The agriculture department will launch an initiative to sow the seeds of ‘organic pot culture’ or kitchen gardens at Goan homes. The department will tie-up with municipalities and panchayats to start a training programme for elected representatives, who can later train people from their localities in cultivating vegetables in pots that can be kept on balconies and terraces.
The Director of Agriculture, Nevil Alphonso has chalked out a plan to train elected representatives – councillors, sarpanchas and panchas; who will be encouraged to urge people from their localities to take up ‘pot culture’ on balconies and terraces of their houses.
The elected representatives will be trained on how to cultivate vegetables in pots.
Kitchen gardening could be beneficial in long run for Goans, who heavily depend on chemically-laced produce brought in from outside the state.
Aphonso stated that Goa’ climate being favourable for pot culture, the elected representatives will be educated on the concept, and will guide and aid them on pre-planting and post-planting management while emphasizing on organic pot culture.
An expert team from the department will teach them how to recycle kitchen waste and make homemade pesticides, which can be later utilised on vegetables to be raised in pots.
The department will start training from January and will provide packets of soil mixed with vermicompost to those eager to take up the ‘challenge’ especially in urban areas.
Seeds of vegetable varieties like cluster beans and red amaranth will also be given to the people initially. These varieties can be easily raised in pots, trays or plastic buckets with proper watering. The team will instruct the people on methods of proper watering of vegetable plants.
“Our aim is to instil values of kitchen gardening in people and highlight significance of growing vegetables for self-consumption,” Alphonso said.
The department has been working on the initiative for the last three years.
Trials on the pot culture were carried out at the department’s farms. Seeing the encouraging results, the department has decided to take it up, throughout the state.
The department will start soil testing by December, and as the weather turns favourable for the pot culture, it will pack bags with tested soil.
