Spirulina at Aurovile

8/8/2019 Spirulina at Aurovile

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Fresh spirulina before sun drying

Nutrition of the future for the city of the future

The whole process of assimilation which weighs you down - this

occupies so much of a person's time and energy - that should be done

beforehand, and then one should be given something which is immediately assimilable, like

what they are doing now with vitamin pills and proteins which can be assimilated directly,

nutrition basics which are found in one thing or another and which are not bulky.

Since 1997,Simplicity Spirulina Farm is growing spirulina for consumption in Auroville itselfand also for sale outside. The farm is situated alongside the Bay of Bengal . It produces high

quality spirulina, grown by simple eco-friendly methods made possible by the highly alkaline PH


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Already in the 1970s, Aurovilians Bob and Deborah Lawlor started a small scale algae farm inAuroville's Success community with a mixture of green algae, mostly chlorella and

scenedesmus. In their attempts at growing spirulina, they found that after a few weeksindigenous varieties of the chlorella species outgrew and replaced the original strain.

Although their project was very basic and

operated with simple means, it was one of thefirst experimental spirulina farms worldwide,and even now is considered to have been of great

value. So much so, that it is mentioned in thebooks written by Ripley D. Fox (the spirulina

pioneer for the last decades).Another Aurovilian, old-timer Jim De Vries, was

experimenting with chlorella farming at LaFerme around 1978. Jim used to pump the water

with chlorella onto the rooftops of the buildingsaround the ponds (where nowadays the Auroville

Cheese unit is located).

In the beginning of the 1990s, the late SwissBonaventura Chanson founded Simplicity with

the vision of starting a spirulina farm there. Hecollected a lot of info and did various laboratory

scale experiments pertaining to spirulinaproduction.

Bonaventure also introduced spirulina for consumption within the community. AfterBonaventuras passing, Aurovilian Hendrik van Poederooijen (from the Netherlands) who

presently runs the farm, decided together with Tejas Joseph to make Bonaventuras vision of aSpirulina farm in Auroville come true, and started the project with an interest-free loan given to

the project by the Auroville Health Centre. Having been located near the beach for years, inFebruary 2008 the foundation stone was laid for the new Simplicity Spirulina Farm at Windarra

community in Aurovilles Green Belt. In the meantime, Aurospirul has established itself as awell-known brand of high quality spirulina from Auroville.

Why spirulina in Auroville?

It is but natural that the best food for the future would

be cultivated in the City of the Future. Moreover, thehot tropical climate in Tamil Nadu, south India, is

perfect for spirulina cultivation. So much so that somestrains of spirulina can be found naturally growing there.

And indeed, spirulina appears to be the ultimate sourceof nutrition available to mankind today. As stated by


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NASA:"The Nutritional value of 1kg spirulina is equivalent to 1,000kgs of assorted fruits andvegetables".

In order to produce 1 kg of spirulina very little water is needed (the only significant loss is

through evaporation) and even brackish or alkaline water, unsuitable for agriculture, can be used.

Growing spirulina also requires very little surface area of land, with the further advantage thatthe land can be marginal, unusable and non-fertile. Spirulina protein uses 1/3 of the amount ofwater needed to grow soybeans and only 1/50th of the water needed for beef protein. Spirulina

protein needs 20 times less land than soybeans and 200 times less than is required for beefproduction. Spirulina can help in the struggle with global warming as it fixes carbon and

produces oxygen.

Health benefits

Perhaps the best feature of spirulina is that its nutrients are very well assimilated by the body,since it contains no cellulose in its cell walls. Spirulina is a low fat, low calorie, cholesterol-freesource of protein containing all the essential amino acids. It helps combat problems like diabetes,

anaemia and atmospheric pollution. It also helps combat 'free radicals' which can lead to ailmentslike cancer, arthritis, cataracts. Moreover, the gama linolic acid (GLA) present in spirulinadissolves fat deposits, helps prevent heart problems and reduces 'bad cholesterol'. As if this

wasn't enough, the National Cancer Institute, USA, has additionally announced that sulfolipids inspirulina are remarkably active against the AIDS virus. Regular intake of spirulina increases anti-

viral activity, stimulates the immune system, reduces kidney toxicity, improves wound healingand reduces radiation sickness.

How to take spirulina

Spirulina is a perfectly safe natural food which provides quick energy and nourishment. Therecommended daily intake is 1-5 grams, but if you feel like consuming more, go ahead. Spirulina

powder can be added to fruit or vegetable juices or to dishes to enhance nutritional content. It istasty in soups, salads, pasta, or mixed with yoghurt.

Spirulina Crunchy is nice to eat as a snack or as a seasoning on your dishes, bread or salads, onlyavoid cooking it as a lot of nutrients (esp. vitamins) will get lost that way. Special tip: make a

fresh lemon juice (or use lemon syrup), add a teaspoon of spirulina, stir well and drink it straightaway.

The vitamin C of the lemon (spirulina doesn't contain vitamin C) will help with absorbing thenutrients.. Spirulina capsules (vegetarian) and tablets are convenient to take at any time of theday; For more information, contact us at [email protected] Or better still, come and

check out in person! Please feel free to visit the farm at any time, on your visit to Auroville.


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Spirulina at Aurovile