Life at Rose Valley Collective
A community. A chance to make sustainable lifestyle choices. A house amidst natural surroundings.
It’s all here at the Rose Valley Collective, a 60+ acre agroforestry farm nestled among hills, valleys, and natural lakes near Thally, Tamil Nadu. The collective is just 65 km from Bengaluru. Our farmland is collaboratively planned and managed as one large farm. Everything we grow here is free from harmful chemicals and delivered to our community. We have also built eco-conscious houses for our members.
Fun Fact: Did you know that Rose Valley Collective is located
close to a protected sanctuary and animal corridor?
A lot has happened at our collective
Learn what we have done at our farms so far.
Growing a wide variety of
local and exotic produce
We have, so far, cultivated a diverse range of produce sourced from different parts of the world. Our farm boasts over 50 varieties of tomatoes, 20 varieties of okra (bhindi), 20 varieties of eggplant (brinjal), 26 varieties of chilies, 10 varieties of corn, and more than 8 varieties of guavas.
Fun Fact: We keep trying new things at our farm. One such experiment involved the Himalayan Hill Garlic, typically a cold-weather crop. But we tried growing it under direct sunlight at high temperatures. Surprisingly, the yields were better with crops grown under direct sunlight compared to those that we grew in partial shade.
Making our own
natural fertilisers
Our farm team is dedicated to a no-harmful chemical and pesticide rule. We follow natural farming practices for everything we grow. This includes creating our own natural fertilisers right here at the collective, rather than sourcing them from outside.
Fun Fact: We tested our farm produce at Rose Valley Collective and found that it meets the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Health Organisation (WHO) standards for maximum permissible levels of heavy metals in vegetables.
Creating
value-added products
Our farm team is big on experimenting with our produce and creating value-added products. From healthy cookies to jams bursting with the flavours of freshly harvested fruits, all our farm-to-table produce have been a hit among our members.
Fun Fact: We have created a range of value-added products that include jams, cookies, nutritional malts, ghee, oil, spices, and pickles, amongst many others.
Farm produce and
products for members
One of the best parts of being a member of our collective farm is having access to everything we grow and prepare here. From the latest harvest to freshly made cookies and jams, we deliver it all to our members in the form of goodie bags.
Fun Fact: We keep conducting events at Rose Valley Collective. And everyone who visits us gets to eat and take home a range of our fresh farm-to-table products.
Our journey of creating
Rose Valley Collective
When we started creating Rose Valley Collective in 2021, the land wasn’t as ecologically diverse as it is now. Erosion was a constant problem. The land was mostly used for cattle grazing and growing seasonal veggies. Quite a few things needed our attention, but we rolled up our sleeves, ready for the challenge.
We started with improving soil health through methods like composting and cover cropping. Planting deep-rooted plants and grasses also helped aerate the soil and improve water infiltration. Did we get the results? Yes, we did. Our recent soil tests show a significant improvement in organic content. We also undertook water harvesting efforts, which increased the water table, ensuring more reliable water access year-round.
Today, we are growing a wide variety of chemical-free produce on our land. We also use local materials, like stones and mud bricks, for our buildings. This has helped reduce our overall carbon footprint. It has been an incredible journey, and we are constantly evolving our ways to create a self-sufficient collective for our community.
Our community members get to enjoy exclusive benefits
Who wouldn’t want this?
Goodie bags filled with our fresh farm produce and products
We grow a variety of local and exotic farm produce using natural, chemical-free farming practices. Our members receive regular deliveries of these fresh items, along with value-added products like ghee, oil, spices, and jam, all prepared at our farm.
Farm-to-table meals cooked in our community kitchen
Our community kitchen prepares fresh, farm-to-table meals using produce grown on our farm. These meals are nutritious and cooked with fresh ingredients while adhering to strict food safety standards. We love to experiment with recipes to ensure our members enjoy tasty and nutritious options.
Fun Fact: We also exchange recipes with local folks and try preparing them in our kitchen.
A house amidst natural surroundings
Customised housing designs
At Rose Valley Collective, we teamed up with skilled housing partners to create eco-conscious living spaces for our members. Community members worked with these experts to custom-design their houses.
Built with nature-friendly materials
Each house at our collective was constructed using nature-friendly materials, including mud bricks made on-site, rammed earth walls, and roofs featuring Mangalore tiles, arch panels, and filler slabs. For flooring, we used clay tiles, oxide, and stone.
Rainwater harvesting systems
At Rose Valley Collective, rainwater harvesting was managed at the collective level. However, we also catered to individual needs by providing specific rainwater harvesting and storage systems for each house. This ensured that every member benefited from sustainable water management tailored to their requirements.
From our community
Hear what our members have to say.
Explore first-hand accounts from our valued members, each providing a detailed insight into our farming collectives. These testimonials unveil the details of our way of life and what you can look forward to if you join our farms.
Glimpses from our collectives
A picture is indeed worth a thousand words. Each frame you see here tells a story—a story of mutual coexistence with the world around us and how we can thrive along with it.
