What is Camping?
Camping is about staying outdoors and connecting with nature. It is living simply, doing simple things in the outdoors, enjoying a campfire and finally sleeping in tents under the starry skies. It gives a good perspective of your role and your place in the vast universe. For more details see Wikipedia
What is the best time to visit GreenAcres?
The best time for farmstay and camping would be in the autumn and winter months after the rainy season is over. Typically during the months of September to March.
Is GreenAcres a campsite?
Actually GreenAcres is a chemical free natural farm. But since the farm is away from the village it has some wilderness factor to it, so we have added some basic infrastructure to do camping in the open areas. It is our effort to encourage farm tourism and also generate some revenue for the farm to become self sustaining.
Is it safe?
GreenAcres farm is a km away from the village so it has some wilderness factor to it. But it is safe to stay and safe from human intrusion. However, one needs to exercise caution while moving around the farm. Rarely but possibly one may spot snakes, scorpions and other creepy crawlies passing through the farm. We recommend people to wear shoes and carry a flash light when moving around. One should be cautious when picking things up that are lying on the ground.
Is camping possible during weekdays?
Unfortunately not. For the time being, camping is done only during the weekends. Typically you come on Saturday evening and leave on Sunday morning. Due to logistical reasons it will not be possible to do camping during weekdays.
Do we need to bring our own tents?
If you have tents and you have never had an opportunity to use, please bring them along. We can help you pitch them. But if you do not have tents, don't worry. We will provide you the tents.
What about Food and Water?
You should carry your own drinking water. We do provide food as part of the package. However, there is a kitchen with gas stove, firewood stove and grill if you bring your own groceries to cook. Some cooking vessels and utensils can be provided as part of the package.
Are there washrooms/restrooms?
Yes. There are plenty of washrooms and toilets with western commodes. For those who prefer nature can always use the outdoors provided you dig a pit and cover it up after use allowing the waste matter to compost and turn into manure.
What do we need to bring with us?
Sleeping essentials, cooking essentials, drinking water, comfortable clothing, shoes, flashlight, first aid kit. For more details see the Camping Checklist
Are pets allowed?
It is a farm and there are other farm animals including dogs. So you can bring your pet provided they are on a leash and at your own risk.
Is there pick-up/drop-off facility?
Sorry. Unfortunately we cannot provide any pick-up or drop-off. You will have to make your own transport arrangements. Public transport is available but not easy. The best option is to come in your own vehicle. The last few Kms is a dirt road but motorable.
Is there electricity?
Electricity is available but not guaranteed if and when there are any breakdowns. Since it is a rural area it would take time to fix. A fact very few urbanites are aware of and take electricity for granted. The generated solar power is fed to the grid and stored in inverter batteries that is available for emergencies.
How to make a reservation?
You will need to send an email and call to make a reservation for your planned visit. We will provide you with details about making advance payment to confirm the trip. All this has to be done at least few days prior to your planned visit.
What are the charges?
We provide camping and farm stay at the Bed and Breakfast for small groups of people with 15 to 25 members. There are multiple packages that can be tailored to your requirements. Please contact us @9849006968 to find out more about the charges. Day trips can be arranged with prior appointment.
What activities can be done at the farm?
There are many group activities that can be done at the farm and are listed on the Activities page. You will need to organize your own group activity and we will provide assistance.
Can I visit the farm during the day?
You should be able to take a day trip to the farm on most weekends (either a Saturday or Sunday). You will need to confirm your visit prior to reaching there if you wish to make it an educational field trip and have someone give a guided tour of the farm.
Can I Volunteer at the farm?
Most certainly we could use Shramdaan. There is always some activity at the farm that could use helping hands. It could be tree planting, digging, trenching, weeding etc. We are always looking out for people who can add value and bring a new perspective to the work we are already doing. We are also looking for tree saplings and seeds of both common and rare species native to the region. We want to create an arboretum of woody and fruit trees native to the region and help spread awareness that otherwise is going to oblivion. Any help in this regard would be highly appreciated.
What is the contact number?
Most of the frequently asked questions have been answered here in the FAQ. For any other questions or reservations call 9849006968 or 9949069681.
Directions to the farm
From Hyderabad (via Uppal, Ghatkesar, Bibinagar, Bhongir, Raigir):
- You need to travel on Warangal Highway NH163 up to Raigir/Yadagirigutta junction. This is a toll road.
- Continue on the flyover at the junction and you should see the Yadagirigutta Welcome Arch to your left while on the flyover.
- The toll road ends at this point and you need to take a far 'U' turn on to the service road to your right.
