The Conference part of the IPC India 2017, scheduled on November 25th and 26th, was be held at Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU). PJTSAU, named in honour and memory of Professor Jayashankar, an eminent educationist and an ardent Telangana ideologue, is the only Farm University of Telangana state. Talks happened in the main hall during the plenary sessions and in the main hall and secondary halls for the parallel sessions. A demonstration pavilion was open all day for anyone curious about Indian traditional practices and an area was dedicated to exhibition stalls. To support parents attending the extensive Conference, a concurrent schedule to engage children in enriching and educational earth activities was set up for children aged 4 and above.
HYDERABAD, TELANGANA, INDIA
Two years ago, Polam was a huge barren land suffering from extreme amount of soil erosion leading to depleting health of its soil. A story of incredible change: in November, the young 96-acre farm was the gathering place of the IPC India 2017 Convergence part. Its custodians, Supriya and Anil Gaddam, always welcome visitors with warm, huge smiles. In 2015, they started developing the land with the strong vision to make it a regenerative, eco friendly and sustainable place. They were highly inspired by Narsanna Koppula, their Permaculture Design Course teacher, and his twenty-year old dense, diversified and abundant edible forest farm situated 10 km away from Zaheerabad. Coincidentally, the same year, Narsanna Koppula’s NGO Aranya Agricultural Alternatives was chosen to host the 13th International Permaculture Convergence and he accepted the offer of his former students to set up IPC village at Polam farm. Since then, Aranya’s team has worked on the development of this site with an ambitious goal: be ready to welcome more than 500 Indian and International participants during five days and provide them with organic food grown at the farm applying permaculture principles all along the process. And it happened!
MEDAK DISTRICT, TELANGANA, INDIA
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Aranya Agricultural Alternatives