Aranya Agricultural Alternatives

What Aranya Agricultural Alternatives does

Aranya Agricultural Alternatives (also branded Permaculture India) is a nonprofit society registered in 1999 under the AP (Telangana Area) Public Societies Registration Act, headquartered in Hyderabad, India, with an operational base at an 11.5-acre demonstration farm in Bidakanne village, Zaheerabad, and additional regional offices in Nirmal (Telangana) and Guntur (Andhra Pradesh). The organization's mission is to promote sustainable, regenerative agriculture based on permaculture ethics (Earth Care, People Care, Fair Share), targeting rural and marginal farmers, tribal communities, and government implementation partners across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Core technical offerings center on forest-farming methodology, dryland water harvesting systems (contour swales, percolation tanks, bore-well recharge), biochar production, community seed banking, and the Ganga-ma micro-farming model.

The primary commercial products are the 13-day residential Permaculture Design Course (PDC, a 72-hour internationally recognized certification), a 2-day Introduction to Permaculture course delivered in English and Telugu, and long-term internships and volunteering programs. Beyond training, Aranya operates as a development implementation partner — serving as Lead Facilitating Agency for the Andhra Pradesh Drought Mitigation Project (covering 36 gram panchayats and 5,025 farmers), supporting the World Bank-funded APCBTMP across 3,000 minor irrigation tanks, and partnering with JICA on APILIP water user association capacity building. Revenue is generated through training program fees, project grants and contracts from government agencies and international organizations (World Bank, JICA, DST), donor funding from foundations such as The Hans Foundation, and CSR project partnerships with corporate sponsors.

The organization reaches beneficiaries primarily through hands-on, in-person delivery at its demonstration farms and through government field projects, supplemented by national and international permaculture convergences (NPC 2016/2020/2023 and IPC 2017) that serve as both awareness events and ecosystem convening moments. Cumulative impact claimed includes assistance to over 250,000 farmers since inception. Operational scale is intentionally small (13 employees), with execution capacity extended through partnerships, volunteer programs, and a network of trained alumni practitioners including former students who developed the 96-acre Polam Farm under the founders' guidance.

Name

Aranya Agricultural Alternatives

Legal name

Aranya Agricultural Alternatives

Website

https://permacultureindia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aranya Agricultural Alternatives is a Hyderabad-based nonprofit founded in 1999 that delivers permaculture training, demonstration farming, and watershed/livelihood implementation services to rural farmers, tribal communities, and state governments across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Agriculture Training and Consulting

NAICS

Farm Management Services (115116), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Soil Health & Regenerative Agronomy Consulting (AFACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainability & ESG / Carbon & Conservation Program Advisory (AFACAJAF), Sustainable/Regenerative Agriculture & Conservation Practices (EDAOAOAO), Irrigation & Water Use Efficiency Agronomy (AFACABAF), Agriculture, Food Security & Nutrition Technical Assistance (BPADAEAG)

Keywords

• Permaculture design training
• Sustainable agriculture services
• Watershed management consulting
• Community seed banking
• Organic farming education

Headquarters

HQ city

Hyderabad

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Training Program Fees: Revenue generated from conducting Permaculture Design Courses (PDC) and Introduction to Permaculture residential courses. The 13-day PDC is an internationally recognized 72-hour certification course.
2. Project Grants and Contracts: Funding from government agencies, international organizations, and foundations for implementing development projects including watershed management, drought mitigation, and agricultural improvement programs.
3. Donor Funding: Support from organizations like The Hans Foundation, FCRA-registered foreign contributions, and various CSR projects from corporate partners.
4. CSR Project Partnerships: Corporate Social Responsibility projects with companies like AGS-Ikya Lighting Solution and others who engage Aranya for sustainable farming implementations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Aranya Agricultural Alternatives is a nonprofit organization that delivers permaculture-based sustainable agriculture training and consulting services. Its core offerings include the 13-day residential Permaculture Design Course (PDC) certification, 2-day Introduction to Permaculture courses, long-term internships and volunteering, demonstration farms (11.5-acre Bidakanne farm and 96-acre Polam Farm), and consulting/implementation support for watershed management, drought mitigation, and livelihood development projects funded by government agencies and foundations.

