FAQ

Me and my family are interested in your workshop. Can I bring my spouse and children? Will it be possible for you to provide accommodation for us?

We love it when families come together. Agriculture is always a group decision making activity and its recommended for you to involve your family. Kids come at half rate.

We only have dorm type accommodation at the farmhouse. If you want more privacy and comfort, we would suggest you take up accommodation in hotels at Tindivanam, the nearest town. We will guide you accordingly.

I am planning to drive by car to the farmhouse. Can you provide directions to your farm?

Oh sure. Head to this link (http://www.kiruba.com/farm/location/), where you will find a detailed direction on how to reach the farm.

What are the items included in the workshop fee?

The fee includes workshop lessons, course materials, shared dorm accommodation, food, travel within the village, treks and site visits.

What is not included in the fee?

Your travel from your city to Tindivanam is on your own. Any purchases that you make in the village is on your own.

There are many similar workshops being conducted in places like Madurai, Theni etc by agricultural experts.How is yours different?

First, we do not claim to be experts in farming. Out of personal interest, we ventured into farming and wish to share our experience. We will bring along people who have been involved in farming all their life and you will learn from practioners.

Second, our workshop will be driven by the unconference method. This means that instead of being a passive listener, everyone will be an active participant. Everyone contributes with their questions, answers and experiences. The focus is on collective learning.

Third, this is a hands-on, experiential learning. You will be expected to learn by doing and this means that you will have to get into the fields and actually farm.

How should I dress?

Dress lightly. Loose dress will allow mobility. Choose light coloured clothes. Expect the weather to be very hot, even in February. Bring along a cap or hat.

What should I bring along?

1. Sun screen lotion if you don’t want to get tanned.
2. Get torch lights. Remember that we are living off-grid and there will be no power in the farm.
3. Mosquito repellants.
4. Toiletries and Towel.

What other advice would you offer?

To make the most of the workshop and to have a great experience, here are our recommendations.

1. Do NOT bring your work to the farm. This will be crucial to your experience. Tell your boss & coworkers that you are going off-site and tell them you won’t be reachable over the weekend. You will thank me for this later!
2. Don’t worry about updating your facebook and tweeting during day time. Focus on immersing yourself completely in the workshop. Those can wait later at night or better still after you return to the city.
3. You will need to bring your laptop and datacard. These will be useful for research activities. There will be plenty of group discussions, homework, team activities and access to the Net will be crucial. Internet works but expect it to be slow.
4. Bring your phone but would recommend you put them on silent mode and leave them in your bag when you work on the fields. (unless you wan to use them to take photos)
5. Everyone is expected to participate actively. Collaborative learning is what is great about this workshop. This will mean that each of us will have to do some pre-workshop reading. You will need to invest in time. Trust us, this will make your workshop experience even more richer.

I am very interested in the workshop. But I can’t pay Rs.4500 immediately. May I pay in installments?

Yes, you can. If you have difficulty in paying the entire amount, you can pay it in 3 installments of Rs.1500 each. You can pay Rs.1500 to begin with and then pay the rest two intallments over two months.

The cost is Rs.4500. It covers the workshop, materials, stay for 3 nights & 2 days, all meals, Pick up & drop from Tindivanam and local visit to other farms