In her quest to give back to society, Ms Anamika Bist chose to get city dwellers to practice farming through a small subscription fee. Hence, the birth of Village Story.
Tell us about the inception of this idea - The Village Story.
I am Anamika. To give you a little bit of my background, I graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology from Delhi. For about 20 years, I was in apparel retail sector working on brand development, merchandising, designing, etc. We started this venture 2 years back in Bangalore. This venture was not a sudden, overnight decision. Our health was getting affected - either myself or someone in the family, or in our friends' circle. Every house was going through some element of adverse effect because we were not practicing the right lifestyle. That was a trigger for The Village Story. The Village Story is a venture with a vision to facilitate city dwellers to experience the pleasure of connecting people to the roots. When I talk about roots, we talk about everything from farming to where good food comes from, it is about going back to basics. We started practicing farming which got converted into community farming. Earlier I did it all alone. Today we call it experiential square foot farming. We give opportunity to our subscribers to come join hands through a subscription model. We have 3 months, 6 months, 9 months or 12 months subscription. The client gets a patch of land to grow the produce of her choice and we facilitate supplies of seeds, compost alongside sowing and growing, irrigation , deweeding and maintenance of the patch through the subscription period. We encourage our community get connected to the soil. Get their hands muddy, sow the seeds, and nurture their crops and see them flourish or at times even perish when exposed to unfavourable conditions. I didn't know anything about farming until I began The Village Story. So, everything that I have learnt or am still learning is through hands-on experience. We have so much more to learn. When I started this community farming, knowing I am no farming expert, I organized some workshops on organic farming methods wherein we got experts to talk on farming, the importance of chemical-free food, etc. which helped initiate a basic understanding and laid a foundation of our efforts. While are at the farm in the village we got exposed to various cottage industries around in the area. Many neighbouring households have some or the other cottage industry being run. These are not factories or operated with hired labour but by the household itself. There are things like banana chips, saree weaving, disposable tableware from organic plant material etc. In the Agarahara Village, there are about 70-80 families involved in saree weaving. After farming, when I had the time, I began going around in the village to see what was happening there and then I gradually got my community farmers to go around the village with me. We do responsible village walk and responsible farm tourism as well. Village Story as a farm has tied up with few farms outside and inside Bangalore where we can show people drip irrigation, ploughing, etc. We show them things that happen on big farms. We show them things that do not happen in the Village Story. Village Story being a small farm, cannot entail every experience of a big farm. We also do lot of workshops and events in the Village Story. For example, recently we had mushroom farming workshop. We have conducted workshops on growing micro greens. We have a small meditation and yoga centre as well. We have tied up with schools. We go to schools and partner with schools’ learning programmes on farming and other aspects as well.
What is Farmers’ Market?
Farmer's market is a place where farmers can come sell their product without any third party involved. Products need to be organic and eco-friendly and anybody and everybody can participate. We started organizing santes in collaboration with our farm partners. This initiative so far has been done as a service to the organic and natural farming community as well as eco-friendly cottage industries’ community as it is totally free for the participants. Through this we envisage too provide market exposure to the farmers. They get an opportunity to meet the end consumers. The spread of products at the farmer’s market is as varied as grains, vegetables, fruits to oils, cosmetics, tableware and handicrafts all produced sustainably. Even the vendors who set up food stalls qualify under the criteria of “natural produce” who sell freshly prepared healthy food and snacks at the fair. Apart from sale of produce we also organize activities and experiential workshops within the farmer’s markets. Activities like pottery making, Kite making, kite flying, Puppet shows etc are also conducted there. These are things that are missing in our urban lifestyles today. Then, we call subject experts to talk during these farmers' markets. We have had experts conduct workshops on home composting, we have had talks about hydroponics, alternate ways of farming, etc. So, the Farmers' Market is not just about farmers selling their products. It is also a forum to share knowledge and promote new concepts like solar cooking, eco-friendly products & DIY workshops etc. We host Framers' market outside Village Story as well in real farm, malls, IT parks , apartments & schools . In fact Village Story is quite a small place. We need space to do Farmers' Market on regular basis. Today, every space is very expensive. If there are farms that are located almost touching the town and we don't have to travel 100s of kms to host Framers' Market, we are happy to do it.
And, these are run in the form of businesses right?
Yes. We try and build revenue through what we do and make it a self sustainable venture.
What are some of the issues that you face?
People really appreciate the venture and often give us lot more ideas as well. Having said that, even though most urbanites connect intellectually with the concept most are unable to find time or the energy to actually connect and spend time with us. Urban lifestyles are so regimented today……. Saturdays and Sundays are kept aside for malls, movies, dining out, meeting friends etc. We don't have many people who come regularly.
