The Zen approach to farming

Solitude Farm also takes volunteers. It produces millet, rice, lentils, oilseeds, fruit and vegetables and rears
cows and chickens. British-born Krishnan McKenzie, 37, started the 2.4-hectare farm in 1996. His inspiration is the late Masanova Fukuoka, a Japanese farmer and author of One Straw Revolution, which advocates a natural “do nothing” way of farming. The approach is holistic, paying attention to all the complexities of plant life and to how a plant or organism can relate to another. The farmer’s role is to go with the flow of nature, letting it do as much of his work as possible and using its seasonal changes to advantage. “We believe Nature is perfect,” says Mr Krishnan. “We try to be gentle with Nature and mimic its methods.”

While most village farmers grow just one crop per plot, he grows several different crops in the same patch either at the same time or in relays, matching plants that complement one another so that a synergy develops.

He shows a patch with a mix of long and short duration crops. “This is a banana line and we’ve also put corn,” he says. “There are also beans. We have a long-duration tree of pomelo, banana and papaya. Then you’ve got lentils climbing up the tree, snake gourd climbing up the branches and the corn. You’ve got beans growing up the bananas. You’ve got tomatoes on the side. You’ve got some sunflower, some capsicum. So there’s quite a lot of diversity.” This permaculture approach, which requires careful thought about the duration, size and the physiology of the plants, gets more out of the land, he says.

The farm sells its produce to shops in Auroville or directly to residents who contract to buy a certain quantity of whatever is grown at a fixed price for a certain period. Solitude also cooks and serves some of the produce in its restaurant, which is patronized by residents and visitors to Auroville.

Mr Krishnan runs the farm with his wife Deepa and about 20 volunteers. Their daily routine involves nursery work, transplanting, planting and harvesting, as well as other tasks such as maintaining communal spaces. He is looking for more volunteers interested in sustainable farming and who would enjoy community life and would be willing to work with them for between one and six months.

Vinasithamby Dharmalingam (http://sites.google.com/site/vaakiam/), an ICA veteran, lives in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Getting there:
Auroville lies 160 km south of Chennai in the Villipuram district of Tamil Nadu and 10 km south of Pondicherry (Puthucherry). Visitors can hail a taxi for about 2,000 rupees (US$43) from the airport for the four-hour journey or book one in advance through Auroville Transport Service (www.aurovilletransport.com/ ) or UTS Unity Transport (www.auroville-unity-transport.com/). Those travelling light can also board the frequent buses (50 rupees) plying from Chennai to Pondicherry, alight at Kuilapalayam and take an auto rickshaw (150 rupees) to Auroville. Alternatively, they can continue to Pondicherry and take an auto rickshaw from the main bus terminus. Those already in Chennai should board the bus at the city terminus to be assured of a seat as there may be standing room only by the time it gets to the airport.

Accommodation:
The best time to visit is in the cool season, during late December to early March. This is also the peak tourist season and so volunteers should make bookings well in advance to ensure they have a place to stay.

Most farm and forestation projects at Auroville require a minimum stay of one month although Sadhana Forest allows two-week stints during March to December. They provide accommodation in exchange for labour and some or all meals. A daily contribution ranging from 100 rupees to 150 rupees is expected. For more information consult the websites/blogs of Sadhana Forest (http://sadhanaforest.org/wp/volunteers/), Solitude Farm (solitudefarm@blogspot.com) and Buddha Garden (www.buddhagarden.org/).

Those who merely want to visit these projects can stay at one of the many guesthouses and hostels (www.aurovilleguesthouses.org/) at Auroville, which also has plenty to do and see. For information on events there go to www.auroville.org/comingtoav/to_the_visitor.htm

Sightseeing:
There are several tourist sites within a two to three hour bus journey from nearby Pondicherry, a former French colony, which is also rich in history. These include the 7th to 9th Century rock sculptures at Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) and the 11th century Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, both listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites; and the famous 13th century Nataraja Temple dedicated to Shiva as the Cosmic Dancer at Chidambaram.