Workshop on Urban Organic Agriculture inspires city farmers…
Terrace Farming
By Annette Gomes
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| © 2009 EarthSmiles.net . All rights reserved. Made from 100% recycled pixels. .Video - Urban Farming in Cuba Not quite what they called terrace farming back at school, but a whole new green revolution which aims to happen in the heart of busy metros, like Kolkata - farming in your backyard. Or rather, on your verandah, terrace or poach!
On June 5, a "Workshop on Urban Agriculture" was held at EarthCare Books, Kolkata. The main aim of this workshop was to understand the scope, significance and benefits of organic urban agriculture. And after a welcome by Bharat Mansata, environmentalist and co owner of EarthCare Books, all the participants introduced themselves by sharing their interest/experience in urban agriculture.
Among the participants were eminent personalities who were engaged in various fields like producing compost, constructive craft, farmers, aviation (an aeronautical engineer,) film making, etc. The workshop began with T.K.Bose stressing that urban agriculture is desirable in a country where half the population is below poverty line. In the towns, people try to grow crops in small plots - fruit and nutrious vegetables are preferred, as this is supplemented by other produce from the open market. Urban communities however, do all there purchasing from the open market... crops that are grown with insecticides and pesticides which are likely to make the food less nutritious and indeed, even harmful. This, says Bose, makes urban agriculture even more desirable, because urban crops can be grown using organic farming methods - unlike the commercial farmers who douse the produce with chemicals just to get better yields for sale. Urban agriculture is therefore important to eliminate the use of pesticides and encourage people to grow crops according to their own requirements.
Hows it done? This type of farming one can grow in their own gardens, or improvise anywhere. In case of those living in flats and do not have gardens, composted earth in a wooden box, placed on terrace, balcony or window - can be your vegetable patch. Kind of like Farmville in your window, instead of on Windows®! Bharat Mansata gave examples like Cuba which grows 75% of sugarcane in the world. This leaves little scope for other produce, so the innovative cubans grow around three million tons of food, farming in urban areas! There is a new phenomenon that people out of cautiousness are practising urban farming which results into a growing movement. Dr. Joshi introduced a municipal city based on composting. He had made an urban garden on his roof top with less cost effect and dozens of vegetables, sugarcane, etc; were successfully grown. Ardhendu Chatterjee, another speaker, explained how Agri Culture is turning into Agri Business - his business plans and flowcharts showed how it was possible to practice more intense urban agriculture - and profit from it. Though there was different views of its practicality in Kolkata, it certainly provided the participants with a great deal of information on the subject, and quite a lot of inspitation.
Now, excuse me, I have to attend to my pumkin patch... New in DIY :
Nikita Grosser shows you how to make an organic garden on your terrace, window sil... anywhere!  |
