Satchitananda Farm

Erevalmudi, Coorg, Karnataka
(September - November, 2021)

Size: 8 acres

Elevation(m): 1,230

Annual Rainfall(mm): 2625

Climate: Edges between tropical monsoon and wet evergreen

Function: Regenerative agriculture, space for learning about regenerative systems

Key features: Earthworks-Riparian-Perennial Spring-Stream-Forest coffee-Mushroom cultivation-Open well

A coffee plantation with shade species and a perennial spring-fed valley with a riparian zone. Present in a zone that would have been a moist tropical wet evergreen / moist tropical semi-evergreen / moist deciduous forest before cultivation

This 8 acre hilly piece of land is rich in water resources and biodiversity, and hosts an upstream perennial spring, many seasonal ones and a riparian resplendent with many endemic faunal species. The vision for the project is to convert the existing coffee plantations into a more diverse food forest and for it to be a learning space for alternative, sustainable cultivation practices in the region.

With borewells becoming the norm, water tables stand exploited and have dropped even in this high rainfall region. Therefore, a huge part of the project is to also protect the spring's watershed and come up with a more holistic water strategy. The earthworks planned for harvesting water and organic matter are sensitive to the fact that huge storm events are frequent making land susceptible to landslides. An open well has been sensitively dug by hand to meet water requirements, rather being dug with earth-movers or digging a borewell