There is a sharp rise in the demand for sustainable housing options in India and the world. A sustainable building should use recycled materials or conserve energy and contribute to the physical health of the residents. Adding greenery to the living spaces is one of the many things a sustainable building must have. Our last article, Vertical Forests Towers, talks about the sustainability of such structures; you can read more about it here.
However, eating fresh organic food and the air you breathe are equally important. Gone are those days when every family had huge agricultural lands and our ancestors knew how to grow food. But what if I tell you such building concepts are making their way into the present, and some companies design and build houses alongside a community garden? These are nothing but Agrihoods.
Agrihoods are a cluster of homes built on the grounds of sustainable development and community development, which encourages an environment of responsible living, collaboration and sharing, and organic farming.⁽¹⁾ There are many Agrihoods worldwide; I am discussing Agritopia.
Agritopia
Agritopia, a unique community located in Arizona, 30 miles outside of Phoenix, United States, is a self-contained sustainable neighbourhood that gives you the best of an urban lifestyle and an agricultural space to grow your produce.⁽²⁾ The houses in Agritopia are built with sustainable concepts like rainwater harvesting, waste recycling, energy-efficient design and the use of environment-friendly construction materials. Agritopia has gone one step ahead and has introduced the Farm-to-Table
philosophy. Through this new system, residents can understand how sustainable farming is done by participating in farming activities and learn to appreciate the food grown in the area while having the facility to purchase good quality organic fresh food every day.⁽³⁾
Figure 1: An Agritopia community(2)
The community is a mix of residential and commercial spaces, thus allowing residents to live and work in this area, thereby preventing the need for extensive transportation. At the heart of the community are the farms. Around 10-12 acres of land is used to grow certified organic crops.
And for residents interested in growing their crops, there are 50 or more community garden plots to increase their produce. Various events are conducted, such as community celebrations, farmers markets, etc., to build the community atmosphere within this community. In short, Agritopia is where production, beauty and education meet.⁽⁴⁾
But what about in India? With urbanisation, many rural communities moved to cities for a better lifestyle and economic opportunities. But we need to fix how we plan and build cities. To counter urbanise towns and bring back the sustainability of a rural community, an agrihood community began in India, and they call themselves Organo.
Organo
Organo is a group of architects, engineers, and environmental consultants who run a design firm that builds sustainable living structures called eco-habitats in India that encourage responsible living with a vision of ‘Counter Urbanisation’.⁽⁵⁾ Integrating the seven strands of sustainability into the buildings, Organo builds homes that include food, water, air, earth, energy, shelter and community development within the living spaces.⁽⁵⁾
Organo Nandi, located 17km from Hyderabad city, is a sustainable living space with an environment-conscious community of residents.⁽⁶⁾ These 33 acres of land have a mixture of residential and community spaces built around a huge organic farm. The beauty of Organo Nandi is the perfect
blend of modern villa amenities and a space for collective and personal farming.⁽⁶⁾
Figure 2: A gorgeous view of the Organo Nandi project(6)
The Organo Antharam project has a cluster of homes built around a central gathering place, ‘Cluster Club’.⁽⁷⁾ The homes are designed to be along zig-zag streets where every house overlooks a farm or a forest. That creates a natural ventilation pattern, a Rachabanda meeting junction emulating rural structure.⁽⁷⁾
The houses in Antharam are designed to be net zero in emissions and water secure by ensuring rainwater harvesting methods fulfil the demands during droughts or irregular water supply. About 50% of the
land is for trees and fruit plantations, which gives ample opportunities for utilising all the composted waste generated at the houses.⁽⁷⁾
Indeed, our ancestors did something genuinely right, enabling them to live longer and healthier. With sustainable concepts like Agrihood and Organo, we hope many residents would know of such exceptional facilities and choose to live/ design beautiful self-sustaining communities. I would invest my money in such a vibrant, healthy community. Would you?
Credits
The article was strategised by Deepa Sai, founder of ecoHQ
The article was authored by Jenifer F Dsouza, an environmental consultant with an M.S. degree from The University of Manchester, U.K. She has over seven years of experience in water technologies and is an ESG consultant. She advocates for environmental consciousness and is a content and technical writer for ecological issues. She has authored 11 peer-reviewed journals during her academic research with collaborative projects with MIT University, Boston.
References
- ’12 Agrihoods taking farm to table living mainstream’, Shareable, www.shareable.net/12-agrihoods-taking-farm-to-table-living-mainstream, 14- 05-2014
- ‘About Agritopia’, https://agritopia.com/#about
- ‘Agritopia, Gilbert, AZ (Best Tour)’, Escape to Arizon, Youtube video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04lV1gpiS30, 23-06-2022
- ‘The farm at Agritopia’, This Week in Louisiana Agriculture, youtube video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqjBtknWobw, 21-01-2017
- ‘Sustainable farmhouses that offer rurban life’, Organo, https://www.organo.co.in/blog/sustainable-farmhouses-that-offer-rurban-life, 23-03-2023
- Naandi, Organo, https://www.organo.co.in/naandi
- ‘Can apartments be net zero?’, Organo, https://www.organo.co.in/blog/can-apartments-be-net-zero, 26-05-2023