The hydrological cost of growing our food
In my last note, I shared about the economic paradigm that is taking us towards a ‘world without agriculture.’ I would like to explore this economic paradigm a little more by isolating the costs of the food that we grow. Let’s take water as the first one. As per several studies, agriculture accounts for about 70% of all freshwater use globally. This number is more than 80% in a country like India where over 50% of the population is still engaged in agriculture. Within Auroville, farms (perhaps along with Matrimandir) are the biggest users of freshwater. The challenges of groundwater depletion, rampant use of free electricity borewells in the bioregion for non-edible crops like casuarina and other fast-growing timber, the beginnings of salination of groundwater and so on offer an opportunity to us to reflect on the hydrological cost of growing food and how can we not only reduce our water consumption but, perhaps what I think is more important to focus on, optimize the use of water in agriculture. Home » Blog » The hydrological cost of growing our food The hydrological cost of growing our food Mar 11, 2025 · Anshul Aggarwal In my last note, I shared about the economic paradigm that is taking us towards a ‘world without agriculture.’ I would like to explore this economic paradigm a little more by isolating the costs of the food that we grow. Let’s take water as the first one. As per several studies, agriculture accounts for about 70% of all freshwater use globally. This number is more than 80% in a country like India where over 50% of the population is still engaged in agriculture. Within Auroville, farms (perhaps along with Matrimandir) are the biggest users of freshwater. The challenges of groundwater depletion, rampant use of free electricity borewells in the bioregion for non-edible crops like casuarina and other fast-growing timber, the beginnings of salination of groundwater and so on offer an opportunity to us to reflect on the hydrological cost of growing food and how can we not only reduce our water consumption but, perhaps what I think is more important to focus on, optimize the use of water in agriculture. There are different ways of thinking about what we should grow and what we can grow depending on people’s preference and the weightage we can give to the ecological and social costs of growing food. Should something be grown only because it’s easier to grow, or because it is more water efficient, or because people really ask for it, or it is less labour intensive and so on. The answer to these questions is never black and white and they change from situation to situation and from time to time. For instance, farmers cannot impose water efficiency over people’s preference for a certain kind of food. At the same time farmers cannot simply chase what the market demands, prioritizing it over its ecological costs. Flood irrigation Flowering Avocado tree A classic case for this is Avocado. It is common knowledge that Avocado is a water guzzling crop. AuroOrchard received its first Avocado seeds from the Mother herself in the early 70s. These we now call the Mother trees. From these trees, many more trees have been planted at AuroOrchard as well as outside. These Avocados are some of the best that we can find in the region, some would say anywhere. There is a huge demand for these Avocados in Auroville and also the Ashram community. Should we be planting more Avocado knowing that we can grow them well? Or should we turn our heads and let people buy Avocados from Pondy market which are nowhere near as good and definitely have a higher ecological cost. Again, the answer is not straightforward and we need to find a balance. We have planted more Avocado trees in the last year but we are exploring how Avocados can be grown with other fruit crops so that water can be used optimally. In such a scenario, the hydrological cost of Avocado gets distributed to many other crops that are growing with it. However, such a solution would then add to the management costs of the system and perhaps the management is even more costly since water for the moment is free. Therefore, if farmers are delegated with the responsibility of conserving our natural resources while farming, there are costs associated with conservation as well and these are to be borne collectively. The hydrological costs of water must not be seen only as the cost of water used to grow food but also the cost to the farmer to be water-wise, to protect the water-source, to optimise farming within the water resource they are entrusted with. Avocados growing with Papayas Previous ArticleNext Article Featured Articles Abundance Product of the Month 22 Oct 2025 Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 22 Oct 2025 Lessons from Auroville Farm Assessment 2023 22 Oct 2025 Recipe Alert!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 22 Sep 2025
Unravelling Auroville’s food system
