Meet Mr Aamir Ahmed, a Master of Business Administration and marketing person turned environmentalist. Through Rewild Life he spreads the word on how to keep every spot that you are part of a bio-diverse hotspot!
Hello, Mr Aamir Ahmed. Can we have an overview of Rewild Life and how it came into being, please?
I cruised through my career working for Swarovski, India Jute Industries – exporting carpets, Corporate Trainer – helping facilitate team building and stress management workshops and trainings. And all along I felt the need for doing something more. My final calling was nature – as I saw the city-Delhi NCR, I grew up in, change drastically. Going from being green to a concrete jungle, the chirping of the sparrow to which I used to wake up went totally missing, the butterflies that I chased – dwindled drastically!! When I along with Anand, a friend and partner, consolidated 17 aces of land in Noida – we had no clue that we would come this far and connect back to nature! Today our 17 acres of land has given us the meaning that I knew was our calling. The first thought was to create a butterfly trail and recreate yesterday for our children. When we initially consolidated the land, we left it untouched for the longest time I can remember. We planted 5000 poplar trees on the periphery and the only thing that was functional on the that piece of land was a dairy farm. Little did we know back then that the trees would give us the lush green environment and all the dung being collected would help us with our organic farm growing into a forest today. Both Anand and I are not from an agricultural background. So, a huge investment of time went into meeting people, exploring similar projects, researching and reading a lot about practices across the globe. We were fortunate to have met with the World Organic Congress in 2017 and collaborate to create a model farm for their conference being held in Greater Noida. We learnt so much from the experience and met with expert farmers, environmentalists and botanist from across 107 countries who visited the farm. With the environment and pollution related issues today – we wanted to see how we could use our farm to increase the awareness of what and how each one of us can contribute to build back the environment. Our environmental literacy program helps people, who visit us, to learn how they can invest into sustainable practices and experience the biodiversity at play. We have created various spots at the farm – Butterfly trail, herb garden, organic farming, water harvesting, solar energy, dairy / dung farm, vermi-composting pits, wetland, wilderness areas. All of these put together help recreate the biodiversity and understand the food chains, importance of pollinators, how marsh lands help birds and water life.
Aamir, how financially sustainable is this project?
Honestly, it was tough to kick off the project. We knew deep down that this is the need of today. But the initial response to the project was a little disheartening. Firstly, Organic practices and sustainable solutions are a little expensive. And let me explain when I say expensive. If you are following organic methods for farming, then you depend a lot on nature to heal itself and use its own resources. Crop rotation, eco-friendly crops, drip irrigation, managing soil nutrients with organic manure, companion planting methods, managing infestation with combinations of crops – all of this tends to be slightly more expensive as well as intensive initially. But once the system falls in place it is cyclic and then it becomes viable.
The second barrier is the mindset… It’s a lifestyle change.!! Being so wired with technology and so attached to the smart gadgets people have lesser appetite for the outdoors. Screen time has over taken the real time. So, it took time for us to take off the project for a while.
There are various ways in which the sustainability adds to your revenue – dairy produce, vermi-composting and organic farm produce. The demand for organic produce is on the rise in both urban and semi urban cities. We have farm visits planned for our customers to hand pick their veggies. We have also invested into medicinal plants and trees that fetch us revenue. Moringa farming helped us in more than just fetching revenue. The tree helps fix nitrogen in the soil as well. We have 3000+ moringa trees at the farm. Other plants that help get good revenue and are a plus on the environment are lemon grass and asparagus amongst others. Environmental literacy program and Argo-tourism is another source of revenue at the farm.
What has your experience been in terms of the response to the experiential learning programme?
It is great to see the commitment of educational institutions into the program. The teachers accompanying the students see a great value of the program – given the experiential hands on exposure that the students gain from the sessions on the farm. A simple statement changing from “my hands are dirty” to “my hands are soiled” is so satisfying. There is an equally good response from corporates – a new mantra for team building and stress management is being outdoors and doing something meaningful. We also visit corporates for talking about simple sustainable methods that they can follow on their own, talk about health, food, environment and the importance of the outdoors. Kitchen gardening – on a patch of land, in your balconies or in small pots on your kitchen window!! We conduct classes where we teach how you can maintain a small garden in the limited space you may have. The idea is not to visit a biodiversity hotspot but to be aware of things, learn how to contribute and create a bio-diverse environment around your place. The response has been extremely good! The children gave us an overwhelming response. They were really enthusiastic and upcoming. They enjoyed the place to the extent where they kept wanting to come back. A lot many times I am asked the question “Are you a farmer?” I am not a farmer by education; I am more of an environmentalist by passion and enjoys the experience of exploring nature. That is evidence that this space is open to all and holds possibility for anyone who is up for learning and connecting to nature.
What are your future plan?
Farm to Forest: Our baby steps have got us here... the start of a journey. We have a long way to go. Understanding nature and its ways to auto heal itself, the sustainable methods that help nurture it are unlimited. Every day is a new learning as we set out to ensure that we share that knowledge. We are going to continue building our farm into a forest so that there is something for everyone to connect back to nature!
