So what if Sharanya Guduru couldn't fulfil her dream of pursuing a Master's in Physiotherapy due to an injury, there are other ways to step up and serve society. The path that this 26-year-old chose in 2018 was agriculture and for about six months now, she has been supplying fresh produce from her ancestral farm to others as well. It was during Diwali 2020 that she christened her venture The Good Planet.
Though there are four pairs of hands to help on the farm that's about three acres and that lies in the outskirts of Hyderabad, Sharanya works on the farm day in and day out. "What drove me to take this up was the chemical-free fresh veggies that I intended to grow. Since I come from the field of Medicine, I know the importance of nutritious food and this is my step towards it," says the youngster. In fact, she was the one who brought hydroponics, the art of growing plants without soil, to the farm.
A couple of workshops on the same gave her a 360-degree understanding of the technique and she realised how sustainable the practice would be if executed well on the farm. So after lots of trial and error, now she grows leafy greens like spinach this way and tomato, brinjal, lettuce and other veggies are grown traditionally. Apart from taking care of hydroponics, she helps out when it comes to harvesting as well. But what she is 100% involved in is maintaining an inventory of the produce, managing orders and even delivering them. The produce is not constant owing to the various variables that go into growing something and their customers are aware of this. Hence, weekly once or twice, she makes the deliveries herself.
Initially, all the produce from The Good Planet was for her family and the workers of the farm while the excess was distributed to close friends and extended family. With Sharanya's intervention, more and more people are now able to enjoy the produce. Now they have 15 standard customers outside their own circle. The orders are placed on their WhatsApp number and the youngster lines them all in a day and delivers them too.
"Personally, the journey has been very rewarding for me, to sow something and look at it take shape and achieve a life of its own is special. It's also about how so much of agriculture is just not in your hands. Take for example the unseasonal rains that we have been having in Hyderabad lately," she says. But she knows that the path she is treading on is not an easy one, she adds, "Just like doctors treat patients who are medically ill, here, I am attempting to put nutritious food on your plate because what you eat affects your body and mind. Even if we are able to make this difference only in a few families, I am happy."
For more on them check out instagram.com/thegoodplanet_
