Explore every episode of the podcast Permaculture Living with MLG

Soon after we loved to Gurgaon, we got our first large harvest - of onions. The local arthiyas did not buy onions. So we had to find other ways to dispose them off. Luckily for us an organic farmer;s market had just started in Chandigarh.

Our family had a nice adventure sorting, cleaning and bagging onions to take to market. We also carried a sack back to Gurgaon to sell in our society/ condominium. We started learning about how to market our output. 

.

.

.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456. To take courses on permaculture visit www.permaculture.co.in

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

Coming to Gurgaon suddenly felt like a huge leap for us. The physical proximity was there, but also the mental proximity. Moreover, Agam had retired from work, so he could visit very often. I would often drive up on my own starting at 5-5:30 am and reach the farm by 10 spending my weekends doing small and big projects. We were more relaxed in terms of coming and going and our frequency of visits became at least twice a month. We entered a new phase in our relationship with the land. Moved from healing the land to now building it as a future source of income & habitat.

.

.

.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456. To take courses on permaculture visit www.permaculture.co.in

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

We set out to grow some food and harvest our own water. But we got so much more in return. We realised that land is not a place of extraction. It is not a factory. It is our home. And before we set out to build a dwelling unit on it, we must convert it into a habitat. Somewhere along the way the land changes, and we change. And then we both meet to live a life of compatibility and harmony.

.

.

.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

As we integrated vegetables into our plantation design, we realised how the green revolution has completely wiped out all the varieties of heirloom and native seeds that grew in Punjab/ Haryana belt. Today farmers are dependent on companies for hybrid seeds and have lost the self sufficient and dignity that comes from seed saving

.

.

.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

A big problem of modern agriculture is our choice of crops. All across the world our focus is on growing grasses like wheat, maize, rice and millets. Grasses are neither our natural eco system, nor our natural diet. This shift to eating grasses at large scale is a big criss for both the planet, and our health. Grasses are the natural diet of grazing animals, not humans.

.

.

.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

Within years of setting up Aanandaa, we had a stream of fruit available around the year to feast on. Its crazy how people choose to plant monoculture orchards, when you can grow a vertically stacked orchard of many different fruit varieties - which together constitute a food forest. Fruit is our natural diet and trees are the planet's natural cover. There is a reason why food forests are good for humans, other species and the planet.

.

.

.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

Building soil is not an overnight exercise. In fact it may not be completed even in one lifetime. Our soils are so degraded worldwide, that it requires serious and continuous focus to build them back. That is a primary goal for a permaculture project. It is the conversation we must have with our staff when we review their performance. How is the soil doing?

.

.

.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

2015 saw us making some big changes. Some of those decisions were taken by us, and by the end of the year destiny steered us in another direction. Eventually it all worked out better for our ultimate goal to come live on the land at Aanandaa

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

As we share this space with so many other species, we start observing the instincts they have regarding raising their young, findings their food and healing themselves. In contrast to them, humans look weak and incompetent. We have lost our instinct for living on this planet. Maybe we need to re-connect with our children, our food and our bodies. This is what permaculture teaches us to do.

.

.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

Pigs are intelligent and loyal animals. They have been domesticated by humans for centuries and used for meat in many cultures. Many farms in the west integrate pigs into their permaculture farms. This led us to also experiment and see whether pigs have any place at Aanandaa. Our experiments were interesting and insightful. Listen on the hear what happened.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

A big source of inspiration for our work was Masanobu Fukuoka's book One straw Revolution. he spoke about do nothing farming, and no-till farming. We were eager to see if this really works, and the best way to find out is to do it on a small scale. We decided to plant wheat without tilling the soil on a small patch, and compare the results with the tilled wheat crop. The results were fascinating. It seems we are doing all this work just to feel important!

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

2014 was the year of learning about animals. After our adventures with keeping goats, we now wanted to integrate cows in aanandaa. We believed that cows were an essential part of farming in India, and that we needed them for cow manure and urine. Being vegan, we had no plans of taking milk from them. However, integrating large animals like cows came with its own challenges. 

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

A parcel of land came up for sale across from our second entry gate. It is rare to find land adjacent to or near your existing land. So we took the opportunity to add it to Aanandaa, and named it Annexe. It os where we grow crops, and we have intelligently added trees to the design, while leaving large plots for wheat, pulses and oil seeds. Today it is a no till farm. 

