Fodder For Thought

Climate change has given us plenty to gripe about during those depressing coffee table discussions about the state of the world. Personally, it has affected me in a very direct, unpleasant way. I now fervently avoid the use of the erstwhile trusty conversation-starter, “How are you?” In the recent past, there has been more than one occasion when I have asked this seemingly innocuous question only to be treated to graphic details of the answerer’s suffering. The suffering is invariably put down to all that dust and assorted other evils that accompany living in the big, bad city. Typically, the conversation ends with a plan to jet off to the nearest pristine, uninhabited island for a break.

All this griping and illness calls for solutions, not the nearest escape route. There is only so long one can hide from what is inevitable. The task at hand is clear: to make one’s city more livable. One climate-smart solution that is very doable: urban agriculture. Yes, in recent times, farming is no more restricted to the country bumpkin; it is now urban and very much the thing you want to be seen doing. It doesn’t require you to give up your swanky new gas-guzzling SUV or retrofit your house with the latest, state-of-the-art energy-saving sensor lights (would be great if you could!). Urban agriculture not only greens your city, but also feeds your city.

This climate-change fighter has been around long enough, yet hasn’t received the kind of dues it deserves. In a country like India, where agriculture has long been the economy’s mainstay, one may be able to appreciate the concept of urban agriculture more than a traditionally manufacturing-economy like say, the USA. A few numbers for those less enlightened, or inclined, towards the benefits of growing in your backyard:

• By 2050, the world’s agricultural output will have to increase 70 percent to meet global demand, according to the FAO.
• Today, 50 percent of the world’s population lives in cities, and is expected to rise to 70 percent by 2050.
• If the above two don’t manage a convert, this one should: 60 percent of a family’s food needs can be met by urban agriculture. So, this option makes economical sense too.

Urban agriculture is on the rise and is slowly spreading around the world. Today, 15 percent of the world’s food is produced in cities. While those of you lucky enough to have a garden or a backyard that you can call your own, you really have no excuse not to don your overalls and get your hands dirty. The rest of us are faced with a legitimate doubt: that you live in a miniature house that resembles and feels like a matchbox with compartments, and the last time you had ever been in a garden was in your childhood home, eons ago. I, for example, live in Mumbai where the richest man displays his wealth by constructing the tallest building in the city, albeit on a minuscule plot of land. One fears for the safety of its occupants, what with the building tottering precariously in all its finery. In short, even the richest bloke here can’t afford a garden.

So, where does urban agriculture fit into such a landscape? With a little bit of planning, it does. City planning commissions the world over could allocate certain gardens solely for the purpose of community farming. Buildings could use their terraces as community gardens, for the entire building to grow their food in. For some people living as tenants, unable to afford a house of their own in the city, a piece of land that they grow their food on would be theirs to call their own. Tiny, maybe, but yours all the same. Plus, this kind of property provides returns far, far greater than the initial investment, which would be your time and effort, and of course, the cost of the raw materials. Urban agriculture does not mean that you source all your fruits and vegetables from your backyard; rather it is meant to supplement your dietary needs while simultaneously providing your city with some much-required green cover.

People’s response and enthusiasm towards urban agriculture has been heartening. There are many who see the ecological and economical benefits of growing in the backyard and inspire others to do the same. The FAO estimates that approximately 70 percent of city households now participate in urban agriculture, which seems to be a very optimistic estimate. But it is certain that people are tiring of griping and would rather deal with the problem. To add a twist to the old adage, it is time you grew your own bake and ate it too.