A group of young Aurovillians started solitude farm in 1996. One of them, Krishna McKenzie, inspired by Masanobu Fukuoka developed the farm with the ideas of Natural farming and permaculture.
Much like the rest of Auroville, the land needed tending and care. Fukuoka advocated that all the bio-resources around us, such as leaves, weeds, branches, etc., should constantly be returned to the soil to increase soil fertility.
We recognized that this technique was the basis of all our work. Further, no pesticides or fertilizers have not used on the land. The farm slowly evolved into 100% non-tillage and the use of machines and tractors has equally eliminated.
About 7 years ago, in 2011, with a need for financial sustainability and a refusal to compromise on Fukuoka’s vision of natural farming, it became clear that we had to begin serving these local foods.
Starting the café has facilitated our ongoing exploration of this vast treasure trove of nutrition that has really become the cornerstone of what Solitude Farm stands for – honouring the gifts of Mother Nature.
Along with this exploration came the need for education; hosting schools, workshops and the now well-known weekly farm tour.
Krishna, also the frontman of the band Emergence, always struggled with the idea that farming was his work and music something else. Over time, it dawned on him that music was an adhesive that brought people together. Along with arts and culture, he understood that celebration formed the core of a community’s identity. This identity also inextricably linked to a community’s intimate knowledge of the foods growing around them; a cultural/nutritional identity.
Thus, Lively Up Your Earth (LUYE) an eco-music festival came about. There have been 5 LUYE festivals celebrating the creativity in our community through music, arts and local food.
The importance and relevance of this subject today has led to Krishna becoming a motivational speaker. Krishna travels with his project, People Food Music, bringing together food, education and celebration to schools, cooperations and various groups.
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