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‘The potentialities of
Urban agriculture should be seriously explored as about half of the women and
children in urban areas of India are anaemic due to lack of adequate nutrition’
, so said a 2010 report, by M. S. Swaminathan Research
Foundation. Since that period, Indian states have been taking up several
small-scale urban farming initiatives to contribute to local food and
nutritional needs. Kerala in particular, had increased its vegetable production
since 2011 primarily due to such efforts. I remember bringing experts from
Kerala to share their urban-farming experiences to the trainees of the
MANAGE-organized Workshop on Urban Agriculture conducted as early as 2012, at
ICAR- Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.
Over the
years, we have always associated Extension with rural communities. COVID-19 has
taught us to give the much-needed attention to urban agriculture as well , for
self-reliance in food production. Vick et al. (2024) had suggested the
following initiatives, in this direction:
· Extension should build urban/rural partnerships, offer venues for rural and urban growers to network and aid in establishing supply chains for value-added products.
· Extension offices should consider relocating or opening up satellite office space in easily
accessible, urban-centric locations near public transportation.
· Due to the growing interest in urban agriculture, extension offices should offer periodical
trainings in urban food production methods and technologies.
· Extension must invest in research concerning food production in arid zones and regions where the climate is recognizably changing. Urban growers face unique environmental challenges, including soil, air, and water contamination, urban heat effects, and various pests.
All these
extension efforts should be taken up country-wide and should be included in
government policies, for the impact to be widespread.
This issue of JEE has papers on topics such as farmers’ willingness to pay for extension, satisfaction levels of women members of co-operative societies and scientific attitude among UG students of Agriculture. Your feedback on these papers may please be sent to editorextension@gmail.com.
Chief Editor
JEE 35-3