Anandi GandhiI think of myself as a gardener but I have wider interests in environmental issues. I was born and brought up in India and have completed my Masters in Philosophy from the University of Toledo, Ohio. My MA thesis focused on the role of genetically modified seeds in the farmers' suicides in India. Dissatisfied by purely academic research, I turned towards field work to learn about alternative agricultural methods. My past experiences include managing an organic farm, working with adivasi communities in South and West India for forest conservation, researching urban land-use policies in NYC, writing farm and garden manuals, and teaching undergraduate students. As the Sustainability Coordinator at Grampari in Western India, I helped create a demonstration organic farm.
I proceeded to complete my Permaculture Design Certification in Brooklyn, New York motivated by a desire to learn systems design that challenge how we value and live life. After having experimented with permaculture design for land-use related to growing perennial edibles in my own backyard, I proceeded to work as a native and pollinator gardens maintenance manager in Berkeley, California at a Permaculture-based gardening cooperative. For 2 years I was the instructor for a horticulture and landscaping employment training program for adults in San Francisco. As a part of this program, I designed and installed multiple indoor, outdoor, and rooftop gardens in SF along with my trainees. After completing a 6 month apprenticeship in ecological agriculture at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems housed at University of California, I worked as the sustainable agriculture specialist at Alameda County Resource Conservation District in the San Francisco Bay Area. My work included supporting an 18 acre agricultural park that is home to 6 small-scale farmers practicing ecological and organic agriculture. Current interests: As a PhD candidate researching elephant-farmer coexistence in India and Thailand, I am exploring how regenerative agriculture can be used to transform relations with wildlife. I aim to work with farmers in edge spaces where wildlife and humans meet and struggle for space and survival. |
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