Farming in AV: the tensions of growing and selling

Murthy has been running Ayarpadi Farm in Auroville for the last 15 years. He talks to Auroville Today about the challenges and rewards.

On a steamy April afternoon, I motor along a narrow sandy path behind the Tibetan Pavilion and discover Ayarpadi Farm tucked away just beyond the Inuit Inuksuk structure in the International Zone. Farm manager Murthy takes me for a tour through chilli plants and vegetable plots, past cow sheds and verdant banana trees, and tells me that he joined Auroville 27 years ago, inspired by its ideals of peace and tolerance.

As three generations of his family and some workers sit outside the house, splitting pulses that will satiate Aurovilians’ appetites, Murthy says he started doing milking “on the side” whilst he worked in the Water Service for many years, and then slowly built it up. “The Water Service was a good job,” he says, “but I couldn’t do farming as well.” He became part of the farming community at Horizon, and expanded his stock to 15 cows. When Auroville’s schools said they wanted more milk, he told the Farm Group that he would like to start a big farm that could meet the demand. He waited “for a long time” while Auroville bought the land that is now Ayarpadi Farm and it was given to Murthy to manage in 2000. He invested his own funds to develop it, and he now employs six workers and his sons also pitch in when they’re not studying at college.

“Milk is the main success,” he says. “Now I produce about 100 litres per day. I sell 75 litres every day to Solar Kitchen, and the remaining 25 litres to people in Auroville. Now I have 25 cows. I had more before, but I reduced because I couldn’t find enough labourers.”

Murthy also grows vegetables, grains and pulses – all organic, of course. Vegetables include cucumber, capsicum, brinjal, beetroot, tomato, lokhi and French beans, and some salad items such as Chinese cabbage and lettuce. Grains include ragi (which is given to Annapurna), cumbu (mostly given to his cows) and white rice. Last season he produced 60 bags of organic peanuts. All of it is given to Pour Tous, Solar Kitchen and FoodLink. “I’m not selling outside,” he says. “The demand for organic outside is limited and I can’t get so much money. I can cover my cost here, and I also don’t like to sell outside. I grow only for Auroville, because Auroville people, they think about their food.”

I pose the million dollar question: What about water? “Water is a big problem here!” Murthy exclaims. “Look at my system here! I started in 2000 with a well of 50 metres, but only a little bit of water was coming. I used it for 14 years. Last year, I took a bank loan to drill another one that’s 600 feet deep. In one hour, I can pump up 20,000 litres of water. I use a small irrigation system with a sprinkler. Maybe this year I can develop the farm more, because I have water. Paddy needs a lot of water for four-five months, that’s why I start in the rainy season – I use some rainwater and some bore water. Ragi doesn’t use so much.”

Murthy lists the other challenges of farming. Hand-in-hand with water issues is the unpredictable electricity supply, which means that water can’t be pumped at will and he sometimes has to do it in the middle of the night. More recently, there’s the paperwork involved with Auroville getting organic certification in order to sell produce outside.

While Murthy is originally from Alankuppam, he also faces issues relating to the farm’s proximity to Kottakarai village. “Goats from the nearby village are eating the crop,” he says, “sometimes 25% of it! Last year I put in 150 capsicums, the goats completely ate it! I can throw the goats out but I can’t fight with the village people. If I say something to the villagers, they say, “Why don’t you have good fencing?!” There’s no big fight, I have a friendship with them now, but Auroville needs to help with these things. I need more fencing. It’s 17 acres here, so it’s big money to fence it. I’m still paying off the loan for the well slowly, but it’s very tight. I want to protect Auroville land. It’s a big headache!”

He also cites the lack of enthusiasm within Auroville for rice grown here. “A lot of people don’t buy it,” he says. “Still last year’s paddy is not selling. People eating in Solar Kitchen like the outside rice. Bringing in outside white rice is not good – it has chemicals and leads to heart disease. If we can’t sell our own paddy in Auroville, I can’t grow it next year.”

Another issue is the smaller yield that comes from organic crops. Murthy points out that local village farms using chemicals will produce 85 bags of peanuts from a three acres crop, whereas Murthy produces only 60 bags from the larger area of four acres. But he notes that village farming land becomes spoiled over time by the use of chemicals, and that some village farms are now turning organic in order to preserve the land quality.

Murthy supports the notion that Auroville should be self-sustaining for its food requirements, but he raises the contradictions. “The self-sustaining idea is good. I can grow more. Growing is one tension, but selling is another tension! If Auroville will buy and can help support farmers financially, then I can grow more. The government is giving subsidies to outside farmers. Solutions are there, but they cost money. I need funds for preparation, compost, labour, bunding. If Auroville can give, whatever we grow, we can give.”

Along with Auroville’s other farmers, Murthy is part of the Farm Group and liaises with them and FoodLink for their data collection about crops and income, which helps them determine which crops will be grown in future. “I’m happy to be flexible,” he says about planning crops. He also supports recent measures that promote Urban Farming in Auroville’s more densely built-up areas, so that people can grow their own food.

And what are his predictions for the future of farming in India, given the country’s rapid environmental and societal shifts? “I can’t say. Mainly it’s the water problem that’s the biggest challenge,” he concludes. As for whether his sons will continue his legacy and take over the farm, “It’s their choice,” says Murthy, “Farming is hard work. We can’t push it.”