Conscious Technology Lab Update
We have installed a float sensor with a controller for sump automation. With this setup, when the sump becomes empty, the three-phase motor starts automatically, and once the sump is full, the controller stops the motor automatically. The required cabling has been installed using a trench with proper casing, Pump Automation has helped save labour time. Home » Blog » Conscious Technology Lab Update Conscious Technology Lab Update January 2026 · Azhaganandan We have installed a float sensor with a controller for sump automation. With this setup, when the sump becomes empty, the three-phase motor starts automatically, and once the sump is full, the controller stops the motor automatically. The required cabling has been installed using a trench with proper casing, Pump Automation has helped save labour time. Additionally, a float sensor with a controller has been installed for the overhead water tank. When the tank is empty, the three-phase motor starts automatically, and it stops once the tank is full. The cabling for this system has also been installed through a trenched casing. As a result, water wastage has been effectively eliminated through this automation. LoRa (Long Range) Gateway setup has been initiated by reflashing the firmware and configuring the operating system. This will help us re-install the water meters on all the three borewells. This system was dismantled after the land exchange as one of the borewells was lost and we were uncertain about the other two. LoRa (Long Range) Gateway setup has been initiated by reflashing the firmware and configuring the operating system. This will help us re-install the water meters on all the three borewells. This system was dismantled after the land exchange as one of the borewells was lost and we were uncertain about the other two. Previous Article Featured Articles Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 29 Jan 2026 Year-end updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 20 Dec 2025 Conscious Technology Lab Update 30 Jan 2026 Eating for Nourishment or Habit: A personal … 30 Jan 2026
Eating for Nourishment or Habit: A personal …
My name is Charan. For the past several years, I have been exploring my relationship with my body and mind. I’ve done this by observing how my body responds to different foods, routines, and environments, and by learning from people around the world who are asking similar questions. Over time, this exploration has helped me understand my body more clearly and simply. At its core, it has been driven by a quiet longing to feel free and at ease in this body, something I had not fully experienced before. As this inquiry deepened, more fundamental questions began to surface. What truly makes this body function? Why does disease arise? What does it really mean to care for this living organism? I began to question what food actually is for the body. Is it only what I put into my mouth, or are there other forms of nourishment such as sunlight, air, water, rest, touch, and movement? Home » Blog » Eating for Nourishment or Habit: A personal journey into the relationship with food Eating for Nourishment or Habit: A personal journey into the relationship with food January 2026 · Charan Gp My name is Charan. For the past several years, I have been exploring my relationship with my body and mind. I’ve done this by observing how my body responds to different foods, routines, and environments, and by learning from people around the world who are asking similar questions. Over time, this exploration has helped me understand my body more clearly and simply. At its core, it has been driven by a quiet longing to feel free and at ease in this body, something I had not fully experienced before. As this inquiry deepened, more fundamental questions began to surface. What truly makes this body function? Why does disease arise? What does it really mean to care for this living organism? I began to question what food actually is for the body. Is it only what I put into my mouth, or are there other forms of nourishment such as sunlight, air, water, rest, touch, and movement? During this time, I paid close attention to all aspects of daily living. It became an exploration of relationship itself: my relationship with nature, with my mother and father, with my ancestors and my birthplace, with friends, with food and water, with sleep and dreams. I began to see that each of these is an aspect of living, and together they form the field in which this body and mind exist. Eating was not separate from this field. It was one of the most direct and tangible expressions of how I relate to the world. In this article, I stay with one strand of this larger inquiry: my relationship with food. I share my food history, where I come from, what we ate, how our regional landscape shaped our plate, and how I began to see the gap between nourishment and habit. Roots in a Dry Land I come from Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh, India, a region near Tirupati, known for temples, rocky hills, and a climate that leans toward dryness. Hot summers, moderate monsoons, and recurring droughts shaped the crops people grow and how they think about food and water. My ancestors migrated to higher ground after facing floods elsewhere. They adapted to a land where rainfall was uncertain and farming required resilience. Millets like ragi, groundnuts, and pulses were staples. These foods required less water and could be stored for long periods. Vegetables were harder to grow consistently, and fruits, though present, were not daily staples. Growing up in Air Force campuses across India exposed me to diverse regional food habits. Chapatis became a regular dinner, and milk consumption increased under the influence of northern cuisines, particularly from Punjab, where dairy is a central part of the diet My Plate Growing Up: