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The Coronavirus outbreak has taught us many invaluable lessons and helped us shed light on what we need to give utmost importance to. We can all agree that ever since the lockdown was set in motion, the only resource that has been the most essential to our daily living has been fresh produce. This invaluable insight that the pandemic has reminded us of is what is making us jump onto the urban farming bandwagon. Here’s what you should know about this. By Amitha Ameen
Two months earlier, when quarantine and lockdown were all set to become our new reality, almost all of us were scurrying about to stock up on ‘essential items’, that mostly included fruits and vegetables. And, access to nutritious and fresh produce for urban residents seemed to be the need of the hour. Through urban farming, you can always have access to fresh and organic produce, whether you live in a high-rise or an individual house. Here are five urban farming companies in India that’ll help you set up your very own farm right from scratch at your home.
1. Homecrop
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Founded by four graduates from the Vellore Institute of Technology in South India, Homecrop aims at bringing urban farming to your terraces, backyards, and even balconies. You can finally have your dream kitchen garden and grow your own vegetables. Apart from customising edible farms, the company also does the set-up and provides perfect maintenance services that you can later opt-out of. Do you want to do it yourself from scratch? No problem, the company even sells DIY farming kits pan-India that are easy and convenient to use and integrate.
2. Indian Superheroes
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Remember those simulation games we all played when we were younger, building a farm or town from scratch? Now, you can play this game in real life and actually make a difference in people’s life. This Coimbatore based community-oriented organisation lets you rent farming patches to harvest your own crops. Not only are they facilitating jobs for the farmers in our country and eliminating the need for middlemen, but you also get to go home with organic and fresh produce, that you can call your own. The non-profit company now has more than 800 farmers from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, including certified organic farmers who are benefiting from this platform.
3. iKheti
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This Mumbai based startup is encouraging and teaching city dwellers to adopt urban farming through their consulting services, workshops, and by providing gardening resources. Between DIY kits and their classes on the A to Z of kitchen gardening, the startup will train you on a no-chemical approach towards owning and tending to a farm.
4. UrbanKisaan
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Looking for a sustainable way to grow your own kitchen garden? A Hyderabad based company, Urban Kisaan, incorporates hydroponics to grow fresh produce through the year. Since hydroponic don’t require soil to grow, you can grow these plants anywhere and everywhere throughout your house.
5. Edible Routes
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If you live in Delhi NCR and are looking to get into urban farming then look no further. Whether you want a terrace/backyard garden or want to rent a farmlet, Edible Routes will help you with it all. Having started in 2014, the company currently has 200 subscribers for its farmlets and has helped more than 800 individuals so far.
Related: Srinagar To Make Kitchen Garden Mandatory For Residents To Tackle Emergencies