In the Times, I read that bees lose their sense of direction due to mobile towers and so they go extinct. Is that true?
Did you know that most of the pollination is done by solitary bees, who don't make honey? Honeybee only do around 10% of the pollination. That is another awareness we want people to spread. We want people to know how to create a biodiverse environment to support not just honeybees but the solitary bees as well, who do the maximum amount of work. In China, they have already started doing pollination manually with brushes due to the drastic decline in the bee population. Not many are aware about solitary bees other than honeybees. We need to create food and nesting sites for them - natural or the ones created by drilling holes in wood timber. It is highly important to understand this balance that we need for the overall survival. Coming to your question now - Partially, the mobile towers do impact the bees. But, it is not the mobile towers alone that causes this damage. Things that excessively harm the bees, birds and butterflies are the chemical fertilizers, fogging systems, etc. that we use. As a quick fix, we spray pesticides to kill mosquitoes. But in the process, we kill a whole lot of beneficial insects and organism. Mindless use of pesticides, cutting down of trees and hampering natural habitats must stop. Intelligent and eco-friendly measures need to be promoted. For instance, dragon flies feed on the larvae of mosquitoes. But we don't see much of dragon flies now due pesticides. To tackle the mosquito menace, we mindlessly use pesticides and we end up hampering the food chain. Hence, we create bigger problems. More eco-friendly practices should be adopted such as growing mosquito repelling plants i.e. lemon grass as well as promote the growth of dragon flies. We need evolve with more environmentally friendly technology. So yes, mobile towers are harmful but there are larger evils that we need to control.
What are some shrubs that we can grow to support bees?
Bees are attracted to plants that produce nectar and pollen. Nectar is a sweet substance that attracts bees, which in turn pollinate plants so they can develop seeds and propagate their species. Bees also need pollen in their diet. Due to modern farming practices, pesticides, deforestation and monocultures there are fewer and fewer food sources for bees, especially in summer. We do not want to do monoculture, we want biodiversity. Feeding mustard only to bees for the next 2 months, is like feeding yourself only with potatoes for two months. Think of what that can do to you. For a balanced habitat for bees, we need to have a mix of Nectar-producing perennials / seasonal plants, spices, aromatic plants, shrubs, trees and nesting space.
Thank you Aamir, for this rather enriching and insightful conversation. We wish you all the best!
Thank you!
CONTACT: 8766327606
Email: rewildlifefarm@gmail.com
Aamir Ahmed
Rewild Life Biodiversity Farms
Sector 143, Noida – 201306
T +91 87663 27606
E rewildlifefarm@gmail.com
Hello, Mr Aamir Ahmed. Can we have an overview of Rewild Life and how it came into being, please?
I cruised through my career working for Swarovski, India Jute Industries – exporting carpets, Corporate Trainer – helping facilitate team building and stress management workshops and trainings. And all along I felt the need for doing something more. My final calling was nature – as I saw the city-Delhi NCR, I grew up in, change drastically. Going from being green to a concrete jungle, the chirping of the sparrow to which I used to wake up went totally missing, the butterflies that I chased – dwindled drastically!! When I along with Anand, a friend and partner, consolidated 17 aces of land in Noida – we had no clue that we would come this far and connect back to nature! Today our 17 acres of land has given us the meaning that I knew was our calling. The first thought was to create a butterfly trail and recreate yesterday for our children. When we initially consolidated the land, we left it untouched for the longest time I can remember. We planted 5000 poplar trees on the periphery and the only thing that was functional on the that piece of land was a dairy farm. Little did we know back then that the trees would give us the lush green environment and all the dung being collected would help us with our organic farm growing into a forest today. Both Anand and I are not from an agricultural background. So, a huge investment of time went into meeting people, exploring similar projects, researching and reading a lot about practices across the globe. We were fortunate to have met with the World Organic Congress in 2017 and collaborate to create a model farm for their conference being held in Greater Noida. We learnt so much from the experience and met with expert farmers, environmentalists and botanist from across 107 countries who visited the farm. With the environment and pollution related issues today – we wanted to see how we could use our farm to increase the awareness of what and how each one of us can contribute to build back the environment. Our environmental literacy program helps people, who visit us, to learn how they can invest into sustainable practices and experience the biodiversity at play. We have created various spots at the farm – Butterfly trail, herb garden, organic farming, water harvesting, solar energy, dairy / dung farm, vermi-composting pits, wetland, wilderness areas. All of these put together help recreate the biodiversity and understand the food chains, importance of pollinators, how marsh lands help birds and water life.
Aamir, how financially sustainable is this project?
Honestly, it was tough to kick off the project. We knew deep down that this is the need of today. But the initial response to the project was a little disheartening. Firstly, Organic practices and sustainable solutions are a little expensive. And let me explain when I say expensive. If you are following organic methods for farming, then you depend a lot on nature to heal itself and use its own resources. Crop rotation, eco-friendly crops, drip irrigation, managing soil nutrients with organic manure, companion planting methods, managing infestation with combinations of crops – all of this tends to be slightly more expensive as well as intensive initially. But once the system falls in place it is cyclic and then it becomes viable.
