Urban Farming: Delhi Government, IARI to Provide Training to Citizens from August

The Delhi government along with the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) will provide training in urban farming to the citizens from August so they may grow fruit and vegetables for their use and as a business enterprise.

Gopal Rai, the Minister for Environment, Development, and General Administration in Delhi presided over a meeting to evaluate the strategy for promoting urban farming with representatives from the environment department and Krishi Vigyan Kendra, according to a statement released on Friday.

According to Rai, Delhi would experience a "rapid growth in its green cover" under the Smart Urban Farming Initiative and the training for smart urban farming will be provided by experts from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI).

"From the month of August onwards, experts from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute will begin the training programme for urban farming in entire Delhi. Under the Initiative, Delhi will host 600 entrepreneurship training programmes and 400 awareness workshops "he said

"We will conduct 400 hands-on workshops across Delhi, and 600 entrepreneurship training programmes will be undertaken by industry partners," he said.

On June 29, the Delhi Cabinet approved The Smart Urban Farming Initiative, which would benefit nearly 25,000 people in the first year from the 1,000 workshops that will be conducted.

According to Kejriwal, they had announced the urban farming initiative in the state budget.

He stated that the government will provide urban farmers with seeds and other essentials. since it is a unique project where people from all walks of life begin small-scale farming of fruits and vegetables inside the boundaries of their balconies and terraces.

The programme had been divided into two main components. First, those who want to grow fruits and vegetables for self-sustenance and consumption. Such people will get high-quality, organic vegetables in the comfort of their household and save money on shopping for groceries. Second, those who want to make a business out of this. 

This will help many residents and especially housewives gain extra income through this source. It will act like an employment opportunity for them, he said.

In the upcoming years, the government promised to rapidly promote "green jobs" in the nation's capital.