An organisation founded in 1991, Kerala Jaiva Karshaka Samithi is a forum of organic farmers in Kerala. This association has units in almost all districts in the state. Each unit conducts monthly meetings in the field for organic farmers and shares ideas and suggestions for improving their agricultural activities.

In addition to farming, planning meet-ups, and engaging with governing bodies in activism, KJKS publishes a journal called Ore Bhoomi Ore Jeevan (translated as One Earth, One Life, or OEOL), which details new practises in organic farming, features stories from members, provides news of the organisation’s activities, and hosts farm visits across the country, serving as inspiration to the community. I had read some issues of the magazine back in 2012 and felt what they were doing was commendable and worth volunteering my time to improve their design language and streamline the typographic delivery of their sections and stories. My then-job prevented me from devoting any time to the project. When the chance of an opportunity to work in Kerala arose, I decided to see if they were open to letting me work with them in exchange for learning how such intentional communities work and meeting interesting people.

Over email, I proposed a revamp of the KJKS website, building an archive of articles from OEOL and creating a seed database for Kerala based on insights and information from KJKS members. We agreed to meet during their annual state committee meeting.