Sustainable Living

The world today is faced with the pressing need to preserve the available natural resources and put in place a system for sustainable growth and development. Even as we tackle issues such as land degradation, loss of bio-diversity and erosion of natural resources, we run the risk of losing out on traditional methods of agriculture and farming, which have respect for nature at their core, as we race to adopt modern technology.

The Swami Dayananda Educational Trust has created in Manjakkudi a sustainable natural ecosystem wherein each element reinforces and supports the other. Through the Swami Dayananda Farms, we have helped revive traditional agricultural methods and given farmers a regular means of livelihood – added reason to carry on their traditional occupation.

By establishing the Swami Dayananda Goshala, we have helped create a platform for breeding of indigenous cows and the sustenance of a thriving dairy industry. Moreover, the crops on the farm are nourished by the products and by-products from the goshala – a far better alternative to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Dayavanam and Herb Garden are pockets of greenery that help to reverse the effect of our carbon footprint. The Herb Garden, a half-acre space dedicated to rearing plants of medicinal value, is a space where we rear herbs used in home remedies and ayurvedic preparations – an active means of preserving precious knowledge for posterity.

Swami Dayananda Farms

Around 50 acres of land have been developed by SDET for the conservation and cultivation of heritage rice varieties and propagation of organic farming practices. Around seeds of 289 varieties of heritage rice from across 15 states in India, and from Bangladesh and Mynamar have been carefully sourced, conserved and grown in the Swami Dayananda Farms. These include Ajara Ghansal(Maharashtra), Gobinda Bhog (West Bengal), Karuppu Kavuni (Tamil Nadu), Kon Joha (Assam), Mansur (Bihar), Sukhadas (Uttar Pradesh), Laicha (Madhya Pradesh) Samunchini (Chhatisgarh)and Bakul Phool (Orissa). The seeds are grown through line farming or growbags, and around 10 acres of land has been earmarked exclusively for seed conservation efforts. The entire process – sowing, harvesting, threshing and removal or husk – is done by hand to ensure that the seeds are protected and importantly, don’t get mixed up. A portion of these seeds are shared with farmers, so that they can create an ongoing cycle of sowing and harvesting. This will help keep up the cycle of seed conservation andcontinued propagation of these heritage varieties. The remaining land is used to grow organic rice varieties for retail at our immersion centre in Chennai called Spirit of the Earth. Given that local farmers are growing heritage rice varieties from Tamil Nadu, Swami Dayananda Farms concentrates more on cultivating heritage rice varieties from other states of India.

Spirit of The Earth

The rice grown at the Swami Dayananda Farms is retailed through Spirit of the Earth (SOTE), an immersion centre launched by AIM for Seva in July 2017. Spirit Of The Earth believes that the planet's resources are not merely a source for our consumption and personal gratification; like the Earth, people need to learn to share (vibhakthi), to give in abundance (vriddhi), provide nutrition (vrihi) and be compassionate (daya) – to render harmony in society. In line with that a series of talks and discussions are conducted throughout the year.

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