Sublime and simple, these farms in India provide an authentic and interactive experience of rural life, buoyed by the growing interest in sustainability and organic experiences.
MharoKhet, Rajasthan
MharoKhet, an experiential farm experience and a gamut of exotic and native herbs, fruits, and vegetables grown naturally without any chemicals. The estate is a home to more than 80 varieties of nutritious crops located on the outskirts of Jodhpur and is a primarily women-run operation with members who live under a 5 km radius from the farm. The experience involves farm tours, culinary trails of seven-course pre-plated plant-forward meals, a flagship experience, and private dinings under a canopy of trees and a two-decade-old guava orchard. “Food connects people, and whilst envisioning experiences, we thought a culinary one would make sense (most people had discovered their inner MasterChef during Covid!). We were growing chemical-free produce, and we wanted this fresh produce to be at the forefront of the food; in amalgam with being vegetarian ourselves and having an inherent passion towards experimental cooking, we chose the culinary experience to be plant-forward,” says Rajnush Aggarwal, founder of MharoKhet.
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Bon Farmhouse, Sikkim
Bon farmhouse offers a ‘back to nature’ experience of staying in a typical village farm ambience of Sikkim in Kewzing Village with a Bonpo Family. The farmhouse has rich livestock inventory for providing fresh milk and eggs for a healthy and nutritious meal. The Farmhouse has an area of four acres of cultivated fields, tea gardens and six acres of lush green cardamom forest surrounding the area making your stay relaxing and peaceful amidst the natural village atmosphere.
Varanashi Organic Farm, Karnataka
Located 50 km southeast of Mangalore, this 200-year-old organic farm is spread over 100 acres and aims at simulating the diversity and eco-friendliness of the natural forests in farming and farm practices. During their stay, guests are encouraged to engage in organic farming activities such as planting seeds, harvesting, post-harvest processing of crops, etc. In addition, they can learn how to compost farm waste and turn it into a bio-fertiliser for the land, which sees a bounty of vegetables and fruits, and 95 per cent of the food prepared for the guests comes from there. Guests also have the option to choose to stay at the treehouse. Interestingly, none of the trees has been pierced in the construction and their roots continue to grow naturally. The farm also upcycles the farm waste into compost and has a biogas unit on the plot of land. Along with this, around 55 people from the nearby Kepu village are involved in the farm activities, cooking, cleaning, and making biofertilizer.
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Dewalokam, Kerala
Dewalokam is a homestay, a B&B, and a specialty lodging all merged into one, in an organic farm, in the deep interiors of Kerala. Surrounded by nature and the sound of water filling your morning, Dewakolam is situated in Karimannoor, the spice belt of the state. The ancestral farm of Alilakuzhy family, an ancient Syrian Christian family, the farm produces milk and honey, fruits and vegetables, eggs and meat all in a truly organic way. With activities like spice walks, bird watching and rubber processing, the stay offers a mriad of activities to visitors.
