Beforest | Creating Sustainable Permaculture Food Forests and Collective Living Spaces

Reimagining Community Living

We create forest-friendly collectives to restore the natural balance lost due to decades of deforestation, conventional monoculture farming, urbanisation & fast culture. By applying holistic solutions that make self-regulating farming systems, recharge groundwater, build soil health and increase biodiversity to make landscapes resilient while fulfilling the fundamental lifestyle needs - food, water & energy - for everyone living in the Beforest Collectives.

Creating Forest-friendly Collectives

Forests have lived on for millions of years without any external support. Life starts and ends in their complexly interdependent environment. Inspired by this, we have adopted the permaculture framework that helps us identify the core of the problems and find long-term solutions within the landscape. Our farm design solutions mimic natural ecosystems to foster coexistence with wildlife, collaboration with local communities & experts, and co-creation of a forest-friendly lifestyle with the members of our Collectives.

Community-owned & Managed

Beforest Collectives are crowdfunded and co-owned by a member-led community which is the driving force behind all the farming activities and design decisions for the collective. Each member privately owns a part of the landscape and collectively owns the entire expanse. By pooling in their resources, members can carry out farming, conservation & restorative activities, which would have been far more challenging at an individual level.

The members come together by a common aspiration - a farm life & not just a farmhouse. They actively contribute to the growth of the landscape with their friends & family on the ground, learning about various permaculture growing methods, sharing their unique skills, and subsequently building their home at the Collective.

Our Eco Philosophy - Conscious Impact at Scale

All our Collectives start with 100+ acres. We realised that to achieve a positive landscape impact, we must direct all our efforts with the same energy and magnitude with which the landscapes were degraded. Vast landscapes also provide a more comprehensive array of natural resources and give us plenty of opportunities to apply multi-layered solutions to a problem, having a greater potential of recreating a forest-like environment where humans and wildlife can thrive.

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OUR COLLECTIVES

Growing Regenerative Food Forests

Conserving all life collectively

POOMAALE WILDERNESS COLLECTIVE 1.0

Fully subscribed

Rainforests drizzling with spices, herbs & superfoods

POOMAALE WILDERNESS COLLECTIVE 2.0

70% subscribed

Restoring a dry landscape to abundance

HYDERABAD FARMING COLLECTIVE

Fully subscribed

'Apart'ments to open community living

MUMBAI FARMING COLLECTIVE

Seed community formed, welcoming new members

Cultivate life in the heart of India

BHOPAL COLLECTIVE

Forming the seed community

A wilderness collective – Revisited

CO-FOREST

Redefining community living in Coorg

Experience Poomaale At
Blyton Bungalow

Wilderness, Vastness, and the Western Ghats.

OUR PATH

Journey to Forest Friendly Collectives

1Identifying the Location

We identify the location to set up a collective on the basis of proximity to the city, road connectivity, the natural resources the landscape offers, and its transformational capacity.

2Forming the Seed Community

Members who have bought into the concept at the pre-launch stage form the Seed Community. They are those members who have subscribed to around 25% of the total acreage of the collective. They are the early movers and get a substantial benefit in the pricing.

3Due Diligence of the Land

Legalities associated with the authenticity of title holders, mutation records, and related information are verified. The lead time can vary from 2 to 4 months depending on the State that the land is located in. We engage the services of a reputed Law Firm through which a detailed structure note is prepared. In this structure note, the process of ownership of the land is spelt out. Generally, we follow the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) model, where the members (customers) of the LLP are the owners of the land and Beforest is the Enabler. The time period is approximately 30 days. Both activities can run parallelly.

4Land Registration period

In this process the land is registered as per the model that has been chosen & work on the land begins in full earnest.

5Landscape Survey & Biodiversity Study

Unlike Real Estate companies, we conduct topography studies, soil & carbon content analyses, groundwater studies, and suitable vegetation listings to design the land. We try to cater to all the stakeholders of the ecosystem, including the flora & fauna that inhabit the land. Scientific wildlife study is also a major part of our design process.

6Earthworks

Following the principles of Permaculture, our process is to treat the land like a forest and allow our produce to grow wild, to as much an extent as possible. Mono-cropping is a strict no, as it degenerates the soil. Lakes are created after the land has been worked on for over 2 monsoons. We try to trap as much water as possible and reduce the need for the same as the forest takes root. In addition, trees are our superstars in the soil, and water conservation is a continuous process.

7Housing & Infrastructure

Housing clusters, with approximately 25 to 30 houses in each, are designed for our collective members. The raw materials used in the construction are mainly sourced locally and the designs are eco-sensitive & climate responsive. Solar panels are provided for the basic needs of the houses. In addition, a guest house is built which can be used by members as well. Staff accommodation is at the farm for easy access 24/7.

8Delivery for Occupation

Beforest will run the farm operations for a period of 10 years, after which it is up for renewal. All farm operations & activities are taken care of by Beforest. The members are encouraged to participate. All members will sign an MOU that ensures there are no ambiguities in the terms & conditions. Transparency is the key to a mutually satisfying partnership.