My family and I spend time on the farm regularly. My daughter, although very young, is almost like a team member. For other families, going to a resort is easier in comparison to spending time at a farm. Children today are exposed to so many distractions of the modern age that they are completely untouched by the experience of the outdoors and farm life yet. They have yet to envision getting their hands dirty in the soil to sow and grow something as a fun activity, which it truly is. It’s the initiation that is a constraint right now, once initiated there are very few who don’t continue to enjoy it. Hopefully this will change in due course as a new wave of ecological consciousness is sweeping the globe slowly but surely…Nations are looking back at natural and organic farming methods and lifestyles and investing in cutting edge research to build sustainable urban models.
The Village Story is at one location or do you have different patches at different places?
The Village Story is only at one space right now. It is in Agarahara Village, near Jakkur Lake in Bangalore. But we do expect to have more locations in Bangalore in future.
Is this a group-based organization or is it individual based?
It is an individual-based organization and we have two helpers and a manager at the farm.
How does the subscription fee work?
We have a minimum subscription of Rs 2000/- per month and the minimum subscription one has to take is for 3 months. This is an experiential subscription and we want people to come in and get their hands dirty at the farm. Whatever they produce is theirs which they can share with their friends and family. For this fee, you can visit the farm anytime between 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on any day. The subscription entitles the client to a 7X7 ft. farming plot. Typically subscription is suited for a family of 4 – 5, not more.
How about your water source?
We have our own bore well.
Do you have organic certification?
We do natural farming. We have a trademark for Village Story but we are not thinking of taking up any kind of certification because we are not selling anything anywhere. I do things at Village Framing the way I would do things in my kitchen garden.
Ms. Anamika, any last thoughts before we wrap up?
I believe people need to get connected to nature in some form or the other. It needn't be farming. Join tree plantations, lake movements, recycling or waste segregation – anything! I think for all humans, getting connected to one concept and giving back to nature goes a long way in creating security for generations to come. This is important – very important!
Contact
Ms.Anamika Bist,
Village Story,
Somappana Layout , 56/1 ,
337-Agrahara Village ,
Sampigehalli Main Road , Jakkur Post,
Yehalanka , Bangalore,
Karnataka 560064 India.
Tel : 91-9740700900
E : anamika.bist@villagestory.co.in
Tell us about the inception of this idea - The Village Story.
I am Anamika. To give you a little bit of my background, I graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology from Delhi. For about 20 years, I was in apparel retail sector working on brand development, merchandising, designing, etc. We started this venture 2 years back in Bangalore. This venture was not a sudden, overnight decision. Our health was getting affected - either myself or someone in the family, or in our friends' circle. Every house was going through some element of adverse effect because we were not practicing the right lifestyle. That was a trigger for The Village Story. The Village Story is a venture with a vision to facilitate city dwellers to experience the pleasure of connecting people to the roots. When I talk about roots, we talk about everything from farming to where good food comes from, it is about going back to basics. We started practicing farming which got converted into community farming. Earlier I did it all alone. Today we call it experiential square foot farming. We give opportunity to our subscribers to come join hands through a subscription model. We have 3 months, 6 months, 9 months or 12 months subscription. The client gets a patch of land to grow the produce of her choice and we facilitate supplies of seeds, compost alongside sowing and growing, irrigation , deweeding and maintenance of the patch through the subscription period. We encourage our community get connected to the soil. Get their hands muddy, sow the seeds, and nurture their crops and see them flourish or at times even perish when exposed to unfavourable conditions. I didn't know anything about farming until I began The Village Story. So, everything that I have learnt or am still learning is through hands-on experience. We have so much more to learn. When I started this community farming, knowing I am no farming expert, I organized some workshops on organic farming methods wherein we got experts to talk on farming, the importance of chemical-free food, etc. which helped initiate a basic understanding and laid a foundation of our efforts. While are at the farm in the village we got exposed to various cottage industries around in the area. Many neighbouring households have some or the other cottage industry being run. These are not factories or operated with hired labour but by the household itself. There are things like banana chips, saree weaving, disposable tableware from organic plant material etc. In the Agarahara Village, there are about 70-80 families involved in saree weaving. After farming, when I had the time, I began going around in the village to see what was happening there and then I gradually got my community farmers to go around the village with me. We do responsible village walk and responsible farm tourism as well. Village Story as a farm has tied up with few farms outside and inside Bangalore where we can show people drip irrigation, ploughing, etc. We show them things that happen on big farms. We show them things that do not happen in the Village Story. Village Story being a small farm, cannot entail every experience of a big farm. We also do lot of workshops and events in the Village Story. For example, recently we had mushroom farming workshop. We have conducted workshops on growing micro greens. We have a small meditation and yoga centre as well. We have tied up with schools. We go to schools and partner with schools’ learning programmes on farming and other aspects as well.
