A school in Arambag has decided on organic farming to provide insecticides and pesticides-free organic vegetables in mid-day meals.
The initiative is from the school headmaster Tarun Kanti Konnar, who had put the proposal at the school managing committee to make use of the nine kattha of open land area within the school campus to carry out organic farming and cultivate organic vegetables for mid-day meal of the students.
The headmaster said most of them are from farming background hence the entire organic farming will be carried out by the school managing committee members and other interested staff.
The parents of the students and passers-by gathered in a large numbers to watch the headmaster, the school managing committee president and others prepare the land with plough and spade to raise different kinds of vegetables, potatoes, cauliflower cabbage, brinjal, radish, spinach and other winter vegetables.
The president of the school managing committee, Narayan Chandra Panja said, “A preparation made of neem, turmeric and garlic will be used as natural organic pesticides and insecticides and cow dung and manmade natural compost will be used as natural manure.”
Other teachers said their efforts will not only save the expenses on mid-day meal but at the same time provide the students with organic nutritious vegetables capable enough to provide the daily requirement of vitamins and minerals, in addition to the protein from fish, which is also cultured in the school pond.
The parents have hailed the efforts taken by school headmaster and the school managing committee for taking initiative towards organic farming.