- Drive about 100 meters and you will see a road going to Mothkur on your left.
- Turn on to this road and drive for about 5 kms. You will cross a few villages and will see the road sign for Kummarigudem. You will see a bus shelter on your right. Slow down.
- Turn left at this place. Dirt road begins from here.
- Go about 1 km and you will see a road to your right with small signage for GreenAcres.
- Turn right on this road and proceed for 1 km and you will reach the farm gate on your right.
Why is Organic Food Better?
The Organic Premise: Many people are aware that food grown according to organic principles is free from exposure to harmful herbicides and pesticides, but that is only one small aspect of organic agriculture. A larger part of organic agriculture involves the health of the soil and the ecosystem in which crops and livestock are raised. Organic farmers recognize that healthy, vibrant, and live soils and ecosystems significantly benefit crops. Natural, undisturbed soil is alive with microbiotic organisms that exist in harmony with the native plant life and the inorganic minerals that provide the soil's substrate.
Synthetic chemicals (such as herbicides, pesticides, and/or fast acting inorganic fertilizers) applied in or around crops interrupt or destroy the microbiotic activity in the soil. Once the microbiotic activity in the soil has stopped, the soil becomes merely an anchor for plant material. In this conventional method of agriculture (in use for only the past 50 of the 10,000 years of recorded agriculture) plants can receive only air, water, and sunlight from their environment -- everything else must be distributed to plants by farmers, often from inputs transported thousands of kms to reach the farm in the form of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Plants are commonly fed only the most basic elements of plant life and so are dependent on the farmer to fight nature's challenges, e.g. pests, disease, and drought.
Synthetic chemicals (such as herbicides, pesticides, and/or fast acting inorganic fertilizers) applied in or around crops interrupt or destroy the microbiotic activity in the soil. Once the microbiotic activity in the soil has stopped, the soil becomes merely an anchor for plant material. In this conventional method of agriculture (in use for only the past 50 of the 10,000 years of recorded agriculture) plants can receive only air, water, and sunlight from their environment -- everything else must be distributed to plants by farmers, often from inputs transported thousands of kms to reach the farm in the form of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Plants are commonly fed only the most basic elements of plant life and so are dependent on the farmer to fight nature's challenges, e.g. pests, disease, and drought.
Why is Local Food Better?
Food that travels a great distance to get to our plates is generally a bad idea. Total emissions from transportation of such foods is termed food miles. Consider the fossil fuels wasted carting fresh and exotic vegetables to city like Hyderabad from other places, while there is ample farmland in and around Hyderabad that can produce a lot of fresh and locally adapted vegetables every year.
Food miles matter because so much of our food transport is unnecessary. Local food is also a better choice because it is fresher and therefore healthier for us. Buying local also supports our local economies. Purchasing local foods means supporting small-scale businesses and protecting green space in our communities.
Of course, direct trade with small-scale farmers in far away places can be a critical way to support economic development in other parts of the world. But most of the global food trade isn’t benefiting small-scale farmers — it’s benefiting the biggest grain traders at the cost of the climate. And most of this global food trade is completely unnecessary, or redundant.
The main reason for sticking with the locavores is that the local food being celebrated is often a pseudonym for sustainably raised foods—and those foods will be the ones produced without fertilizers, grown without destroying precious wetlands or forests, and with animals raised on pasture rather than in confinement.
Food miles matter because so much of our food transport is unnecessary. Local food is also a better choice because it is fresher and therefore healthier for us. Buying local also supports our local economies. Purchasing local foods means supporting small-scale businesses and protecting green space in our communities.
Of course, direct trade with small-scale farmers in far away places can be a critical way to support economic development in other parts of the world. But most of the global food trade isn’t benefiting small-scale farmers — it’s benefiting the biggest grain traders at the cost of the climate. And most of this global food trade is completely unnecessary, or redundant.
The main reason for sticking with the locavores is that the local food being celebrated is often a pseudonym for sustainably raised foods—and those foods will be the ones produced without fertilizers, grown without destroying precious wetlands or forests, and with animals raised on pasture rather than in confinement.
Why should a consumer care for organically grown fresh vegetables or fruits when they look identical to the conventionally grown ones?
The answer is multi-faceted, but simply stated, organically cultivated produce will be healthier and more nutritious than a conventionally cultivated produce. By growing in a living soil where microbiotic activity constantly breaks organic matter and solid minerals into nutrients a plant can use, an organically cultivated plant always has exactly what it needs to grow, from germination to fruit set, and the plant will be healthier throughout its lifespan than a conventionally grown plant. As a result, the organically grown plant will be able to add more and complex components to all of its parts, including its fruit, resulting in a produce chock-full of micro-nutrients and trace minerals that are important for human nutrition.
