From Pr To Pumpkin Fields: Lavinesh Is Big On Agriculture

Lavinesh Vimalanathan left his corporate career to pursue organic farming. (Muhammad Rabbani Jamian @ FMT Lifestyle).

PETALING JAYA: Lavinesh Vimalanathan, 30, once thrived in the high-energy world of public relations and corporate communications. But after a while, it wore him down.

Speaking to FMT Lifestyle at his home in Petaling Jaya, he said: “I needed to take a step back – do something more calming.” That “something” turned out to be agriculture.

Even as a child, Lavinesh was drawn to the outdoors. “I used to dig random holes in the garden just to play with the soil,” he said, laughing. “And when my dad saw the mess, of course I’d get a scolding.”

Like many amateur gardeners, Lavinesh started small, helping his parents care for plants at home. His efforts soon expanded to his relative’s plot in Banting, where he once harvested 25kg of tapioca.

“That moment was the biggest highlight of my agricultural journey,” he said. “But, it didn’t even make a scratch in the time and money I’d put in. Still, it was a good start.”

Lavinesh often played with soil as a child, the beginning of his love for agriculture. (Muhammad Rabbani Jamian @ FMT Lifestyle).

During the pandemic, he pivoted to hydroponics, turning his guest bedroom into a mini indoor farm. “I had enough kangkong and mint for like, one family lunch,” he said.

But it wasn’t until 2022 that Lavinesh made his boldest move – leasing a 0.8 hectare-plot of land in Temerloh, Pahang, and leaving behind his childhood home in the Klang Valley.

This marked the beginning of Project Kebun, his social media platform chronicling the ups and downs of his new life as a farmer.

“Of course, it was a scary move. I was leaving the security of a monthly salary to do something on my own.”

Lavinesh was able to harvest thousands of kilogrammes of pumpkins from his farm in Temerloh, Pahang. (Lavinesh Vimalanathan pic)

What followed was a full-blown culture shock. “Here, traffic jams are caused by people in cars. There, it’s cows or chickens crossing the road,” he laughed.

He began with curry leaves. “I didn’t know that the leaf I’d been eating all these years would be my first official crop,” he recalled.

“I still remember the date – May 3, 2023. After planting the first 10 curry leaf plants in the soil, I called around 20 people to announce that I’m officially a farmer. It was the proudest moment of my life.”

Setting up the farm took six months of bulldozing, excavation and fencing. He had big dreams of planting various crops. But the wildlife had other plans – monkeys, wild boars, even water buffalo were regular visitors. So he pivoted to pumpkins.

“Pumpkins take about three months to grow. The back of my Hilux was full of them – it was a beautiful sight.” His first harvest yielded over 1,000kg. Yet, despite the bounty, he made a loss.

His second round didn’t fare much better as monkey attacks worsened. Then in January, disaster struck: the main bridge to his farm was swept away by floods. “I went there and the bridge was just… gone. Floating.”

Despite bidding farewell to his farm in Temerloh, Lavinesh continues to garden. (Muhammad Rabbani Jamian @ FMT Lifestyle).

He tried reaching the farm through muddy estate roads, getting his car stuck multiple times. Though he managed to get through, he knew he couldn’t keep this going for long, not with the bridge still unrepaired.

“It took me a month to muster up the courage to tell myself it was over. It was heartbreaking. I could go on forever if you let me. But at the end of the day, it’s not a hobby, it’s a business. How much more can I bleed before I can’t recover?”

By the end of 2024, he said goodbye to the farm. But not to agriculture.

Lavinesh still keeps pots of curry leaves and lime trees around the house. And now, he’s sowing seeds of a different kind, with a new website called Project Harvest, dedicated to gardening tips tailored for Malaysians.

The former farmer has since pivoted from ‘Project Kebun’ to ‘Project Harvest’ where he offers gardening tips to Malaysians. (Muhammad Rabbani Jamian @ FMT Lifestyle).

“I realised there’s no platform like this for us. I still have all this real, hands-on knowledge. Why not share it?” Lavinesh said.

He’s also offering services such as house visits to help Malaysians with their own gardening woes.

And if the opportunity ever presents itself again?

“I would love to go back to farming,” he said without hesitation. “If I had the means to do it, I wouldn’t think twice.”

Check out his Project Harvest website and follow Lavinesh on Instagram and Tik Tok.