Annapurna Farm

History and today’s organisation:

Annapurna is a 135-acre certified organic farm comprising of 20 acres rice cultivation and few dry land crops during the monsoon. They grow 2 acres of bananas and an acre of guavas, some citrus, passion fruit, tamarind, coconuts, cow fodder, and forest. There is a dairy herd of around 30 animals predominantly indigenous breeds. Annapurna is committed to producing healthy, good-quality food for the community of Auroville.

The land has been farmed during the seventies and after a gap of several years taken over by its current stewards Tomas & Andre in the middle of 1980’s. The farm is run with the help of around 20 dedicated employees who come from rural neighborhood. While some of the work is mechanized, lots of the work is hands-on and involves physical work.  Sustainable use of natural resources(including human), self-reliance and maintaining the environmental balance are the main principles of the farm.

Vision and missions:

In producing food for Auroville, Annapurna aims to discover, develop, demonstrate and document methods of food production that are organic, regenerative, healthy and humane. Annapurna is emphasizing the importance of the growth of the individual in the process and is working on the conservation of indigenous biodiversity.

Team:

A team of  3 Aurovilians, a long-term volunteer and the local staff of around 20 regular workers are taking care of the farm.

Besides that, in the crop season, another 10-15 casual ladies are employed to help in the fields.