Rice, Lentils, Tamarind At home, our meals were rooted in our native land. The staple was white rice, accompanied by a range of lentil-based preparations such as dals, sambars, rasams, and chutneys. Meat appeared mostly on weekends, eggs more often. Podis mixed with ghee or oil were a regular feature, and almost everything carried the sour taste of tamarind. Our food was heavy in grains and lentils, high in carbohydrates and plant proteins, but often low in daily fresh fruits and vegetables that provide water-rich nourishment and fibre. With refrigerators and gas stoves, idlis and dosas became convenient and slowly entered daily life. Millets, Rice, and Aspiration When I spoke with my grandfather, he described meals centered around hardy grains and millets. White rice was rare and considered a luxury. Over time, as markets expanded and government systems made rice affordable, polished white rice became associated with comfort and status. By the time I was growing up, it had become the unquestioned centre of most meals. Eating for Nourishment or Habit As my inquiry deepened, I turned the question to my plate. Much of what I ate came from habit, convenience, and emotional comfort. Foods from childhood carried memories of home and care, and certain dishes felt tied to my identity. It led me to ask more honestly whether I was eating for nourishment or out of habit and conditioning. I also began to notice differences in lifestyle. My ancestors worked in the fields, walked long distances, and lived according to the sun. They usually ate two substantial meals a day, finished eating early in the evening, slept early, and woke early. Experimenting With My Own Body I began recreating ancestral dishes and examining them through the lens of nourishment. I explored how I could nourish my body while still eating familiar foods, and also by bringing more vegetables and fruits into these dishes. I changed what, when, and how often I ate, observing how my body responded. Simpler meals, more fruits and vegetables, adjusted meal timing, or reduced heavy foods each became a way to learn. The internet connected me with others experimenting with fasting, raw eating,
Experiments with Faulkner’s Method …
AuroOrchard soil is red sandy loam with very low baseline organic carbon (~0.2%). Whatever organic matter we add decomposes rapidly under heat, termites, and rain. Unless we keep feeding the soil, the carbon disappears. This challenge is not only ecological but also practical. Raised beds, which we also practice, protect soils well — but they demand immense labour to establish and maintain. With today’s scarcity of farm workers, scaling raised beds across large areas is difficult. Home » Blog » Experiments with Faulkner’s Method of Shallow Ploughing Experiments with Faulkner’s Method of Shallow Ploughing January 2026 · Anshul Aggarwal AuroOrchard soil is red sandy loam with very low baseline organic carbon (~0.2%). Whatever organic matter we add decomposes rapidly under heat, termites, and rain. Unless we keep feeding the soil, the carbon disappears. This challenge is not only ecological but also practical. Raised beds, which we also practice, protect soils well — but they demand immense labour to establish and maintain. With today’s scarcity of farm workers, scaling raised beds across large areas is difficult. In 2022, we came across the work of American agronomist Edward H. Faulkner, who advocated for shallow soil disturbance with a tractorised disc harrow. This paper describes our trials with this approach. Treading lightly with machines Mechanisation in Indian farming is often debated in absolutes: either as the culprit of soil degradation or as the saviour of productivity. On the one hand, mechanisation is unavoidable. With rural labour scarce and costly, even small farms depend on machines. On the other hand, not all mechanisation is equal. Large rototillers dig deep, pulverise soils, and burn fuel. They are unsuited to fragile sandy soils where organic matter is easily oxidised and lost. Our guiding question was whether we could use the tractor differently, in a way that it helps build soil structure rather than breaking it. Faulkner (1943) wrote in his Ploughman’s Folly: “No one has ever advanced a scientific reason for plowing… The sole reason for plowing is tradition.” Faulkner suggested that shallow stirring, not deep inversion, keeps soil fertile. And this is where the disc harrow comes into the picture. The disc harrow makes it possible to cut at 3–5 inches, slicing biomass without inverting the soil. The result is that the surface residues remain, decomposition is encouraged, and deeper horizons are undisturbed. The outcome is dramatically different from that of a roto-tiller, which has become ubiquitous now. Reconciling the ideal of no-till Globally, conservation agriculture promotes no-till, leaving soils undisturbed and residues on the surface. While effective in temperate soils, its results are mixed in sandy tropical contexts. Meta-analyses (Ogle et al., 2019) and sandy-soil trials (Wang et al., 2025) show that no-till does not automatically raise soil carbon in these contexts unless there is abundant residue input. Residues on the surface often decompose or disappear too quickly, leaving little trace for the following crop. Brazilian research confirms that in sandy soils, no-till only works when combined with continuous cover cropping to sustain organic inputs (Silva et al., 2024). Our practice of shallow disc-harrowing is not a rejection of no-till. We disturb only the top 5 inches, just enough to fold residues into the biologically active layer, while still protecting deeper horizons. In other words, we are guided by the same principle—minimise disturbance while maximising residue cover—but adapt it to the faster carbon cycle of sandy tropical soils. Cover Crops and Organic Matter Cycling We paired the disc harrow with