I arrived at AuroOrchard in the summer of 2023, intending to help farms produce more food for Auroville. Mostly I wanted to be closer with people passionate about the same. Home » Blog » Unravelling Auroville’s food system Unravelling Auroville’s food system Jan 31, 2025 · Nidhin Anand I arrived at AuroOrchard in the summer of 2023, intending to help farms produce more food for Auroville. Mostly I wanted to be closer with people passionate about the same. By this time I had already spent a few years working on 2 other farms and supported farm-group-related coordination work. Over the years of interacting with farmers, distributors, and consumers, I realized that the Auroville system is complex and that there isn’t a community-mandated framework and policy to create a conscious food system. Most farms were on their own to support themselves and lacked vision. Production increments in large established farms were hindered by challenges relating to the organizational model of distribution, human resources, accountability structures, and lack of capital funded through the BCC budget. Despite this, I noticed that Aurovillians deeply appreciate Auroville-grown food and that much work could be done within the current system. While I don’t see Auroville farms producing most of Aurovile’s needs due to ecological constraints and dietary habits, I see that there is scope for setting up farming systems to produce many valuable crops and create a fair economy around them. I soon realized that this would require a concerted effort from farmers, distributors, working groups, and other food actors in Auroville toward a common vision. The ‘coming together’ remains an aspiration and a work in progress. This month, I joined Foodlink, the main distribution center of Auroville, after seeing that current frameworks regarding standards of production, pricing, and production planning needed reforms AuroOrchard has helped me see what ecological and social possibilities lie within a 25-acre farming system within Auroville’s geographical context. It helps me ask and answer important questions such as ‘Can we grow all the food we need in Auroville?” and “What is stopping Auroville farms from producing more? The answers I found were complex and included a large share of human behavioral challenges alongside organizational blockages. However, I now see that the tropics offer enormous ecological dynamism and we have the possibility to cultivate a lot more than today’s capacities. This invitation largely remains unresponded. Next Article Featured Articles Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 19 Sep 2025 Abundance Product of the Month 18 Sep 2025 Recipe Alert!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 22 Sep 2025 Food and Agriculture in Auroville, India 18 Sep 2025
Learning Journey at AuroOrchard
Over the past four months, volunteering at AuroOrchard has been an incredible learning experience. As the founder of Sristi Foundation, where we use farming to empower children and youth with intellectual disabilities, acquiring proper farming skills is essential for me. Home » Blog » Learning Journey at AuroOrchard Learning Journey at AuroOrchard Jan 31, 2025 · Karthikeyan Ganesan Over the past four months, volunteering at AuroOrchard has been an incredible learning experience. As the founder of Sristi Foundation, where we use farming to empower children and youth with intellectual disabilities, acquiring proper farming skills is essential for me. AuroOrchard has provided invaluable lessons that I am implementing in Sristi Village, transforming our farm into a more efficient and productive space. Key learnings include building soil fertility through mulching sun hemp, compost-making with cow dung and dry leaves, effective mulching practices, and numbering beds for better farm management. These practices are making a tangible impact on our work. Last month, we bought 15 youth with intellectual disabilities to Auroorchard for an exposure visit. Elias, a volunteer, guided them through hands-on farming activities, creating a memorable experience for all. I am deeply grateful to Anshul and the AuroOrchard team for this opportunity to learn and grow, as well as for the chance to meet wonderful people from around the world. This journey of learning continues to inspire me. (Karthik is the Founder of Sristi Foundation) Next Article Featured Articles Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 19 Sep 2025 Abundance Product of the Month 18 Sep 2025 Recipe Alert!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 22 Sep 2025 Food and Agriculture in Auroville, India 18 Sep 2025
Demystifying Avocados with Bala
