Son, Father Farm to Feed Neighbors During Lockdown in India
2020-11-26
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1The garden that Sijo Zachariah and his father planted was a way to make sure their family had food to eat during the coronavirus pandemic.
2But the garden became much more.
3It became a way to help their community.
4It also led Zachariah to change the direction of his life.
5The 22-year-old aircraft engineer had been living in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
6But he was in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala for a family wedding when the government shut down the area as the coronavirus spread.
7"What's going to happen?" he thought.
8"You know, how are we going to feed ourselves?"
9Food stores in the area were nearly empty.
10Places that sold plants for gardening were closed.
11So, Zachariah and his father collected seeds from whatever fruits and vegetables they could find and planted them on their family's land.
12They already had some plants growing, but they added many more.
13The father and son watched YouTube videos to learn about gardening.
14They also remembered information that Zachariah's grandfather had passed down to his father.
15Over time, the garden would help feed 20 other families during the pandemic.
16"We started teaching others how to grow their own crops so that everyone can have some sort of crop growing in the land," he said.
17Kerala's climate is tropical.
18That means it has a lot of rain and sun, making farming easier.
19Zachariah became interested in permaculture -- a movement that says farming should work with nature instead of trying to control the land.
20In the past, Zachariah had studied and worked in Wales in Britain.
21He wondered why the food he ate in Wales was better than the food he ate at home.
22Zachariah came to understand that the food was fresher.
23It came from local farms and was not treated with chemicals before traveling by truck or plane to be sold far away.
24Zachariah is now considering a new profession: farming.
25He connected with other people online who are thinking of a future in farming as well.
26He said, "There's many people like me who are genuinely curious or genuinely want to do something, but they are stuck somewhere, with their work or in a city life."
27Zachariah has left the farm in the hands of his neighbors since returning to Dubai.
28He has decided to become a farmer.
29"It's a big change for me. But this is what makes me happy - helping others and being in nature," he said.
30There is one more reason he was happy with his farming life.
31"I was getting quality time with my dad as well, so it was like a win-win," he said.
32I'm Jonathan Evans.
1The garden that Sijo Zachariah and his father planted was a way to make sure their family had food to eat during the coronavirus pandemic. 2But the garden became much more. It became a way to help their community. It also led Zachariah to change the direction of his life. 3The 22-year-old aircraft engineer had been living in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. But he was in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala for a family wedding when the government shut down the area as the coronavirus spread. 4"What's going to happen?" he thought. "You know, how are we going to feed ourselves?" 5Food stores in the area were nearly empty. Places that sold plants for gardening were closed. So, Zachariah and his father collected seeds from whatever fruits and vegetables they could find and planted them on their family's land. They already had some plants growing, but they added many more. 6The father and son watched YouTube videos to learn about gardening. They also remembered information that Zachariah's grandfather had passed down to his father. 7Over time, the garden would help feed 20 other families during the pandemic. 8"We started teaching others how to grow their own crops so that everyone can have some sort of crop growing in the land," he said. 9Kerala's climate is tropical. That means it has a lot of rain and sun, making farming easier. 10Zachariah became interested in permaculture -- a movement that says farming should work with nature instead of trying to control the land. 11In the past, Zachariah had studied and worked in Wales in Britain. He wondered why the food he ate in Wales was better than the food he ate at home. 12Zachariah came to understand that the food was fresher. It came from local farms and was not treated with chemicals before traveling by truck or plane to be sold far away. 13Zachariah is now considering a new profession: farming. He connected with other people online who are thinking of a future in farming as well. 14He said, "There's many people like me who are genuinely curious or genuinely want to do something, but they are stuck somewhere, with their work or in a city life." 15Zachariah has left the farm in the hands of his neighbors since returning to Dubai. He has decided to become a farmer. 16"It's a big change for me. But this is what makes me happy - helping others and being in nature," he said. 17There is one more reason he was happy with his farming life. 18"I was getting quality time with my dad as well, so it was like a win-win," he said. 19I'm Jonathan Evans. 20The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 21_______________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23garden - n. an area of ground where plants (such as flowers or vegetables) are grown 24pandemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world 25tropical - adj. the part of the world that is near the equator where the weather is very warm 26permaculture - n. a study of plant life, ecology and sustainability 27genuine - adj. sincere, truthful