Annapurna Farm, described as Auroville’s largest organic farm, faces an eviction threat after the Auroville Foundation directed residents to relocate within ten days to make way for an IIT-Madras sustainability campus. The farm’s management strongly opposed the order, stating that its agricultural ecosystem cannot be relocated on such short notice. The farm covers about 135 acres, accounts for roughly 30 percent of Auroville’s food production, processes over 90 percent of the grain grown on the community’s farms, and serves as the central granary for more than 3,000 residents.
The dispute stems from a 33-year lease signed in December 2025 by the Auroville Foundation and IIT-Madras covering 100 acres of the farm’s land, followed by fencing initiated in June 2026. Management examined five alternative sites in the Greenbelt but found none large enough, estimating at least 50 contiguous acres are needed. The eviction notice, an unsigned letter dated September 5, gave a ten-day timeline to move livestock, equipment, and essential operations.
The farm employs 17 to 40 workers depending on the season and handles rice cultivation, dairy production, water harvesting, and organic farming. A Parliamentary Standing Committee chairman has recommended that the farm not be disturbed and that alternative land be found for the campus. Management is calling for an immediate halt to construction, an independent impact assessment, and a search for alternative land.