cultivating cover crops — Sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea) and Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and developed two methods: Surface ploughing: Residues are chopped and left on the soil. Within three weeks, termites, worms and microbes reduce them to humus. This was done when the field can be left on its own for a while before planting. Shallow incorporation (~5 inches): Biomass is lightly mixed into the topsoil, speeding decomposition and providing a fertility “pulse” for crops. This was done when planting was urgent and a faster decomposition was required. Both methods reduced weeds, conserved moisture, and returned organic matter to the soil. Studies confirm that tropical soils, especially sandy ones, lose organic matter quickly. Adekiya et al. (2023) have concluded in their research that: “tropical soils are characterized by rapid decomposition of organic matter, leading to relatively low levels of soil organic carbon.” Our shallow disc harrow practice seems to strike a balance: speeding up decomposition enough to feed the soil, while avoiding deep inversion that accelerates carbon loss. Our first trials We tested this approach on a 0.5 acre field which had not been cultivated for over three years. It was full of wild grasses and cows would frequent it for grazing. We grew two cycles of biomass-one legume and one cereal and incorporated them in the soil with shallow discing. This entire process took about six months. We harvested 4 tonnes of sweet potato from this field after five months of planting. Local averages are about 5–6 tonnes per acre, so our yield was significantly higher per unit area. Of course, yields depend on many factors, but this result raised the possibility that shallow incorporation can improve both fertility and productivity. Research from northeast Thailand shows that even a 1 g/kg increase in SOC can boost yields by ~300 kg/ha in rice (Arunrat et al., 2020). While soils and crops differ, the principle is the same: small gains in SOC can translate into meaningful yield improvements in sandy soils. The most surprising allies were termites. After surface ploughing, termite galleries appeared quickly, pulling residues into the soil. Within weeks, what looked like rough mulch became humus. Earthworms followed, leaving casts across the field. The social aspect of mechanisation We also maintain over fifty raised beds (30 sq. m. each) managed under no-till. These systems protect organic matter well, but they require a lot of human labour to maintain, especially for weeding. With today’s scarcity of farm workers, scaling raised beds to larger areas is difficult. This work is physically demanding, and we observe less
Gratitude for all the love through the AVI USA Fundraising Campaign, December 2025
In November last year, we put out a call for fundraising towards infrastructure development and repair, investment in food preservation, and creating accommodation for long term volunteers. We were heartened to receive 4230 USD in donations and 2500 from AVI USA to match the funds, totalling to 6730 USD. More than the money, we really appreciated the messages of encouragement and support pouring in from across the world. Home » Blog » Gratitude for all the love through the AVI USA Fundraising Campaign, December 2025 Gratitude for all the love through the AVI USA Fundraising Campaign, December 2025 January 2026 · Anshul Aggarwal In November last year, we put out a call for fundraising towards infrastructure development and repair, investment in food preservation, and creating accommodation for long term volunteers. We were heartened to receive 4230 USD in donations and 2500 from AVI USA to match the funds, totalling to 6730 USD. More than the money, we really appreciated the messages of encouragement and support pouring in from across the world. We thank all of you who donated generously towards the work of the farm and who helped during this campaign. Thanks to AVI USA team for organising this. Our call for fundraising:https://auroorchard.auroville.org/help-us-raise-funds-for-2026/ Report on utilisation of funds in 2025:https://auroorchard.auroville.org/report-on-fund-utilisation-from-avi-usa-matching-campaign-2024/ Previous ArticleNext Article Featured Articles Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 29 Jan 2026 Year-end updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 20 Dec 2025 Conscious Technology Lab Update 30 Jan 2026 Eating for Nourishment or Habit: A personal … 30 Jan 2026
Year-end updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
This year has been a year of transformation for the poultry. We completed the full transition from white to brown birds and strengthened our free-range systems, experimenting with new grazing rotations, fodder crops, and improved water and feeding systems. Despite periods of illness and market dips, bird health improved steadily, and we joined the Cage-Free & Free-Range Poultry Producers Association. As we advance on our application for the Humane Farm Animal Care certification, we remain even more committed to building ethical poultry as a core part of the farm. Home » Blog » Year-end updates Year-end updates December 2025 · AuroOrchard Poultry This year has been a year of transformation for the poultry. We completed the full transition from white to brown birds and strengthened our free-range systems, experimenting with new grazing rotations, fodder crops, and improved water and feeding systems. Despite periods of illness and market dips, bird health improved steadily, and we joined the Cage-Free & Free-Range Poultry Producers Association. As we advance on our application for the Humane Farm Animal Care certification, we remain even more committed to building ethical poultry as a core part of the farm. Vegetable garden The vegetable garden has had abundant cool-season harvests, successful turmeric