Sowing the seeds of sustenance | Aranya Agricultural Alternatives, Sangareddy, Telangana

Aranya Agricultural Alternatives, Sangareddy, TelanganaKey people: Narsanna Koppula, Founder & General Secretary; Padma Koppula, Co-founder & CEOYear of inception: 1999 If you ask Samamma, Tuljamma, Syamamma or anyone else in Bidakanne village about the Koppulas, their faces soften instantly. Smiles arrive first, followed by stories—and often tears. For decades, villagers say, Narsanna, 66, and Padma Koppula, 56, quietly changed the meaning of land, dignity and survival for families who once lived at the margins of rural life in the harsh Deccan outback. Always dressed in simple cotton clothes, the husband-and-wife environmentalist duo has have worked across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh since 1987, enabling farmers who were landless to gain land and self-reliance.In 1999, the Koppulas turned their home in Sangareddy district of Telangana into a learning and community space called Aranya—Sanskrit for forest. What was once 11.5 acres of rocky wasteland was transformed into a lush natural farm built on the principles of permaculture and forest farming. The idea is straightforward: produce food without destroying the planet. “Aranya was created to be a functional farm to show small and marginal farmers how even one to three acres can serve all their needs,” says Narsanna. “They can grow everything they need for a healthy diet, whether it is cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits or nuts, along with cash crops and also rear animals to ensure economic independence.”Since 2014, the Koppulas have opened Aranya to the world through a 13-day residential permaculture course held every month for imbibing the principles of sustainable environment and natural ecosystems. Days begin at 6 am and often stretch late into the night, fuelled by discussions and farm work. Their daughter, daughter-in-law and community members help run the programme, ensuring that knowledge is passed across generations. “Land is the most ethical investment one can make,” says Padma. “It offers fresh air, nutritious food and good health to the next generation.” While running the course is demanding, the aim, she adds, is to ensure that learning remains accessible to anyone who can spare 13 days. Without advertising, each course draws 20-50 participants aged 18-60 from India and abroad. Over the past decade, 5,252 students from 72 countries have been trained at Aranya. Ajaya Kumar Vemulapati, chairman, Andhra Pradesh Township and Infrastructure Development Corporation, likens the couple to Kung Fu Panda’s Grandmaster Oogway—the ancient tortoise mentor who represents calm authority, deep wisdom and hard-earned life experience. “Since the 1980s, their lives have been guided by a simple principle: give back to nature what you take, and never take more than you need,” he notes.When not teaching, the couple travels extensively across Telangana and beyond, advising farmers on sustainable agriculture and water rejuvenation. They have worked with more than 1,300 tribal families in Nirmal and Adilabad districts and 2,600 farmers in Sangareddy, helping them secure land, improve yield and become self-sustaining, all through natural farming. Governments, too, seek their counsel. Today, Aranya Agricultural Alternatives serves as a Lead Natural Farming Institute (LNFI) for three Telangana districts under the National Mission for Natural Farming. In Andhra Pradesh, the Koppulas have tended to land’s companion, water, supporting large-scale drought mitigation, involving 15,000 farmers across 36 villages.Aranya also attracts unexpected visitors—filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli among them—who arrive seeking guidance on building food forests. Titles are left at the gate. What remains is the Koppulas’ quiet ethic: plant indigenous trees, respect land and animals, honour organic matter and ensure jobs for the locals.- EndsPublished By: Shyam BalasubramanianPublished On: Jan 24, 2026 21:18 IST

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Sowing the seeds of sustenance | Aranya Agricultural Alternatives, Sangareddy, Telangana

Sowing the seeds of sustenance | Aranya Agricultural Alternatives, Sangareddy, Telangana

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