Friday, November 18, 2011

Fwd: Cities Beat Prices with Rooftop Veggies



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Shiva Shankar <sshankar@cmi.ac.in>
Date: Fri, Nov 18, 2011 at 11:23 AM
Subject: Cities Beat Prices with Rooftop Veggies
To:



Article in today's economic times: Cities Beat Prices with Rooftop Veggies

Urban farmers growing fruit & veggies at home to cut dependence on market

NIDHI NATH SRINIVAS & PK KRISHNA KUMAR NEW DELHI | KOCHI

Delhi-based homemaker Shaifali Chikermane had had enough of vegetables laced with deadly chemicals and deceptive sheen. So she decided to take matters into her own hands. Literally so, because just a few months later she has a spread of 25 pots with garlic, onion, green spinach, red spinach, peas, cauliflower, chillies, ginger and herbs growing on the terrace of her 800 sq ft flat. Chikermane belongs to an expanding tribe of city dwellers across the country who have taken to growing vegetables and reducing dependence on the marketplace. These urban farmers are using every inch of available space for growing fresh vegetables that are salubrious for household budgets as well, especially in these times of raging food inflation. Influenced by a friend who does organic farming, I started by making compost out of raw fruit, vegetables, paper and hay in a water bucket, says Chikermane,39. Within three weeks, I had my compost. Carrying the large pots up four floors was a challenge, but I saw it as part of the game. Enthusiasts are using old water tanks and buckets to wooden crates and mere 15 sq yard gardens to grow fresh vegetables, says Gurgaon-based expert Shakti Singh.
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--
Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/

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