Vision and mission of the farm

Annapurna is deeply committed to meeting Auroville’s needs by providing organic food (grains and dairy) that is sustainably produced. To ensure the quality of its products, Annapurna has been registered as an IMO certified farm since 2005 and maintains its certification by opening itself to annual reviews by IMO.

Annapurna serves as Auroville’s grain basket as it is the only farm where field crops can be grown on a large scale. Its main crops are rice and millets. It is also Auroville’s granary, for it procures, processes and stores grain from other farms.

Annapurna is also Auroville’s largest dairy and the only certified organic dairy in south India. Integrated ecological sustainability is a fundamental management principle of the farm, where the two main activities of the farm that is grain cultivation and milk production are harmoniously integrated to ensure sustainability in the long run. In other words, the field crops provide fodder for the cows, and the cows provided compost for the fields. The size of the herd is determined by the acreage of land needed by a healthy cow, which is again selectively bred for producing organic milk. Ecological sustainability is also ensured by the farm’s commitment to use only non-hybridized local seeds and sustainable use of water.

Integrity and joy in work are core values of Annapurna.

Current operations

Annapurna is the largest Auroville farm, totalling 135 acres. It is currently managed by Tomas and Andre. The farm grows mostly dry land crops, such as rice, sesame, rosella, and millets on approximately 30 acres--out of which 14 acres are under rice cultivation. A total of 20-25 acres is under firewood crops and regeneration fodder. Besides growing food for Auroville, Annapurna has a dairy of 25 cross-bred cows (a mix of Gir, Sindhi and Jersey) and a small poultry of country hens. A guava orchard of 0.5 acres was started in 2015 in a collaborative partnership with Naturellement, an Auroville food-processing unit. Annapurna currently employs a team of 19 farm workers.

Apart from providing fresh milk and yogurt, Annapurna has a cheese-making unit with a variety of cheese for sale in Auroville and outside. It also offers some processed food products, such as gomasio and fruit mousse.

The soil type is a heavy black cotton soil. The farm meets its energy needs through grid electricity, with diesel and solar energy as back-up. The stewards have created a series of water catchment ponds that they use for irrigation without tapping into groundwater reserves. Over the years, due to increasing labour costs, farm processes have become increasingly mechanized.  

Plans in the upcoming years

To meet the community’s requirements for rice, this year, Annapurna is planning to bring 2 more acres under rice cultivation and increase the size of its guava orchard. Another need is to consolidate the land to protect this organic farm from the effects of unsustainable development. While most of the land is contiguous, there are 2 parcels of Annapurna land that are disconnected from the main plot. The farm stewards would like to exchange these 2 plots of land and thereby consolidate the farm.

Mechanization has to continue ensure financial sustainability. For this growth to happen, Annapurna needs both human and financial resources.

Annapurna is looking for committed people for managerial tasks to support the current stewards, Tomas and Andre in the daily operations of the farm. Recognizing that ensuring food security is the responsibility of the entire community, Annapurna envisions a far-reaching Community-Supported-Agriculture initiative, and to that end invites people to join its Support Group.

The core Support Group of Annapurna consists of Tomas and volunteers from different sectors of Auroville, who meet regularly to discuss how best to ensure the growth of the farm while meeting the needs of the community. A key initiative of this group has been to start the Annapurna Support Fund.

Contact Tomas, Ph.9489693801
E-mail: annapurnafarm@auroville.org.in 

for the Annapurna Newsletter please go to https://www.auroville.org/contents/4154