Community farms: Affordable organic food for city dwellers

DW (English)

A village near the city of Noida has taken up organic farming to meet rising urban demand for fresh, chemical-free, nutrient-rich food. Some city residents are joining in the community farming project too. Is it a future model for cities?

Transcript

00:00As you can see this wide road is 24 meters long with high-rise buildings on

00:06both sides. That's Fusion, a real estate company and over there are building

00:12companies. All this land once belonged to our village. 20 years ago there were

00:17lush green fields here. Now all of that is gone. Growing up in a family of

00:24generational farmers, Pawan Sharma recalls a childhood in a thriving

00:28agrarian community. His village Saini used to be known for its lush green fields

00:33and wealthy farms. 20 years ago when we used to farm here the water we used

00:42whether from wells or other local sources was completely pure. This was because all

00:48the villages had access to common forests and there was no pollution affecting the

00:52water quality. The water was pure and abundant with minerals. We also used

00:58completely natural fertilizer. It came from our own livestock and traditional

01:02compost. This organic manure was cultivated naturally and it helped us grow

01:07excellent crops. Saini is now part of Greater Noida, Delhi's massively expanding

01:18satellite city. Driving through here it's hard to imagine how it looked when Pawan

01:23Sharma was young. There are no longer any farms here.

01:28Pawan Sharma is seeking legal advice. His land along with that of many others in the village

01:33was acquired under the urgency clause of India's Land Acquisition Act. This legal

01:39framework allows even local governments to take private land for urgent public

01:44projects like infrastructure development. However, Ritvik Datta, founder of the legal

01:49initiative for forest and environment, says that in most cases the clause cannot be justified.

01:55In 99% of the cases that I have seen, the cause for urgency is not satisfied. Urgency can be taken

02:08when there is a calamity, there is a war, there is an earthquake and you need people to be rehabilitated

02:13urgently. Urgency cannot be for an airport. Urgency cannot be for a real estate project. Urgency cannot be

02:20because you suddenly want a road there. Right? So this is what has today happened.

02:27India's capital Delhi is projected to become the world's most populous city by 2030 with an estimated 37

02:34million residents. But this expansion of its limits in the greater metropolitan region

02:39has eaten into more and more of the surrounding countryside, India's agricultural heartland.

02:45Like in Bajitpur Thakran, a village in the semi-urban region north of Delhi. Here, shrinking estates

02:54and dwindling agricultural profits have been driving local farmers to look for more viable alternatives,

03:00ideal conditions for real estate sharks who offer ready cash to anyone willing to sell off their farmlands.

03:06One reason is to reduce earnings from farming. Many farmers are looking to invest their money elsewhere,

03:15in commercial plots, land or apartments. So it is about the investment opportunities

03:21and a need for financial security.

03:23Local resident Satpal Thakran comes from a long lineage of farmers. But in 2012,

03:34the family decided farming was no longer a viable option and sold their land. Today,

03:40Thakran runs a tuition centre in the village.

03:43Any two prime numbers whose difference is two are one, two in prime.

03:47Yes. Experts say that despite the inevitability of urbanisation,

03:53it needs to be conducted responsibly in order to avoid unnecessary, even irreversible damage.

03:59So we can divert the expansion to the poor quality land. And every settlement also have poor quality land.

04:10Now, it is for the development authorities to identify the poor quality land, improve that poor

04:17quality land for urban development and urban development should be diverted to these areas.

04:23I think we should have a target today that a minimal certain percentage of land must

04:32be protected as for agricultural and horticultural purposes. You know, that is of great importance

04:39because we should not be in a situation that in the mad rush for a $5 trillion economy,

04:47we end up becoming an importer of food grains.

04:50This shift in land use is more than just a visual change. It signals a deeper crisis.

04:57Reports suggest that the area of land used for food cultivation in India has shrunk by more than

05:0230,000 square kilometres. What could that mean when it comes to food security and ecosystem diversity?

05:11This fertile region is going to be transformed. That will have a direct impact on agricultural

05:16production, our vegetable yield, our food grain production. We must look for alternative solutions.

05:25He's working on one himself. Vikrant Tongar has rolled out a model for community farming in Greater Noida.

05:34In nearby Kheri-Bhanauta, urban dwellers can lease farmland at reduced rates

05:40and enjoy their own organic produce, direct from the soil.

05:48Group farming means bringing together eight to ten families, hiring a dedicated gardener,

05:53and cultivating vegetables on a shared half to one acre plot. The produce is grown exclusively for

05:59these families, eliminating the need for commercial sales. Each family collects their share of fresh

06:06vegetables weekly after the harvest. Such initiatives provide hope that through innovative solutions,

06:13India's fertile farmland can be preserved, and that growing urban populations can continue to reap

06:19the benefits of local food production.

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