Ladakh, the cold desert of India with its picturesque and stark landscape, is one of the most visited tourist places in the country. Harsh winters make life tough for the populace, 89 per cent of which live in rural areas. Though the cropping season does not last for more than four months, a majority of the people practice farming. It stands to reason then that most of the produce needs have to be sourced from outside. Secondly, thanks to the tourism boom, plastic waste generation is another major issue that the region faces. Linking the two issues, a social enterprise—Agrow—has come up with the solution to construct greenhouses from plastic waste at only Rs 25,000.
Check out this mini hydroponic growing system helps you grow your own vegetables organically, here.
The enterprise is founded by Nischita Bysani from Bengaluru, Shillong-based Akshata Pradhan and Jigmet Singge, a native from Chemrey village, Leh district.
But why greenhouses? The benefits of greenhouse are many including the advantage of growing crops round the year. Growing vegetables in a greenhouse is a very common practice in Ladakh as it does not destroy the production when the temperature drops drastically. According to DRDO-Defence Institute of High Altitude Research, more than 700 greenhouse structures are built every year in Leh district. “In a greenhouse, the crops are grown inside a covered structure that provide favourable climatic conditions throughout the year. The greenhouse captures heat, thus making it possible to grow crops in freezing temperatures,” says Akshata.
How Agrow began
The trio met in September last year through the Naropa Fellowship in Ladakh that aims toward designing cost-effective solutions to socio-economic problems in the region. During the one-year programme, the founders studied the problems persisting in Chemrey village and undertook a comprehensive survey to analyse the possibility of an eco-friendly greenhouse structure in the region. While Nischita, an architect, looked at building an eco-friendly structure to help farmers grow food organically, Jigmet naturally moved toward developing a farming solution that increases food productivity. Meanwhile, Akshata, a postgraduate degree holder in Environmental Science, developed a system where waste could be managed scientifically. Giving highlights about the survey results, 26-year-old Nischita tells The Better India, “Besides being dependent on external sources for their daily supply, the water scarcity and sub-zero temperatures affect people’s diet. They heavily rely on dried vegetables and dry cheese. Most farmers even migrate to urban areas for an extra source of income.” Adding to the observations, Jigmet, who is currently pursuing a Masters in Tourism from The Indira Gandhi National Open University, Delhi, says, “We noticed that several greenhouses built by the government are used as a social space during winters rather than as a greenhouse. This is where we intervene. We will not only install the greenhouse, but we will also provide training on greenhouse agriculture and consistent maintenance checks. The farmer can avail services like drip irrigation and high yielding seeds from us to make sure that the crop will grow well.”
Eco-Friendly, Durable & Cost-Effective Greenhouses
Also Read: Fresh, Organic & Scrumptious: Why Ladakh is Home to The World’s Sweetest Apricots!
(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)
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