Auroville Farms Assessment 2023
This farm assessment was initiated in 2023 because of the need to have an overview of the individual farms and the farming sector as a whole. As each farm’s unique history and context makes it difficult to have a single templatized framework for all the farms, this assessment was designed for an integral analysis keeping in mind the ecological, social, cultural and spiritual dimensions involved. However, its scope had to be narrowed finally due to lack of time, resources and available data (either due to data not being recorded, the unwillingness on part of the stakeholders to share information and most importantly the inconsistencies in the consolidated accounts data).
Data collected includes consolidated accounts from the Farm Service office, Foodlink sales data for 13 farms, complete production data from 3 farms - Aurogreen, Auro Orchard and Annapurna and responses to the farmer questionnaire which was filled with the farmers by the assessment team on their visit to the farm. These reports start with outlining the basic information about the farm and further provide details of their production and finances over the last five years: 2018-19 to 2022-23. At the end of each report, a summary is given for the challenges faced by the farm in fulfilling their aspiration and a conclusion with the hope that it will help the farmers, the community and the policy making groups to reflect on the next steps.
Additionally, a farm sector level report is also provided to show trends, challenges and possibilities across the entire farm sector. At the end of the analysis, key observations are listed which are a summary of the main challenges that keep the farm sector from growing, followed by a ten-point recommendation to help take some positive steps in the coming months and move forward with this work.
As of 2024, there are 26 farms in Auroville Out of these only 16 farms participated in this assessment. From the remaining farms, some did not respond to our request at all while some expressed scepticism about how this assessment might be used against them.
Farms that participated
Alipsa
Annapurna
AuroGreen
AuroOrchard
Ayarpadi
Boomadevi
Brihaspathi
Demo Farm
Discipline (new)
Integral Harmony
Kottakarai
Manvasam
Moonlight
Pazhamudir Cholai
Siddhartha
Terrasoul
Farms that didn’t participate
Kalpavruksha
Buddha Garden
Windarra
Sustenance farm
Unity Farm
Auro-Mushroom
Farms that were not part of the assessment
Kamadhenu farm
Agastya herbal farm
Shambala Garden
Farms outside the farm group
Solitude
Inactive Farms
Djaima Farm
Infinity Farm
Service Farm
Note on data used for production analyses
There are two different sources for this "Production" data. For three farms, Aurogreen, AuroOrchard and Annapurna, their own production records have been used. For thirteen farms, the only recorded production that was available was the Foodlink sales data for the years 2018-19 to 2022-23. Therefore, for these thirteen farms, it should be understood that the numbers presented do not necessarily indicate their total production as some produce is sold directly to individuals and units without routing it through Foodlink. The overall sales (foodlink + direct) was available only for 2021-22. However, this might not be entirely accurate as it was found to be wrong for at least three farms. Nevertheless, these figures are the only indication available as rough estimates for comparison between farms and the trend of production for each farm.
Data for Grain production was received from Auroville Granary
This assessment is being shared to encourage a deeper conversation about our farms and farming in Auroville and to serve as a tool for different stakeholders to identify where and how Auroville farms can improve and be supported to realise food sustainability for the community.