Brijinder Kathuria remembers being conflicted between growing more organic food or planting more forests for a long time. “A lot of deforestation happens because people chop off forest land to farm,” says the Bengaluru-based Brijinder, a passionate eco-enthusiast who works in the technology sector. Then, he stumbled upon permaculture farming, a way of creating synergetic, sustainable agriculture systems that closely resemble natural ecosystems—in short, you’re making food forests. “That hit the sweet spot,” says the former hotelier, who went on to cultivate a food forest with perennial plants like bananas, coffee, coconut and jackfruit on his 5000 sq ft plot, enough to sustain himself for anywhere between 1.5 to 2 months, he says. “Freshly plucked food takes taste to a new level,” says the former hotelier, who admits to always being drawn to fresh food and ingredients.
Like Brijinder, many Bengalureans are discovering the allure of urban agriculture, taking pleasure in getting their hands dirty, for many or all these reasons: better access to more nutritious food, creating communities, reducing environmental impact, managing mental health and connecting to nature. As a recent publication by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS), the result of a three-year-long research project titled Sowing Sustainable Cities points out, “urban and peri-urban agriculture is gaining in popularity and impact, and can become a critical strategy for transitioning towards sustainable urban futures.”
So, where does Bengaluru stand as a city when it comes to creating urban foodscapes? What are the inherent advantages offered by this former garden city when it comes to cultivating green spaces? What challenges do city slickers face when it comes to growing their own food? And how does succeeding in doing so change their relationship with the food on your plate and the earth from where it springs? This is what the city’s urban farmers have to say.
