AuroAnnam

"AuroAnnam was developed in the late nineties as a program under the Auroville Health Centre focussing on eco-farming and issues of municipal waste management. Our team has also been in active collaboration with the Solid Waste Management Task Force and Eco-Service of Auroville, with Auroville services for desludging of septic tanks and co-composting of sludge, with Auroville Centre for Scientific Research (CSR) in wastewater treatment and promotion of decentralized wastewater treatment systems (Look up - water recycling and Borda). More details of AuroAnnam history...

"Already under the umbrella of the Auroville Health Centre, AuroAnnam organised farmers meetings and seminars, participated in workshops on organic farming, launched seminars on biodynamic (BD) farming and on farming with EM, and sponsored participation of farmers in training programs. These activities are being carried on.

"AuroAnnam was provided land to develop a demonstration farm (of 13 acres) for organic cashew cultivation in 1998. This farm is developing well and is expected to achieve good productivity and profitability within the next few years, i.e. when the young cashew trees will have reached mature yields. For 2004 we have planned to intensify the outreach program to local farmers, information, training, and guidance.

"AuroAnnam is member of the Biodynamic Association of India (BDAI), Bangalore; member of the Asia-Pacific Natural Agriculture Network (APNAN), Bangkok; and member in the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE), Kathmandu, Nepal. Within Auroville, AuroAnnam is a member of the Farm group."

Team
Accessed April 2013:


 * Lucas Dengel, German, is qualified as a medical doctor. He has been living in Auroville from 1988 onwards. After ten years of work at the Auroville Health Centre - practice of clinical medicine and building up a program of preventive care in the villages - he started AuroAnnam as an outreach program in ecological farming and environmental management. He is teacher and adviser in BD farming and technical expert and consultant in EM technology and solid waste management.


 * Mawite Tonsing, from Manipur in North-East India, grew up in a family engaged in farming activities. She has been in Auroville since 1996 and trading with organic food products since 1997. She joined AuroAnnam activities in 1999, is now managing AuroAnnam Farm, handling stocks and in charge of trading transactions. She has developed creative expertise in packaging.