Green Warriors

Converting balconies and rooftops into small kitchen gardens for growing organic stuff,a group of young farmers are keen to share their expertise with residents of the city. The idea is to encourage them to grow their own,healthy food. Like members of the NGO,Developing Indigenous Resources (DIR),who have planted a range of organic veggies on the rooftop of the DIR office with the help and expertise of Gaurav Sahai,a former IT expert. Sahai operates a small organic farm in Landra and also runs an organic food store,Sattva,Sector 8 market.

After several years of working in the area of preventive health care,education and income generation in Naya Gaon,DIR’s Frederick Shaw was keen to educate people here in the basti to grow vegetables in containers which could be placed on rooftops. A programme that will help people eat healthy organic vegetables free of cost. The practice of growing vegetables,believes Shaw,will further encourage people to eat seasonal nutritious vegetables,save money,keep their homes cool in summers,and importantly conserve soil and water. Sahai uses tubs,sacks,buckets,containers for planting lobhiya,karelas,ghiya,garlic and chillies,using walls as creepers. “The idea is to train a group,who can then set up similar spaces for people all over the city to earn and promote organic farming. The city’s soil is so good to grow just about anything,’’ says Sahai,giving tips on how to prepare soil,use water,create height for a

perfect produce.

As the process goes on,Pierre Bosse from the Canadian High Commission looks on with pride. Some green crusaders at the Commission,began a Green Roof Initiative to utilize space,as well as lower electricity bills.”The city has some great flat roofs and so much sun around the year,so we decided to probe an interesting way to use them,” smiles Bosse. Floating a contest for engineering students of Punjab Engineering College,Chandigarh (PEC),two students were chosen for their innovative design for rooftop gardening-farming and offered a scholarship of US $ 20,000 by the St Mary’s University,Canada. The Sector 8 official residence of the Commission will soon have a rooftop garden and a veggie patch too,promises Bosse.

At ‘Parshada’,a community space for sharing and practicing ideas of sustainable living,healthy food and upcycling,Moonstar Kaur Doad is creating compost for her ‘city farm’ in the Sector 18 home,where they grow organic vegetables. The young lady is nowadays collecting containers and making compost to help people create rooftop and terrace organic vegetable gardens all over the city. “This concept is not for show,but for real living and we’re already working on a terrace right across. This practice needs little investment,saves money,creates consciousness about healthy,pesticide and fertilizer-free food and we at Parshada are open to setting up spaces,” says Doad,proudly showing us the gorgeous green bhindi from her little garden patch.