00:18Chef Jaren George is preparing a Kerala fish curry for his guests.
00:23The secret to its distinct fragrant taste? The unique blend of local spices.
00:28Home cooking in Kerala is just as aromatic.
00:32Jessie Kurian is very strict about the spices she uses in her kitchen.
00:37I have a lot of spices in the kitchen.
00:51As people become more mindful of what goes on their plates, they are turning towards authentic,
00:56local ingredients.
01:02But increasingly, farmers are growing commercial spice varieties,
01:07sidelining the traditional ones that define Kerala's rich flavours.
01:10Indigenous ones are having high content of aromatic and voluntary oil.
01:15Commercial varieties, once we are doing like that, once we are applying commercial practices,
01:22large-scale production will lead to reduction in the chemical content.
01:29Welcome to Irukki, also known as Kerala Spice Garden.
01:34Farmers have been growing cardamom, pepper and nutmeg here for decades.
01:38But many now grow commercial varieties.
02:04In 2019, Bhavish Savariya and Anusani founded Gramia.
02:10a social enterprise connecting farmers directly with consumers
02:14who value indigenous spices and natural farming methods.
02:18Today, Gramia works with around 100 farmers.
02:22Anu and Bhavish visit each farm throughout the growing season,
02:25offering support and learning firsthand how each farmer tends to their land.
02:31It's about building trust and understanding what's really behind every spice.
02:38It actually helps us to understand what is the potential crop that is going to be there
02:44and how can we actually market it out also.
02:47In Kerala, changing rainfall patterns and rising temperatures due to climate change
02:52are making growing conditions increasingly unpredictable.
02:58Commercial plants often struggle to cope, but many traditional varieties hold up well.
03:04And some, like traditional indigenous pepper, show remarkable resilience in recent harvests.
03:29The benefits of traditional indigenous spices farmed naturally are not only financial.
04:01For nutmeg farmer, Vince Vauges, Gramia has opened a new list of forms.
04:05new, profitable market and a more dependable way to sell his produce.
04:28A significant share of the spices is exported to other countries including France, Switzerland
04:34and the Netherlands, but Gramia also sells the products to consumers in India.
04:41While there are farmers who grow both commercial and traditional indigenous varieties in different
04:46patches of land, the prices that Gramia offers are helping some reconsider a larger shift.
04:56What has happened is because we insured them a market for it which is profitable, now if
05:01they have to shift, they might consider indigenous varieties as a replant instead of again putting
05:07back a hybrid one.
05:10To do so, reviving soil health is crucial.
05:15Keep the land free for one year, let everything grow up to doing the mulching and bio-fertilizers
05:24like cow dung etc. Then it will automatically, the dynamic activity of the soil will continue.
05:32That will favor the growth of these indigenous varieties.
05:37Spices from the farms in Irukki to urban kitchens are truly special.
05:42The flavor is so intense, you only need a pinch.
05:47Now, the same thing is, the taste of the fruit of these indigenous varieties, the same
05:48fruit of these are really new.
05:50We have to drink the fruit of these tomatoes.
05:53This is an amazing fruit of these tomatoes.
05:56This is the first plant.
05:57It is a very nice fruit.
05:58The fruit of the fruit of the yeast is the same family, and it is a very nice fruit.
05:58It is a very nice fruit.
06:01You
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