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Cauvery Calling Newsletter: Jul - Sep 2026
Can growing trees really pay off for a farmer? This quarter, farmer Ramalingam found out: his Melia dubia harvest fetched revenues at the rate of ₹615,000 per acre about 6 years after planting. Between July and September, Cauvery Calling enabled the planting of a whopping 3.2 million trees and 6379 farmers took up tree-based agriculture. Also in this issue: A farmer who has designed his land for diversity; 1461 people, 100,687 saplings, and one legendary farmer and tree-cultivator; and a CFO who carries Kannada farmers' voices to donors.
Project Highlights: Jul - Sep 2026
Field Stories
Project Highlights: Jul - Sep 2026
Trees planted – 3,200,893
Farmers adopting tree-based agriculture – 6379
On-farm consultations – 7277
₹615,000 per Acre: How Ramalingam’s Trees Proved Lucrative
Field Stories
Ramalingam, a farmer from Villupuram, planted Melia dubia (malai vembu) trees on his 0.6-acre land in memory of his parents and tended them closely. When his plantation was about 6 years old, Cauvery Calling’s Farmer Business Development team assessed the yield, shared leads of industry buyers, helped him negotiate the price, and guided the harvest. The sale fetched him ₹369,000, or ₹615,000 on a per-acre basis – 28% above trader prices.
“I Feel with Them (Farmers) and for Them”: A Volunteer’s Story
Human Impact Stories
An Isha volunteer since 2017, Champaka is part of Cauvery Calling. She is also a mother of three, CFO of a company with ₹15 billion in sales, and a math teacher volunteer at a government school. During the COVID-19 lockdown, she called farmers and urged them to plant trees for their children’s future. She now translates Kannada farmers’ stories and carries their voices to donors, and has also started developing a small farm of her own in Ramanagara district.
100,000 Saplings. 1500 People. One Day. One Farmer Called “Maram” (Tree)
Field Stories
Thangasamy Maram would answer the phone with "Hello, I am Maram (tree) speaking." The Pudukkottai farmer planted trees until he lost count, talked to each one, and knew tree species so well that forest officers sought his help. His rule: for every tree cut, plant ten.
He passed away on 16 September 2018. Every year on that day, Cauvery Calling honors him by planting over 100,000 trees. This September, almost 1500 people came together to plant 100,687 saplings in his memory.
Farmer of the Quarter: It Began with a Search for a Truly Organic Mango
Field Stories
In 2020, unable to find truly organic mangoes for his children, Gokul Krishnan of Tiruppur began growing his own. For long-term income, he added timber trees to his 11-acre farm, with Cauvery Calling assessing his soil and guiding spacing, shade, and crop combinations. Now his mango orchard holds 300 sandalwood trees and 250 red sanders, with mahogany and teak on the borders.
He says, “For us, preserving the fertility of the soil is more important than maximizing production.”
When a Farmer Says “It Works,” Other Farmers Listen
Field Stories
Farmers rarely change how they farm because an expert tells them to. They change when a fellow farmer says, "I did this, and it worked." That is the idea behind Cauvery Calling's monthly district-level farmer meetings. New farmers meet experienced tree-based agriculture practitioners from their own district, hear what has worked on land like theirs, and get technical guidance from the Cauvery Calling team. The meeting participants’ feedback also helps Cauvery Calling adapt to changing climate and market conditions. At the 6th September monthly meeting, 1000 farmers from 18 districts took part.