and sweet-potato yields, and expansions into wild edible greens and ginger trials. Monsoon months challenged sun-loving crops, but green manure, mulching, and raised-bed drainage helped maintain soil fertility. Burlap tarp experiment was a failure but it taught us something valuable about soil drainage during the monsoon. Throughout the year, we grew a steady diversity—from lettuces, greens, brinjal, ladies fingers, herbs, pumpkins, legumes, and root crops—while working to conserve moisture, add biomass, and refine weed management. Orchards This was our most intensive orchard years, with seven new syntropic and intercropped fruit blocks planted (Papaya-Citrus, Avocado-Papaya, Coconut-Banana, Ramphal-Pineapple, Jackfruit-Papaya, Mango-Citrus, and Hope Jackfruit/Avocado blocks). Despite challenges with Mango and Avocado yields due to rains, the intercropping trials performed well—especially turmeric, pineapple, and pumpkin. We also expanded biomass species, refined pruning cycles, introduced new citrus, and continued cyclone recovery work for Papaya and Banana. Syntropic blocks showed vigorous, synergistic growth and promise as our most efficient orchard-establishment strategy. This work is exceptionally important in guiding our orchard work for the coming year. Seeds & Nursery The nursery was vibrant and dynamic throughout the year, producing a wide range of vegetables, herbs, biomass plants, and fruit saplings. We propagated Jackfruit, Soursop, Papaya, Avocado, Mexican Sunflower, Moringa, Agathi, Subabool, Lemongrass, mint varieties, and other herbs. Community support helped expand our Avocado seedling collection and new Avocado plantations. The nursery played a central role in both orchard expansion and vegetable season planning. Abundance We emphasised the shift from “processing” to food preservation in using what the farm grows in ways that honour nutrition, flavour, and seasonality. This year, we offered a wide range of products—mango conserves, lemon marmalade, basil pesto, cashew items, herbs, brinjal spread, seasonal vegetable recipes, salad mix and so on. A new renovated workspace and a growing team allowed us to experiment more, receive valuable community feedback, and explore natural packaging for the future. We are entering the new year with the aspiration to extend as well as deepen this work. Research & Education We organised all our research projects on our website and prepared a series of courses on vegetable gardening, orchards, animals, and integral food philosophy. Research expanded across natural beekeeping (supported by a seed grant from SDZ, Netherlands), aquaponics, technology integration for irrigation, biofermentation for soil and plant applications, species identification of fruits, and production-data analysis. Most importantly, we continue to deepen our work on natural beekeeping, hive multiplication, and exploring medicinal stingless-bee honey. Previous Article Featured Articles Year-end updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 20 Dec 2025 Abundance Product of the Month 05 Dec 2025 Ayurvedic Recommendations for Winter 19 Dec 2025 Our Brewery for Plant Health 19 Dec 2025
Ayurvedic Recommendations
The dishes that can be consumed during this season are meat soup topped with ghee, meat of healthy animals, beverages prepared with molasses and rice flour, pastries prepared using wheat, rice flour, black gram, sugarcane juice and milk products which are delicious and nourishing, fresh rice, gingelly oil and bone marrow Home » Blog » Ayurvedic Recommendations for Winter Ayurvedic Recommendations for Winter December 2025 · Dr. Be We are now at the peak of Visarga Kala, when the moon has more influence in the Northern Hemisphere and provides calming, soothing energy. The cold outside urges us to turn inwards, and this prevents the doshas from being over-stimulated by external factors and situations. In this “cocooning” atmosphere, Kapha and Agni contribute to protecting us from the cold. Through a digestive fire (Agni) that becomes stronger and asks for more nourishing food and bigger portions, we are strengthening and reinforcing our immunity, nourishing well the body tissues for the year to come. The three constitutions (prakruti) experience their Kapha increasing with the adipose tissue to protect from the cold: less for Vata people, moderate for Pitta people and more for Kapha people. In the energy, there’s a feeling of coming back to the warmth of our inner place. If this energy is imbalanced, it may give a sense of emptiness in the heart, dullness in the mind or feeling depressed or lonely (these are Vata or Kapha imbalances). During winter, we are going to assist the body to regenerate by keeping a strong digestive fire (Agni) – in the abdomen for an optimum nutrient assimilation, in the mind for clarity and in the heart for joy and kindness. GENERAL GUIDELINES IN THE FOOD: “The dishes that can be consumed during this season are meat soup topped with ghee, meat of healthy animals, beverages prepared with molasses and rice flour, pastries prepared using wheat, rice flour, black gram, sugarcane juice and milk products which are delicious and nourishing, fresh rice, gingelly oil and bone marrow” — from the book Ashtanga Hrdaya, Sutrasthana, Chapter 3 Rtucharya, Sloka 11–14 Sweet, sour and salty tastes are best for this season Eat warm, cooked food spiced up with: ginger, pepper, turmeric, cumin, clove, asafoetida, mustard seed, ajwain, cinnamon, fennel seed, fenugreek seed, onion, garlic Proteins: Mungdal, black gram (Maasha) beans, chickpeas, lentils, white meat, egg, mutton (meat soup), nuts and seeds, spirulina, hemp seeds Vegetables: green leaves, carrot, beet, eggplant, cauliflower, broccoli, bitter-snake-bottlegourd, moringa (drumstick), chow-chow Sweet = Cereals: millets, wheat, barley, rice, oats Sweet = fruits: apple, banana, chiku, papaya, passion