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

After reading so much about permaculture practices in teh west, we decided we must also integrate domesticated animals into Aanandaa. Our first introduction was a pair of goats/ lambs named Hira and Moti. What initially looked like fun turned into a high maintenance activity for us. We realised animals were best integrated if you had large land holdings and were rearing animals for meat. Otherwise it is not a viable proposition. This is also what differentiates large farms in the west from our small land holdings in India.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

Just two and half years into the project, the land was already looking like a piece of heaven. Flowers, fruit, vegetables and crops grew everywhere. The dogs, cats, geese and hen were well integrated into the farm. The land was thriving and lush - the beauty of permaculture design. And we were yearning to get closer to it. We found Mumbai to be too far. We regretted not being able to carry back and eat everything we grew. But still, it was not yet time for us to give up everything and move to the land. These decisions should be taken gradually, and we thought about how we could move closer but not completely.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

The year end of 2013, saw us headed back to Aanandaa and Chandigarh for our vacations. No holiday was complete without undertaking some kind of a project!  For a while now, Panditji had been complaining about mice on the land. They were eating some of the swet potato and potatoes etc.. So we decided it was time to introduce cats on the land. Listen in to how we found cats to adopt and introduce at Aanandaa!

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

Doing a permaculture project close to your home town comes with some perks. The perks are that you get a chance to establish new adult relationships with your parents, be their primary care givers, allow your children to get to know their grandparents and lead to an overall sense of well being, fulfilment and rootedness. We were very lucky to have earned the good karma of spending so much time with our parents in the past decade.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

Integrating animals and birds into food production is a large part of permaculture. All the books and videos we read suggested that we should introduce hens, ducks, pigs, cows, goats - all of those into our eco system. Our first experiment was with introducing hens. It was a new world of knowledge about birds - their bodies and their living systems.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

This summer the family insisted we take a holiday elsewhere. While coming to the land was nice they said, it was also work. And as a family we were busy and not really relaxing. So, once I had taken 2 weeks off from work already, it was not possible to take more days off for Mandala planntation. The only option was to come into Chandigarh two back to back weekends. 

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

It was time to design the new 2 acre plot of land using permaculture design principles, and all the learnings we had got from Aanandaa. We added bamboo into the design as the land has a waterbody on east and west. We put in a snaking driveway to ensure privacy. And broke up the land into smaller plot to be used for growing crops today, and who knows for something else tomorrow. Meanwhile our dog Jai was having nocturnal adventures of his own at Aanandaa.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

Some flowers bloom at a specific time, and a permaculturist tends to associate fruits and flowers with seasons and important dates! For me, the flowers on a Crepe Myrtle always remind me of mother's day. In 2013 I celebrated mother's day with my parents & siblings at Aanandaa. It also marked the expansion of our project with the addition of 2 more acres of land, down the road. 

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

Our first visit of 2013 was in March, during the Easter break. It was a work cum leisure trip. We augmented our water harvesting infrastructure. But also managed a weekend trip to Shimla, harvested lots of food, played with the dogs and nourished our souls. We had flowers growing everywhere, and it reinforced our belief that a garden should not only be productive, but also beautiful.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

When is the best time to start a permaculture project? In your 30s, 40s or 50s? When you are in your 30s, you may have your hands full with small children and junior level jobs. Withn you are in your 50s, you may have more money, but you may be busy settlng your children into college or looking after your ageing parents. 40s is the best time to do this. That is what we discovered!

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

In the city, we are familiar only with the Gregorian calendars. But in the village, the HIndu calendar is commonly used for sowing, harvesting, predicting the change of seasons and marking out the important festivals. Familiarising ourselves with this calendar was a new thing. To our surprise we found it to be more accurate in predicting the change of seasons, arrival of the monsson, and the ripening of the harvests. 

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

At the heart of our climate crisis is our broken hydrological cycle. Our cities get flooded whenever it rains heavily. Our rivers fill up with muddy water almost immediately. Gone are the perennial pristine rivers, springs and streams of our childhood years. Why is this happening, and what can we do about it? 

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

While we waited for the monsoons of 2012 to arrive on our land, we passed our time hanging out with our children, playing games, mulching and singing songs. When the rains finally arrived, it was our privilege to see lakhs of litres of water being harvested into our newly built pond. In the absence of tree cover, clouds often pass by without precipitating. But the mini forest we have planted, has itself contributed to the increase in rainfall in our hyperlocal geography.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

Influenced by the film www.backtoedenfilm.com, we decided to do a small experiment of growing the peanut crop using the no-till method prescribed in this film. It involved convncing the farm staff to not use a tractor to prepare the field. Instead, we used newspapers, compost, and wood chips to create a field good enough to sow the groundnut see. 

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

Forest fires are a common phenomenon in the countryside. We had our first experience with one in June 2012. We were surprised at the various trivial ways in which a fire could start off on the land. And we were also impressed with the calm and competence that farm staff exhibited when dealing with this human disaster. 

