Vettikavala schools teach farming through ‘Harithasree’

The Vettikavala block panchayat is gearing up to impart practical agricultural lessons to students by transforming school campuses into vibrant vegetable gardens. Implemented under the ‘Harithasree’ initiative, the project aims to foster an interest in farming among children, promote organic agriculture, and set up vegetable gardens across schools. Beyond teaching practical farming skills, the initiative strives to meet the vegetable requirements for school mid-day meals through local, home-grown produce.

The initiative has been successfully rolled out with an allocation from the development fund for the 2026–27 financial year. Under this scheme, high-yielding hybrid seedlings of six vegetables -- tomato, lady’s finger, green chilli, brinjal, cabbage, and cauliflower -- along with organic fertilizers are being distributed to participating schools. The project has already been executed across 56 selected schools spanning six grama panchayats under the block’s jurisdiction.