Socio-economic outcome of urban horticulture on urban &peri urban communities in South India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24154/jhs.v20i2.3747Keywords:
Adoption, Capacity development, food security, socio-economic analysis, urban horticultureAbstract
Global population will reach around nine billion by 2050, with 70% urbanized. In India, nearly 900 million people are predicted to live in cities by 2050, raising serious concerns about food and nutritional security. Urban horticulture offers a promising solution to improve social and environmental conditions in cities. This study examines urban horticulture practices, socio-economic benefits and constraints encountered by 51 respondents from 5 southern states, guided by ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru. Dominant diversified crop models practiced were tomatoes + brinjal + chilli, amaranthus + coriander + spinach + fenugreek + mint, guava + papaya + mango. Respondents typically spent 1–5 hours daily on urban horticulture for chemical-free food (92%) and stress relief (69%). After adopting urban farming, 67% reduced market visits to 1-2 times, while 33% reduced to 3–5 times. Monthly savings varied from Rs.200/- to Rs.1000/- per individual. Adoption rates include Arka Isha and Arka Suguna (90%), Arka Suryamukhi (27%). Technologies like Arka Sasya Poshak Ras and Arka Neem Soap enabled savings of Rs.1000/- to Rs.3000/- while Arka Rakshak, Arka RTF mushroom bags, Arka Meghana, Arka fermented cocopeat, Arka microbial consortium, grow bags etc. yielded savings over Rs. 5000/- annually for few respondents. Major challenges include pest infestation (35.29%), space limitations (27.45%), and knowledge gaps (23.53%), drawing attention towards increased awareness and capacity development.
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