Flavor is another benefit of healthy plants growing in a living soil. Flavor results from a mixture of many different and complex molecules. Healthy, living soil provides a constant and more complex mixture of these molecules, which results in more flavor. It's no surprise that chefs working in the highest caliber restaurants prefer organic ingredients to conventionally grown ingredients.
By purchasing locally-grown, organic produce, the consumer supports sustainable methods of land use that result in far less pollution and top-soil loss than does conventional agriculture. Synthetic pesticides and herbicides not only kill soil microbes and leave toxic residues on food, they also threaten the health of farm workers and disrupt natural ecosystems around the farm. Chemical fertilizers pollute lakes, ponds, rivers, and groundwater.
The alternative to using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers usually requires more labor on a farm. With more labor, organic farmers can match or exceed the productivity and quality of chemically dependent crops. Labor, rather than synthetic inputs, typically means more support for local economies, but it can also mean higher prices. Conventionally grown foods cost less because the chemical fertilizers are subsidized and their hidden costs are passed on to consumers and the environment. These hidden costs include creating synthetic inputs, the resulting pollution from spreading them, and long-term health effects of pesticide residues in our food.
In the long run, organically grown food is the best bargain for us, the environment, and future generations.
Check out the following for more views on why Organic?
7 Major Reasons to Go Organic
Ten Reasons Why Organic Food Is Better
Flavor is another benefit of healthy plants growing in a living soil. Flavor results from a mixture of many different and complex molecules. Healthy, living soil provides a constant and more complex mixture of these molecules, which results in more flavor. It's no surprise that chefs working in the highest caliber restaurants prefer organic ingredients to conventionally grown ingredients.
By purchasing locally-grown, organic produce, the consumer supports sustainable methods of land use that result in far less pollution and top-soil loss than does conventional agriculture. Synthetic pesticides and herbicides not only kill soil microbes and leave toxic residues on food, they also threaten the health of farm workers and disrupt natural ecosystems around the farm. Chemical fertilizers pollute lakes, ponds, rivers, and groundwater.
The alternative to using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers usually requires more labor on a farm. With more labor, organic farmers can match or exceed the productivity and quality of chemically dependent crops. Labor, rather than synthetic inputs, typically means more support for local economies, but it can also mean higher prices. Conventionally grown foods cost less because the chemical fertilizers are subsidized and their hidden costs are passed on to consumers and the environment. These hidden costs include creating synthetic inputs, the resulting pollution from spreading them, and long-term health effects of pesticide residues in our food.
In the long run, organically grown food is the best bargain for us, the environment, and future generations.
Check out the following for more views on why Organic?
7 Major Reasons to Go Organic
Ten Reasons Why Organic Food Is Better
Why should one plant trees?
Afforestation, or the planting of trees on previously non-forested and degraded barren lands, is one of the easy means of reducing atmospheric Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and mitigating climate change and environmental pollution. Trees function as natural, cost-effective biological Carbon (C) sinks, removing CO2 from the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis, converting the atmospheric form of C into plant biomass and releasing Oxygen (O2) back into the atmosphere. Carbon sequestration in plant biomass is one of many benefits of planting trees; others include maintaining ecosystem resilience by protecting ground and surface water quality and quantity, controlling erosion, and creating wildlife habitat, as well as economic and recreational benefits.
WHat is bed and breakfast?
A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes or farm houses with 4-6 extra rooms for guests.
WHAT IS a farmstay?
Farmstay is an accomodation on working farms for small groups of families for a peaceful retreat to learn how a farm functions.
Can we feed the world with naturally grown food?
Absolutely! The people starving in this world is not due to lack of food, but it is due to poor distribution of food. The video below throws some light on this myth.
Why should one plant trees?
Afforestation, or the planting of trees on previously non-forested and degraded barren lands, is one of the easy means of reducing atmospheric Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and mitigating climate change and environmental pollution. Trees function as natural, cost-effective biological Carbon (C) sinks, removing CO2 from the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis, converting the atmospheric form of C into plant biomass and releasing Oxygen (O2) back into the atmosphere. Carbon sequestration in plant biomass is one of many benefits of planting trees; others include maintaining ecosystem resilience by protecting ground and surface water quality and quantity, controlling erosion, and creating wildlife habitat, as well as economic and recreational benefits.
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