Delhi govt to launch campaign for urban farming

New Delhi: The Delhi government will launch a mega campaign for urban farming and hold a roundtable conference on April 25 to discuss about the future course of action, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Monday.

The government also plans to set up a Delhi Environment Protection Committee to make this initiative a mass movement, he added.

He said the horticulture department will be the nodal department for the campaign.

“The Delhi government is preparing a mega plan on urban farming. The concept of this plan is to encourage and enable everyone in Delhi to be capable of planting fruits, vegetables, and other necessities in their own homes,” Rai said in a briefing.

People of Delhi will be able to reduce the excessive consumption of chemical products in their everyday life and therefore, improve their health, he said.

“For this, people in Delhi who have terraces and verandas with access to sunlight can begin urban farming in their homes and help meet their needs on a day-to-day basis while contributing to improving and preserving the environment,” he added.

To discuss how the campaign can be rolled out, a roundtable conference will be held on April 25 with experts, he added.

“We held a meeting with the concerned officers and concluded that on April 25, an Urban Planning Roundtable Conference will be organised for the mega plan which the Delhi government is planning to launch,” he said.

“This method is being used in different cities of the country as well as the world a discussion on how to implement these techniques throughout Delhi will take place through this conference,” he added.

Along with members from the government department, experts from Pusa Institute and other agencies will be present at the conference which will be held at the Delhi Secretariat.

“For this purpose, a primary proposal on two factors will be developed. First, with the help of Pusa institute, we will train people throughout Delhi. We are targeting people on a ward-by-ward basis. Counting all wards under MCD, NDMC, Cantt Board, there are 300 wards in Delhi,” he said.

The whole initiative will be run with the support of awareness campaigns on the lines of the winter action plan inculcating RWA, market associations and NGOs in the prospect.

“To train people, create awareness and make people join the urban farming revolution, we have proposed the establishment of the Delhi Environment Protection Committee.” he said.

“This committee will consist of people from various NGOs, RWAs, MLA-Councillor representatives, and environment enthusiasts. This will help us make urban farming a mass movement with the public playing a crucial role in it,” he added.

Rai said people will be able to procure seeds, soil and other equipment just by making a phone call.

“I believe this project will help bridge an emotional connection among the people towards the environment. They’ll feel more attached to their surroundings just by making an effort to grow plants. We aim to motivate our younger generation to this project to make them more attached to mother nature,” he said.