They bond on the field to grow their own food

  • | Tuesday | 16th October, 2018

Grown without fertilisers, their experiment has not only been a success, but they are now planning to take up another patch of land to extend their community farming to more enthusiasts of natural food. This is the most healthy way to source your food, and we are very happy to be doing this,” Nandini added. We have also started collecting marigold flower garlands from all temples in the region to create our own fertilizer pit. The only fertilizer used on the field is cow dung. So from tending to soil to planting seeds till harvesting, at every stage, we have designated responsibility.

Greater Noida: What started as an experiment in community farming three years ago has ended up being a way of life for these nine families in Noida.Having jointly rented an acre in a Greater Noida village for Rs18,000, these families now consume everything from the farm . Grown without fertilisers, their experiment has not only been a success, but they are now planning to take up another patch of land to extend their community farming to more enthusiasts of natural food. “We function as a community. We have a roster, with work divided for each of us. So we just follow the roster to fulfil our week’s work. So from tending to soil to planting seeds till harvesting, at every stage, we have designated responsibility. So the plants keep growing with enough attention being given to them each day by a group of members,” said Nandini Diesh, a lawyer and mom of two.The harvest is varied as well, pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes, gourd, lady’s fingers, brinjal, sesame seeds, turmeric, radish, and fruits like gooseberries, mangoes, mulberry, jamun, jackfruit and oranges.“The speciality of this farming is that the process is completely natural, so there are no chemical pesticides. The only fertilizer used on the field is cow dung. We have also started collecting marigold flower garlands from all temples in the region to create our own fertilizer pit. Marigold flowers make very good fertilizer and people should use them to enrich their soil instead of throwing them in the rivers,” said Indu Bansal, another community member.“The harvest at present is enough for the nine families, so very really do not have much left for selling or even giving to anyone beyond our group. Whatever we produce, we distribute among ourselves equally. So we are now considering to acquire a new plot of land to extend our community farming,” said Seema Kumar, another member.The group has also started expanding their scope beyond fruits and vegetables . “We have started growing our dal and now oil rich sesame and peanuts, so we plan to extract our own oil as well, spices are also being grown. This is the most healthy way to source your food, and we are very happy to be doing this,” Nandini added.

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