Farmers, seed savers and organic brands gather at Visakha Organic Mela in Visakhapatnam

From the entrance of the Andhra University Engineering Grounds, the Visakha Organic Mela unfolds as a steady argument for a different way of growing and consuming food. Now in its sixth edition, the four-day expo brings together more than 200 farmers and farmer collectives who have travelled from different parts of North Andhra and neighbouring regions to showcase heirloom seeds, baskets of naturally-grown vegetables, cold-pressed oils and millet-based snacks and sweets.

The Mela, organised by Go-Aadharitha Prakruti Vyvasayadarula Sangham and Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, has tried to keep the focus firmly on farmers and their knowledge systems. Alongside the stalls, the organisers have planned a North Andhra farmers’ conclave, an agricultural entrepreneurs’ conclave, sessions on terrace gardening and interactive meetings where visitors can hear directly from cultivators about the choices and challenges involved in staying with organic and traditional practices. The emphasis here is on conversations around soil, seed, water and livelihoods.

Native seed varieties on display at a stall by Sanjeevani Rural Development Society at Visakha Organic Mela at AU Engineering Grounds in Visakhapatnam.
| Photo Credit:
KR Deepak

One of the striking stalls belongs to P Devullu, founder of the Sanjeevani Rural Development Society. His counter resembles a miniature seed museum. Neatly labelled tiny bowls and packets display varieties of native seeds, including over distinct paddy varieties brought from its centre at Killoguda village in Dumbriguda in the Alluri Sitarama Raju district. The diversity of colours, sizes and names prompts curiosity and questions.

A few rows away is the stall of Radisa, which has chosen to work with everyday comfort food. It has introduced in-house premixes prepared without preservatives in familiar regional flavours. The options include a bisi bele bhaat mix, a gongura garlic pachadi meal, pappu avakai meal and a mamidi allam bhaat mix.

Mana Manyam Producer Company, under its Avani Organics label, presents another facet of the story. Their tables are lined with bottles of cold-pressed oils, organically grown vegetables and an assortment of millet snacks. For the producer groups associated with Avani, the mela is a marketplace and a window to gauge how urban consumers are responding to millets, which governments and nutrition experts have been trying to reintroduce as climate-resilient crops.

The quieter, aesthetic side of sustainability is visible at the stall of Sankalp Art Village. Here, there are naturally dyed textiles in subtle, earthy shades that stand in contrast to conventional chemical colours. Alongside the fabrics are Etikoppaka toys that carry forward a long tradition of wooden craft, as well as a selection of plants arranged near the nursery section at the entrance. Sesame laddus and ragi and horse gram laddus, prepared with a focus on simple ingredients, have emerged as fast-selling items.

The organic mela is on till December 7 from 11am to 8pm.