URBAN-AGRICULTURE: A MODERN INCOME GENERATING HOBBY

Agriculture has always been a part and parcel of livelihood for Indian countrymen. However, the increasing population over the last 10 years has rapidly elevated the rate of urbanization. According to the trend line of the Indian Population Census, it has been observed that the people residing in urban areas in India according to 1901 census was 11.4%, which has increased to 28.53% in 2001 and has crossed above 30% as per Census 2011 standing at 31.16%. Further, according to a survey by the UN State of the World Population report in 2007, it is expected that by 2030, 40.76% of the country’s population is expected to reside in urban areas. Therefore, keeping in view the current pace of increasing population it has become a necessity of the hour to focus on increasing food production to feed a population of 1.3 billion.

Despite this increasing rate in the population the total arable land area happens to be stable or fixed. Therefore, there is a heavy need to adopt various new technologies and methods of cultivation in small areas and basic living areas to meet the increasing food demands of the growing population. Thus, urban agriculture has become a new trend of cultivation practices. It is one of the solutions that are perceived globally to meet the demand for food of the urban population. There are a number of ways through which urban agriculture has an impact on urban food security. It is a practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around a village, town, or city. It can also involve animal husbandry, aquaculture, agroforestry, and horticulture. These activities also occur in peri-urban areas as well. At the household level, urban agriculture can be a source of income, provide direct access to a larger number of nutritionally rich foods (vegetables, fruit, meat) and a more varied diet, increases the stability of household food consumption against seasonality or other temporary shortages, and increases the time mothers spend caring for their children, as opposed to non-agricultural activities that are more likely to be located further away from home.

The idea of urban farming is a dynamic concept that comprises a variety of livelihood systems ranging from subsistence production and processing at the household level to more commercialized agriculture. It occurs in different locations and under varying socio-economic conditions and political regimes. The diversity of urban agriculture is one of its main attributes, as it can be adapted to a wide range of urban situations and to the needs of diverse stakeholders. Ensuring food security and appropriate nutrition for the urban population, particularly the poorest households, has become a tremendous challenge in many cities in developing countries. Cities are therefore among the principal territories for intervention and planning of strategies that aim to eradicate hunger and poverty, improve livelihoods, generate more formal employment opportunities, use vacant open spaces, market proximity and proper utilization of the urban organic wastes and wastewater in a judicious manner to stimulate the development of diverse agricultural production systems in and around cities. This development has important potential and responds to some of the key challenges faced by the cities.

Traditionally, farming is considered the key development in the rise of human civilization and an integral part of our heritage. It is a form of tradition where people feel more connected to the earth and hence enjoy the art of cultivation. In many South-Asian countries, families living in rural areas grow fresh vegetables in their own backyard, and this tradition has lasted for thousands of years. Although it is hard to grow food in dense residential areas and with the busy lifestyle in modern cities, the dream of growing fresh food in one’s own place and being self-reliant remains in many people’s hearts. Proper knowledge and experience in gardening are crucial to enable effective gardening and the production of nutritious food.

In today’s diet-rich society, the emphasis is given more to healthy nutritious and organic foods. And this can become a reason people choose what to plant and they can inculcate it as a hobby. Moreover, this practice of cultivating or planting can also be a source of recreation and well-being. Many techniques like backyard farming, terrace farming, container gardening, raised bed gardening etc. can be initiated in small vacant areas of the homestead (on-plot) or on land away from the residence (off-plot), on private land (owned, leased) or on public land (parks, conservation areas, along roads, streams and railways), or semi-public land (schoolyards, grounds of schools and hospitals). It is not just for growing herbs, vegetables or fruits, but also considered as a way to interact with nature.

Gardening or small-scale farming is a very casual and fundamental activity that makes people relax, calm down and temporarily forget the stress of work and life. It also increases people’s outdoor and physical activity levels making them healthier and generating interest and capability to grow more nutritious food for oneself and being able to share them with others. This would improve the levels of fulfillment and self-pride of the growers and motivate others to practice the same. The most beneficial thing in urban farming is people get organic, flavorful, fresh and naturally ripened products rather than the undesirable store products that are artificially maintained. Furthermore, by growing our own easily maintained food like mint, chilies, green onions and garlic, fruits and more, we can bring freshness to our table and compensate for the variety of food supply from the main supermarkets. This will help to improve our dietary knowledge and act as a good scheme for encouraging kids to be involved in green and sustainability issues at home such as collecting rainwater for watering the garden, recycling kitchen wastes as fertilizers etc. Other than these activities urban agriculture includes processing and marketing activities as well as inputs (e.g. compost) and services delivery (e.g. animal health services) by specialized micro-enterprises or NGOs, etc. In urban agriculture, production and marketing tend to be more closely interrelated in terms of time and space than for rural agriculture because of greater geographic proximity and quicker resource flow. In developing countries, an important part of urban agricultural production in cities is for self-consumption, with surpluses being traded. However, the importance of market-oriented urban agriculture, both in volume and economic value, should not be underestimated.

At the very first glance, urban agriculture appears to be a fairly simple topic: scatter a few plots around the cities and let residents start gardening. But in reality, it impacts a community in various ways, from providing food security and environmental benefits and modifying a city’s urban form. In spite of its seeming simplicity, urban agriculture not only fosters the development and growth of urban areas but it also considers implementing techniques that include zoning ordinances and comprehensive plans. The takeaway lesson for us is that people’s livelihoods must be at the center of any discussion about sustainability and making changes. We need to be able to recognize this tension between short-term livelihood decisions and long-term sustainability goals and forge a path that works with people’s need to provide for their families but does so in an environmentally and socially conscious way. Thus, urban-farming has the potential to the improvement of efficiency in high. The urban farming sector tends to be highly dynamic, amongst others due to the closeness to the consumers, but its development is restrained amongst others due to urban farmers’ limited access to training and extension services. This acts as a platform for alleviating the pressure from the future food security situation, urban agriculture provides a complementary strategy for local economic development by reducing poverty and allowing social integration through inclusion (especially of women) and contributing to the greenery of the city along with efficient use of urban wastes. Moreover, it proves to be the better option in meeting the needs of the urban population to a greater extent and improving the city's ecology. Thus adoption and practice of such technology as an income-generating hobby has become very important in present-day conditions so as to generate larger-scale, capital-intensive and fully commercialized farmers.