Local Knowledge
As a kick-off for the presentation of the Auroville Sustainable Agriculture Plan (ASAP), within the next few months, Auroville Radio presents a series of eleven interviews concerning the foods we eat in Auroville. What were the ideas in the old days of Auroville regarding agriculture and sustainable foods? Which agricultural developments did Auroville been through since the first Aurovilians started to change the dusty plains into the forest it is today? How is the present situation in Auroville’s greenbelt and what is it capable of? And, perhaps most important, what are the challenges for the future?…
…Different people, all involved in Auroville’s food sector, give their personal views and opinions on these matters from their own background…In this second interview Johnny (Fertile Farm) shares his view on the history of farming in Auroville with us. Where Charlie seemed to put the emphasis on economical changes among the Tamil villages, Johnny put more emphasis on how the local people showed him “how to eat, how to work the land, how to dress… Next Johnny explains how his farm evolved and what agricultural experiments seemed to work for him without being connected to the energy grid, or without the use of extensive irrigation. From local field crops, to vegetables, to an orchard back to local field crops, dairy and a vegetable garden grown under the protective cover of massive Banyan trees. As a final Johnny shares some of his critiques on Auroville’s developments and its sector based city planning with us.