New Stories From 'Urban Agriculture Notes'
Random header image... Refresh for more!

India: Odisha Man’s Rooftop Farming Redefining Urban Agriculture

“Coronavirus pandemic was the reason we decided on doing this on our own.”

By Mrunal Manmay Dash
OdishaTV
Sept 1, 2020

Excerpt:

Karunakar Das, a resident of Ward Number-6 under Udala Notified Area Council (NAC) in Mayurbhanj has now become the talk of the town with his rooftop farming to limit his outing to the market in view of the prevailing pandemic.

In his case, more than farming, the urge to stay indoors, saving money and eating healthy has made him use the sparse area over his roof to cultivate a myriad of vegetables. To be more precise, he has quite handsomely grown 12 different types of vegetables that include eggplant, corn, okra, pointed gourd, cucumber, ridge gourd, radish, spinach, etc.

On his new form of farming, Karunakar says, “The restrictions of COVID-19 forced me to stay indoors and made me ponder upon some ideas on how to make a self-sustained living in these troubling times. Vegetables were getting dearer with each passing day, so I thought of using my rooftop to grow as many vegetables as possible.”

“After doing some research, I came to know that space was just enough to grow vegetables that can feed both me and my wife. I have used only organic manure in place of chemical fertilizers, so the produce is healthier than the market,” said Karunakar.

Read the complete article here.