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Our Story
We are the first urban hydroponic farm in the city of Coimbatore. The farm is founded by a female entrepreneur with an eye for uncompromising quality and precision. It operates on strong principles of sustainability, equal opportunity, and working with other small businesses. Not only do we want to shorten agricultural supply chains, we also focus on growing artisanally and revitalising native varieties.
We believe that produce should be safe, nutritious, and fresh. Apart from being fortifying and healthy, we believe that food is a celebration of culture and history. So, we encourage home cooks as well as chefs to experiment and have fun with our wide-range of products and bring our farm to your table.
We operate both in commercial growing as well as consultancy and design of urban farms.
This makes us uniquely positioned to not only build the best possible farm for our clients but also, to guide them on market aspects. All of our expertise comes not only from practical experience but years of study.
With a focus on continuous learning, we ensure that every farm we build is an improvement on the last. We take this spirit of discovery to experimenting with new crops and have successfully propagated several varieties that are off-beat. We are proud to creatively innovate and this is the driving force behind everything that we do.
Our Research
Our research focuses on three important aspects
Farm Design
This not only applies to zoning the farm according to the type of crops that can be grown, but also the build of the farm itself.
Our farms are adapted to various external stressors in their location and this is something we track through extensive historic data analysis.
By having a keen eye on materials technology, we constantly upgrade the built environment of the farm.
Our farms are uniquely designed according to climatic zones with extensive temperature mapping to reduce set-up and operational cost for the client.
We provide state-of-the-art equipment, automation, irrigation systems, and nutrient mixes.
We constantly learn from our farms through diligent data collection and apply this to every farm we build.
Crop Varieties
We are one of the few commercial farms that work with small-seed providers and use open-pollinated seeds and adapt them to work in hydroponic systems.
Apart from exotic leafy greens, herbs, and microgreens, our focus is to grow native spinach as well as vegetables like cucumber, varieties of tomato, and chilli peppers.
We are perhaps the first farms in India to grow hydroponic edible flowers.
Our experiments also include varieties of crops that are heat resistant.
With extensive feedback, we expand our range of products regularly.
We have included fodder and pet grass on our menu, which is a unique approach for an urban farm.
Market Research
As commercial growers ourselves, we want to find the best value-add for our product and also bring this to our clients.
We work directly with chefs and grow for their requirements so they can translate food sourcing and the power of quality ingredients to their customers.
We are keen to play a role in shaping the future of urban agriculture and smart farming in the country.
Apart from building farms of the future, we have an active focus on food processing, nutraceuticals, and various other avenues which we are enthusiastically exploring.
Our Team
Akhila Vijayaraghavan
Founder/Director
Akhila holds a degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Glasgow. She ran an environmental consultancy for almost ten years specialising in ESG, waste management, water efficiency, and corporate governance. During that time, she developed a knowledge of issues in food sustainability.
After she exited the CSR space, the focus was to find solutions and drive innovation to make agriculture accessible to urban-dwellers and Parna Farms was born. She has written on various platforms and spends her free-time outdoors, and has a special fondness for the ocean.
Thiviya Priyaa
Farm Manager
Thiviya is an agriculture graduate from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. She also holds a masters in Food Processing and has secured a gold medal. She has a wide variety of interests within the agricultural domain including food processing and dairy technology.
At Parna Farms, she is in charge of day-to-day operations and focuses on trials of new crops, customer management, and supporting long-term growth of the company. During her free time she enjoys crafting and painting.
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