Sunil Bisht grew up in the hills of Pauri in Uttarakhand, in a house with a backyard where his mother had turned a patch into a ‘kitchen garden’. Much of the family’s staples came from there but it was the distinct taste of the homegrown vegetables and fruits that stayed with Bisht.When his telecom job brought him to Gurugram, Bisht (46) too wanted to make his own kitchen garden. He couldn’t do that in his Sector 56 apartment complex and was looking for opportunities when he chanced upon a government scheme to take on rent a patch of land for farming . “I grew up seeing my mother growing fruits and vegetables in the backyard and fell in love with farming. But in a place like Gurugram there is hardly any space for that,” says Bisht, who works with a telecom company.Since the autumn of 2016, his free time has, quite literally become more productive — the farmland has yielded a variety of vegetable, from large organically-grown cauliflowers to succulent cucumbers.The community farming scheme was floated by the horticulture department. It leased out 52 plots of 600 square yards each at Teekli village. Nearly two years on, the plots not only produce an array of vegetables, they have created a community of urban farmers who complement and motivate each other, a bond forged from the toils of tilling and sowing together. “Since buying land just for farming was out of the question, I jumped at the opportunity. Now I have been farming for almost two years,” said Bisht. He grows more than the needs of his family of four. The rest goes to his friends and family, who can’t stop talking about the taste of his organic vegetables.While Bisht picked up urban farming from his mother, for Kavita Kaker, it was her father who instilled in her the love for farming. “My father was in the Army. We always had spare land in our homes, where he would maintain a kitchen garden. As I moved to the city, I began gardening on the terrace,” says Kaker, who describes herself as a freelancer.She echoes Bisht’s thoughts that the taste of homegrown organic vegetables is something she could never forget. Hence, when she found out about the community farming scheme, she signed up. She too has been farming for almost two years. “We generally grow seasonal vegetables like ladies finger, bottle gourd, pumpkin and capsicum in summers, and leafy vegetables in winter. We try to visit the farm once a week,” she says.One unit of land at the community farm costs Rs 27,000 for six months. There are two ploughing seasons every year. Kaker initially took two plots, but later split them up with friends. Alka Gupta, who started farming there eight months back, is so hooked to it now that she plans to become a full-time urban farmer, selling organic produce. “The produce is organic and free from toxins that pollute vegetables grown on the Yamuna banks in polluted water. I plan to set up my own small business,” says Gupta, a homemaker.While two years of farming in the Aravalis has been an enriching experience for these urban farmers, it came with challenges. Bisht says the land that was allotted had remained barren for seven years, requiring a lot of time and effort for it to be turned fertile again. Growing organically, without any chemicals, was a big challenge as well. “Organic produce takes more time as we did not use fertilizers. While in summers, the produce would be harvested weekly, in winters it takes more time,” says Kaker.District horticulture officer Deen Mohammad Khan is a happy man. The response to the initiative, he says with pleasure, has been phenomenal. “When we started, we didn’t expect this. So far, around 150 people have been associated with the project. We hope to continue urban farming in Gurugram,” says Khan.

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