The rising price and unavailability of fresh, pesticide free vegetable has become a concern among health freak urbanities.

In order to make them avail the choice of their green veggies, Krishi Mela in Suttur Jatra has set up the concept of roof top garden and vertical garden.

The mela organisers feel that such concepts are useful to urban dwellers who have ardent desire for gardening, but lack space for the same. Anyone with the availability of little space in their house terrace and front of the house can develop a small beautiful garden with veggies and flowers.

Arun Balamatti, programme co-ordinator, JSS Krishi Vignyana Kendra says that roof top gardens or kitchen gardens are fast picking trends in urban areas. One can grow vegetables or convert the space into a garden with lawn and exotic flowers. It can all be done at a low cost and different concepts too can be adopted, he added.

Another popular concept is vertical gardening. He said that a house wall can be turned into a garden by mounting flower pots on them.

If space is available at the front yard of the house, it can be converted into another garden including water tank with fishes, vegetables and other decorative plants. The waste generated at home like tea powder, food leftover, vegetable peels and others can be used as natural manure, he added

“One not only gets vegetables, it also keeps ones home green and decreases the room temperature inside the house,” he said.

Goat feeding

Goat feeding is another attraction at the Jatra, where a shed has been built to feed the goats. Usually in villages, goats are taken to the pastures for grazing, as a result they lose weight.

Arun explained that goat feeding hut was a boon to those who are into meat rearing animals.

The shed is built on an elevated space with bamboo fence around it. Farmers can feed the animal at the shed itself and not take them out for grazing. It results in weight gain of the animal.

The waste generated can be used in agriculture.

Solar run sprayer

Increasing fuel cost and unscheduled power cuts have become a setback to farmers in villages. The Agricultural Technical University, Raichur has developed a solar powered fertiliser sprayer to keep farmers worry free from such glitches.

Badri Prasad of the University explained that two companies have come forward, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed, and the product is expected to be rolled out next year.

The sprayer is eco-friendly, fitted with solar rechargeable battery so that one can operate even during nights. Solar run sprayer costs around Rs 8,000. The product would be provided to the farmer under subsidy, he said.