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Fighting Challenges with Innovation
and Creativity

True to the age-old adage that necessity is the
mother of innovation, the mounting challenges have
pushed tea producers into unforeseen situations not
encountered previously. To combat these challenges
effectively, government and stakeholder interven-
tions play a major role at the macro level, it is also
driving producers to innovate to overcome the chal-
lenges and stay viable. While some producers choose
to abandon or sell out their tea estates as they find
it impossible to keep up, some farmers are fighting
back harder, innovating in different ways to contin-
ue producing good tea. From reducing the depen-
dence on chemical inputs and manpower to embrac-
ing mechanization & diversification, farmers are
trying out different ways to stand strong in the face
of the mounting challenges on their way.

Pest Management

Fighting increased incidents of pests and dis-
eases in the face of climate change with a subsequent
increase in the spraying of chemical pesticides and
fungicides may not be the best and most sustainable
solution for tea cultivation. “We are actively em-
bracing Integrated Pest Management solutions that
reduce pesticide loads that make gardens more
sustainable as well as reduce costs. We are engaging
in the widespread use of biopesticides and coming
up with innovative solutions to deal with emerging
challenges in maintaining the health of the tea
bushes,” shares Aditya.
Irrigation, Rainwater Harvesting

With rainfall becoming increasingly erratic with
climate change, tea producers are exploring the po-
tential of rainwater harvesting and creating artificial
water bodies or developing the water bodies natu-
rally present in the estates. These water bodies then
serve as excellent reservoirs for water that can be
used for irrigation during times of drought and water
scarcity. Tea estates are beginning to block off drains
during some months to store the water on the estate
to be used in times of need. Producers are also ex-
ploring options to harvest rainwater from the roofs Challenges in finding farm workers for the tea
of the bungalows on the estate and the labor lines
on the farm. Sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation farms are pushing farmers to look at opportu-
are the two most common methods employed by
producers to irrigate the tea bushes. nities presented by embracing mechanization.

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