The second barrier is the mindset… It’s a lifestyle change.!! Being so wired with technology and so attached to the smart gadgets people have lesser appetite for the outdoors. Screen time has over taken the real time. So, it took time for us to take off the project for a while.
There are various ways in which the sustainability adds to your revenue – dairy produce, vermi-composting and organic farm produce. The demand for organic produce is on the rise in both urban and semi urban cities. We have farm visits planned for our customers to hand pick their veggies. We have also invested into medicinal plants and trees that fetch us revenue. Moringa farming helped us in more than just fetching revenue. The tree helps fix nitrogen in the soil as well. We have 3000+ moringa trees at the farm. Other plants that help get good revenue and are a plus on the environment are lemon grass and asparagus amongst others. Environmental literacy program and Argo-tourism is another source of revenue at the farm.
What has your experience been in terms of the response to the experiential learning programme?
It is great to see the commitment of educational institutions into the program. The teachers accompanying the students see a great value of the program – given the experiential hands on exposure that the students gain from the sessions on the farm. A simple statement changing from “my hands are dirty” to “my hands are soiled” is so satisfying. There is an equally good response from corporates – a new mantra for team building and stress management is being outdoors and doing something meaningful. We also visit corporates for talking about simple sustainable methods that they can follow on their own, talk about health, food, environment and the importance of the outdoors. Kitchen gardening – on a patch of land, in your balconies or in small pots on your kitchen window!! We conduct classes where we teach how you can maintain a small garden in the limited space you may have. The idea is not to visit a biodiversity hotspot but to be aware of things, learn how to contribute and create a bio-diverse environment around your place. The response has been extremely good! The children gave us an overwhelming response. They were really enthusiastic and upcoming. They enjoyed the place to the extent where they kept wanting to come back. A lot many times I am asked the question “Are you a farmer?” I am not a farmer by education; I am more of an environmentalist by passion and enjoys the experience of exploring nature. That is evidence that this space is open to all and holds possibility for anyone who is up for learning and connecting to nature.
What are your future plan?
Farm to Forest: Our baby steps have got us here... the start of a journey. We have a long way to go. Understanding nature and its ways to auto heal itself, the sustainable methods that help nurture it are unlimited. Every day is a new learning as we set out to ensure that we share that knowledge. We are going to continue building our farm into a forest so that there is something for everyone to connect back to nature!
In the Times, I read that bees lose their sense of direction due to mobile towers and so they go extinct. Is that true?
Did you know that most of the pollination is done by solitary bees, who don't make honey? Honeybee only do around 10% of the pollination. That is another awareness we want people to spread. We want people to know how to create a biodiverse environment to support not just honeybees but the solitary bees as well, who do the maximum amount of work. In China, they have already started doing pollination manually with brushes due to the drastic decline in the bee population. Not many are aware about solitary bees other than honeybees. We need to create food and nesting sites for them - natural or the ones created by drilling holes in wood timber. It is highly important to understand this balance that we need for the overall survival. Coming to your question now - Partially, the mobile towers do impact the bees. But, it is not the mobile towers alone that causes this damage. Things that excessively harm the bees, birds and butterflies are the chemical fertilizers, fogging systems, etc. that we use. As a quick fix, we spray pesticides to kill mosquitoes. But in the process, we kill a whole lot of beneficial insects and organism. Mindless use of pesticides, cutting down of trees and hampering natural habitats must stop. Intelligent and eco-friendly measures need to be promoted. For instance, dragon flies feed on the larvae of mosquitoes. But we don't see much of dragon flies now due pesticides. To tackle the mosquito menace, we mindlessly use pesticides and we end up hampering the food chain. Hence, we create bigger problems. More eco-friendly practices should be adopted such as growing mosquito repelling plants i.e. lemon grass as well as promote the growth of dragon flies. We need evolve with more environmentally friendly technology. So yes, mobile towers are harmful but there are larger evils that we need to control.
What are some shrubs that we can grow to support bees?
Bees are attracted to plants that produce nectar and pollen. Nectar is a sweet substance that attracts bees, which in turn pollinate plants so they can develop seeds and propagate their species. Bees also need pollen in their diet. Due to modern farming practices, pesticides, deforestation and monocultures there are fewer and fewer food sources for bees, especially in summer. We do not want to do monoculture, we want biodiversity. Feeding mustard only to bees for the next 2 months, is like feeding yourself only with potatoes for two months. Think of what that can do to you. For a balanced habitat for bees, we need to have a mix of Nectar-producing perennials / seasonal plants, spices, aromatic plants, shrubs, trees and nesting space.
Thank you Aamir, for this rather enriching and insightful conversation. We wish you all the best!
Thank you!
CONTACT: 8766327606
Email: rewildlifefarm@gmail.com
Aamir Ahmed
Rewild Life Biodiversity Farms
Sector 143, Noida – 201306
T +91 87663 27606
E rewildlifefarm@gmail.com
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