What is Farmers’ Market?
Farmer's market is a place where farmers can come sell their product without any third party involved. Products need to be organic and eco-friendly and anybody and everybody can participate. We started organizing santes in collaboration with our farm partners. This initiative so far has been done as a service to the organic and natural farming community as well as eco-friendly cottage industries’ community as it is totally free for the participants. Through this we envisage too provide market exposure to the farmers. They get an opportunity to meet the end consumers. The spread of products at the farmer’s market is as varied as grains, vegetables, fruits to oils, cosmetics, tableware and handicrafts all produced sustainably. Even the vendors who set up food stalls qualify under the criteria of “natural produce” who sell freshly prepared healthy food and snacks at the fair. Apart from sale of produce we also organize activities and experiential workshops within the farmer’s markets. Activities like pottery making, Kite making, kite flying, Puppet shows etc are also conducted there. These are things that are missing in our urban lifestyles today. Then, we call subject experts to talk during these farmers' markets. We have had experts conduct workshops on home composting, we have had talks about hydroponics, alternate ways of farming, etc. So, the Farmers' Market is not just about farmers selling their products. It is also a forum to share knowledge and promote new concepts like solar cooking, eco-friendly products & DIY workshops etc. We host Framers' market outside Village Story as well in real farm, malls, IT parks , apartments & schools . In fact Village Story is quite a small place. We need space to do Farmers' Market on regular basis. Today, every space is very expensive. If there are farms that are located almost touching the town and we don't have to travel 100s of kms to host Framers' Market, we are happy to do it.
And, these are run in the form of businesses right?
Yes. We try and build revenue through what we do and make it a self sustainable venture.
What are some of the issues that you face?
People really appreciate the venture and often give us lot more ideas as well. Having said that, even though most urbanites connect intellectually with the concept most are unable to find time or the energy to actually connect and spend time with us. Urban lifestyles are so regimented today……. Saturdays and Sundays are kept aside for malls, movies, dining out, meeting friends etc. We don't have many people who come regularly.
My family and I spend time on the farm regularly. My daughter, although very young, is almost like a team member. For other families, going to a resort is easier in comparison to spending time at a farm. Children today are exposed to so many distractions of the modern age that they are completely untouched by the experience of the outdoors and farm life yet. They have yet to envision getting their hands dirty in the soil to sow and grow something as a fun activity, which it truly is. It’s the initiation that is a constraint right now, once initiated there are very few who don’t continue to enjoy it. Hopefully this will change in due course as a new wave of ecological consciousness is sweeping the globe slowly but surely…Nations are looking back at natural and organic farming methods and lifestyles and investing in cutting edge research to build sustainable urban models.
The Village Story is at one location or do you have different patches at different places?
The Village Story is only at one space right now. It is in Agarahara Village, near Jakkur Lake in Bangalore. But we do expect to have more locations in Bangalore in future.
Is this a group-based organization or is it individual based?
It is an individual-based organization and we have two helpers and a manager at the farm.
How does the subscription fee work?
We have a minimum subscription of Rs 2000/- per month and the minimum subscription one has to take is for 3 months. This is an experiential subscription and we want people to come in and get their hands dirty at the farm. Whatever they produce is theirs which they can share with their friends and family. For this fee, you can visit the farm anytime between 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on any day. The subscription entitles the client to a 7X7 ft. farming plot. Typically subscription is suited for a family of 4 – 5, not more.
How about your water source?
We have our own bore well.
Do you have organic certification?
We do natural farming. We have a trademark for Village Story but we are not thinking of taking up any kind of certification because we are not selling anything anywhere. I do things at Village Framing the way I would do things in my kitchen garden.
Ms. Anamika, any last thoughts before we wrap up?
I believe people need to get connected to nature in some form or the other. It needn't be farming. Join tree plantations, lake movements, recycling or waste segregation – anything! I think for all humans, getting connected to one concept and giving back to nature goes a long way in creating security for generations to come. This is important – very important!
Contact
Ms.Anamika Bist,
Village Story,
Somappana Layout , 56/1 ,
337-Agrahara Village ,
Sampigehalli Main Road , Jakkur Post,
Yehalanka , Bangalore,
Karnataka 560064 India.
Tel : 91-9740700900
E : anamika.bist@villagestory.co.in
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