fruit, pomegranate, grape, guava, pear, rosella, all citrus preferably sweet Ghee or sesame oil, olive, sunflower, apple cider vinegar Beverages: herbal masala teas, hot water, with honey or jaggery, sugarcane juice, golden milk with turmeric TO AVOID: cheese, yogurt, curd, lassi at dinner (they should be eaten at breakfast or lunch) Cold beverages, ice-cream Raw vegetables and food that is heavy and difficult to digest (deep fried, etc.) HEALTHY ROUTINE FOR WINTER: Main principle: stabilize, centre, nurture and recharge Sleep longer Keep a regular rhythm (with meals and bedtime) Massage with sesame oil + apply heat to let the oil penetrate Hot shower or bath, Foot bath with warm salty water Keep the body warm with cotton, wool, silk, leather Physical exercise: 30 minutes daily of stimulating Yoga, Pranayama, Meditation-concentration, Qi-Gong, Toning… Nasya: put 1 drop of Anu Tailam in each nostril at bedtime or in the morning if the nose is congested TO AVOID: Prolonged fasting Humid and cold air, wind, fan Long hours at the computer Stay awake late at night HEALTHY ROUTINE FOR WINTER: For a better digestion: ginger, cinnamon, pippali (long pepper), Be No1 (ginger, turmeric, black pepper) or Trikatu (for Kapha), Hingwashtak churna (for Vata), Avipatikar churna (for Pitta), taken after a meal with a little bit of honey For cold, cough and respiratory infections: tulsi, karpuravalli (Coleus amboinicus), Be No3 (ginger, turmeric, black pepper, tulsi, amla, cinnamon), Sitopaladi churna, Talispatradi churna For inflammation, joint pain: turmeric, Be No4 (ginger, turmeric, fenugreek), Dashamoolarishtam For energy and vitality: Chyavanprash Wishing you a nurturing and loving winterBe @ Sante Previous ArticleNext Article Featured Articles Year-end updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 20 Dec 2025 Abundance Product of the Month 05 Dec 2025 Ayurvedic Recommendations 19 Dec 2025 Our Brewery for Plant Health 19 Dec 2025
Hands-On Approachㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
But you can truly learn when your feet and hands are on the field. The greatest knowledge is that which is applied to daily life. Home » Blog » Hands-On Approach Hands-On Approach 25 November 2025 · Fabio Karlino “Nowadays everyone could become (intellectually) a farmer.We have books, schools, courses, youtube videos …”But you can truly learn when your feet and hands are on the field.The greatest knowledge is that which is applied to daily life. And this happens in AuroOrchard.Ideas are welcome, brainstorming is magnificent, vision is encouraged.But let’s start from the ground, let’s start talking with naturebecause farming is a conversation with nature and with ourselves. First, as humans, we should grow discipline in the orchard of our good habits.The discipline to be constant, be patient and wait for the seedsthat we’ve planted with love, welcome them by preparing their bedswhere they’re gonna sleep, breathe and live. Why farming?What does it mean to be a farmer?How could human artificial activity be called ‘natural farming’?The mind is hungry for answers. Be patient, the answers will come through experience.You don’t need to rush to search on the artificial web,look inside you, wait for the universe to provide you the keysnot encapsulated in words and concepts but feelings, experiences. Then a good talk with another human,especially if it is an experienced one like Anshul,could really help to recalibrate and transfer learning. The core of farming is food.This is the basic but fundamental starting point.Around this first principlehumans create families, communities, organizations. To be a farmer is not just being on the land with dirty hands,Farming means planning, forecasting, researching, experimenting.It’s an equilibrium, a balance between physical and intellectual activity,between materialism and spirituality for the parallel evolution of both. Natural farming does not exist. Have you ever seen a farm naturally grow somewhere with no human intervention?What we define natural farming are all techniques and practices used in agriculturein order to mimic the natural processes. Just like in a forest the leaves naturally cover the soil making it humid and fertilein the same way we are mulching by putting branches and leaves from the pruning.The bio inputs of the animals and microorganisms that live in the forestare replicated with a layer of compost and biomass. Is there room for improvement? Of course.What will the future of farming look like? We are creating it.What’s the best way to learn? Hands-on approach. Previous ArticleNext Article Featured Articles Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 28 Nov 2025 Abundance Product of the Month 22 Oct 2025 Flow of fire and water on the farmㅤㅤ 03 Dec 2025 Hands-On Approachㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 29 Nov 2025
Discovering the Golden Eggfruit…
Over the last few weeks at Auro Orchard, I’ve been spending most of my days around the fruit trees, observing, tasting, and doing small bits of research on the fruits growing here. Since I mostly eat fruits throughout the day, this kind of work feels very natural to me it’s both nourishment and exploration at the same time. During these walks, I came across our eggfruit trees, and noticing the bright yellow fruits hanging from the branches felt almost like spotting little suns tucked among the leaves. Harvesting them was a fun experience on its own, and a couple of ripe ones had even fallen perfectly to the ground, soft and ready to eat. The moment I opened one, the texture really stood out: dense, creamy, and yolk-like, almost like scooping out a rich egg yolk but in a sweet, custardy form. The flavor is unlike any other fruit I’ve tried, intensely sweet and extremely satisfying, the kind of fruit you can have only half or one at a time because it fills you up so quickly. Home » Blog » Discovering the Golden