Auroville Farms Assessment 2023
Cultivation Practices
FYM (Farm yard manure)
Farm yard Manure is prepared basically using cow dung, cow urine, waste straw and other dairy wastes.
Compost
Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and manure.
DE (Dairy Effluents)
Dairy farm effluents comprise bulk concentrated cow urine mixed with light dung or water.
Panchagavya
Panchagavya or panchakavyam is a mixture prepared by mixing five ingredients. The three direct constituents are cow dung, urine, and milk; the two derived products are curd and ghee. These are mixed and then allowed to ferment.
Crop Rotation
Crop rotation is the practice of planting different crops sequentially on the same plot of land to improve soil health, optimize nutrients in the soil, and combat pest and weed pressure.
Green Manuring
Green manuring can be defined as a practice of plowing or turning into the soil, undecomposed fresh green plant tissue for the purpose of improving fertility status, physical and biological condition of the soil.
Sunhemp ( Crotolaria juncea), Dhaincha ( Sesbania aculeata), Cluster bean ( Cymopsis tetragonoloba), Cowpea ( Vigna sinensis), Khesari ( Lathyrus sativus), Berseem ( Trifolium alexandrium) Green Gram ( Vigna radiata), etc. are the common green manuring crops.
Intercropping
Intercropping is the practice of growing multiple crops simultaneously in the same area, which aims to increase yield and reduce inputs by utilizing the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationship.
ges/salary is deducted and deposited with SEWA along with an equal contribution from the employer. The amount collected from the workers and employers are deposited in Auroville Financial Service and nationalised banks. The workers can avail of a loan or withdraw part of his savings after 4 years of service subject to the Rules & Regulations laid down by SEWA for this purpose.
FYM (Farm yard manure)
Farm yard Manure is prepared basically using cow dung, cow urine, waste straw and other dairy wastes.
Glossary
Fodder
"Fodder" refers particularly to food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them), rather than that which they forage for themselves (called forage).
Grain Concentrate
A concentrate mixture made up of protein supplements such as oil cakes, energy sources such as cereal grains (maize, jowar), tapioca chips and laxative feeds such as brans (rice bran, wheat bran, gram husk) is generally used.
Roughages
roughage refers to a feedstuff with a higher fiber content forages such tree leaves, straws, wild grasses. Roughage has a positive impact on rumen function because it stimulates rumination
Heifer
a young female cow, especially one that has not yet had a baby (calf).
Artificial Insemination
Artificial insemination is the technique in which semen with living sperms is collected from the male (bull) and introduced into the female (cow or heifer) reproductive tract at proper time with the help of instruments. This has been found to result in a normal offspring. In this process, the semen is inseminated into the female by placing a portion of it either in a collected or diluted form into the cervix or uterus by mechanical methods at the proper time and under most hygienic conditions.
Free-range Chicken
Free range denotes a method of farming husbandry where the animals, for at least part of the day, can roam freely outdoors, rather than being confined in an enclosure for 24 hours each day
SEWA - Small Employees Welfare Administration (SEWA)
SEWA was created in 1994 at the initiative of some Aurovilians, to look after the interests of non-Aurovilian workers in the 'unorganised' sector of Auroville, employed by individuals or small units. None of these workers would normally be entitled to a government pension or retirement pension or programme, for this reason SEWA manages a Retirement Fund for them and also arranges accident insurance, handles conflict resolution, and runs a job service.
Under the Retirement Fund scheme 12% of the workers' monthly wages/salary is deducted and deposited with SEWA along with an equal contribution from the employer. The amount collected from the workers and employers are deposited in Auroville Financial Service and nationalised banks. The workers can avail of a loan or withdraw part of his savings after 4 years of service subject to the Rules & Regulations laid down by SEWA for this purpose.
Dairy
Net Surplus
Net Income is the Total income - total expense of a farm for a year. The chart shows this number cumulatively starting from FY17-18. Example: If a farm had a Income of 1Lakh and an expense of ₹85000, the net income is ₹15000. In the following year if the net income is 10000, the chart will be at ₹25000 (The 10000 from this year is added to the 15000 from last year - Cumulative)
Farming Activities
Farming Activities refers to the activities engaged by the farm.
Farming Income
Income from activities that the farm engages in. Primary income generating capacity. Income from Sales of Produce (Crops + Food Processing + Dairy) + Livestock sales + Timber & Wood Sales + Other Services
Farming Expenses
Farming Expenses refers to the cost of engaging in farming activities described above. This includes cost of cultivation, wages, processing costs, costs of feed for livestock etc.
Farming Surplus
Farming Surplus is Farming Income - Farming Expenditure. This is the surplus a farm is able to generate from its activities alone. If there is no external support, it is important for farms to be able to generate a surplus if they are to invest in infrastructure, repairs and maintenance, clearing debts etc. Farms with lower surplus generating capacities will require more organisational or direct capital support.
Debt Balance
The Debt Balance chart is another cumulative chart similar to the net income chart. This time it is the balance of any 'debt' for a given year i.e the amount borrowed by the farm - the amount paid back by the farm. This "debt" can be in the form of external loans or personal funds invested by the farmer.