Sustainable Tourism Project on Workshop on Garden Management

Training Topic: Workshop on Garden Management

Venue: Charaka Shramjeevi Ashram, Honnesara

Resource Person: Santosh S. Naik, Vanastree Collective, Sirsi
Date: August 10th and 11th, 2026

A workshop on garden management was organized on August 10th and 11th at Charaka under the Gandhi Pravasa Project of the Department of Tourism, Govt. of Karnataka. Mr. Santosh S. Naik, Resource Person from Vanastree Collective, Sirsi, provided the training and gave practical and useful information on effective garden management.

The workshop provided information on the use of organic manure suitable for garden, water conservation, pest management, use of medicines required for plants, selection of good seeds and seed storage, preparation of organic fertilizers and many other topics. In addition, the method of making organic manure in-house by effectively utilizing the organic waste generated at campus was also explained.

Charaka campus already has a garden and those who tended to it actively participated in the workshop. During the training, they shared their experiences and interacted with the resource person about the problems faced in gardening. This gave them an opportunity to link their hands-on experience with scientific farming methods.

The workshop provided greater awareness about garden management, practical knowledge about organic practices, and clarity about the possibilities of producing vegetables at low cost. Especially, the training on producing compost and bio-manure using locally available organic resources to manage the garden was very beneficial.

Fresh, quality, and pesticide-free vegetables can be produced from the garden, which can be utilized for the ashram kitchen for the daily canteen and also for preparing food for the tourists. This workshop has helped to further effectively continue the garden activity being carried out at Charaka Ashram. It helped create a sense of ownership and pride for the gardeners who were reminded of their important role in nutrition.

Overall, this two-day workshop has provided the necessary knowledge, practical guidance and a new perspective to the garden activity of Charaka Shramjeevi Ashram. This training has helped to further develop the garden in line with Gandhiji's vision of self-reliance, village self-government, use of local resources and nature-friendly living practices.

In the coming days, the plan is to showcase the ashram garden as a model for creating awareness about organic gardening, bio-manures and composting, seed conservation and natural farming practices for tourists, trainees and locals who visit.

Attendees of the garden management workshop

Suresh H.R, Keshava, Harish, Suresh L, Prema, Prema B, Lawrence, Gulabi, Pushpavathi, Mallika, Shekharappa, Jeevan, Prakash, Dharma, Sumitra, Suma, Annapurna

Charaka staff identified for further training and garden management:
1. Prema
2. Harish

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