The project was to design an integrated plan to create a habitat for the Desai family at their parcel of land near Thol Village. The brief was to create a beautiful place for the family that is food and water secure, and has a highly diverse native ecosystem that reflects the cultural and nutritional diversity of our bio region.
This system would have many moments and shaded spots for coming together, rest, and rejuvenation. As the site was completely barren, we addressed the urgent need for green cover and privacy by planting a dense and impenetrable living fence with native thorny and hardy plants that will shield the site from prying eyes and from hot dry winds in the summer, to create a ‘micro climate’ in the site.
The food forest ecosystem we will design will consist of a wide variety of edible and fruit producing trees that will be supported by various other ornamental, medicinal, and timber producing species that will perform various beneficial functions like supporting pollinators, harbouring predators of insect pests, fixing atmospheric Nitrogen in the soil, cycling minerals, providing aesthetic beauty and creating fields of fragrances that are pleasing to us but confuse pests.
We developed a polyculture based system which takes care of the land while providing a healthy yield. The supportive species rejuvenate the soil, create a rich fungal network, and decrease if not eliminate the need for constant fertilisation. The layout will be less commercially productive than the conventional system, but will perform better over the long and short term while yielding higher quality of fruit.