How to avoid having to abandon your farm project halfway through.

Farm project planning in India often begins with a dream — a typical urban dweller harbors the desire to acquire some farm land, build a farmhouse and imagines a grove of trees that will produce sellable harvest every year. Toss in a veggie garden, some  trees or plants to beautify the area. And as you progress down this path, you start facing challenges one after the other. Fencing, water constraints, staff for looking after the farm because you can only be there over the weekend, etc, etc. As the costs rise, the imagined dream dwindles over time, you begin to scale down, frustrations rise, the weekend trips decrease, and finally you decide to sell off the land.

This may not be everyone’s story, but it is quite the average story of an urban dweller who looks to buy agricultural land to fulfill that unmet need to disconnect from city life.

Our search for agricultural land began quite a few years back. Truth be told, till recently, we simply did not take the plunge for one of many reasons:

• Legal – the further you go from the city, the more difficult it becomes to verify the documents. It becomes even more challenging if you happen to live in a state where your mother tongue is not the local language. Finding a trustworthy and competent lawyer to verify documents that are in a language that we didn’t understand was a recurring deterrent for us. Further, many states have specific restrictions with respect to who can buy agricultural land.
• Security – finding someone has encroached on your land is not something unheard of and the possibility merits a serious evaluation.
• Language barrier – if and when you do finalize a piece of land, you will invariably be dependent on the local community. Be it for technical help, labour, staff, dealing with the local government departments, etc. And that will mean knowing the local language.
• Access to water – climate change is a reality. Water levels in and around a city like Bengaluru are receding every year. Sure you can dig a bore well or two, but how long will you rely on sucking water from stressed land?
• Access to electricity – electricity supply is patchy in the rural areas. You may even need to pay a hefty sum to get a line in case there isn’t one already. Most rural areas in Bengaluru effectively get 4 hours of electricity. A 24-hour connection requires a higher fee. Again, an unavoidable cost one must keep in mind.
• Connectivity to markets, hospitals – despite the need to disconnect, this is a practical requirement and there needs to be a balance between isolation and infrastructure. How far is the nearest railway station, bus stand, metro or airport? Are the connecting roads good? Questions one must ask at the time of evaluating your farm land.
• Availability of labour and resources – unless you are the Sultan of Brunei, no amount of money will replace the need for local labour. Availability of resources (mud, stone, wood, etc) can significantly bring down your construction cost.
• Clarity on future expenses – farm project planning in India is a capital intensive process and costs will spring up in places that are difficult to anticipate. Unless you have an experienced person to guide you.

The fact is, till we ran into Dheeraj at Dee Mandala farms, one of more of these questions plagued us and for good reason. Yes, the land called out to us immediately. But more than that, we found the following aspects working for us.

• The papers were legit, easily verifiable at the registrar office and on the government website. They were in English, which made the task easier for us. A local advocate did the scrutiny and gave us the green signal. We had Dee’s full cooperation and he did a fair amount of the leg work for us.
• With friends like Harsha having already purchased land in the same area, we had a trusted friend who could communicate in Kannada if required. And as we progressed with the deal, we found it extremely easy to rely on Dee’s good advice. Having managed his farm for years, he knew exactly who to talk to and for what. The language barrier was easily overcome.
• The presence of a large lake within Dee Mandala Farm ensured a stabler water table. And for electricity, we just had to get a connection.
• While the farm felt remote and disconnected, the nearest railway station was 15 mins away. The nearest airport – a 45 minute drive and the nearest metro station about the same. Shops within 15 mins and medical aid within a few miles. That ticked boxes for us.
• Within the fully functional Dee Mandala Farm, we found reliable access to manpower. While Dheeraj himself brought immense knowledge and experience in managing land and growing on it.

But the biggest discovery for us was not ticking these boxes. It was finding Ananas.

Led by Jananee, the team at Ananas took on the mantle of helping us design Earthness™ as a resilient, self-sufficient, sustainable farm that honored the ethics and design principles of permaculture. With a clear view of the costs involved. That journey, in itself, merits a few journal posts. Which I shall do next.

The road to building a farm away from the city is not an easy one — but with the right land, the right team and the right design philosophy, it is absolutely achievable.

Wishing to buy land and build a farm away from the city is a something many city folks will connect with. The road however, is not an easy one. We have successfully completed two stages. One, the land has been acquired. Two, a solid design plan is in place. We also have the right team that will help us bring the blueprint to life. While you may not be lucky on all fronts, like we have, I do hope this post helps you with a few things you should watch out for.

Farm project planning in India is rarely straightforward, but with the right land, the right team and the right design philosophy, it is absolutely achievable.

I’ll talk about our incredible land design journey in the coming posts. In the meantime, reach out to me with your thoughts, suggestions and queries. I will be more than happy to help with any answers that I may have.

You can also follow our journey on our Instagram handle.