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NEW DELHI: More than 10,000 farmers gathered in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, on Saturday to attend a seminar on tree-based agriculture and ways to earn steady income from it. The event was organised by Cauvery Calling, an initiative run by Isha Outreach. Union minister for agriculture and farmers welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Isha Foundation founder Sadhguru were among those present.Addressing the gathering, Sadhguru spoke about the restrictions farmers face while growing and selling trees on their own land. He said farmers should not need government permission to cut or sell trees they have grown themselves. “The purpose of politics is to serve people. When it comes to the source of our life, we all should not be differently opinionated…Now all of us are on one stage, on the same page, it is very fortunate,” he added.Shivraj Singh Chouhan said tree-based farming could help improve farmer incomes and water availability if adopted at scale. He also invited organisers to share their experience with the agriculture ministry as inputs for future policy discussions.Agricultural scientists from national research institutions and farmers from several states also spoke at the event. They shared examples of tree-crop farming and explained how some farmers have benefited from it.
