growing food on the roofs ideas for panjim city
TRANSCRIPT
Growing Organic Food in
Panjim CitySuggestions for a proof of concept in Panjim
city from Green Essentials
There is a growing interest in organic
food in Goa(and in cities across the
country and world)
And there is a complete disinterest
in composting(people feel that its not their job to deal with their waste)
Ever since we started promoting organic vegetable growing
(our composters sell themselves)
INSIGHTPeople are motivated by
good, healthy food. If they love to grow food, they will soon turn to composting
Why not solve 3 kinds of waste together
(sort of hitting three birds with one stone)
[1]Utilise wasted
terraces in the city(all locked and ignored now)
[2]Inspire a organic city farming movement
(that regularly utilisesbiodegradable city waste and
yields ultra fresh, local produce)
[3]Reduce wasted food miles and pesticide
impact(for citizens of the city who
want to participate)
And of course it makes for a great
story for Panjim City too…
You can grow almost any vegetable
(especially in the winter season, which is why we
should start then)
Some basic requirements• Location: Smack in the middle of urban Panjim, but hopefully
not in a zero-parking zone• Sunlight and space: An open sunny terrace of about 200 sq mts
where residents aren't paranoid about load bearing (we will use coco soil)
• Water: Source of water for the plants that's not too expensive even as we try to be water efficient
• Optimism: A society management that's optimistic, not pessimistic
• Fencing: Restricted access so that the plants aren't meddled with in the absence of our team
• Sharing friendly: Ability to bring people to see the place, without ticking residents off or inconveniencing them
• Flexibility: Freedom to set up a temporary greenhouse on a frame if needed
Step 1: The Crate
Plastic multi-purpose crates as planters that can be move easily
Step 2: The Lining
Coarse Jute sacking material to preserve soil and moisture
Step 3: The Medium
Coco-soil is very light and retains moisture longer
Can be sourced from KundaimCoir Factory
Step 4: The Compost
Perhaps available from Panjim municipality
Step 5: The Layout
Greenhouse
Design following organic principles for less pests
Herbs Root veggies Fruiting veggies Leafy veggies
Step 6: The Nursery
Raising a nursery of saplings from seed
Step 7: The Community
Getting the community to participate in planting
Step 8: The Greenhouse
Greenhouse in case weather warms excessively
Step 9: Monitoring and updates
Monitoring progress with updates online
Step 10: Knowledge Sharing
Workshops at key stages to inspire and teach
Step 11: The Harvest
Harvest can be utilised in various ways
How we can do this…• Find a private/corporate sponsor
o for covering the material and setup costs for the garden
• Setup can be managed by uso including provision of labour and monitoring afterwards
o Daily watering will require some thought to manage
• Key inputs sourced from govt. agencieso Compost and coco soil are the key expenses
• Outreach and workshops managed by uso To be conducted onsite if possible
• Produce can be utilised creativelyo Sell at NoMoZo? Weekly organic-only outlet in city/at terrace garden
If this catches on, we can…• Look at cityfarming-friendly policies to
encourage use of terraces productively
• Create a network to sell surplus organic produce in the cities
• Recognise the best terrace gardens in the city with a competition/cash prize
• Use this consumer awareness to get farms on the outskirts to turn organic too