Eggfruit: A Sweet Journey at AuroOrchard Discovering the Golden Eggfruit: A Sweet Journey at AuroOrchard November 2025 · Charan Over the last few weeks at Auro Orchard, I’ve been spending most of my days around the fruit trees, observing, tasting, and doing small bits of research on the fruits growing here. Since I mostly eat fruits throughout the day, this kind of work feels very natural to me it’s both nourishment and exploration at the same time. During these walks, I came across our eggfruit trees, and noticing the bright yellow fruits hanging from the branches felt almost like spotting little suns tucked among the leaves. Harvesting them was a fun experience on its own, and a couple of ripe ones had even fallen perfectly to the ground, soft and ready to eat. The moment I opened one, the texture really stood out: dense, creamy, and yolk-like, almost like scooping out a rich egg yolk but in a sweet, custardy form. The flavor is unlike any other fruit I’ve tried, intensely sweet and extremely satisfying, the kind of fruit you can have only half or one at a time because it fills you up so quickly. Eggfruit, also known as canistel, originally comes from Mexico and Central America and later spread to countries in the Caribbean and other tropical regions. Even though it has been around for centuries, it’s still not widely known in India. The tree itself is slow to mature and typically takes around eight years before it begins to produce fruit, which makes the harvest feel even more meaningful. Here at the orchard, as we continue enjoying these unique fruits, we’re also exploring different ways to process them, especially turning them into ice creams and simple frozen desserts to see how their natural creaminess transforms when chilled. It’s been a lovely discovery and definitely one of the more fascinating fruits I’ve spent time with recently. Have you tasted this fruit before? We would love to hear your experience. Over the last few weeks at Auro Orchard, I’ve been spending most of my days around the fruit trees, observing, tasting, and doing small bits of research on the fruits growing here. Since I mostly eat fruits throughout the day, this kind of work feels very natural to me it’s both nourishment and exploration at the same time. During these walks, I came across our eggfruit trees, and noticing the bright yellow fruits hanging from the branches felt almost like spotting little suns tucked among the leaves. Harvesting them was a fun experience on its own, and a couple of ripe ones had even fallen perfectly to the ground, soft and ready to eat. The moment I opened one, the texture really stood out: dense, creamy, and yolk-like, almost like scooping out a rich egg yolk but in a sweet, custardy form. The flavor is unlike any other fruit I’ve tried, intensely sweet and extremely satisfying, the kind of fruit you can have only half or one at a time because it fills you up so quickly. Eggfruit, also known as canistel, originally comes from Mexico and Central America and later spread to countries in the Caribbean and other tropical regions. Even though it has been around for centuries, it’s still not widely known in India. The tree itself is slow to mature and typically takes around eight years before it begins to produce fruit, which makes the harvest feel even more meaningful. Here at the orchard, as we continue enjoying these unique fruits, we’re also exploring different ways to process them, especially turning them into ice creams and simple frozen desserts to see how their natural creaminess transforms when chilled. It’s been a lovely discovery and definitely one of the more fascinating fruits I’ve spent time with recently. Have you tasted this fruit before? We would love to hear your experience. Previous ArticleNext Article Featured Articles Abundance Product of the Month 22 Oct 2025 Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 22 Oct 2025 The Unstructured Calling: Finding My Rhythmㅤㅤ 30 Nov 2025 Hands-On Approach 29 Nov 2025
The Unstructured Calling: Finding My Rhythmㅤㅤ
Five months ago, I dedicated myself to a period of deep self-experimentation focused on health. Having spent years consuming raw, plant-based foods, I already understood the immense power of food. Yet, the true revelation, refined after a year spent back in the accelerated pace and sterility of city life following my earlier farm volunteering experiences, was the profound importance of a daily, tangible reconnection with nature, the sun, and, crucially, the soil. That time away crystallized what was missing: the rich, microbial life of a natural farm/forest. Home » Blog » The Unstructured Calling: Finding My Rhythm and Resilience in AuroOrchard’s Soil The Unstructured Calling: Finding My Rhythm and Resilience in AuroOrchard’s Soil November 2025 · Astha Khandelwal Five months ago, I dedicated myself to a period of deep self-experimentation focused on health. Having spent years consuming raw, plant-based foods, I already understood the immense power of food. Yet, the true revelation, refined after a year spent back in the accelerated pace and sterility of city life following my earlier farm volunteering experiences, was the profound importance of a daily, tangible reconnection with nature, the sun, and, crucially, the soil. That time away crystallized what was missing: the rich, microbial life of a natural farm/forest. I wasn’t just looking for just physical work; my purpose was to reconnect with the land to enhance my personal growth. Having volunteered at farms with rigid schedules before, this time I sought something different: a place that would honor my slow pace and allow me to explore without a structured plan, enabling me to truly understand where I could contribute. That search led me, quite naturally, to AuroOrchard, the source of my weekly basket. When I shared my interests: working with the soil, embracing food, and