* Water Conservation Initiatives by Akshayakalpa Organic
Water conservation at Akshayakalpa Organic isn't a practice—it's a lifestyle. We approach water management holistically, beginning with trench and bund construction to harvest and hold rainwater and minimize soil erosion. Our five man-made farm ponds, with an aggregate capacity of 25 lakh liters, are important reservoirs for holding surplus rainwater and are a big contributor to recharging groundwater. We have also established wells and rooftop rainwater collection systems throughout our dairy farms to provide water round the year to our crops.
Effective irrigation is also a major priority. In arid regions, we employ drip irrigation to manage water supply carefully, nourishing our vegetable beds without wastage. Our Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) and rainwater harvesting systems are important in ensuring a sustainable water cycle.
We also believe in working with nature. We plant trees along our bunds annually to support groundwater recharge. Rather than depending on monoculture crops such as arecanut and sugarcane, we diversify our fields and follow innovative farming methods like aerobic composting and the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) for paddy cultivation. Our methods that utilize biochar, slurry, and aerobic compost in soil care, and incorporating dairy farming to regulate the water cycle all help lower virtual water use. All this has resulted in a drastic lowering of Akshayakalpa Organic's virtual water footprint for the production of a kilo of mixed vegetables that normally stands at 150-180 liters, far below India's national average of 220-300 liters.
Additionally, these rainwater conservation systems, implemented at our model farms in Tiptur, Pooriyampakkam, and Shadnagar, have been successfully replicated across all our farmer farms. This ensures that every Akshayakalpa farmer follows sustainable water management as an integral part of organic farming practices.
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