On one of his daily inspections of his farm, Murali noticed clusters of insects on a few of the sandalwood and mango trees. To his dismay, he discovered that these insects had attacked a few dozen trees.

He knew from experience, when his Manjal Kadambu tree had had a similar pest attack, that it would drain the leaves dry and cause the tree to decay. It would cost him nothing less than INR 1200 for the chemical spray needed to treat all 35 affected trees.

Murali promptly dialed Praveen from the Cauvery Calling team, who sent over a farm consultant within 24 hours. Murali was advised to dilute 50ml of neem oil (that cost him INR 20) in a liter of water and spray this mix on the trees twice in the span of two weeks.

For a fraction of the cost originally anticipated, this daunting challenge became a simple snag and in three weeks, Murali saw new leaves sprout in these very trees. In two months they had completely recovered.

Coming from a family of farmers, Murali is the first generation to try tree-based agriculture. He planted timber trees along the borders of his farm envisioning that they will one day provide shade and protect the crops from harsh winds.

After hearing about the many benefits of tree-based agriculture in a Facebook video post, including how farmers can increase their income while enriching the soil, he took it up, although with some skepticism. Today, of the 1000 saplings he took home in 2017, 670 stand tall in his farmland, making Murali an active advocate for this method to his fellow-farmers.

Murali's story is not unique. In the last financial year alone, Cauvery Calling's 160 on-ground executives visited over 32,000 farms and empowered countless farmers like Murali.

Join the movement. Together, let us rewrite the story of tree-based agriculture, one thriving tree at a time.