THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Techies in Technopark now have easy access to safe-to-eat vegetables from the Arka vertical garden installed in front of the Nila building. The vertical garden designed by the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Horticultural Research was installed by the Kerala Horticulture Mission under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH). The project aims to encourage farming in urban spaces and is being executed with the support of the Kerala Agriculture department.
This is the third vertical garden set up by the Horticulture Mission in a public space. Similar gardens have been set up at the Secretariat, the Legislative Assembly, Kudappanakunnu Krishi Bhavan where Karma Sena play an active role, and on the premises of the Horticulture Mission office.
“This eco-friendly initiative provides fresh vegetables to the urban population who has limited space. They cannot invest more time in farming owing to their busy schedule. Using this technique, they can cultivate vegetables in just 1 sq m space on balconies and rooftops of the apartments,” said an official of the Kerala Horticulture Mission.
Highlighting the importance of installing the vertical gardens, the KHM official said, “We aim to encourage the younger generation to take up such practices in future to make the society food sufficient. Setting up a single unit will cost Rs 23,340. Of this, 75 per cent is being provided as subsidy under MIDH and the remaining 25 per cent has to be met by the beneficiary.”
In the first phase, the horticulture mission will install about 330 units in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Kannur. “In the coming week, two vertical gardens will come up at Kochi Metro and Cochin International Airport. Two gardens will be set up at Kozhikode corporation office and the civil station office in Kannur,” said the official.
What is an Arka vertical garden?
The vertical garden structure is useful for growing selected vegetables required of a family. It can be set up in sunlit utility areas such as a balcony or terrace. The structure consists of a base frame, main central support and support for pots or grow bags. There is a 25-litre plastic container at the top of the structure with necessary drip laterals, microtubes and a dripper to water the plants. Vegetables and other plants can be grown using the soil-less coco peat medium.