Moving over shopping malls and theatres, people across NCR are flocking Noida’s farms for a fun weekend. Farm tourism has caught the fancy of not just working professionals but children as well, looking to learn beyond their classrooms. Whether it is walking in lush green fields, playing with farm animals, or learning to make compost at home, these farm tourism initiatives are not only giving city-dwellers a peak into the life on the farm, but are also giving lessons on creating sustainable eco-systems.For the city-weary travellers, visiting these farms in Noida has become a weekly affair. Vikrant Tongad, a local from Greater Noida , has opened his farm in Kheri Bhanauta Village for tourists. “Groups of people love to come here and spend time not just at the farm, but with local villagers also. They visit our house to see how a rural home looks like bond over a cup of tea made from the milk of the cow at the farm, and realize how life just a few kilometers from the city is so different,” says Tongad, an environmentalist.Vishal Nagar, an advocate, likes to visit a farm in Kheri Bhanauta Village, every weekend. “It feels like going back in time whenever I go there. The wind feels free from pollutants, and it feels refreshing to visit the fields. I try to learn some farming from the local farmers and connect with nature,” says Nagar, a resident of Greater Noida.Delhi resident Anna Laninga adds, “Visiting the farms is way better than spending time in a mall and it also helps us learn so much more. At one such farm, I got an opportunity to meet the local villagers and learn more about sustainable living.”For the city-weary travellers, visiting farms in Noida and Greater Noida has become a weekly affairThe farms in Noida open for public are filled with kids hopping around, running across the fields, playing with the farm animals. Sector 50 resident Ram Bhushan Agarwal, recently visited a farm in Sector 126 with his wife and five-year-old daughter. The parents also brought a book on domestic animals to teach their daughters how to identify them. “We believe that learning cannot happen simply through a book and in a classroom.Visiting a farm helped us show our daughter animals like rabbits, pigs, goats and cows,” says Agarwal.Not just farm animals, but the farms are also the perfect place for kids to see a sustainable environment. “I learnt how water reaches the farms and how compost is made. I learnt many concepts of science here, like how seeds germinate and how crops are harvested. It is in our Class V syllabus also so it will help me in exams as well,” says Deepti Purohit, a Sector 93 resident who visited a farm in Greater Noida with her parents.These farms also host birthday parties for kids, but with a twist. “Birthday parties at our farm are not like your regular ones. You cannot bring all the pomp and show here, or play music, or any other kinds of toys or games. The only thing allowed is a cake. The birthday parties here include a workshop on compost- making. We take them for a tour of the farm where we teach them where the food on their plates comes from. So many kids believe the source of food is a supermarket!” says Aparna Rajgopal, who owns a farm in Sector 126.The farms also see a number of visits from school students, looking to have a picnic and learn at the same time. “The experiential farming experience exposes the kids to the wide scope of agriculture . We teach them concept of urban farming and they are also taught how to sow, pluck and forage produce. They are also taught about the importance of naturally grown food,” says Neha Bhatia, the co-owner of a farm in Sector 135.Since the farms are barely a half-hour drive from the city, a number of people working with corporate companies in the city are touring the farms and booking yoga sessions here as well. “We have hosted a number of corporate groups. They take a tour of the farm, relax and learn some farming techniques as well. Some of them have become frequents at the farm who like to take away the local produce with them,” says Tongad.“Some expats were visiting the Noida office when some colleagues suggested we visit a local farm. It was a refreshing feeling to be away from pollution and amid the greenery. We had booked a yoga session at a shack in the farm, which was followed by breakfast made from the local produce,” says Amit from a software firm in Sector 25A.Sector 29 resident Rajiv Srivastava has been vising a farm in Sector 126 frequently. “When I first visited this place, it felt as if I have come to another city altogether. This place is barely a half-hour drive from my residence so we keep visiting it frequentlty,” he says.Rajiv has been telling a number of people about the farm and gets a friend along every time he visits. “The flock of white geese there is lovely and I would rather be stuck in this traffic jam rather than the one in the city!” laughs Amitabh Pathak, a filmmaker from Greater Kailash , who visited the farm in Sector 126.

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