Urban Agriculture in Delhi
Urban and peri-urban farming has been taking place in Delhi for more than 40 years. It has mostly been confined to the numerous villages of Delhi which are now categorised as “urban villages”. Most of the farming takes place in areas like Chilla Khadar, Nangli Khadar, Badarpur Khadar, Mandpur Khadar, Najafgarh jheel, Tikra khurd, Tikra kala as well as on land owned by Bela State. One can find them farming at scale all year long in the Yamuna floodplains or other areas, growing rabi or kharif crops or both. While the cultivation of vegetables is a continuous process in Delhi, the major crops are paddy, jowar and bajra during Kharif and wheat and mustard crops during the Rabi seasons (Economic Survey of Delhi 2018-19).
The diversity of Delhi is also reflected in the urban farming community of the city. It attracts people from various socio-economic strata who grow everything from fruits, flowers to vegetables in either farmland or pots on balconies. Along with the produce, the purpose also varies. Therefore, it’s necessary to recognise the contribution of urban farming to the food demand of Delhi and make it a part of official discourses and public knowledge.
Contributed to the publication: Booklet Series on Urban Agriculture by People's Resource Centre
Reopening Schools - The Aftermath of the Covid-19 induced lockdown
The school-going children faced the brunt of uncertainty due to the pandemic induced lockdown. The administration's unpreparedness at large created an even greater digital divide and restricted children's access to holistic education. As the Government eased the lockdown, children could attend physical classes in a scattered manner. Re-opening schools should now be considered a collective community task, as there's more at stake for children than just their academic performance. It needs to account for lost friendships and faded memories.
Documenting the experiences of school-going children is an ongoing project with HumanQind Design Foundation.
Urban Agriculture in Delhi
Urban and peri-urban farming has been taking place in Delhi for more than 40 years. It has mostly been confined to the numerous villages of Delhi which are now categorised as “urban villages”. Most of the farming takes place in areas like Chilla Khadar, Nangli Khadar, Badarpur Khadar, Mandpur Khadar, Najafgarh jheel, Tikra khurd, Tikra kala as well as on land owned by Bela State. One can find them farming at scale all year long in the Yamuna floodplains or other areas, growing rabi or kharif crops or both. While the cultivation of vegetables is a continuous process in Delhi, the major crops are paddy, jowar and bajra during Kharif and wheat and mustard crops during the Rabi seasons (Economic Survey of Delhi 2018-19).
The diversity of Delhi is also reflected in the urban farming community of the city. It attracts people from various socio-economic strata who grow everything from fruits, flowers to vegetables in either farmland or pots on balconies. Along with the produce, the purpose also varies. Therefore, it’s necessary to recognise the contribution of urban farming to the food demand of Delhi and make it a part of official discourses and public knowledge.
Contributed to the publication: Booklet Series on Urban Agriculture by People's Resource Centre
Fisherfolks of Delhi
Contrary to popular perception, not the whole 22 km-long span of the Yamuna which falls within the administrative boundaries of Delhi is polluted. The northern stretches of the river have been able to skip the ecological damages thrust upon it by the megacity as we describe later in this report. This difference leads us to the small community of fisher people living in the vicinities of the river. Though their livelihood strategies have helped protect the river from the severe ecological damages which would have otherwise occurred, one can hardly find any reportage on their present, past or future.
Contributed to the publication: Fishing in the Shadow of a Megacity: Delhi and Its ‘Unseen’ Fisherfolks
Asita Rivefront Project
Crores have been spent by various state governments on different policies to ‘develop’ the Yamuna and bring it back to life. In the process, such schemes disenfranchise those communities that have lived by the river for generations. As ‘encroachers’ are evicted to ‘beautify’ the riverbank under different development initiatives, ultimately, the Yamuna remains as polluted as ever.
For decades now, the Yamuna and its floodplains have been home to communities that practise agriculture, look after the land and water, and help preserve biodiversity. However, because of their strategic, expansive location, the floodplains are vulnerable to destructive development and concretisation. This has undoubtedly caused irreparable damage to the floodplains and the river.
Contributed to the publication: Caught in the Tangles of Court Orders and ‘Development’, the Yamuna Remains As Polluted As Ever