In these crucial times of climate change where being sustainable is a necessity, Permaculture is a potential option.
The main focus of Permaculture farming is working with nature rather than against it. It contributes to the ecosystem’s vitality by being a self-sufficient practise that employs holistic approaches, which means it sees humans as a part of the ecological circle instead of something separate from it.
It incorporates farming methods that help farmers to boost yields and generate natural products, ensuring food security while also being more environmentally friendly and sustainable than traditional agricultural practices.
Positives of the Practice
- It is non-aggressive to the soil system and ensures proper water management.
- Waste products obtained from within the farm are recycled and manured back to the earth in the form of compost in Permaculture. As a result, the waste material is eventually employed as fertiliser, resulting in reduced waste.
- It mimics the natural ecosystem by utilising biological resources as natural fertilisers and mulch as primary farming and gardening methods which aids in the protection of the product from pesticide-related hazardous substances.
- Farmers involved in this are not confined or dependent on a single crop, instead they cultivate multiple natural products to avoid fluctuation in market prices.
Rise in India
Permaculture has been given a fresh lease of life in India, thanks to the growing awareness about the advantages of various agricultural farming alternatives. In the backdrop of the country’s various agrarian crises, sustainable development practices such as permaculture farming are being performed in people’s backyards or by transforming barren lands into forests.
Third gen farmers
This type of movement is primarily led by third generation farmers, youngsters who believe in the cause of sustainability and reestablishing a connection with nature. The permaculture movement is being taken forward by farms such as Aranya Agricultural Alternatives, an environmental organisation that started in the year 1997 in Telangana using the permaculture design. The company’s founders, Padma and Narsanna Kopulla, purchased a piece of barren wasteland in the heart of a forest and transformed it into a food forest. In the initial years they began by using rainwater harvesting and mulching with biomass, coconut coir and available dry grasses.
For the past 20 years they’ve been working with rural communities in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh with the objective of promoting and achieving ecological and sustainable agricultural lifestyles. They sell safflower, chickpea, sunflower, jowar, flaxseed, and coriander, among other crops.
Furthermore, they hosted the first National Permaculture Convergence in 2016, which sparked interest in permaculture among people from both rural and urban backgrounds, particularly young people aged 16 to 35. Today, this age group now accounts for roughly 60% of participants in Aryana’s monthly Permaculture Design Course (PDC).
Aanandaa Permaculture Farm is another one that is advancing the permaculture practice in India. It was brought to life in 2010 when Manisha Lath Gupta along with her family purchased a plot of land in Chandigarh just weeks after learning about permaculture. They planted almost 5000 trees, constructed water collection systems, and rehabilitated the soil.
Though they are a private family, sometimes they open their gates to visitors for a tour with aim to educate others about the permaculture concept. The tour is guided by Manisha herself who is a TEDx speaker and an avid permaculture blogger.
In addition, Anandaa also provides online courses on the subject. The farm deals in seeds of Onion, Brinjal, Red and white Radish, Carrot and Spinach. And herbs like Ajwain,Basil, Dill and Mehendi.
Roundstone Farms a 15 acre farm located in Pallani Hills of Tamil Nadu is another project on permaculture. With canals, ponds and a biogas plant, this farm is fully organic and follows permaculture principles.
The farm’s main products are medicinal Siddha Tress oil and timber, along with avacados, oranges, pepper, and coffee, none of which are particularly liked by the elephants, bison, and deer that come to visit due to the farm’s location, which is bordered by Reserved Forest.
Humm of the Earth located in Karnataka and The Odd Gummut Permaculture farm which is founded by an Indian-Australian couple in Maharashtra are some more perma upculture farms. Permaculture farms also be found in West Bengal, Goa, Haryana and Delhi.
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