City Farming - the new green revolution

Dr R R Deshpande, CLEAN-Aurangabad              clean_aurangabad@yahoo.co.in

Urban India is likely to face a massive waste disposal problem in the coming years. A closer look at the current and future scenario reveals that waste needs to be treated scientifically and holistically, recognizing its natural resource roots as well as health impacts. The need of the hour is to manage it at the source itself as far as possible. A major portion of the waste generated in households (80%) is organic in nature, i.e., it is biodegradable.

The disposal of solid waste can be done effectively through City Farming at the source itself.

Vegetables being grown
on waste

Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, CLEAN-Aurangabad Regional Centre have introduced the concept of city farming for organic waste management at source. It is an innovative technology which solves the twin purpose of solid waste management & farming in urban areas. It has been invented and introduced by Padmashri Dr. R.T. Doshi and has been registered under the Indian Patent Act. It is the latest scientific invention for disposal of organic garbage at source simultaneously growing vegetables, fruits etc. By adopting this city farming in community, the responsibility of the municipality for the disposal of organic waste is greatly reduced, reaching the zero level progressively.

Requirements of City Farming

Sun, little water, cow dung, little soil, sugarcane residue (baggase), organic waste generated in the house, woven plastic bags (for bag method) and metal/plastic drums (for drum method).

Beneficiaries

1. Communities Each family would get fresh vegetables, fruits and flowers for their use & consumption. Surplus vegetables, fruits and flowers can earn additional income for the family.
2. Municipalities The responsibility of civic authorities for collection, transportation and disposal of solid waste would progressively reach zero level.

What needs to be done

We need to motivate citizens in large numbers to practice City Farming which can lead to the management of 75% of solid waste at source. The only requirement on the part of the citizens is to have will and determination to do it and on the part of civic authorities to undertake City Farming on a large scale for municipal solid waste management. q

 

The author is working with Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,
the CLEAN-India partner at Aurangabad

How to go about it ?

Bag method
The steps to be taken are as follows:
l Identify and allocate area
l Procure used woven plastic bags
v 2"-9" , tubular - for single crop
v 9"-9" - bag for vegetable
v 18"-24" - longer bag for fruits
l Keep the upper end open for aeration.
l Fill bottom half of the bag with biomass preferably sugar cane residue (baggase) tightly with pressure
l Add mixture of nursery soil, dried vegetable waste and cow dung (25-35%)
l Plant a seed/plant - 1/2 to 3/4 inch below the soil layer.
l Once the plants come up about 5-8 cm, add organic waste
l Keep a close watch and record your observations during plant growth

Drum method
l Use 200 litre capacity barrel/ drum and cut open both the ends
l Make four holes of about 10 cm diameter on each of the three vertical sections of the drum (= 12 holes on each drum)
l Fill about 2 cm of sugarcane residue (baggase) at the bottom
l Add a mixture of little soil, dried vegetable wastes, kitchen waste, cow dung
l Insert sapling as soon as the level reaches the top of the hole (initially at the bottom section of the drum)
l Repeat the same procedure with the middle and top sections of the drum.
In one drum, you can plant 12 fruits saplings in 12 holes and 3 to 4 saplings on the top. Just go on adding adequate amount of organic kitchen waste, vegetable waste peelings etc. Watering is also to be followed.

"It was not man who owned the world at the beginning. Man developed physically, as we find...
at a very late stage. The planet started with micro-life" — Sonali Suresh, CLEAN-Bangalore

 

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