EcoPlanetFarm is a regenerative farm and living ecological observatory in the Western Ghats landscape of Maharashtra, India. It is a place for long-term observation of the relationships among plants, soil, biodiversity, climate, natural aromas and human wellbeing.

For more than a decade, the landscape has been developed and observed as a living system rather than simply as a production farm. Fruit trees, aromatic plants, native vegetation, soil organisms, insects, birds, seasonal flowers, water and changing climatic conditions together provide an environment for continuous ecological observation and learning.

Our work increasingly asks a simple but largely unexplored question:

What can we learn if we observe nature not only through what we see and measure, but also through what we smell?

EcoPlanetFarm was founded by Bimal Das, a Food Technologist from CSIR-CFTRI Mysuru, with postgraduate study in Sustainable Engineering & Smart Cities at IISc Bengaluru and 35 years of research and professional experience across analytical science, food technology, natural products, olfaction, wellness, agriculture and sustainability.

Years of laboratory science and product development gradually converged with long-term observation of a living farm landscape.

This interdisciplinary journey now shapes EcoPlanetFarm's approach:

Observe nature → identify patterns → ask scientific questions → measure → validate → develop practical solutions.

We believe ecological intelligence begins with careful observation.

Plants are continuously interacting with soil, microorganisms, insects, weather and neighbouring vegetation. Many of these interactions involve chemical signals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) responsible for much of what humans perceive as natural aroma.

EcoPlanetFarm therefore looks beyond agriculture as crop production alone.

We observe the farm as an interconnected biological system in which soil health, plant physiology, biodiversity, climate and chemical communication influence one another.

Our regenerative approach emphasises:

• Building soil biological health 
• Recycling biomass and organic matter 
• Maintaining diverse perennial vegetation 
• Encouraging biodiversity 
• Minimising dependence on synthetic agricultural inputs 
• Conserving water and natural resources 
• Observing plants across seasons and climatic conditions 
• Learning from natural aroma and other biological signals 

One of EcoPlanetFarm's distinctive areas of inquiry is olfaction science applied to agriculture and ecology.

Plants, fruits, flowers, soil and microorganisms continuously release VOCs. Their volatile profiles may change with flowering, maturity, environmental stress, microbial activity, pest pressure and other biological processes.

Human beings have used smell to interpret food, plants, soil and environmental conditions for thousands of years. Modern analytical instruments, electronic noses, sensors and artificial intelligence now create opportunities to investigate these observations scientifically.

At EcoPlanetFarm, we are exploring how traditional sensory observation can be connected with modern measurement and data science.

These observations have led to the concept of an Aroma Intelligence System (AIS).

AIS is an emerging research framework exploring whether aroma and VOC signatures can provide an additional layer of information about plants, food, soil and ecological systems.

The concept is to investigate the integration of:

Human Observation + VOC Sensing + Electronic Nose + Environmental Data + AI/ML

In precision agriculture, soil measurements, weather data and imaging already provide important layers of information. AIS asks whether biological volatile signals could eventually contribute another useful layer.

The concept requires scientific validation, multidisciplinary research, field datasets and technology development. EcoPlanetFarm provides a living environment in which such questions can be explored.

Regenerative agriculture at EcoPlanetFarm is both a practice and an ongoing field observation.

The landscape contains mature fruit trees, aromatic plants, native species and diverse vegetation maintained with an emphasis on soil health, organic matter recycling, biodiversity and ecological resilience.

Rather than looking at individual crops in isolation, we observe relationships among:

Soil → Microbiome → Plant → Aroma → Insects → Biodiversity → Climate → Food

These relationships help generate hypotheses for future scientific investigation.

Our interest in aroma also extends from agriculture into food and human environments.

Aroma influences how we recognise freshness, maturity, deterioration, botanical identity, food quality and our surrounding environment.

EcoPlanetFarm therefore explores the wider connections among food science, sensory science, natural aroma, ecological health and human wellbeing, while recognising that observations and hypotheses require appropriate scientific validation before health or diagnostic conclusions can be made.

EcoPlanetFarm currently focuses on:

• Regenerative agriculture and ecological observation 
• Plant VOCs and olfaction science 
• Aroma Intelligence System (AIS) 
• Soil–plant–microbiome relationships 
• Biodiversity observation 
• Climate and plant-stress observations 
• Aromatic and native plant conservation 
• Fruit aroma and sensory characterisation 
• Food and post-harvest quality observations 
• Machine olfaction and electronic-nose applications 
• AI/ML opportunities for ecological interpretation 
• Sustainable living and resource conservation 
• Collaborative field research 

EcoPlanetFarm is evolving into what we describe as a field laboratory without walls.

Instead of separating biological questions from their ecological context, the farm allows plants, soil, weather, insects, microorganisms and biodiversity to be observed together over long periods.

The objective is not to claim that every observation is scientific evidence.

It is to use careful observation to generate better scientific questions, and then work with researchers and institutions to test those questions systematically.

Our vision is to develop EcoPlanetFarm as a living ecological observatory for collaborative research, connecting field observation with modern science and emerging technologies.

We seek to better understand the relationships among:

Forest. Biodiversity. Natural Aroma. Food. Human Wellbeing. Planetary Wellbeing.

By bringing together regenerative agriculture, Food Technology, olfaction science, ecological observation and emerging sensing technologies, we hope to contribute practical knowledge for more resilient landscapes and sustainable food and living systems.

EcoPlanetFarm welcomes collaboration with universities, research institutions, scientists, students, technology developers, startups and organisations interested in interdisciplinary field research.

Areas of particular interest include plant VOCs, olfaction science, machine olfaction, regenerative agriculture, soil biology, biodiversity, climate resilience, food quality and Aroma Intelligence System (AIS).

For detailed research themes and collaboration opportunities, please visit our Collaborative Research page.

EcoPlanetFarm — A Living Ecological Observatory

Observe. Measure. Interpret. Validate.

Understanding nature through signals we can see, measure — and smell.