City Farming is an innovative technology that deals with organic farming in urban areas and essentially on terraces. Collection and disposal of organic waste is the prime and legal responsibility of the municipal authorities. Mumbai Municipal Corporation spends about Rs.450 crores per annum on solid waste management and, even then, organic waste causes various problems including health hazards.
It is Dr. R T Doshi, a strong believer in the Gandhian principle of self-help, who patented a process and technology to Dispose of the organic waste generated in the household premises without causing any health hazards and simultaneously using this organic waste for agricultural production for human consumption. All this without much effort and minimum cost.
Dr. Doshi's efforts have been appreciated around the world. UNDP has recognized this new approach. City Farming is the most appropriate, economical and the proven answer for the disposal of organic waste with a dual advantage of growing vegetables and fruits, etc.
Salient features of City Farming:
Plants also have life. The greatest difference between plants and humans is that humans cannot produce their own food, while plants produce their own requirements with the direct participation and assistance of solar energy, a process that scientists call "photosynthesis".
In urban areas the availability of open spaces for agricultural purpose is extremely limited. However, most buildings have terraces that are generally not used except for water tanks, etc. These terraces receive sufficient quantity of solar energy that is ideal to sustain life and propagate its growth.
Hence, City farming is done on terrace using domestic/organic waste, cooked or uncooked for the production of vegetables and fruits for self consumption.
The science of City Farming as researched and developed by Dr. R T Doshi proves:
(a) Water requirements are limited.
(b) The method and use of containers on the terrace does away with all objections of leakage and damage to the terrace structure.
On the city farm one can grow anything that is desired viz. vegetables, horticulture plants, fruits, medical plants, flowering plants etc. The only consideration that needs to be taken care of is the genetic characteristics of the particular plant with regard to solar requirements. weather conditions, etc. Thus the choice is practically limitless.
City Farming has:
* Great potential
* Creative pleasure
* Good health
* Friendly environment
* Profitability
Benefits:
* The producer get fresh fruits / vegetables for self consumption.
* The producer gets fresh fruits / vegetables at cheaper prices.
* Tasty, highly nutritious, superior quality food products.
* Eco friendly, pollution free environment.
Choosing a City Farm site is as important as selecting the plants to grown in it. All vegetables need sunlight and fertile, well-drained, soil. They will contract fewer diseases if the site has good ventilation. Place the City Farm so it will be convenient to plant, care for, and harvest. Few of us are lucky enough to have the ideal place that provides all of the needed conditions. Innovative City Farmers will find spaces that fit their plants’ needs. All vegetables need a minimum of 3 hours of sunshine. Less will cause the plants to be weak and spindly no matter how much tender loving care you give them. Thus the City Farm sites available to you are terraces, balconies, staircases, parapets and patios.
You can grow any vegetable and fruit in a container with enough preparation and care. Start by finding a container large enough to support fully grown plants and with adequate soil-holding capacity to accommodate the plant’s root system. For optimum harvest/yield and growth of the plants choose containers (A) Polythene bags – open on both ends, (B) Large metal drums about 200 ltrs. Capacity, open on both ends with perforated holes, (C) Small plastic containers with holes on the sides. Kindly follow our methodology of filling the drum and growing the plant.
In City Farming soil requirement are not high. For the first filling, it is advisable to obtain rich soil, which is known as nursery soil. This could be available around your farming area.
The bottom half of the bag should be tightly filled with bio mass. Any type of locally available bio mass would be useful. For example, if you get vegetable waste that would be fine. If there is a sugarcane juice centre near your house, you can get ample supply of sugarcane residue. Normally, bio mass should be available free of cost. One has only to arrange for its collection.
Next-25% of the bags should be filled with compost, which would include decomposed biomass. You might be able to locate a supplier or you can do it yourself in a plastic bag. Get cow dung, leaves and other organic matter, put them in a plastic bag, add water, and close the bag. In about 2 to 3 weeks you will get decomposed bio mass.
Rest of the bag is to be filled with good nursery soil. If you do not get nursery soil, get any garden soil and add about 5% by volume reinforced organic manure, which is available in the market.
For one sq.ft of area, about two to four litres of soil should be sufficient. The fertility of the soil can be well maintained from your own domestic organic waste and also garden waste.
