B. Shivakumar, an entrepreneur-industrialist, started farming about five years ago on 40 acres at Sathyamangalam. In 2015, seeing the impact of chemicals on soil, he decided to go organic and it took him one-and-a-half years to clear the land, take up green mulching, and start organic cultivation. Today, his Madras Iyer Thottam (MIT) has expanded to 75 acres and he has another 13 acres in the Nilgiris, growing organic and traditional varieties of fruits, vegetables, paddy and pulses.