Low Tech Mushroom Workshop -September Edition

It was a pleasure hosting another edition of Low Tech Mushroom Workshop at AuroOrchard, facilitated by Ishan.

The session opened up the fungal world beyond food, exploring the diversity of mushrooms and the ways different traditions have worked with them over time. We also touched upon how preparation can influence their properties and why mushrooms are often misunderstood or reduced to simply being a food.

The workshop then moved from understanding fungi to working with them. In the hands-on cultivation session, participants explored simple, low-cost ways of growing mushrooms using locally available farm residues and household waste. From understanding fungi and preparing substrates to making mushroom buckets, the workshop offered practical ways to bring fungi into farms, gardens and even small home spaces.

Participants prepared their own bucket to grow pink oyster mushrooms, taking it home to continue experimenting with this simple and replicable system. We also explored how spent mushroom buckets can be transformed into fungal beds, helping return organic matter to the soil and close the nutrient cycle.

The conversation expanded beyond cultivation into the ecological role of fungi. As recyclers and connectors, fungi help break down organic matter, return nutrients to the soil and support plant life and the wider ecosystem.

The day brought together learning, hands-on making and a deeper appreciation of the fascinating world of fungi, offering participants simple ways to begin growing mushrooms while discovering the important role fungi play in the cycles of life.

There’s always fruits and salads for breakfast 🍋‍🟩

#farmfresh #fruitfarm #organicfood

Volunteer at the farm! 🌴

#organicfarming #auroville #aurovillelife #farminglife

We are at PTDC!
Come get your produce, open until 12 30pm

🐝 The Secret Life of Bees 🌼

Join us in Auroville for a 3-day immersion (Oct 2–4). Learn why bees, flowers & pollination are critical to sustain food systems, farms and biodiversity and how to build a bee-friendly garden that thrives.

*Learn from pioneers on the ground:* Erik Jansegers (Natural Beekeeper), Deepika & Bernard (Ecological Restoration Pioneers), Sarah (Food Forest Gardener)

*What you'll take away:*
* How bees, flowers & pollination are critical to sustain food systems, farms and biodiversity
* Why native bees matter far more than honey
* Natural beekeeping: colony biology, seasons & hands-on with stingless bees
* How degraded land comes alive again and how bees know to come back
* How to install a bee-friendly garden in your own space

The details:
📍 Pebble Garden, AuroOrchard & Sarah's Food Forest(Auroville)
📅 2–4 October
🍽️ Lunch (Days 1–2) + farm brunch (Day 3)
💰 ₹6,000 (GST inclusive)
🪑 15 spots only

Reserve your spot(LINK IN BIO): https://forms.gle/pvEwBe8vZbQL53Dt9

Questions? auroorchard@auroville.org.in | Charan: 8431764831

We recently hosted an engaging session on Health, Nutrition & Lifestyle Medicine with Dr. Anurag @pebblegardenforest , Auroville.
The session explored how soil, food, movement, and our environment influence human health, and what it means to shift our focus from treating illness towards prevention. We looked at the modern health burden and the role of food and nutrition, with a deeper exploration of micronutrition and the human body, particularly the gut and gut health.
The conversation also touched on lifestyle medicine, understanding symptoms and blood markers, and the emerging idea of Medicine 3.0, which places greater emphasis on prevention and taking proactive steps towards long-term health.
Bringing together perspectives from nutrition, human physiology, organic farming, and lifestyle medicine, the session invited participants to understand their bodies more deeply and reflect on how everyday choices can contribute to health and well-being.
The session was facilitated by Dr. Anurag, a medical doctor (MBBS) currently pursuing his MD in Physiology at JIPMER, Puducherry. Trained in functional nutrition, his work brings together preventive health, human physiology, lifestyle medicine, and evidence-based approaches to well-being.
A thoughtful afternoon of learning, questions, and conversations around how we can move towards a more preventive and informed approach to health

Learn farming with Kazuki! @california_spice_ 🌴

#farming #farmingtips #organicfarm #organicmethods #farmlife

From Conflict to Connection with Kunal Kankhare

We hosted an experiential workshop at AuroOrchard exploring how we respond when conflict arises, and what becomes possible when we approach it from a different place.

Through interactive practices, participants explored four ways of responding to conflict: blame, shame, self-connection, and empathy. The session offered an opportunity to notice how each response shapes our conversations, relationships, and capacity for connection.

Rather than searching for the perfect words, the workshop invited us to explore what happens when we shift what is happening within us before we speak.

Because every conversation begins long before the first word is spoken.

A heartfelt thank you to Kunal Kankhare for facilitating this space and sharing the principles and practice of Nonviolent Communication.

Conscious Technology & the Future of Farming

We recently gathered at AuroOrchard’s Conscious Technology Lab with Azha to explore an important question: Can technology support agriculture while remaining connected to nature?

With Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), sensors, automation, and data-driven tools rapidly transforming agriculture, the session explored a different possibility: technology that supports farmers, strengthens ecological stewardship, and works in harmony with human consciousness.

At the Lab, we are experimenting with smart irrigation, automation, sensors, and data-driven farming practices to reduce water wastage, improve yields, and support more conscious cultivation.

The session offered an introduction to this ongoing work, along with a space to reflect on the relationship between technology, ecology, and the future of farming.

A beautiful space to learn, question, experiment, and imagine how technology can work with nature.