developing recipes to preserve nutritional integrity. Anshul’s response was one of profound trust: “Just come to the farm and explore for a week. Engage in whatever you feel like.” That openness made me feel I had truly found my place. I began simply by observing the farm’s daily rhythm: the conversations, the mulching, the sowing, the weeding, and the processing. I was just watching, slowing down, capturing little observations, feeling that magnetic pull to return every morning. The Science of Feeling “Called” This daily, effortless call back to the earth aligns beautifully with the science of the Gut-Immune-Brain Axis. The sense of peace and belonging is not abstract; it’s rooted in measurable biological mechanisms. Working near and engaging with the soil exposes us to environmental microorganisms, notably the “feel-good” bacteria Mycobacterium vaccae. This exposure through inhalation of bioaerosols released during farming can stimulate serotonin production in the brain, inducing states of greater happiness and relaxation, and providing a powerful buffer against stress and anxiety. It is, in essence, the body’s co-evolved response to the presence of these “Old Friends” from the natural world, which our immune systems rely on for proper calibration and resilience. The Grounding Moment and the Salad’s Genesis I’ve spent my initial days just watching… observing the harvesting, mulching, and sowing. (Visit my Instagram profile @dhanyawadearth and check the ‘November Notes’ highlight to see all my observations so far) After a week of gentle observation, my role became concrete. I walked in one morning to find Anshul and Ruben discussing the launch of a new seasonal salad box. “Ruben ask her, she only eats salad” Anshul joked, Soon, I was tasked with walking the farm with Ruben, harvesting every edible green we could use for a sample salad. As we harvested together, Ruben mentioned, “Astha, thank you. I’ve been so occupied in kitchen experiments that I haven’t visited the farm, the soil in so long. It feels so good to be back.” That spontaneous moment was a powerful demonstration of Earthing or Grounding. The human body is electrically conductive, and direct physical contact with the Earth’s surface, like placing bare hands on the soil, allows it to absorb a continuous supply of free electrons. These electrons function as systemic antioxidants, neutralizing the unstable molecules that drive inflammation. The sense of relief and calm Ruben and I both felt was not just emotional; it was a physical electrical reset, reducing our inflammatory load and enhancing our overall well-being. This biophysical connection is a vital, yet often overlooked, part of preventative health. The Nutritional Mandate: Preserving Life Force The subsequent creation of the Farm Seasonal Salad box, which is now happily finding its way into weekly baskets, was guided by principles that bridge soil health and human physiology: Honoring the Seasonal Offering: We prioritize plants that grow robustly in their home climate. This practice ensures plants produce maximum secondary metabolites, yielding higher polyphenols and, consequently, superior antioxidant potential. This is the critical, indirect link to the human gut microbiome: plants grown in microbially rich soils yield nutrient-dense food which, when consumed, provides the best substrate for a diverse and healthy gut ecosystem. Maximizing Micronutrient Retention: We serve the produce raw because essential compounds like Vitamin C, folate, and many carotenoids are heat-labile. By offering a raw, same-day harvest, we ensure maximum micronutrient retention. Digestive & Antioxidant Support: Raw Papaya contains powerful proteolytic enzymes (papain and chymopapain) that assist protein breakdown and improve gut transit. The Chlorophyll in the greens, molecularly similar to hemoglobin, is studied for its ability to support hemoglobin status and act as an antioxidant defense. The successful launch of the Farm Seasonal Salad box is a true testament to the team’s dedicated work and our collective commitment to nutritional integrity. Since the launch, Janani, Raghu, and Ruben have been actively involved in every meticulous step of production: harvesting, cleaning, sorting, drying, chopping, grating, mixing, and packaging. I am particularly proud of how this initiative operates in a closed-loop system, allowing us to receive immediate feedback from customers and act upon it, be it perfecting a dressing or actively seeking sustainable alternatives to plastic packaging, such as our experiments with banana leaves. My time here – from figuring out kitchen revamps to harvesting the
Lessons from Auroville Farm Assessment 2023
Across the red soils of Tamil Nadu’s southeast coast, Auroville’s farms continue to hold space for one of the most enduring experiments in community-scale organic farming and agroecology. Home » Blog » Lessons from Auroville Farm Assessment 2023 Lessons from Auroville Farm Assessment 2023 October 2025 · Anshul Aggarwal Across the red soils of Tamil Nadu’s southeast coast, Auroville’s farms continue to hold space for one of the most enduring experiments in community-scale organic farming and agroecology. With the rising ecological, social, and economic pressures on agriculture, it is important to review Auroville farming and put it in perspective with the ongoing global discourse on food and agriculture. As a first step towards this, in 2023, a sector-wide assessment brought together five-year data from sixteen of Auroville’s twenty-six farms to understand the state of farming in Auroville. The study examined land and water use, production, labour, and finance. What emerged is a picture of both resilience and fragility — a network of farms that have weathered shocks, diversified their outputs, and upheld ecological integrity, yet remain challenged by issues of labour, finance, and generational renewal. The full assessment methodology and results can be found here: https://www.avfarmassessment.in/ The assessment team comprised four Aurovilians: Anshul, Avinash, Madhuri, Nidhin. A summary of the main insights gleaned from the assessment with recommendations from the assessment team are given below. 