Obviously, you will choose vegetables or fruits that your family particularly enjoys. Also those that are most expensive to buy in the bazaar would be good choices. Tomatoes for example, are always a good choice. Getting the right mix of vegetables can have the unexpected bonus of warding off certain insects. For example, beans and potatoes work together to drive off various types of beetle. Draw up a plan on paper showing the layout of your garden. Take into account the amount of space needed between rows of each type of vegetable. Ensure that large vegetables like corn will not block the sunlight for smaller ones. Please go through the Annexure IV for an indicative list of fruits, vegetables and herbs that you can grow at home.
City farming is practiced for home consumption. Therefore, we would need 25 -50 different varieties of edible plants. This is called mixed farming. It is the law of nature that some species of plants are friendly with certain other species of plant. This is called companion/friendly plantation. This gives better results and keeps insect attacks to a minimum. A short list of companion plant combinations are given below:
Companion plant combinations
Camote
Corn, pigeon pea, cassava
Sweet potato
Okra, eggplant, tomato, chilli, pole yard long bean, wingbean, lima bean, rice bean, jute amaranth.
Some of the plants will be grown from seeds, others from grafting. The indicative list of various plants and their characteristics is listed in Annexure IV. Plan the size of the container that you would like to have. Normally a plastic bag 9” dia and 9” long would be sufficient for growing hosts of small domestic plants like ladies finger, maize, jowar etc. Big plastic bags with about 14” dia. and 9” long would accommodate more plants and even crops like sugarcane can be grown. For horticulture plantations like fig, mango and guava we recommend 18” dia and 24” long plastic bags.
While planting, first carefully clean out the container. Seeds of groundnut, cereals, etc. could be taken from your kitchen store. Other seeds can be obtained from the seed merchant. Now place the bags in position as per your plan. Soak the bags with sufficient water. After one or two watering as mentioned above, allow the water to dry up for a day and then plant the seed ½ to ¾ inch below the soil level. Gently water the soil with water, taking care not to wash out the seeds. Label each container with the name and variety of plant and planting date. When seedlings have two or three leaves, thin them for proper spacing between plants.
Plant at weekends, so that there is enough time and you are in no hurry. Complete the planting, don’t leave the job half done. Be in a cheerful mood, take your time, don’t hurry. Put the plant in a shade and see that it is watered adequately. Inspect these saplings regularly.
Once the seed has germinated and the plant is about three weeks old, you may consider periodical foliar spray applications, if necessary. You can use a painter’s brush and just sprinkle droplets on the leaves.
There are certain inherent characteristics of each plant. For example, some plants like rice are kharif crops. Some plants like maize are rabi crops. By and large follow the natural cycle. Should for any reason whatsoever you decide to plant kharif plants in the rabi season, see that the soil is always moist/wet for the plant to feel that it is in the kharif season.
Involve every member of the family. Please note that one of the family members has to be the head of the show. Decide the total man hours required and how each one will get involved in the City Farm.
Intensive production techniques that can produce high yields per square meter include.
Selectively close spacing: Sowing seeds or placing seedlings at high density so that plant canopies ultimately cover all production surfaces.
Intercropping: Growing more than one crop in the same bed at the same time; as with close spacing, this method results in total soil coverage, which conserves soil moisture.
Succession planting: Immediately replanting a growing space with young seedlings following the harvest of a crop.
Relay planting: planting fast and slow-growing crops simultaneously to maximize the use of a single growing space.
Catch cropping: Planting crops of different structures together (eg. Tall plants with short, or root crops with shrubby or leafy vegetables) to obtain optimal production from a given area.
Vertical planting: Training plants to grow in a vertical direction on stakes,
trellises or other support structures.
Two tier farming : By putting wire nets 7 to 8 feet above the planting area and by using wire net we can grow vegetable creepers like (little gourd)
The versatility and mobility of a City Farm allow you to grow a wider variety of vegetable plants over a longer time span than the usual
spring/summer/winter growing period.
Solar energy is the most important and principal input in agricultural production. Solar energy requirement will change with every variety of plant and on its genetic characteristics.
Prepare a schedule for three things:
Water and nutrition preferably together.
Trimming, pruning and supporting.
Plant care and protection.
In City Farming, water requirements are moderate. Since we use bags with both ends completely open, even if excess water is given, it will just drain out.
In the initial stages use very little water. Nurse the sapling like a child. Pour the water gently and slowly.
In the second stage water daily. In the third stage twice a day and then weekly. Water in the cool hours and not in the afternoon.
