Korra Nageshwar & Chandramma Rao
custodians of a neatly manicured one-acre coffee plot in Kanjarithota, Araku. The village is known for picking the choicest crimson cherries; in fact, 31 farmer families harvested a bumper crop of 14 metric tons in one season alone.
The once grey soil has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis, turning into an intense brown. Soil experts agree that this transformation is proof of increased organic matter, improved water retention and enhanced humus.
“There is zero loss in growing coffee the way we do – ecological or economical,” says Chandramma. A win for the power of the collective.