Presentation
In 1968, Volontariat purchased a dry land to participate to the « Green Revolution » (movement for food self-sufficiency) and to transform it into a model farm. From 4 ha in 1968, the cultivated area of the farm today is more than 20 ha. It is a production unit of Volontariat and a leisure place for children.
[In the sixties, many developing countries, like India, tried to become food self-sufficient towards USA, the main cereal grower and exporter, so they launched a very important scheme which was called: “Green revolution”. 30 years after, the benefits of this programme are known: booming of agriculture, seeds, self-sufficiency, wealth of the big farmers. But, in the same time, this revolution had many negative and unexpected (in the sixties) consequences: soil degradation, dependency to fertilizers and pesticides industries, rural exodus increased to the cities, etc).]
In 1968, Volontariat wanted to contribute to this national effort by choosing a dry land,
near Tuttipet village, 20 km from Pondicherry and gave to the farm the name of Tuttipakkam (TTK). 9 acres (1 acre = .43 ha) were purchased from the Church and 8 acres were taken on lease from the Government who favored our project to develop that area and started its own projects nearby.
This part of the Territory of Pondicherry is mainly dry lands, used for casurina (firewood) plantation. Small farmers had one crop a year as the land was not irrigated, the sowing depending of the monsoon, quite irregular in the sixties. We had this in mind when we decided to turn green our farm and help the neighboring farmers who cannot invest in borewells.
Long years were needed to reclaim the poor alkaline soil with sand, cowpat and green manure. Regular water supplying was obtained by digging borewells, 120 to 200 m deep, and their equipment with submersible electric pumps. This could be made thanks to the help of the supporting European committees.
In the seventies, in order to get the finances for the farm constructions (and the buildings of Atelier Shanti), Madeleine, Arnaud and many friends started with Abbé Pierre an Emmaus community at Toulouse. Thanks to the work done by the “compagnons” and the volunteers of this temporary Emmaus Community, in 1978, Volontariat could make the actual farm constructions [which still exist, but were renovated later to receive the hundred children of the Holiday camps].
In 1985, almost 40 small farmers, around the farm, requested our help to get water, so with a co-financing of European Common Market and private donors, Volontariat dig 2 borewells, equipped them and distributed the water at a reasonable rate.
TTK farm was not large at that time, we wanted to discourage small farmers (maximum 2 acres of low value land per family) to sell their plots in order to slow down the rural exodus. But from 1987, the Indian central government wanted to attract the industrialists in the Pondicherry Territory, and in few years the farm was almost surrounded by factories. So, Volontariat decided to keep a green belt in the area and purchased the remaining free lands around the farm. It then grew at almost the present surface of 25 ha on which 15 are cultivated.
In 1994, Volontariat started a poultry unit
with up to 3500 chickens in 6 to 8 batches. We buy the 1 day chick, then we feed them until 45 days when they are ready for the nutrition programme of Volontariat or sold at Tripti shop.
From 2003, TTK farm is the living place for the children of Nila Illam and their foster parents. They stay in the houses of “Utrumai”, houses made with clay, cooked like a pot, whose initial use was for the farm workers. 2 houses were also given by the help of Fondation Air France in 2004-5 and now the girls stay in the houses, like bee houses, called Vaanam, made in 2008-9 with La Voix de l’Enfant.
On 2008, two new programmes were born :
A production unit of Spirulina, thanks to the support of an ngo linked with Gaz de France with the idea to meet the needs of Volontariat, the surplus being sold to reach the self support of the programme.
A small unit of natural dyeing with the aim to weave bio cotton with natural colours and bleaching process. It is located at TTK beside the Spirulina place. After 2 years , we could not reach the quality of dyeing required for the export of the products, so the project was abandoned.
Aloe vera was growing for years at the farm. In 2011, we extend the culture area with the objective to commercialize the juice of the leaves which is known for its medicinal value.
A group of women from Oupalam learned how to make soap with different flavours and start a small scale unit.