Phosphorous is important, it strengthens the roots of the plant. This can be taken care by using banana skins which is available in your surrounding.
The plant should get adequate food, sunlight and water. If this is taken care of, the chances of the plant getting any uncontrollable diseases are slim.
Plants may also be affected by external sources such as insects, bacteria, etc., or from internal deficiency of a particular nutrient.
We generally do not recommend the use of chemical insecticides or pesticides. We suggest two techniques:
Foliar spray;
Control of insects and pests.
Foliar spray
Use a brush or house sprayer. The formula for making materials is as under:
1.
Material:
Mint, tobacco leaves, hot peppers, garlic, onions,
tomato leaves.
Procedure:
Grind the plant parts to extract the juice and mix with water in 1:1 ratio.
2.
Another spray can be made of soap, kerosene and water.
Material:
For one litre of mixture add quarter cup laundry soap, quarter tablespoon kerosene, one litre water.
Procedure:
Mix and apply.
3.
Contact poison (for sucking insects)
Material:
One pack of cigarettes, two eggs, eight tablespoons oil, two cups water, three glass jars, pinch of detergent soap, two empty cans.
Procedure:
Remove the paper from the cigarettes and put the tobacco in the empty can. Add two cups of water and boil for 15 minutes. Strain the solution by pouring it through filter paper in one of the glass jars. Then put eight tablespoons of oil and two tablespoons of vinegar in the other can, add two eggs beat together until they emulsify. Combine with the nicotine and put them together in the glass jars. Finally, add a pinch of detergent soap for ease of spraying.
Insects and pest control
We suggest using organic material such as:
Neem oil
Turmeric powder (haldi)
Chilly powder
Asafoetida (heeng)
Garlic power
All of these or a combination of these can be used.
Method of preparation:
Take a bowl of water. Add a pinch of washing soda for emulsification purposes and apply by brush-gently on the plant.
Trimming, Pruning and Supporting
Regularly observe the plant. If it has bent to one side, support it. In initial stages, use of a stick may be necessary. Pruning is the method by which we cut excessive plant growth. Pruning will thin the branches out and give better yield.
Remember what the Japanese Scientist Fukuoka says: “Keep on trying, understand plant science, God will bless you with extra ordinary success”
** information not available at this time.
Source: National Research Council, 1981.
ANNEXURE II
Plants Associated With Astrology
Astrology has a deep influence on Indian life. Most Indians do not choose a partner, start a new venture or journey. change a house or enter a new house or fix the time for any ceremony related to birth, marriage and funerals without consulting an astrologer. Astrologers base their predictions on the relative position of various plants. People therefore, do their best to propitiate the celestial plans. In doing so, they use plants and plant parts and products to pacify the damaging effects and to please the planets.
The time, date month and place (latitude and longitude) are used to determine the controlling planet. (Lagnesh) for an individual and this is further controlled by various nakshatras (lunar and monsoon). These are the chief stars of lunar asterism in the moons part. There are 27 divisions of the lunar orbit, each marking the motion of the moon in one lunar day. Thus each month has all the 27 nakshatras, each playing a role for a little more than a day and every nakshatra is presided over by a different deity. To propitiate the presiding deity of the nakshatra in which a particular individual is born, astrologers advise the devotee to plant a tree called kalpataru/kul vriksh, specific to the nakshatra.
Plants used to propitiate / pacify planets.
Sun
Wheat
Ficus
Lotus
Pterocarpus
Santalinus
And other
species
Calotropis
ginantea
Small
cardamom,
Polyalthia,
longifolia,
Seeds of
Poppy, red flowers,
Oleander
(kaner)
Flowers
Moon
Rice,
Poppy
Acacia
While
Flowers
Sandalwood
(chandan)
Other species
Butea monosperma acacia catechu
Sandalwood
Mars
Lentil
Neem
Red
kaner
Many fruits
Achyranthes
aspera
Aegle marmelos,
red flowers, Mimusops elengi, Celastrus paniculata, Nardostachys
jatamansi
Mercury
Bomboo,
Mung
Bean,
Plantain
(leaves)
Flowers of all
Colours
Yellow fruit
Pipal
Paddy, Piper Nigrum,
nutmeg
Jupiter
Chikoea
Pipal
Yellow flowers
Sandalwood
Focus
glomerata
White mustard, Ficus glomerata, Glycerrhiza
globra