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

Within a year we found ourselves to be short on space again. Since we visited the land with our friends and children, we needed some privacy for ourselves. Similarly the farm staff needed space to keep their tools, machines, pipes and materials. They also needed their own space for having chai, and processing the harvests. So we decided to build a second gate and.a storage shed.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

Digging a pond proved to be a challenging experience because it was very very hot. Moreover permissions were required at the last moment. Levels had to be worked out. There was not scope for error with inlet and outlet levels. And there was a paucity of time. We did our best and left the rest for nature to sort out!

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

Having a pond on your land is something everyone dreams of. But it is prudent to make a pond only if you have excess water entering your land, which you cannot manage and absorbd into the soil by simple earthwork strategies. Since we had a large body of water gushing through out land during the monsoon, we decided to build a pond to harvest that water. What should be the size of the pond, where to place it, what to do with the displaced soil and what should we line it up with.... all those were questions to be answered.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

The summer of 2012 was brutal for our newply planted saplings. Our farm staff was watering the plants morning evening. Yet, we would lose most of the water to evaporation and the plants would be stressed all the time. We had to find an alternative. And that was mulching. But where would we find wood chips for mulching in such large quantities?

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

As Aanandaa became more of a second home, we found ourselves travelling back and forth between Mumbai and Chandigarh. We started appreciating the time with our children in the countryside. We enjoyed healing ourselves, our relationships and our planet. We struck a balance between the corporate life that puts pressure on ourselves and the planet, with our personal lives that focused on healing ourselves and the planet.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

Our quest for good health sent us down the path of experimenting with different approaches to our diet, one of which was fruitarianism. We understood why our natural diet may be fruit, and only this diet could allow our bodies to heal itself. We gathered knowledge and information from various sources, and clubbed it with our own instinct and experience of growing food. We live in a world where absurd practices have been normalised, and age old traditional systems are questioned.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

The idea of integrating animals into the farm introduced us to animals beyond dogs adn cats. We learned how chicken, pigs, cows, goats were equally intelligent and emotional beings. While gathering information about how these animals were raised on farm, we learnt something shocking, and decided to become real animal lovers.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

In January 2012 we receved a panic call in Mumbai that our neighbours had thrown a fence around the village pond and taken possession of it. My act of adding fish and geese to the pond had been misunderstood by them as an act of establishing ownsership. He decided to do a 'one-up' on us by putting up a fence and taking it over completely!

Thanks for stopping by, stay safe xx

#permaculture #permaculturepodcast #foodforest 

contact us at hello@aanandaa.com

Stay tuned at https://www.aanandaa.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

My father's 75th birthday was another reason to go back to Chandigarh in November. Since it was winter I could not do any plantation work. I decided to focus on the pond instead. To create an ecosystem, I added fish and geese to the pond. I was so pleased with this act, that I also bought two cast iron benches and placed them as a viewing gallery, so I could admire the pond at leisure!

Thanks for stopping by, stay safe xx

#permaculture #permaculturepodcast #foodforest 

contact us at hello@aanandaa.com

Stay tuned at https://www.aanandaa.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

A close friend's brush with cancer had us thinking about why we fall sick. We started reading and researching about food, sickness and ow to heal naturally. We did an audit of our kitchen and discontinued a lot of processed and packaged food. Anything that can be on a shelf for months and not get spoilt, cannot be food. I also re-looked at what products I was applying on my face and body as a part of my personal care routine.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

A quick 3 days trip to Aanandaa with Radha & Ira, gave me a chance to review and finish the Caretakers cottage and the Weir which was being restored. It is this infrastructure which takes up more time and money. It also needs more detailed attention.

The girls wanted to go back to see the puppies who were a little older now. Caring for the dogs became the responsibility of Radha & Ira.

Thanks for stopping by, stay safe xx

#permaculture #permaculturepodcast #foodforest 

contact us at hello@aanandaa.com

Stay tuned at https://www.aanandaa.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

It's not easy to convince the children that its more fun to spend their summer vacation in 42 degree summer in a village in north India, rather than go for a holiday overseas.

Yet, it can be done.

And it will build tremendous character and mettle in your children, which will serve them well in life.

Thanks for stopping by, stay safe xx

#permaculture #permaculturepodcast #foodforest 

contact us at hello@aanandaa.com

Stay tuned at https://www.aanandaa.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

Our two weeks at the farm forced us to interact with people from all walks of life. It opened our worldview and helped us to reconnect with the real India. We could see the clash between the rural and urban sections of society. We experienced that first had as well. All four of us changed that summer .. and I think for the better

Thanks for stopping by, stay safe xx

#permaculture #permaculturepodcast #foodforest 

contact us at hello@aanandaa.com

Stay tuned at https://www.aanandaa.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

Our summer stay at Aanandaa was soon coming to an end. We still had a few tasks to accomplish before we left!

