Grow Your Own Food for the goodness of You and Nature

With the expanding growth in the world population, there is a consistent need to meet the intensified demand for food and ensure food security. Producers are under pressure to increase food production whereas the resources for food production such as land, water, and labor are becoming sparse. This hampers the quality of food and degrades the environment as producers pursue shortcuts to higher harvests. In addition, with the COVID 19 outbreak, people realized the possibilities of disruptions in the food supply. Good Living Trust believes that adopting the practice of gardening or farming at home would be the best solution to assure food security, improve nutrition, and encourage a sustainable living practice.

The first step is to identify your area of interest and the objective of farming. One could start this as a hobby, or to lower the expenses on food products, or to avail the best products with maximum nutrition, or sell the products to earn income. Second is choosing a spot. Non-availability of space should never be a hindrance to adopting farming. You can use a small section of land in your backyard or choose balcony in your apartment or rooftops or kitchen to grow your own food. The selection of crops or livestock should be based on the intake and income generation needs of the house. Then later as your farm grows comes assigning a budget and devising a farming plan. It can be kept budget friendly by growing a whole new plant from kitchen scraps such as the root of onion, celery, Lettuce, etc. Failures are bound to happen when you are a beginner, however, it would prove as a huge learning experience on what works and what does not. Being open, flexible, and learning along the way is key in this practice.

GLT has been on a consistent endeavor to promote sustainable agriculture and create awareness on the benefits of growing your own food.

• A home farm gives you immediate access to fresh produce at a lesser cost.
• Usage of chemicals is under your complete control.
• The flavor and quality of the product from the home farm is remarkable than store-bought produce laden with chemicals.
• Homegrown products are also healthier as the products retain more nutrients when eaten soon after harvesting.
• Home farming also has a significant positive impact on the environment. It reduces the carbon footprint by eliminating the rides to the grocery store.
• Composting kitchen waste to be used as a natural fertilizer will enrich the soil.
• This also reduces the dependence on chemical fertilizer thereby reducing pollution and groundwater contamination.
• Using natural household ingredients like garlic spray, Baking soda, and soap spray are natural yet cost-effective ways to keep pests away.

You can reap huge benefits at extraordinarily little cost. As more and more of the world is becoming urban, home farming can be a great way to connect with nature and appreciate the importance of agriculture and the significance of reducing food wastage. Home farming also improves your health and boosts your mood as it is therapeutic. It could also be a joyful family activity.

This may seem like an exceedingly small initiative, but if an entire community undertakes this activity, the agricultural outcome would be sufficient to feed the community also prove as a great initiative to protect the environment. Try your hand on a small patch and achieve a sense of happiness and accomplishment from creating something beneficial to you and the environment.