Local farmers at the forefront of Organic conversions Babyvilla Gardens - Earth's Wonders

The Babyvilla Gardens citrus farm issituated on the fertile banks of the roaring Tugela River. The sound and itsvibrations can be felt immediately on our arrival. We are here to meet CheekyNaicker and his brother 80-year-old Esparan Naicker, who is still fullyinvolved in the operations and running of the farm.

Itis clear that the farm is flourishing and that the brothers are proud of theirachievements. Wherever your gaze falls, there is either a scented citrusblossom or a fruit in various shades of green, yellow or orange. The farmsprawls out in front of us in an abundant glory. This is what five years orrestructuring has yielded and the brothers recognize their achievements.

"Iretired from my corporate job a few years ago and decided to go back to myroots, here on our family farm." Cheeky told The Bugle, "We used to have 85leachy trees on this land but it was not nearly profitable." 25 years agoEsparan planted his first lemon trees and that's how Babyvilla Gardens started.

Baby,was mother to Cheeky and Esparan Naicker's and the farm is their tribute toher. Through trial and error the brothers are finding ways to eliminate allforms of artificial fertilisers and pesticides. Through the support of localbusinesses they collect used coffee beans, fruit and vegetable scraps, grasscuttings, tree bark, wood chippings and kraal manure from local livestockfarmers to enhance their fertilisation process and it is working.

Theirfruits are not perfect but they are grown sustainably in an eco friendly way.They might not be of the right specifications to make it on the Woolies fruitshelf, but boy, oh boy the flavour is just so much more superior to the 'nuked'veg you find on some supermarket shelves. The Naickers are using organic matterto fertilise their fruit and by doing so they are inviting bugs and insects andbirds and so the fruit has some organic markings on them, which some localbusinesses refuse to buy.

"Educatingour consumers has been a challenge," Cheeky says, "While we supply alot of businesses with our limes, lemons, oranges and naartjies, some are notsupporting us because of the slightly blemished appearance of our fruit, notrealizing that this is what real fruit actually looks like."

Whilethe citrus orchard continues to thrive and exceed all expectations, throughmostly organic methods, the Naicker brothers are now growing avocado, chilli,Brinjal, beetroot, beans, spinach, kale, and some common herbs. They are alsostarting to grow a variety of custard apples.

BabyvillaGardens has also extended their range to agro-processing, they produce variouschilli pastes, preserved limes and freshly squeezed lime and lemon juices,which you can find at Home Grown in the Market at Lifestyle Centre.

Whilethe world is increasingly substituting original for fake, the Naicker brothersare a beacon of hope in the world of strife and uncertainty. Their gentleprotest against harmful agricultural products has made them a sort aftersupplier of fresh-farmed goodness. Look out for their products and supportthese valuable members of our farming community.