Shaji N.M, also known as Tuber man of Kerala, is a farmer from the state%u2019s Wayanad district who has developed expertise in tuber crops. He has collected a large number of tuberous plants from all over India, which he displays to tourists and the local community on his farm.
Shaji, who has no formal education, has a small landholding which he has named %u2018Kedaram%u2019. The name of his farm means %u2018cultivation%u2019 in his native language Malayalam. His main aim in cultivating tubers is that people will have enough to eat even if there is a drought which he says will come due to climate change and will affect food crops severely.
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He does all this work voluntarily. His wife cooks and sells traditional food made from crops grown on his lands to visitors at a low cost. Shaji also educates people on the value of the tuber crops.
Shaji%u2019s farm currently boasts 88 types of tubers, including six wild varieties. Edavaka PBR of Wayanad District includes his list of tuber species. He also educates other farmers and students of various agricultural institutions on the value of the crops in his collection. He hosts schoolchildren on his farm to see his collection and teaches them about the nutritional and medicinal properties of the crops he grows. Shaji is a passionate individual and a great conservationist.
Shaji was recently awarded the India Biodiversity award of 2021 for his work with various varieties of tubers. Before this, he has also gotten State awards seven times for his efforts. Apart from these, he was also given the Plant Genome Savior Reward 2015, which was created by PPV&FR Authority, New Delhi.
