Coming up, a food forest in Himachal’s Kangra

Most of us know the significant role that the diversity of local flora and fauna plays for the local environment. However, only a few take concrete steps to preserve and promote it. Ankush Rana is one of the latter. He is turning his four-acre ancestral land at Dehra in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district into a botanical garden-cum-food forest that will showcase a wide variety of native plant species.

Rana’s project, called Attune, is based on permaculture principles, or a regenerative design practice to observe nature’s patterns and work with them. It currently has about 2,000 trees and over 350 native plant and tree species. The project was started in November 2023 and is scheduled to be open to the public by April 2025. 

Rana, who was an IT consultant for 15 years and then ran businesses in the hospitality and adventure space for nine years, was inspired by environment activists like Dr Vandana Shiva, Peepal Baba and Manisha Lath Gupta, who runs the Aanandaa farm in Panchkula to do something idealistic. He currently lives in Kangra with his wife and oversees operations at Attune, which is a self-funded project. 

The raison-d-etre behind Attune

“Day by day, we are losing the valuable plant wisdom of our ancestors. Biodiversity is also being lost. Villages are turning into monoculture-based production farms, and the forest cover is decreasing,” pointed out Rana. 

“In such a scenario, we wanted to create an ecosystem where we preserve a wide range of Himalayan plant species. Hence, the idea of introducing medicinally valuable shrubs and trees and creating a botanical garden came about. We humans are a part of the natural ecosystem; for native plants to survive and thrive, our engagement with them is vital,” he added.

Planting low-maintenance food forests is an endeavour to fulfil human needs while nurturing the botanical park. The diversity in host plants for butterflies, bees and birds also attracts diverse fauna to the park. 

“My grandfather, Mansa Ram Rana Ji, was an army veteran who nurtured this patch of land for over three decades. We see this project as a tribute to him and a continuation of his legacy,” said Rana, who is developing this project along with regenerative design practitioner Gaurav G, plant genetics expert Dr. Mohd. Zul Ma’arif  and architect Swati Khambhayata of Sama Design Studio.  

A boon for the local community

“Through our efforts, we are hoping to inspire the local community to learn the value of native flora and nurture plant biodiversity. We shall engage more people from around the region once the planted species are established. Visitors will contribute to the economy by purchasing various local produce and by promoting tourism within the local community,” said Rana.

Also, there are plans to form a self-help group of local women and set up a fruit processing unit. A lot of local citrus fruit that goes to waste in around 20 neighbouring villages will be gathered and processed by this SHG.

Native species at the park

Among the endemic species being planted here are Boswellia serrata (Indian frankincense), Bischof javanica (bishop wood),  Citriodora (lemon-scented tree), Butea monosperma (yellow palash), Commiphora wightii (guggul), Adansonia digitita (kalpavriksha), Holarrhena pubescens (bitter inderjau), Neolamarckia cadamba (Krishna kadam) and Glycyrrhiza glabra (mulethi) to name a few. 

“All of us seeking to preserve plant diversity should read about mycelium,” Rana said. “There is so much to learn from the efficient intelligence of these fungi. One has to understand the interconnectedness of biodiversity and its appropriate associations before planting anything. This is an important element in creating a biodiverse forest,” he added. 

Sustainable practices

The team is also focussing on soil and water conservation. Mulching and composting practices, combined with the implemented earthworks are helping in building fertile soil. Earthworks like swales, percolation ponds and planted ground cover plants are helping in recharging groundwater. Earthworks are also helping in slowing down the water flow during heavy rains and thus allowing soil building. This has reduced the irrigation requirement drastically. Also, pathways are made with loose bricks, allowing water to percolate. The edges of the pathways are built with lime mortar. 

“One can see the soil below the surface holding moisture,” said Rana, adding that many different species of butterflies, birds and reptiles are taking shelter at the project site. Small birds have started nesting in the newly planted trees. 

“Water management was a major challenge when we were initially working with the plants. Maintaining moisture in the soil in the first summer season was difficult as the soil did not have enough organic matter or shade. Procuring the native plant species was another great challenge, as was managing forest fires in peak summer,” said Rana. 

Work in progress

The park will be open to visitors early next year. It will offer overnight stay facilities in bamboo cottages being built on the premises. Entry to the park-cum-forest will be free for all. 

Visitors will get to see or taste a wide range of fruits such as peaches, plums, blueberries, apricots, papayas, kiwis and dragon fruits. Saplings and seeds will also be available for purchase at their in-house nursery. 

The lead image on top shows native trees growing on the premises of Attune at Dehra in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. (Photo by Swati Khambhayata)

Smriti Mukerji is a freelance journalist based in New Delhi.