At a time when urban children struggle to eat healthy meals with a paraphernalia of junk food at their disposal, this Class 12 student, Arya Pudota runs his own organic farm and has inspired thousands of urban residents through his ecologically green YouTube channel. The enterprising youngster has received recognition from the United Nations Environment Programme for his initiative. He also stood first in Bengaluru for Green Apple Day of Service — India Award 2015 by the United States Green Building Council for his contribution towards the environment.
Arya Pudota
Pudota, a National Public School Indiranagar student, will turn 17 this July, but this green thumb of his was evident even as a child. When he was just 10, he saw his mother farming on a plot of land next to their house, and he started small — watering plants or cleaning weeds and slowly his interest grew into a full-fledged farming initiative.
“Most of my classmates genuinely wanted to help with farm work, but had no clue how to start. As I gained knowledge about the practice of organic farming, I realised how important it was for more people to be aware of the key role organic farming played in sustainable agriculture. So I decided to take this initiative forward,” explains Arya.
He started a YouTube channel My Organic Farm and the channel today has garnered more than 2,000 subscribers, 100,000 views from across 170 countries. Arya is clear about what he does on the channel, tutorial videos which cover all the basics of organic farming — right from selecting the soil to preparing a bed for mushrooms in limited spaces like a small balcony, which is a blessing for city folk living in cramped apartment blocks.
“I am also helping a few schools set up organic farms and teaching them about organic composting and solid waste management so that they can teach the same to their students,” explains Arya, who is the secretary of the environment/social service club (SEWA) in his school. He also sells an organic farming kit — GrowBasic that is popular. “It contains coco peat block, organic fertiliser and seeds. Once you add water, the coco peat block expands, and it mixes well with the fertiliser. Once the mixture is ready, the seeds can be sown. All one needs to do is follow the instructions on the kit,” he explains. Boy wonder, surely!
