growing food on the roofs ideas for panjim city

Growing Organic Food in

Panjim CitySuggestions for a proof of concept in Panjim

city from Green Essentials

There is a growing interest in organic

food in Goa(and in cities across the

country and world)

And there is a complete disinterest

in composting(people feel that its not their job to deal with their waste)

Ever since we started promoting organic vegetable growing

(our composters sell themselves)

INSIGHTPeople are motivated by

good, healthy food. If they love to grow food, they will soon turn to composting

Why not solve 3 kinds of waste together

(sort of hitting three birds with one stone)

[1]Utilise wasted

terraces in the city(all locked and ignored now)

[2]Inspire a organic city farming movement

(that regularly utilisesbiodegradable city waste and

yields ultra fresh, local produce)

[3]Reduce wasted food miles and pesticide

impact(for citizens of the city who

want to participate)

And of course it makes for a great

story for Panjim City too…

You can grow almost any vegetable

(especially in the winter season, which is why we

should start then)

Some basic requirements• Location: Smack in the middle of urban Panjim, but hopefully

not in a zero-parking zone• Sunlight and space: An open sunny terrace of about 200 sq mts

where residents aren't paranoid about load bearing (we will use coco soil)

• Water: Source of water for the plants that's not too expensive even as we try to be water efficient

• Optimism: A society management that's optimistic, not pessimistic

• Fencing: Restricted access so that the plants aren't meddled with in the absence of our team

• Sharing friendly: Ability to bring people to see the place, without ticking residents off or inconveniencing them

• Flexibility: Freedom to set up a temporary greenhouse on a frame if needed

Step 1: The Crate

Plastic multi-purpose crates as planters that can be move easily

Step 2: The Lining

Coarse Jute sacking material to preserve soil and moisture

Step 3: The Medium

Coco-soil is very light and retains moisture longer

Can be sourced from KundaimCoir Factory

Step 4: The Compost

Perhaps available from Panjim municipality

Step 5: The Layout

Greenhouse

Design following organic principles for less pests

Herbs Root veggies Fruiting veggies Leafy veggies

Step 6: The Nursery

Raising a nursery of saplings from seed

Step 7: The Community

Getting the community to participate in planting

Step 8: The Greenhouse

Greenhouse in case weather warms excessively

Step 9: Monitoring and updates

Monitoring progress with updates online

Step 10: Knowledge Sharing

Workshops at key stages to inspire and teach

Step 11: The Harvest

Harvest can be utilised in various ways

How we can do this…• Find a private/corporate sponsor

o for covering the material and setup costs for the garden

• Setup can be managed by uso including provision of labour and monitoring afterwards

o Daily watering will require some thought to manage

• Key inputs sourced from govt. agencieso Compost and coco soil are the key expenses

• Outreach and workshops managed by uso To be conducted onsite if possible

• Produce can be utilised creativelyo Sell at NoMoZo? Weekly organic-only outlet in city/at terrace garden

If this catches on, we can…• Look at cityfarming-friendly policies to

encourage use of terraces productively

• Create a network to sell surplus organic produce in the cities

• Recognise the best terrace gardens in the city with a competition/cash prize

• Use this consumer awareness to get farms on the outskirts to turn organic too

For more detailskaran@greenessentials.in

99606-43250