Hyderabad and Khammam Residents Adopt Terrace Farming for Chemical Free Food

Over the past ten years, a growing number of residents in Hyderabad and Khammam have turned to terrace and rooftop farming to cultivate their own organic vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Driven by health concerns and a distrust of market vegetables containing chemical pesticides, urban citizens are transforming their rooftops into green spaces, supported by training initiatives from the Telangana Horticulture department.

The shift toward rooftop agriculture has gained momentum as residents seek alternatives to market-bought vegetables, which many suspect contain hazardous chemicals and pesticides.

Jayalakshmi, a former IT employee who now works as a terrace farming consultant, noted that the popularity of rooftop gardens has surged significantly over the last decade. She explained that the rise is largely due to the adulteration of vegetables and the use of hazardous chemicals like methyl bromide, making terrace farming the best alternative for urban households.

The movement has attracted diverse professionals, including Srinivas Konidana, an IT professional based in Khammam. Konidana has successfully cultivated a wide variety of crops on his terrace, including cardamom, clove, cinnamon, rosemary, pepper, tea, coffee plants, cocoa, and peanut butter fruit.

To support this growing interest, the Telangana Horticulture department has introduced an awareness programme called "Mana Illu Mana Kuragayalu" (meaning "Our Home, Our Vegetables"). The initiative is designed to train urban citizens on how to successfully set up and maintain their own terrace farms.

According to B. Manga, the Horticulture officer for Urban Farming, organic farming is crucial for public health, and younger residents are showing strong interest in the practice. Manga stated that a survey conducted by the department revealed significant interest among young adults in cultivating vegetables on rooftops and balconies.

In addition to standard food crops, some urban farmers are using their terrace gardens for biodiversity preservation. Residents are increasingly experimenting with cultivating rare herbs and exotic fruits alongside everyday vegetables, creating diverse ecosystems within their city homes.