Why a dedicated urban agriculture policy is necessary for nutrition security
Addressing the health concerns emanating from unsafe practices, the Kenyan government is planning to draft a law to regulate and promote urban agriculture.
By Shreya Raman and Gitonga Njeru
Africa Science News
Apr 19, 2022
Excerpt:
On a Monday morning, Radheshyam Chauhan harvested 40 bundles of spinach from a narrow patch of land near Mira Road station on Mumbai’s suburban railway line. He walked to the market near the station and sold the spinach to Vikram Prasad at the cost of Rs 3 per bundle–half of what Prasad paid (Rs 7, including transport costs) at the Vashi market in the morning.
Prasad is one of Chauhan’s regular customers and while the produce from the railway farms is not enough to run his business, the low cost helps in cushioning his losses. The farm that Chauhan works on is on land owned by the Indian Railways and is leased to certain railway employees under the Grow More Food scheme. The employees then lease the land to outsiders who hire labourers to cultivate the land and sell the produce.
Chauhan, who is one of these labourers and had migrated from the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh says farming here is more difficult than in his village. “This land has no life,” he said, “We have to add lots of fertilisers and pesticides for the land to have any yield.” In addition to this, accessing clean water is a major challenge. All these farms are located on narrow patches of land between the railway tracks and walls built by the railways. Chauhan, who lives in a shanty near the farm, says they are forced to use sewage water. “We don’t have water to drink, how will we get water for the crops,” he added.
A 2013 study of 8 railway farms highlighted this extensive use of fertilisers and pesticides and the use of sewage water. The study also found that the soil and the produce from these farms have high levels of heavy metal contamination, which could cause possible health concerns. In 2019, based on a public interest litigation, the Bombay High Court directed Indian Railways to ensure that sewage water is not used in these farms but this practice still continues.
