Boomadevi Farm aspires to demonstrate sustainable practices in small scale organic dairy farming. It aims to make the land fertile, increase green cover, maintain a healthy herd of animals while continuing to contribute to the health of the community. The long-term goal of Boomadevi farms is to make the place greener and to make it financially sustainable.

• Dairy 
• Vegetables
• Awareness on healthy eating

Boomadevi Farm stands for sustainable organic farming and produces chemical-free dairy products as well as organically grown crops like black gram, peanuts and other seasonal vegetables. The integrated farm grows crops in a natural manner employing techniques learnt from senior Auroville farmers in a totally organic method. Crossbred cows are maintained at the farm which the steward Manikandan aspires to expand to indigenous breeds in the future. He mentions that this move in the future may be of immense value addition, given the increased nutritional value of milk from these breeds of cows. It also offers an additional advantage of the usage of cow dung in natural fertilizers like Panchakavya, Jeevamrit etc which could also be one of the products from Boomadevi Farms. 

The fodder for the cows is grown on the farm during winter and even the concentrates used for feed are not company-bought but made indigenously using grains and pulses. The yield and taste of the milk were reported to have improved with this feed. Treatment of the cows when it contracts diseases is also done using herbs by the steward Manikandan’s mother who has years of experience in the natural treatment of diseases in cattle. Boomadevi Farms is now attempting to breed the cows indigenously instead of purchasing them. The animals are purely fed farm-grown organic fodder, straw and concentrate made in-house. 

The milk from the cows is supplied primarily to Food Link and to a few other customers. Manikandan feels there is scope for increasing the customer base even within Auroville, something currently limited by accessibility and pricing issues, both of which can be resolved by improving the operations collective distribution within Auroville. 

A few short term projects like setting up an Azolla bed for feeding the cows are in the pipeline as well.

One of the long-term goals of Boomadevi farms is to set up a processing unit to expand its product base to include cottage cheese or paneer, pickles etc. This initiative would help increase the chances of the farm becoming financially sustainable and minimize wastage of excess production??

Boomadevi farm also aspires to increase the yield and production of the vegetables it grows. The dairy and the farm together serve as an inspiration and brings awareness to the local villagers on the importance of eating healthy food. It aims to focus on the needs of the community in terms of healthy eating and to harmoniously produce what is needed to meet this need and demand of the consumers. 

The farm would very soon be open for volunteers who can work and gain experience in an organic mode of farming.

The steward of Boomadevi Farm, Mr Manikandan was exposed to the Aurovilian way of life since his childhood and was ever fascinated by nature and all that it had to offer. Born into a family of farmers, he was initiated into this profession at an early age. Before permanently adopting it as his primary occupation, he experimented in various jobs and went around exploring the food sector in Auroville, an experience which he hopes to utilize in the expansion of Boomadevi farm. 

He applied to be part of the farming community of Auroville at a time when many youngsters were fascinated by this profession and were subject to intense scrutiny and filtering by the farm group with their policy on allocating farmland for new stewards. Their commitment to this vocation was tested while educating them to various theoretical as well as practical aspects of farming by seniors and experts in this domain, during their apprenticeship. Out of the many applicants, barely a handful of them withstood this test of patience and knowledge and Manikandan stood out among the selected few who were inducted into the farming community. Under the mentorship of Dr Lucas who conducted the apprenticeship programme, Manikandan learnt a lot about dynamic farming which he implements in Boomadevi farms. 

Manikandan pooled in his personal funds to kickstart Boomadevi Farm once the land was allocated by Auroville. There were many teething issues before the farm reached its current status including flooding of the first allotted land during the historical rains of 2015 and the resultant immense loss of resources. The Farm group realized the futility of establishing a dairy farm in that location and reallotted 4.5 acres of land near the Irumbai lake which is better suited for Manikandan’s farming aspirations.  Manikandan continues to face water challenges in the newly allocated land. As the current policy for digging new borewells is stringent in Auroville he has to share a borewell with the neighbour thus restricting the amount of water that he can use.  

The farm has cows and goats which provide milk, and cow dung which is used as compost for the fields where crops like Ulundu (black gram) and peanuts along with seasonal vegetables are grown organically.

He runs the farm singlehandedly with his mother, wife and other family members seeking help from casual labourers only when needed. In Spite of the vagaries of nature and the hassles of running a farm that a farmer encounters, Manikandan remains optimistic to convert Boomadevi Farm into a sustainable unit and aims to contribute to the health of the Auroville community by its organic produce.

• For buying Boomadevi farm produce contact – Mr Manikandan at 9751395601 
• Donate for improving the infrastructure at Boomadevi Farm 

Location: Irumbai lake land, Auroville bioregion

Contact: +91 9751395601

Email: boomadevi@auroville.org.in