1. A Network of Commons-Based Farms The sixteen farms together span 306 acres, of which 84% are actively used. About 60% of the cultivable land is irrigated through borewells, ponds, and rainwater harvesting systems, reflecting adaptation to Auroville’s dry plateau ecology. All the farms practice organic management, relying on compost, green manures, and traditional bio-ferments such as jeevamruth and panchagavya. Dairy-holding farms close the nutrient cycle internally, producing manure and fertility inputs in-house. These are not industrial operations but diverse agroecosystems that integrate fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and poultry. 2. Resilience Through Diversity Production data show clear patterns of resilience. Vegetable output declined sharply—by 34%—in 2020–21 due to COVID-19 and extreme rainfall, but recovered by 2022–23. Fruits remained steady around 42 tonnes annually, while dairy production more than doubled and egg output nearly tripled. This diversity has been key to recovery. Perennial crops and livestock buffered the shocks faced by annual vegetables, demonstrating that integration across crops and animals increases resilience. The findings reaffirm a core agroecological principle: diversity and cooperation, not specialisation, sustain farming systems in the long run. 3. Labour: The Strength and the Strain Auroville’s farms employ about 150 people, including 49 Aurovilians, 65 regular Tamil workers, and 30–70 seasonal workers. They remain a stable source of employment in the region, yet labour conditions reveal deep strains. Daily wages in 2022–23 ranged from ₹200–565 for women and ₹365–800 for men, exposing a persistent gender gap. Wages rise 5–10% each year, often faster than farm income, and the workforce is ageing with few young Aurovilians entering the field. Auroville’s community agriculture cannot thrive without labour justice. Equity in pay (gender and Aurovilian v/s non-Aurovilian), social benefits, and apprenticeship pathways for youth must become collective priorities if Auroville’s farms are to remain viable into the next generation. Additionally, the costs of justice must not be passed on solely to consumers or absorbed by individual farms, but held collectively within the community economy. 4. Finance and the Fragility of the Shared Economy Between 2018 and 2023, the assessed farms collectively borrowed about ₹1.05 crore—43% from Auroville’s Farm Group and 57% through personal investment by farmers themselves. Only one-third has been repaid. This reliance on private funding highlights a contradiction within Auroville’s shared economy: collective food security often depends on individual financial risk. Even farms with positive farming surpluses remain vulnerable without structured capital support or budget-linked planning. To secure the future, the community must adopt shared financial frameworks—coordinated budgeting, transparent reporting, and collective investment—to replace ad-hoc dependence on personal loans and goodwill. 5. Ecological and Operational Constraints Wildlife intrusion—from boars, deer, and porcupines to peacocks and stray cattle—is among the most cited causes of crop loss. Periodic water scarcity and monsoon flooding further disrupt operations. Limited cold storage and processing facilities lead to wastage of perishable produce, especially fruits.Larger farms with machinery and infrastructure weather these challenges more easily, while smaller vegetable farms remain exposed. Conscious and significant investment in capital for shared tractors, boundary fencing, and expanded rainwater harvesting could greatly improve sector-wide resilience. 6. Aligning Production and Consumption The assessment reveals a mismatch between what Auroville’s farms produce and what its residents eat. While farms grow tropical fruits, greens, and grains, many community kitchens and eateries rely on temperate vegetables and external supplies. Bridging this gap requires closer coordination between farms and consumers. Seasonal menu planning, CSA-style prepayments, and small-scale processing of surplus fruits into dried or preserved products could stabilise farm income and reduce waste. In doing so, the community also reclaims its connection to seasonal, local food. 7. Education, Youth, and Food Sovereignty The long-term sustainability of Auroville’s agriculture depends on generational renewal. The study recommends a young-farmer pathway combining practical training, housing support, and education in agroecology and cooperative management. Farming education must be seen not just as vocational training but as an integral practice of consciousness—a way to unite ecological awareness, skill, and inner growth. Re-rooting farming within Auroville’s educational ethos can ensure that agriculture remains both livelihood and spiritual discipline. Beyond food security, Auroville’s guiding principle must be food sovereignty — the community’s ability to shape its own food system in alignment with ecological limits and social justice. This means shared governance among farmers, distributors, kitchens, and consumers; transparent budgeting; and participatory planning. Overall the assessment presents a mixed but hopeful picture: a sector that holds the resilience to recover from crisis, has diversified its base, and maintained organic integrity, yet faces structural fragilities in labour and finance, remaining limited in utilising its full potential. In doing so, Auroville’s living experiment in community farming continues to offer a quiet but vital contribution to the search for