Over the past four months, volunteering at AuroOrchard has been an incredible learning experience. As the founder of Sristi Foundation, where we use farming to empower children and youth with intellectual disabilities, acquiring proper farming skills is essential for me. Home » Blog » Demystifying Avocados with Bala Demystifying Avocados with Bala Jan 31, 2025 · Anuja Khokhani & Chintan Jadwani We recently hosted an insightful workshop with Bala, a passionate Avocado farmer from the picturesque hills of Kodaikanal. Participants were taken on an enlightening journey through the history of Avocados in India, exploring their diverse types and subspecies. Bala shared his wealth of knowledge on the intricacies of Avocado farming, including expert tips on pruning techniques, strategies for cultivating high-density plantations, and the art of grafting for improved yields. Attendees left with a deeper understanding of sustainable practices and practical insights to enhance Avocado cultivation. The session offered a rare blend of inspiration and practical expertise, enabling participants to take their Avocado-growing endeavours to the next level. For a closer look at the grafting technique, check out the videos here and here. Next Article Featured Articles Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 19 Sep 2025 Abundance Product of the Month 18 Sep 2025 Recipe Alert!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 22 Sep 2025 Food and Agriculture in Auroville, India 18 Sep 2025
Connecting Through Permaculture
Over the past four months, volunteering at AuroOrchard has been an incredible learning experience. As the founder of Sristi Foundation, where we use farming to empower children and youth with intellectual disabilities, acquiring proper farming skills is essential for me. Home » Blog » Connecting Through Permaculture Connecting Through Permaculture Jan 31, 2025 · Amber Hill This past month, we had the opportunity to come together for a three-day intensive introduction to permaculture. Most of the participants were volunteers already working on the farm, making it a fantastic way to strengthen our sense of community while deepening our understanding of sustainable design. Through this course, we not only learned practical skills but also built stronger connections with each other and the land we nurture. Permaculture teaches us to see our environment through a designer’s eyes, considering the relationships between plants, soil, water, and all the elements that create a thriving ecosystem. By applying these principles, we can assess our farm in a new light—understanding which plants grow best together, where to plant them for maximum benefit, and how to close resource loops within the property. A great example of this is our banana circle: an efficient system where surplus water is redirected to nourish water-loving banana plants, creating a win-win situation for both sustainability and productivity. Beyond these foundational lessons, we also explored future projects that could enrich the farm and involve a wider community. Ideas ranged from hands-on workshops—such as making herbal creams and essential oils from farm-grown plants—to learning about soil health, pollinators, and botany. There’s a lot of enthusiasm for expanding these opportunities, and now we need to determine the best format to make them accessible and engaging for everyone. The energy and excitement from this course have been truly inspiring, and we look forward to seeing how these ideas take root and flourish. If you’re interested in contributing or participating in future initiatives, we’d love to hear your thoughts! Let’s continue growing together—sustainably, creatively, and in harmony with nature. Next Article Featured Articles Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 19 Sep 2025 Abundance Product of the Month 18 Sep 2025 Recipe Alert!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 22 Sep 2025 Food and Agriculture in Auroville, India 18 Sep 2025
A World Without Agriculture
I arrived at AuroOrchard in the summer of 2023, intending to help farms produce more food for Auroville. Mostly I wanted to be closer with people passionate about the same. Home » Blog » A World Without Agriculture A World Without Agriculture Jan 31, 2025 · Anshul Aggarwal AuroOrchard saw some great shifts in 2024 with the land exchange, the massive loss of productive orchards and infrastructure, the financial difficulties due to the orchard being leased and finally the cyclone as the year came to a close. Through the commitment of the team and encouragement and support from friends within and outside Auroville, the farm managed to (is managing to) get through these difficulties. These moments of crises have also been moments of reflection, self-assessment, even self-criticism. Mother said to Gerard, “Grow food for Auroville”. It is a simple statement but its context has changed radically. Auroville has changed, the ecosystem has changed, farming has changed, the farmers have changed. As we move towards a new chapter in AuroOrchard’s journey, we are confronted with the same simple question, ‘What does it mean to grow food for Auroville?’