About Aranya Agricultural Alternatives

Achieving ecological and sustainable livelihoods

Aranya Agricultural Alternatives is an environmental and developmental organization providing permaculture guidance to communities, organizations, governments and other national and international agencies and creating sustainable livelihoods since 1999. We’re proud to host the International Permaculture Convergence and create a platform for our farmers and urban citizens to get exposed to global thinking.

‘Aranya’ is a Sanskrit word for forest. The forest is a self-regulating ecosystem, with the ability to sustain itself in the present and in the future. It is the source of the guiding principles of agriculture. Thus, the name Aranya Agricultural Alternatives, to encapsulate a regenerative nature tradition.

At Aranya, we aim to provide alternative solutions to industrialised and chemical agricultural practices. We strongly believe that there is only one law, i.e. the Law of Nature. Human beings should not extract anything beyond their needs from nature, and should return whatever remains unused back to nature. Our projects falls mainly under the categories of Permaculture education, Natural resources management and Community empowerment, these missions interweave throughout our work.

Our vision is to achieve ecological and sustainable agricultural livelihoods through permaculture farming practices. In order to make this vision a reality, we are working to fulfill the following objectives:

  • Advocate and promote alternative and permanent agriculture practices, with focus on sustainable natural resource management
  • Organize and strengthen rural and farming communities to achieve food and nutrition security
  • Promote biodiversity conservation, with emphasis on climate change mitigation
  • Empower rural communities through capacity building for permaculture practices and indigenous and native technologies
  • Empower women by facilitating their access and control over natural resources
  • Promote sustainable livelihoods by capacity building of different rural communities regarding indigenous and native technologies

Aranya’s projects constantly and consistently have an approach of identifying solutions that address both social and environmental concerns through a healthy synergy between the two. In addition, Aranya has endeavoured to bring to its stakeholders cutting edge knowledge and techniques in natural resource management (especially water) and ecological farming methods. In this entire process, it has championed the cause of community/farmers’ participation (especially women) in natural resource management. We have vast experience in participatory irrigation management. Bridging the distances between community institutions and government departments has also been an important element in most of our projects.

Moreover, Aranya Agricultural Alternatives organizes Permaculture Design Courses, Introduction to Permaculture and thematic workshops both for local and international participants.

For more information on Aranya Agricultural Alternatives’ activities, visit their website: http://permacultureindia.org/