India: Pune man grows veggies on rooftop without soil or digging
Sameer aims to spread awareness about the need to grow one’s own food instead of buying vegetables from commercial farms that are laden with pesticide.
Times of India
Dec 15, 2020
Excerpt:
Over the years, he has grown 46 types of vegetables without any soil and need for digging. “The fish do all the work. The farm recirculates the water system, recreating river water conditions. The urea-laden water from the fish contains ammonia, which is good for the plants, and the clean water is given back to the fish. The crops are also 100% pesticide free, since I cannot use anything poisonous because it will harm the fish as well,” said the 38-year-old.
Sameer pointed out that ancient agriculture was set up on the banks of rivers because of the benefits of fish waste much before cow dung was used as manure. The crops grown on the soilless terrace include rice, baby corn, varieties of cucumber and tomato, among others.
“Seeds from UK are growing well here and so is celery that is a notoriously delicate crop, which needs proper temperature control and attracts insects. The idea is to build crop immunity and grow it quickly,” he added.
Sameer aims to spread awareness about the need to grow one’s own food instead of buying vegetables from commercial farms that are laden with pesticide. His company PluckIt owns the intellectual property and wants to take it to schools so that children can learn about growing their own food.
