Conservationist on a mission to create green spaces on campuses in Kerala

Manoj Kumar I.B., a 54-year-old conservationist, is inspiring schoolchildren to create green spaces and learn about biodiversity through his farm school venture, 'Rewild'.

A 54-year-old native of the coastal Edavanakkad panchayat in Vypeen, Ernakulam, is sowing the seeds of conservation among schoolchildren and the youth by encouraging them to set up fruit forests, butterfly gardens, and herbal parks on campuses.

An electrical and electronics engineer who turned into a full-time conservationist five years ago, Manoj Kumar I.B. has been working with students to conduct the greening drive on around 100 school and college campuses in Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Palakkad over the past five years. A majority of these green spaces were created using saplings nurtured by him at his home and handed over free of cost to nature clubs at schools and colleges.

He has just launched a unique venture named ‘Rewild’, a plant nursery and farm school in a lush 80-cent rented land on Pullamkulam Road, North Paravur, as an experiential learning space for schoolchildren.

“It is an extension of ongoing efforts to create awareness about biodiversity loss among the new generation. The aim is to provide them hands-on experience on how to create fruit forests, butterfly parks, and herbal gardens. The seed bank will expose them to traditional varieties. A nursery of native plants that are grown naturally will be part of the farm school,” he said.

An expert in data recovery, Manoj Kumar drew inspiration from the ‘do-nothing farming’ methodology proposed by Masunobu Fukuoka, a Japanese farmer and author of widely read books including The One-Straw Revolution and The Road Back to Nature. “The idea is to ensure minimal human interference and create an environment for natural farming. I was equally inspired by the teachings of late John C. Jacob, one of the pioneers of the environmental movement in Kerala, who advocated that man and nature are one and the same,” he said.

An active member of ‘Grassroute’, an environmental organisation at Nayarambalam near Vypeen, Manoj Kumar has been participating in planting mangroves as a natural bio-defence against the growing impact of climate change and sea erosion on the Vypeen coast. “We continue to plant hundreds of mangrove seedlings along the fragile coastline. A large tract of land at Ayyamppilly near Cherai, which had once been a coconut grove, was turned into a community forest in 2020 through our collective efforts. It has now become a sought-after destination for nature walks involving green lovers, researchers, and students,” he said.

Manoj Kumar said he may have to collect a nominal fee for running the farm school for children in view of the expenses for staff salary and rent. “However, the programmes can be offered through sponsorship or generous contributions from like-minded people,” he added.