Silicon Valley of the east. The IT industry alone, mostly operating out of a concentration of urban places, contributes 61% of the state’s GDP. Karnataka’s topography and biodiversity are amongst the most diverse – 300 km coastline on the west, home to one part of the UNESCO World Heritage Western Ghats biosphere, 4.3 million hectares of forest land, numerous waterfalls and lakes, large coffee plantations, extensive agricultural land of more than 11 million hectares with nearly 8 million small holder operational farms7. Cereals and grains are the principal crops, followed by sorghum (jowar), rice, sugarcane, cotton and groundnut. Across its long coastline, there are at least 276 recorded varieties of fish. Naturally, the food grown in the state finds a prominent place in Karnataka’s regional cuisines.

Jowar (sorghum), ragi (finger millet), rice are all staples across Karnataka but, there are distinct regional variations in how they are cooked. The coastal regions of Mangalore and Karwar have abundant seafood in their cuisine while the Kodagu district has meat at the centre of the meal, especially pork. Parts of the state which had Jain settlements and those observant of Ayurvedic principles are vegetarian and in some places, continue to cook their recipes without onion, garlic and even tomato8. The point again is that Kanataka’s food goes far beyond idli, benne dosa, bisibele bhaat which are amongst the most popular dishes.

Karnataka’s Tourism Policy 2020-2025 is progressive, with a vision to establish the state as a preferred tourism destination with safe, memorable and diverse high quality tourism offerings, in collaboration with tourism stakeholders and local communities, to create sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development for all. In effect, it is a state with all the elements for a thriving eco-agri-culinary tourism model, to preserve and promote diverse local food cultures and create avenues for rural development.

What will it take to turbocharge this virtuous cycle and what stands in the way?

I met with organic farmers, food entrepreneurs, speciality restauranteurs, food writers, bed & breakfast places, professionals in the travel industry and NGOs working with rural communities. There is a resounding agreement that food should have a more central and more visible place in social and economic activity. But, there are challenges to overcome. For one, food is complex to work with because it is perishable. Consumer choices are influenced by powerful market dynamics and marketing which also means that consumers can often be unaware of local food varieties and their importance in the cultural and environmental context. Public and private investment in creating value added products and experiences is low. Training is necessary and above all, faster implementation of basic infrastructure like road access, sanitation and water. Hospitality, food and travel establishments need to play a bigger role, especially as they slowly emerge from the debilitating impact of the covid-19 pandemic.

The challenges are real but, they are not unsurmountable. India has all the right elements – unparalleled heritage, administrative systems and modern capabilities to do big and complex things and an enormous domestic and international market for its cuisine.

Eco-agri-culinary tourism can be implemented through:

Earnest, practical implementation of national and state tourism policies which already lay down principles and guidelines on sustainability, regulation, infrastructure and investment support
Promotion of existing initiatives which are operating at the intersection of food, tourism and sustainable development
Collaborative networks comprising of farmers, hoteliers, restaurateurs, chefs and NGOs who can identify and support local opportunities for small-scale food tourism projects

My view is that capability development and good facilitation is necessary to put this virtuous cycle into action. Standards will have to be created, tourist experiences will need to be designed based on local conditions and capacity for investment, investment capacity will need to be created, hospitality skills will need to be developed because not all farms will have the ability or the capacity to envisage and deliver a tourist experience, other farms may have to be engaged to supply part of the food produce, complimentary sectors will have to be engaged for marketing, promotion, transportation etc. I have a role to play in this cycle, to bring to bear my own experiences, my enthusiasm for India’s food cultures and food wisdom and ultimately, make a contribution, no matter how small, towards equitable growth. I will soon be getting to work.

Footnotes (sources)

1. Studies published by World Bank, Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI)

2. Internal Migration policy brief by Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD)

3. Tourism and Gastronomy, 2011, Anne-Mette Hjalager and Greg Richards

4. Travel and Tourism market overview

5. Tourism Statistics, 2020, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India

6. Tourism Statistics, 2020, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India

7. Government of Karnataka statistics

8. Cuisine of Karnataka, 2020, Outlook Traveller in association with the Department of Tourism of Karnataka