January 9, 2025
Cultivating a Community with the Green Foundation
After days in Bangalore, where car horns pierced through my bedroom walls, Kanakapura seemed as quiet as a library. The long bus ride from Bangalore to Kanakapura felt like the crevices between buildings gradually extending into grasslands and lakes, with storefronts scattered along the way. Eventually, the bus stopped in front of a small store with rows of packaged ingredients and a single table at the front. It was a small organic goods store run by the Green Foundation.
The Green Foundation is a large organization founded by Dr. Janadhanya. She had two main focuses: utilizing native seeds (nati thali ulisi) and promoting organic agriculture (savayava belasi). The organization initially worked with seed savers and female farmers to optimize non-commercial farming through sustainable practices. Today, the Green Foundation focuses on helping farmers by promoting a circular economy encouraging the practice of eating locally by producing locally. The foundation’s efforts aim to support farmer success by bridging gaps between the surrounding community and its farmers.
Although the Green Foundation describes itself as an organization that supports farmers, I see it as an organization that is knitting a community back together in an ever-growing world. I look forward to working with the Green Foundation and learning how to help bond my community to its local farmers. Maybe then the grasslands and lakes back home won’t separate but tie people back together as well.
By
Sabrina