Living in an apartment or a small house in the city need not stop you from growing your own vegetables and fruits. The two-day urban krishi mela organised by the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, will show you how it can be done.
The mela, which is being held with a national seminar on urban horticulture and organic rooftop gardening, will begin on Sunday at 10.30 a.m.
“Our experts will create awareness about various kinds of urban gardens and plants suitable for different kinds of spaces,” UAS-B Vice-Chancellor K. Narayana Gowda told presspersons here on Friday. There will be demonstrations of terrace garden models suitable for various sizes of plots and vertical gardens suitable for apartments.
And, it is not just about gardening — beekeeping, fish-rearing and mushroom cultivation are also aspects of urban horticulture being promoted at the mela.
Benefits
Dr. Gowda said promoting urban horticulture would not only ensure availability of fresh, nutritious vegetables and fruits, but also help fight food shortage. “It is possible to take care of 20 per cent of the vegetable and fruit requirements of Bangalore if a majority of households in the city take up urban horticulture,” he said.
Besides, it would also help tackle the problem of garbage disposal, as domestic waste could be turned into vermicompost.
He said councillors and residents welfare associations had been invited to the event to involve them in the effort to encourage urban horticulture.
University Dean (Postgraduate Studies) C. Vasudevappa said advice on use of water, a showcase of tools and seeds developed by the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research was also on offer. Saplings and grow bags (small enclaves on which terrace gardening can be taken up) would be available at a nominal price, he added.
Garden City Farmers founder B.N. Vishwanath, who pioneered terrace gardening in Bangalore, will be there to guide people. He said Bangalore had the most number of terrace gardens in the country: 1,000.
Head of the Horticulture Department of the university and mela organising secretary B.N. Sathyanarayana was present.
What’s on offer at the Urban Krishi Mela
Advice about terrace gardening, bee-keeping, fish-rearing and mushroom cultivation in urban settings
Demonstrations of terrace garden models that are suitable for plots of different sizes
Information about vertical garden model for apartments
Showcase of gardening tools
Showcase and sale of seeds and plants
Advice on using kitchen waste and conserving water while gardening
Interaction with experts on urban horticulture