Product overview

Aranya Agricultural Alternatives (also known as Permaculture India) is an environmental and developmental NGO that operates primarily as a training and education organization rather than a software product company. Its core offerings include the Permaculture Design Course (13-day residential certificate program), Introduction to Permaculture (2-day course), and long-term internship/volunteering programs. The organization maintains demonstration farms including Aranya Farm (11.5 acres) and Polam Farm (96 acres) in Telangana as learning centers. Additional services include consulting on watershed management, irrigation improvement, and livelihood enhancement projects, as well as specialized projects in biochar, solar lighting, and seed banking. The company also organizes major convergence events (National and International Permaculture Convergences) to spread permaculture awareness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Permaculture Design Course (PDC) A 13-day, 72-hour residential course resulting in an internationally recognized Permaculture Design Certificate, covering permaculture principles, design practices, and community application. Held at Aranya Farm in Bidakanne, Zaheerabad. Designed for aspiring permaculture designers, students, and practitioners from India and abroad.
• Introduction to Permaculture Course A 2-day residential course offering a solution-based approach to conscious design, covering permaculture ethics, principles, and design methodology. Conducted in both English and Telugu languages for accessibility to local participants.
• Long-term Internship Program Long-term permaculture internship program requiring a minimum 3-month commitment, designed to create demonstration farms and sites that teach and spread permaculture techniques throughout rural India.
• Volunteering Program Volunteering opportunities requiring a minimum 3-month commitment at Aranya's active NGO, where projects require training and follow-through with implementation on demonstration farms.
• Community Development Projects Integrated support services including watershed management, irrigation improvement projects, livelihood enhancement, and farmer capacity building across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Delivered as consulting/implementation engagements for government agencies and foundations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2.5 lakh farmers helped through permaculture practices
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Government of Andhra Pradesh - Irrigation & CAD DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAranya serves as Lead Facilitating Agency for the Andhra Pradesh Drought Mitigation Project (APDMP), working with Farmer Produce Organisations (FPOs) across 36 gram panchayats covering 5,025 farmers.
• Living EcologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for conducting the Advanced Permaculture Program to create demonstration farms and sites in local villages that teach and spread permaculture techniques throughout rural India.
• Andhra Pradesh State Irrigation Development CorporationminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSupporting LI Schemes of Andhra Pradesh State Irrigation Development Corporation with water use efficiency and participatory irrigation management.
• weActminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner organization for collaborative work on environmental and developmental initiatives.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Permaculture Association of India: Co-founded by Narsanna Koppula himself in 1989, PCAI is the national permaculture body in India running design courses and trainer accreditation. It is the closest peer because it operates in the exact same permaculture training and certification niche, sometimes overlapping with Aranya's curriculum.
• Navdanya: Founded by Dr. Vandana Shiva, Navdanya is an Indian NGO promoting seed sovereignty, organic farming, and biodiversity conservation. Directly comparable because both run farmer training, community seed banks, and campaigns against chemical-input agriculture in India, targeting overlapping smallholder and tribal communities.
• Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR): Pune-based NGO implementing integrated watershed management across drought-prone Indian states. Directly comparable to Aranya's APDMP and watershed components — both serve as Lead Facilitating Agencies on government-funded watershed and drought-mitigation projects with community-based implementation.
• Timbaktu Collective: Andhra Pradesh-based NGO focused on regenerative agriculture, organic farming, and cooperative formation with small/marginal farmers. Comparable because both promote ecological farming with marginal and tribal farmer communities in southern India and operate demonstration/training farms.
• Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA): Hyderabad-based NGO working on sustainable agriculture practices, farmer extension, and non-pesticidal management. Comparable because both operate in Telangana/AP on smallholder farmer training and sustainable practices, often competing for the same donor and government contracts.

Broad incumbents

• Permaculture Research Institute: Australia-based global permaculture organization founded by Bill Mollison (Narsanna's teacher). Comparable because it runs the international PDC curriculum Aranya delivers and sets global permaculture standards, but at much larger scale and geographic reach.
• BAIF Development Research Foundation: Large Indian rural-development NGO with programs in livestock, agriculture, and watershed across multiple states. Comparable because it implements government-funded livelihood and watershed projects with rural communities — overlapping with Aranya's project delivery but at much larger scale and broader thematic scope.

Emerging players

• Digital Green: Tech-enabled agricultural extension organization using video-based farmer training across India and Africa. Comparable to Aranya's farmer-training mission, though it uses a fundamentally different (digital/scalable) delivery model rather than in-person permaculture design.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsMEBQHnunaG0HQYql-x31A
• Facebookfacebook.com/AranyaAgriculturalAlternatives
• Instagraminstagram.com/aranyaagriculturalalternatives/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aranya-agricultural-alternatives

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aranya Agricultural Alternatives