Seeing is Believing

Born in 2019, our three-year-old Hyderabad Collective is growing beautifully. From in-depth landscape studies to intricate farm activities, the ball hasn’t stopped rolling. The major steps towards achieving food, water and power security have been taken. The rocky land that was deemed unfit for food cultivation is brimming with potential for ecological design interventions.

The Collective

The Hyderabad Collective is located amidst beautiful hills and valleys just 31km off the Outer Ring Road in Hyderabad. The vistas are almost unbelievable for a place this close to the city. Site work on the 132 Ac land commenced in 2020. First, road access was provided in 2020 and accommodation for on-site staff was built in the later part of the year. Biodiversity survey took place alongside. By May 2021, solar energy became the primary power source.

The Design

Maximum impact with minimal intervention – this is the crux of our design approach at Beforest.

The 132 Ac collective is being designed to accommodate 88 families with complete food, water and power security. The first step in the process was to prepare a Land Use Map. It defines the zoning of the land based on physical land surveys, topography, geology & hydrology studies and drone imagery. Based on the same, the land is divided into three zones – Wilderness Zone (60 Ac), Economic Zone (12 Ac), and Combined Zone (60 Ac). Housing clusters and cultivation patches are designed in accordance with the economic & combined zones. The wilderness & combined zones account for the watershed, lakes, springs and other ecosystem services that are necessary to build our natural capital pillar.

Fencing was one of the first interventions we made to ensure controlled grazing which has a direct impact on regenerating ground cover and improving soil health. This allowed native grasses and shrubs to regrow from the native seed bank in the soil. In July 2022, riparian and marshy zones were planted with water-loving species to increase biodiversity and strengthen the riparian corridors.

Food Security

The food production zone is planned to grow enough grains, pulses, and seasonal vegetables for all the members and staff in a completely natural way. The focus is to use natural resources efficiently. 

Integrated pest management species like Citronella and Calotropis are introduced to improve biodiversity along with protecting the food plants. Receded water bodies (especially the lake) are used to cultivate paddy and other wetland crops. Untenable spaces between the housing clusters are turned into medicinal and edible gardens. These are the simple measures we take to ease the load on the ecosystem.

Growing Native, Diverse and Sustainable

The diversity of plants is our strongest asset. We also focus on growing only seasonal and native variants as that is what the soil and the microbial life in it can support. Vegetable production for the staff on site began in Feb 2021. In the same year, paddy cultivation began. This area is expected to increase as the cycle sets. Our farm staff relies on fresh milk from desi cows for their daily needs. They even make their own fresh curd. The nutrients from cow dung and urine are integral to our cyclical composting process. 

Biofencing

The 4 km long biofence of phases 1 & 2 alone has more than 15000 plants spanning more than 20 native species. The outermost layer of the four-layered bio fence is provided exclusively for the wildlife to keep them restricted to the natural zones without depriving them of their fair share. 

Swale Planting 

It began in the monsoon of 2022 and continued through June and July. This would ensure our newly planted saplings are watered and set up well in the first few months of planting. Layers of food forests were designed through polyculture methods. Guilds of horticultural fruits, nitrogen-fixing trees, shrubs, canopy trees, groundcovers as well as pollinator-friendly plants started to grow over our swales and cover the bare earth mounds.

Water Security

We aspire to provide complete water security to the community, something that most cities across the world have failed to provide. Water from lakes is being used for farm activities and irrigation. Bore water is used for the household. Our activities are aligned towards increasing groundwater levels to sustain us in the long run.

Check Dams 

Construction of 54 check dams across the collective happened from Dec 2021 to Oct 2022. They allow water to slow down, percolate into the soil, reduce erosion and increase the volume and life of streams flowing through them.

Digging Swales 

One of the first interventions at the FPZ (Food Production Zone) was to create swales, which are natural structures that help in rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge. Swales were dug in the summer of 2022. The pre-monsoon showers are helpful in loosening the hard ground and getting the swales ready for planting by monsoons. 

Improving Soil Health

Water security goes in hand with soil health. A 3% increase in soil carbon can raise its absorption capacity and make it behave like a giant sponge. Grasslands are going to be key to this scheme as they are the most efficient soil builders we know. During the monsoon of 2022, we witnessed the beautiful seasonal grasslands come alive!

Power Security

Surrounded by towering boulders on all sides, the collective is ideal for generating solar power. Solar farms that are centered in close proximity to the housing clusters are critical in our efforts to provide power security. We plan to meet our heating requirements through unconventional heating methods based on the site’s context and available resources. 

We take inspiration from traditional building practices for our community structures. Eco-sensitive design and locally sourced materials will help us reduce the carbon footprint and keep the indoors cooler. Greywater recycling methods are being employed at the collective to conserve energy that goes into pumping water. These measures will ensure a considerable reduction in energy needs and consumption.

In addition, most of our heating requirements will be met through solar or bio heaters. The earth homes that are sensitively planned will also ensure a five-degree temperature drop indoors. Greywater recycling also reduces the pumping needs of each home. Both of these will ensure that the energy needs are a fraction of what we expect in the city. With a combination of grid and solar, we plan to achieve complete power security for the community.