“Urban farming is a really important trend, it not only provides fresh food locally, it eliminates greenhouse gases associated with transporting food over long distances, provides economic development opportunities, and reduces disparities in access to healthy food that’s contributed to epidemic rates of obesity and diabetes especially among low-income populations,” experts in one-day training workshop on Organic Rooftop Farming, The Edible Garden” said in a seminar room at Lahore College for Women University.
This workshop was arranged by Dr Arifa Tahir, Head of Environmental Science Department and Dr Attiq Ur Rehman, Associate Professor. The guest speaker, Najeeb Ahmad Chughtai, president of ‘Soul Survivor Society’ introduced the participants of workshop with various techniques of organic farming. He also gave demonstration on the use of discarded and useless items such as shoes, buckets, socks, pipes, bags, jackets, disposable bottles and glass for the cultivation of plants.
After his lecture the documentaries on Black River: Hudiara Drain and Unhygienic vegetables grown in Karachi being irrigated with waste water was shown to create awareness among the participants of workshop about the impacts of contaminated water on agriculture and human life. The documentaries highlighted the current burning issue of accumulation of heavy metals in vegetables by using the highly contaminated and poisonous water for irrigation purpose in Lahore and Karachi.
Dr Attiq Ur Rehman in his address focused on the selection of seeds on quality basis. Dr Kusar Jamal Cheema, Dean Faculty of Natural Sciences appreciated the workshop activities and stress to adopt such organic practices for a healthy life. Participants of the workshop found the activity quite fruitful and innovative regarding roof-top farming. The Microbiology Research Group of Environmental Science Department also exhibited their products of organic fertilisers.
