Mr. Matthews George cultivates cardamom, ginger, and turmeric in Karunapuram, Kerala. After a 25-year tenure in banking, he quit his job to pursue a mission to live sustainably. Mr. Matthews long felt an urge to do something for his community. While he dedicated time to youth life-coaching and rural empowerment programs, he always felt a strong draw to workshops on sustainable living. Mr. Matthews realized how climate change fed broader issues of poverty & inequality and that these could not be
alleviated without practicing sustainability. It was then he decided to serve his community by growing safe and clean food without harming the ecosystem. Despite lacking prior experience, Mr. Matthews acquired 4 acres of land, and set off to understand and implement traditional ways of farming. Mr. Matthews found success in integrating natural fertilizers into his farm: he reared cattle for manure, and he developed an efficient bio-waste management system. Unfortunately he faced other challenges. With limits on what natural pest repellents can do & yields with organic farming being typically lower, he faced inflated production costs. Organically farmed crops are also visually less attractive which further reduced market demands. Despite these challenges, Mr. Matthews persisted with his sustainability efforts. He managed
run-off and groundwater recharge for water conservation, and he increased the soil biodiversity by planting native shrubs. Soon enough, his community began to listen too, appreciating it when Mr. Matthews explained the benefits of sustainable farming. Now, he has regular customers who spread his message. In fact, he is developing a center for sustainable living to further expand his network. Mr. Matthews imagines guiding his community to adopt more sustainable practices. He hopes to house a
space where individuals can experience various sustainability tools, including his waste management and water conservation techniques. He believes this exposure will empower people to adopt these methods. Someday, with enough interest, he hopes they will become model communities for sustainable and holistic development.