We had to build a basic irrigation system for our tree saplings.

We had to build the brick walking path through the spine of the land.

We planted a bougainvillea hedge all over our perimeter.

We had a litter of 4 pups by the village dog Basanti - we had our first set of farm dogs!

On our last day, we made bird perches with Radha and Ira - a shot at trying to attract birds to the land.

Thanks for stopping by, stay safe xx

#permaculture #permaculturepodcast #foodforest 

contact us at hello@aanandaa.com

Stay tuned at https://www.aanandaa.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

On Sunday, 3rd July 2011, we gathered with our friends and family to begin the tree plantation. Panditji had arranged for extra labour to help with this task, as he wanted the trees to be put into the ground as soon as possible.

While I had a plantation plan in mind, and a list of all the trees, it all started to blur in the heat of the moment! Eventually, we did a random plantation of the native trees, but managed to organize the fruit trees as per plan.

We also planted a few swales to demonstrate the power of a humble swale in managing rainwater.

Thanks for stopping by, stay safe xx

#permaculture #permaculturepodcast #foodforest 

contact us at hello@aanandaa.com

Stay tuned at https://www.aanandaa.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

We managed the deluge with some temporary hacks, knowing very well that we will have to find a permanent solution once teh rains are over. We added bamboo to our list of plants and incorporated them into our design.

Bamboo would hold the edges of the water path, filter the water, provide a habitat for birds and give us bamboo for structures. One plant, so many purposes.

It had been almost a week now, and our children were getting restless. We gave them an important job to keep them engaged and feel valued in the project.

Thanks for stopping by, stay safe xx

#permaculture #permaculturepodcast #foodforest 

contact us at hello@aanandaa.com

Stay tuned at https://www.aanandaa.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

Rains arrived on time when we landed in Chandigarh for the planting season of July 2011. We made a day trip to Saharanpur and bought 1000 trees from Farman Bhai. A collection of fruiting trees, flowering trees, medicinal trees, timber trees, and native heirloom trees.

The size of the saplings were a bit of a shock for us, and Agam was highly sceptical of any of these 12 inch twigs becoming full grown trees.

On the way back we stopped at Aanandaa, and were shocked to see that our land was flooded with rainwater.

Thanks for stopping by, stay safe xx

#permaculture #permaculturepodcast #foodforest

contact us at hello@aanandaa.com

Stay tuned at https://www.aanandaa.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject

Restoring a ravaged piece of land is as simple as managing rainwater through earthworks and planting trees. It does not take rocket science or any great knowledge to do this. It is the most intuitive and simple activity to undertake. A simple contour map explains the slopes & potential flows of water. A simple design map will give an idea of where to plant trees and which trees to keep in the list. As we sat in our offices in Mumbai, I would steal some time during lunch break to create worksheets of tree lists!

.

.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

In the corporate world we are taught to get professionals to help us with everything. Pay them the money and outsource. You can't do everything yourself, we say.

But a landscape design that mimics nature works differently. It needs someone who will listen to it, walk together with it and evolve over time. You have to do this yourself.

It is one of the most intuitive things to do, because we are wired to live within nature, to protect it, to care for it, to care for ourselves and to care for the future generations.

I talk about how we approached designing our landscape at Aanandaa Permaculture Project at the start of the project, in this latest episode of my podcast Permaculture Living with MLG.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

Our life in the cities is so fast paced, that we can barely find time for our hobbies, interests or even for our families! In that context to take on another commitnment like restoring a patch of nature seems like an audacious or even foolhardy exercise. But a time audit will reveal how you can make time for something that is important for the future generations, but also a great way to bring the family together.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

We need money to invest back into nature, because resources have been exrtacted from our environment never endingly for the last several decades or even centuries. For nature to heal, we need to shift monetary resources back to it. This money is in the capitalist economy of the cities. We need to do a reverse migration of wealth.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/

On agricultural land, you come face to face with fresh water resources. There is no municipality, no tanker water, and no back ups. Just rainwater and borewell. The reality of how much or how little there is, and where it comes from, really hits hard.

For more information on permaculture, visit www.aanandaa.com. You can contact us at hello@aanandaa.com and +91 62838 99456

Follow us on our social media handles

FB: https://www.facebook.com/farmaanandaa/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/farmaanandaa/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@farmaanandaa

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aanandaapermacultureproject/