By: Syed Towseef Ahmad
The campaign launched by Department of Agriculture in collaboration and Ziraat Times on 15th of April was need of the hour to create awareness among the people of valley.
Due Covid19 pandemic lockdown, people felt exhausted, tired & may even suffer from stress. However, without lockdown there is no another option to survive. People across the valley are honestly following the instructions circulated by the administration in order to contain the deadly virus. They are in hope that life will be back to normal. Hope is good thing and one should have it.
During this lockdown, vegetables were not available to most of towns and even in villages (though necessary arrangements were made at right time), but inflation of vegetables was effectively controlled. However, at some places shortages and high price was visible. The choice of vegetables were limited. Quality of vegetables was compromised. Fresh vegetables were limited. But we still bought them. Nutritional aspect of vegetables was compromised as they are highly perishable and need to be consumed at an earliest. It is natural when demand and supply chain disrupts.
This pandemic taught us it is not only having money that matters but our daily needs too have much importance. Dept of Agriculture and Ziraat Times at the right time and with right direction joined hands with a campaign of Aayein Sabzi Ugayein. The movement has gained momentum across the valley. Dept of Agriculture pledged to make available various kinds of vegetable seedlings and seeds at ones door step. The people across the valley showed great response towards this campaign and, apart from farmers, many professionals also showed interest.
The Director of Agriculture is himself involved in this campaign and responds even on just a WhatsApp text. Necessary directions were circulated across the districts of valley by Director Agriculture of Kashmir for prompt action to the demands of growers by concerned district offices of agriculture. To reach the masses of valley, thanks to Ziraat Times for creating awareness across social platforms.
This campaign is actually about utilizing a patch of land in your background for vegetable cultivation. The vegetables gardens have many benefits ranging from socio- economic. However, some of them are worth mentioning.
The main purpose of kitchen garden is to provide food for family and the surplus can be sold to neighbour and markets. It saves the amount incurred on buying the vegetables. The earnings so made is utilized for other beneficial purposes. Vegetables grow quickly and have yield compared to other crops. More vegetables can be raised in a year. Most vegetables are short duration, some green vegetables became ready for harvesting within 15- 60 days of sowing.
Kitchen garden is a fun activity that reduces mental stress in your busy life and can do much more in the lockdown of covid19 pandemic. This campaign will not take away in anyways the beauty of your garden rather it will become spectacular. Kitchen garden may be designed in to various shapes according to ones wish. The aesthetic value of garden would increase further. The gardens with kitchen garden would certainly lift your mood even better. Whenever you look at the garden, it will please your mind. It is going to bring some positive auras. Greenery will be maintained through out the year. You will have not to depend on market availability. With care fresh vegetables will be available in your kitchen.
Regarding hobbies and habits associated with people, maintaining the kitchen garden is one of the best activity you can have. Kitchen garden has so much attraction they even if it starts out as a hobby, it will quickly become a habit. The habit that will stick to your lifetime. By entering a garden you will never leave a day. You will feel high five.
Anything grown by a human with care (from sowing/planting to harvesting) tastes better and will leave no room for Apprehensions like where, how, what and when questions eventually gave you more satisfaction and consequently you will feel better and relaxed. Vegetables contain vitamins and minerals of all kinds. Vegetables are the source of chemical signal that is important to fully immune system. The strong immune system develops when fresh vegetables are a valuable in your kitchen. They guard us from various types of diseases.
The strong immune system gained importance in the backdrop of covid19 pandemic. If vegetables are grown in kitchen garden will be free of toxins, chemicals and can serve us a balanced diet. The food habitat around the world is changing more demand lies with organic produce. Organic inupts can be made easily with the avaliable home waste, no need to throw in the garbage. Morever Organic produce fetches more than the chemical treated ones. Kitchen garden will certainly improve your home and backyard air quality. In the backdrop of covid 19 kitchen garden came to rescue. It is alternative to your daily walks, visiting relatives, friends and much more till time will come back to daily chores. It will make you busy in various practices of healthy crop.
There will no need to wander around the streets in search of vegetables; maintaining kitchen gardens importance lies both in urban and rural areas. Urbanites can easily utilize their available lawn. Both poor and rich can adopt this.
In many rural areas apple trees have occupied large chunk of land the space available has already taken by the growing canopies. The kitchen garden is their best available option to utilize their land for self sufficiency and earnings. The scope of kitchen garden is multidimensional.
So, make a kitchen garden, where you can grow your own food. The kitchen garden supplements the food budget and provides balanced nutrition in rushed, hurried and readymade meal world.
The writer is an Extension Officer at JKAPD, and has a masters degree in plant breeding Email: [email protected]