Solitude Farm and Cafe
Solitude Farm was started in 1996 by a group of young Aurovillians. One of them, Krishna McKenzie, inspired by Masanobu Fukuoka, developed the farm with the ideas of natural farming and permaculture.
History of the Farm
Krishna’s dream of meeting his guru came true in 2002 when Fukuoka revisited India after a long time. Much like the rest of Auroville, the barren land on which the farm flourishes now, needed tending and care. Fukuoka advocated that all the bio-resources around us, such as leaves, weeds, branches, etc., should constantly be returned to the soil to increase soil fertility. Realizing that this philosophy should be the basis of our work, no pesticides or fertilizers were used on the land. The farm slowly evolved into 100% non-tillage and the machines and tractors gradually were eliminated.
Today the farm boasts a huge variety of fruits like papaya, banana, sapotas, guavas, bread fruit, mangoes, ramphal; vegetables such as okra, sword beans, corn, plantain, radish, brinjal; edible weeds like ballon vine, climbing pea brinjal, turkey berry, sasaparella; flowers like butter fly pea, hibiscus, portalaca along with grains like fox tail millets, varagu, horse tail millets, finger millet and red rice and so much more.
Opening the Farm Cafe
In 2008, with a need for financial sustainability and a refusal to compromise on Fukuoka’s vision of natural farming, it became clear that the solution was simply to value the local foods that grow easily all around us and incorporate them into the food that we eat. Thus we began serving these local foods in our farm to plate café. By valuing these foods on a daily basis the café has facilitated an ongoing exploration of this vast treasure trove of nutrition that has really become the cornerstone of what Solitude Farm stands for – honouring the gifts of Mother Nature.
Today our café serves smoothies, coolers, vegan ice creams, vegan chai and coffees, wild weeds sushi, salads and the ever-changing Thali of the day made from produce that is harvested daily.
Along with this exploration of our nutritional heritage, has emerged the need for education; Solitude Farm hosts numerous workshops hosting schools, workshops and the now much coveted weekly farm tour.
Emergence Band
Krishna, also the front-man of the band Emergence, always struggled with the idea that farming was his work and music something else. Music is an adhesive that brings people together. Along with arts and culture, celebration forms the core of a community’s identity. This identity also being inextricably linked to a community’s intimate knowledge of the foods growing around them; a cultural/nutritional identity.
Listen to Emergence on Spotify here.
Thus, Lively Up Your Earth (LUYE) an eco-music festival came about. LUYE celebrates the creativity in our community through music, arts and local food.
The importance and relevance of this subject today has led to Krishna becoming a well known motivational speaker. Krishna travels with his project, People Food Music, bringing together food, education and celebration to schools, universities and various groups.
A road back to nature through three simple steps:
- Honour all organic matter, our bio-resources and return it to the land. This is our profit, not financial, but nutritional. All wellbeing starts with a healthy soil.
- Honour all the gifts that Mother Nature offers to us. Honouring them means eating them.
- Building community through celebration and education on the diverse values of local food.
Since 1996, the vision of Masanobu Fukuoka has led us to explore in-depth the vast diversity of local foods around us. There are over 200 plants, including wild greens, flowers, fruit, vegetables, oilseeds, cereals and grains, grams and pulses on 6 acres of land. Many of these plants are not even found in shops, they are not a product of industrialized agriculture and thus the challenge we face at Solitude is how to re-value these plants within our community for their nutritional/medicinal/cultural/social/economic and ecological value. Re-valuing starts with the consumer eating local food and exploring how to bring these benefits into all levels of society.
- A farm-to-plate restaurant, open from Monday to Saturday. Breakfast is served between 9:00 am to 11 am and lunch from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm. An array of cooling juices, vegan smoothies and ice-cream, farm-to-plate meals and café-made desserts are available. The Thali of the Day is our main meal consisting of a wide diversity of fresh seasonal produce.
- Local Food Basket Service - A commitment to your health – a weekly basket filled with a collage of seasonal fruits and vegetables, along with a unique juice kit to ensure a complete nutritional package.
- Education at Solitude Farm is all about reconnecting with local food. Local food is our nutritional heritage and at Solitude we help bring awareness and adoption of locally grown produce in our daily lives.
Workshops at Solitude:
A 3 Day Intensive Permaculture Weekend Workshop
Join us on a road back to nature with this intensive and hands-on workshop that will empower you to start growing your own food and gain insight into knowing where your food comes from. Explore the principles of permaculture; mulching, rotations, intercropping, understand the steps to create a food forest, start a nursery, make your own soap and recycle your waste water, learn about seed saving and lots more.
Available dates of the workshop: 4th to 6th July 2025 | 15th to 17th August 2025 | 12th to 14th September 2025 | 3rd to 5th October 2025 | 26th to 28 December 2025 | 23rd to 25th January 2026 | 20th to 22nd February 2026 | 13th to 15th March 2026
View schedule and book here: https://solitude.farm/workshop/
Mini Permaculture Workshop
We offer mini permaculture workshops as private bookings for the group size 4 + participants. Duration: 2 hours
The group can select any workshop module mentioned below. Please email us at: solitudepermaculture@gmail.com for the booking.
1. Introduction to permaculture through local food
Solitude Farm is a true example of Masanobu Fukuoka’s philosophy in practice – a road back to nature through eating local food. In this workshop explore the wide diversity of plants that grow around us, their countless benefits, and delectable taste and even learn how to make your own vegan sushi, salad and coolers!
2. Handmade Soap-Making
By revaluing papaya seeds, neem flowers and soursop leaves, create your own natural soap and recycle waste water to grow your own food. We’ll show you how to pack your soap in banana leaves and inspire you to cut out packaging with simple, creative ideas. The soap is yours to take away!
Free Farm tour - Saturday Free Farm Tour
Be a part of a weekly farm tour to learn where your food comes from.
Free guided farm tour only on Saturdays at 11.30 AM.
- For the larger group (5+) and private bookings, there is a separate charge. Please email us at: solitudepermaculture@gmail.com
Krishna has been covered by various media companies such as The Hindu, Downtoearth.org.in and more. Read here.
Location – Solitude Farm is located close to the Visitor Centre. Directions are easy by car. If you go to the Visitor Centre Check-Post, the guards will let you through when you ring to the cafe and then follow Google driving map which will lead you directly to the farm and cafe. Alternatively, you need to park at the Visitor Centre car parking and walk for about 10 minutes using Google pedestrian map. Either way will lead you to the best local food in thebioregion. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKOodIkSf8I/?igsh=aTd2MGNiNWFmc2w3
Modes of Payment at Cafe - G-Pay, Aurocard, Auroville account or cash.
Link to Krishna’s website - https://solitude.farm/
Link to Solitude Farm Workshops - https://solitude.farm/education/
Link to social media platforms:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/krishnamckenzie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solitudefarm/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krishna.mckenzie/?hl=en
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