Kochi: Members of Pookkalum Koottukarum, a Facebook collective with more than 17,000 members committed to organic vegetable and flower cultivation, have at their first offline meeting held in Kochi decided to extend their activities. Nisha Kunjipoove, one of its admins who is behind the venture, said the group would enlist more schools for organic gardens. “We have already set up gardens in three schools and would add more,” said Ms Nisha, a native of Konni in Pathanamthitta district. The online collective she launched in 2015 was dormant for sometime before becoming very active in 2016.
“Initially it started as a platform for exchanging flowers and plants amongst like-minded people. But now it has grown into a movement of close to 20,000 members from all over the state and outside,” she said. "We also wanted to spread the message that more than a hobby, it could fetch money for women at home." The page has a sales window accepting orders for a particular vegetable or flower on a payment. They deliver seed or plant by courier. "We also have an exchange facility," she added. They also exchange homegrown flowers and seeds of a variety of plants as Christmas gifts.