. Is growing 8 tonnes of Mango enough? Is growing enough for all the kitchens enough? What does agriculture of the future look like when we are hardly able to manage on the farms? When nature is pictured as abundant and generous, why are our farms always in scarcity? Farms are now being pushed to be financially sustainable. This, in my opinion, is not a bad thing. A healthy farm is not just healthy ecologically. It creates value also socially and economically. Especially if we want young people to join farming, we need agriculture solutions that can support their livelihood and can show that farming is not a profession of poverty. To address this, AuroOrchard is experimenting with new ways of diverse perennial plantations taking inspiration from Syntropic Farming (a technique developed in Brazil by Ernst Gotsch, a swiss farmer and researcher)(Gotsch, 1995). We have also been changing our poultry practices and have introduced a new breed of birds since last year which is more resistant to diseases and well-suited for free range. We continue to push the boundaries of successive planting and harvesting in our vegetable garden, always having something to offer to the community throughout the year (we consistently harvest 6 days a week from Feb-Nov and 3 days a week for Dec-Jan) . All this good work must translate into not just higher quantities of food, but better quality of food (nutrition and consciousness). All this work must translate into better incomes for the farm workers. The world population engaged in agriculture has dropped from 70% to 25% in the last 100 years. In India, the number was 75% a hundred years ago and is now down to just about 45%. Researchers conclude that our goals of development are taking us towards a ‘world without agriculture’ (Timmer, 2009) as the agricultural workforce gradually moves out from the rural landscapes towards more developed sectors of the economy. As Auroville ‘develops’, are we also moving towards an Auroville without agriculture? Who will farm here in 20 years, 40 years? Where is the new generation of farmers of Auroville? Why would anyone join farming if it cannot pay for their sustenance? This is a question in front of all the farmers. Mother said to Gerard, “Grow food for Auroville.” Our work at AuroOrchard is not limited to growing tonnage of food. We need to find solutions to be able to continue serving the land and the community by cultivating food of the highest quality, by cultivating farmers of the highest consciousness. These solutions will not only be ecological, but will also address the social, economic, and even personal and spiritual dimensions of agriculture. We welcome all Aurovilians, newcomers, and volunteers to join us in this exploration. Next Article Featured Articles Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 19 Sep 2025 Abundance Product of the Month 18 Sep 2025 Recipe Alert!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 22 Sep 2025 Food and Agriculture in Auroville, India 18 Sep 2025
A Journey with Humans and Non-humans
Over the past four months, volunteering at AuroOrchard has been an incredible learning experience. As the founder of Sristi Foundation, where we use farming to empower children and youth with intellectual disabilities, acquiring proper farming skills is essential for me. Home » Blog » A Journey with Humans and Non-humans A Journey with Humans and Non-humans Jan 31, 2025 · Eric Chacra The physical challenge I had to be much more aware of what the physical body is telling me. The first years, I was becoming a zombie for one full day like twice a year because of exhaustion. I understood that drinking reverse osmosis water only was not a good idea at all so I end up doing my isotonic drink with normal filtered water and it was much better. Also, after 50 years old, one is supposed to eat more proteins (the body can’t store proteins unlike fat and glucose), and that I realized much later and that is for me one of the causes of health issues for most non-Indian physical workers here. Over the years, I have seen so many volunteers in the farm but not a single one could last over a couple of years in the farm because of the physical challenges especially. I only know Erik who is still doing heavy physical stuff that the workers of the farm can’t do or at least for a long time. So, 35 hours as a farmer in our context, even if one manages to not do only heavy work, I challenge anybody, especially those who never worked on a farm, to last over the years. Human relationships challenges Harmony is the key for me. As I joined the management core team of the farm years ago, I discovered the incredible perspectives of what we call “the others”. The difficulties to communicate between different cultures and backgrounds when you have no clue, when you don’t know the codes. I could really sense the various parameters related to the local culture and get rid of many of my conditionings, beliefs. On top of all this, I came to meet the incredible people of the farm, the list is not so long but about the ones still here: Gérard and Bithi, Anshul, Erik, Jasmin and Aravinda, Nidhin, Kumar, the workers (so many fantastic smiling ladies !) etc. I am grateful, always. So, what I can express is that I don’t know almost anything about farming. That is a paradox that real scientists know: the more they know about a specific topic, the more they understand that they don’t know. And finally, sometimes, I ask the following question to the people: What is the most important job in the world? Farming! because no farmers, no food, no way to live! Next Article Featured Articles Monthly Updatesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 19 Sep 2025 Abundance Product of the Month 18 Sep 2025 Recipe Alert!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 22 Sep 2025 Food and Agriculture in Auroville, India 18 Sep 2025
