Gardening their way to health and happiness

           When we define a good diet, it definitely includes fresh green leafy vegetables and nutritious food rather than junk from fast food corners. But little do we know where our vegetables come from. 

With worsening health conditions and an increasing interest in organic and sustainable living, many people are turning to kitchen gardening. While it's a hobby for some, others think of it as a solution to deteriorating health, while still others see it as source of food and income generation.

Yogita Mehra, an environment enthusiast, gave up her eight-year-long job as a researcher for her growing concern about the vegetables she eats. "When I came to know that kerosene was being injected into cabbages to keep them pest-free, it was hard to rely on those vegetable supplies. I bought a plot in Taleigao and began growing various vegetables, fruits and herbs with the help of organic farming, where I would literally reap what I was sowing and my husband was also very supportive," Mehra said. She, along with her husband Karan Manral, believes in healthy eating and is also a part of an online forum namely, 'All Goa Organic Gardeners' (goagardeners@googlegroups.com), where they exchange saplings and organize workshops for beginners. She also puts her effort along with some help from others into the International Centre-Goa's (ICG) organic vegetable garden-Shaak Baag, where they encourage organic and healthy cultivation.

The manure being organic is not expensive and usually consists of green waste and is chemical free. In this way, I know what goes into the vegetables and it's delightful to be close to nature," she added.

Allergy specialist Anita Dudhane, a resident of Kakra village, Taleigao, always wanted to grow her own vegetables. "I thought the safest way to keep chemical-injected food away was to grow some of my own. I grow salads, herbs, brinjals, chillies and various other vegetables in my backyard. My 11-year-old daughter accompanies me to kitchen gardening workshops and also indulges in gardening with me. I have been doing this for a year with organic compost and adopting techniques like mulching to retain humidity and thus conserving water," she said. Mulch is a protective cover placed over the soil to retain moisture, reduce erosion, provide nutrients and suppress weed growth. Dudhane hired a special gardener for this purpose, which is her other expense apart from buying saplings and seeds.

Muriel D'Souza and Mario Mascarenhas of Saligao have found more natural ways to bond with nature. For the last two years, not only do they produce some vegetables and fruits for their table and to share with their friends, but they also recycle every drop of water being used in their home for the garden. D'Souza and Mascarenhas along with their two home-schooled children, Tarika and Suhail, manage their home along with the kitchen garden. 'Organic food production' is an important environmental science subject in their home school syllabus, and all of them spend study time in their outdoor, garden classroom daily. "One of the reasons why we began growing vegetables at home was because of the chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the food we buy. Since there was a little spare land, we thought of producing some of our own safe and healthy food, while also passing on an important survival skill to the next generation. Organic methods of farming, composting, mulching and recycling all biodegradable wastes are a part and parcel of our kitchen gardening," said D'Souza.

Childhood Passion

      
Being interested in gardening right from his childhood, Prashant Maurya, a tour operator from Colva, works on a 250sq m area away from his home. He grows almost everything from ginger, amla, turmeric to seasonal delights such as pomegranate, pineapple, leeches and custard apple. "Even though I grow some vegetables and fruits on my own, I'm still not self-sufficient and have to rely on market supplies. I want to move into a village as my plot right now is far and I cannot devote much time to it. I use organic compost and have adopted water conservation techniques and mulching to retain all the necessary minerals needed for the plants".

He added, "After I came to Goa, I realized I could use the favorable climate to my benefit and began cultivating last May."

For Arjun Rebelo, a kitchen garden just added to the beauty of his own backyard, where he sustains a small poultry farm too. "The garden happened because it's a hobby, good utilization of the space and my food is also not affected by pesticides. It's cheap and I supplement it with organic supplies like cow dung and green waste, so it's totally eco-friendly. At times, I give the extra produce to my neighbours and at times people buy it from me. It's not commercial yet but I'm looking forward to some more development as time passes."

Courtesy - Times of India