A horticulturist in Kerala is running a seed bank through a Facebook community, instilling interest in farming among thousands of netizens.
A large collection of seeds of various vegetables and indigenous plants, especially those which were believed to be on the verge of extinction, are available in the seed bank, being operated through "Adukkala Thottam" (Kitchen Garden), a Facebook community which now has more than 20,000 members.
T T Muhammad Kutty, a retired government employee hailing from Kottakkal in Malappuram district, is the man behind the 'green' social networking.
'Kuttikka', as he is fondly called by his friends and admirers, collects seeds from the community members and posts its details in the Facebook.
Interested members can ask for the seeds and Kutty sends it to them via post.
While some persons come directly to collect the seeds, others, especially those living outside the country, ask for the seeds with the help of their friends and relatives.
"My prime aim is to cultivate interest for farming among our fellow beings and make them self sufficient in the case of vegetables. Cultivating vegetables in our own kitchen gardens will help us avoid the poisonous ones available in the market and keep hazardous diseases at bay," Kutty told PTI.
"Some members in our group may have a collection of good quality seeds of a particular vegetable. They may send this to me. I will publish its details in the Facebook. The other members who want the seeds will send me a self-addressed cover, with a postal stamp affixed on it. I will soon send the seeds to them via post," the 64-year-old farming enthusiast said.
