SY Lotha is a quinquagenarian farmer from Nagaland who has used the COVID-19 lockdown period to bring the best out of farming.

With an aim to make farming popular again among the younger generation, this Nagaland farmer took up farming aggressively during this lockdown period.

Farming can make one self-sufficient, Lotha strongly feels.

"I hope to attract the younger generation towards farming in order to be self-sufficient instead of depending on imported produce," The Morung Express quoted Lotha as saying.

Lotha is a resident of Wokha town, who originally is from Tsungiki village.

He, along with his family, moved to their farm at Chukitong town- some 14 kilometres from Wokha- in June and since then he has been aggressively engaged himself with farming.

"With God-given fertile land and soil, we must go back to farming for self-sufficiency and teach the young ones on the importance of farming which needs hard labour," further said Lotha to The Morung Express.

"If we do not teach them now, the young people are going to forget the culture of work and eat," Lotha further added.

It may be mentioned here that Lotha has talked up integrated farming so that there would not be any gaps in between farming activity, yielding and harvesting.

“Throughout the year, there is some kind of work whether it is sowing or harvesting and that is why besides the normal cash crops I have also dug several fish ponds, rearing pigs, poultry, planting fruits like pears, guava, pineapple, pomegranate, passion fruit etc," Lotha further informed The Morung Express.

This 50 plus Nagaland farmer has been cultivating a variety of crops in his farm, which includes cash crops like brinjal, chilly, tomato, beans, stinky beans (yongchak), pumpkin, cucumber, and groundnut.

It may be mentioned here that Lotha every day teaches his children the techniques of farming.

From the ways to tend particular crops to teaching them the ropes of managing the fishery or piggery, Lotha has been diligently passing on his farming knowledge to his children during this lockdown period.

Lotha also takes pride in not shooting any birds that visit his farm and he has asked his children to do the same.

At a time when farming knowledge is almost becoming obsolete in most parts of the nation, the effort by this Nagaland farmer is praiseworthy and we hope more farmers come forward and pass their knowledge to the younger generation.