CISH promoting vertical vegetable gardening among landless farmers
LUCKNOW : Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) is promoting vegetable production among landless farmers through vertical structures designed at the institute.
“Many farmers want to grow their own vegetables but are not able to do so because they don’t have land for kitchen gardening. Vertical structures developed by the institute are useful for such farmers for vegetable production for personal use,” says CISH director Shailendra Rajan.
During the pandemic, the institute distributed 40 vertical structures to the landless farmers and conducted interaction programmes in Kakori and Mall blocks after six months of providing vertical structures, he said.
A field day was organised in a Kakori block village to popularise the technique and get feedback for improvement in design and production technology. “Farmers were very much delighted to share their experiences and the problems they faced,” Rajan said.
According to the director, the institute provided the structures, knowhow and vegetables seedlings so that farmers may not have to make much effort to arrange seedlings of good vegetable varieties. A large number of vegetable varieties were tried by the farmers and especially women were interested in this non-traditional way of growing leafy vegetable vegetables, he said. Rajan said, “Aftercare of crops is easy in vertical structures and after planting of the seedlings or seed sowing, they have to spare limited time for maintenance. Limited irrigation, as per the need, is the only thing to be done.”
College-going girl Anshika from Kakori block was interested to have more structures so that additional vegetables could be grown for family use. “Although vertical structures are equally suitable for urban farmers and one can satisfy kitchen gardening hobby needs by vegetable growing in balcony or rooftop,” the CISH director said.