Regenerative Food Forest: A Case Study of Vanya Organic Farm

Abstract

Food Forests involve planned agro-forestry. A food forest like a real forest needs no pesticides, herbicides, weeding, crop rotation, mowing or digging. It will ensure the sustainability of flora and fauna, birds, animals and most importantly bees. This is a case study of one such food forest, Vanya Organic which is a dream turned into reality by one of its owners, Mr. Patanjali Jha. He grew native trees, creepers and shrubs in combination with symbiotic vegetation to ensure maximum carbon sequestration, provide forest cover and usable by-products A very important part of his food forest is the inclusion of Vetiver Grass. Mr. Jha suggests that Food Forests and Vetiver Plantations should be looked at together and set up together and called a Regenerative Food Forest. Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) or Renewable Natural Gas (RNG), a Green Fuel, is derived from agriculture waste or other forms of organic waste called biomass which is produced in abundance by the regenerative food forests. A CBG plant produces Sulphur stripped Methane of automotive grade and also produces a very high-quality organic fertilizer as a by-product which has been approved for regular use by the Ministry of Agriculture. Therefore, there is a need to link these CBG Plants with regenerative food forests. It will provide jobs, increase farm incomes, and over a period of time, this will induce positive sustainable changes in air, water and soil quality. The case study has been prepared with his consent and approval.