Pilot project: Overcoming food insecurity with kitchen gardening
Nearly one-third of urban population in Pakistan faces food shortage
LAHORE:
Nearly one-third of the urban population in Pakistan is food insecure owing to rapid urbanisation and climate change, and kitchen gardening and micro-gardening techniques can help Pakistan’s urban population to reduce this threat.
This was the crux of an interactive discussion ‘Adapting to Tomorrow: How Can We Support Kitchen Gardening Initiatives in Urban Development for a Resilient Lahore?’ held on Wednesday.
The programme was jointly organised by the Alif Laila Book Bus and UK-based non-profit PennyApeal.org.
Alif Laila Vice-President Rabia Khan said her organisation had already completed a pilot project in six urban communities of Lahore. The organisation has already imparted hands-on training of kitchen and micro-gardening to around 165 households of Lahore and planning to expand the scope of its project.
Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) Director Misbahul Hassan Dar said the authority was in the process of making a separate institute for horticulture trainings and certificate programmes.
Over the years, he said, urban horticulture requirements were getting complex and required professional training. Dar underlined the PHA always welcomed new ideas and willing to help the ALBB for success of its project.
Punjab Agriculture Department representative told the participants the Punjab government had started various initiatives to promote horticulture and kitchen gardening in urban areas.
The government was providing seeds and seedlings at subsidised rates in all 36 districts of Punjab and encouraging women and youth to start kitchen gardening.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2016.
Nearly one-third of the urban population in Pakistan is food insecure owing to rapid urbanisation and climate change, and kitchen gardening and micro-gardening techniques can help Pakistan’s urban population to reduce this threat.
This was the crux of an interactive discussion ‘Adapting to Tomorrow: How Can We Support Kitchen Gardening Initiatives in Urban Development for a Resilient Lahore?’ held on Wednesday.
The programme was jointly organised by the Alif Laila Book Bus and UK-based non-profit PennyApeal.org.
Alif Laila Vice-President Rabia Khan said her organisation had already completed a pilot project in six urban communities of Lahore. The organisation has already imparted hands-on training of kitchen and micro-gardening to around 165 households of Lahore and planning to expand the scope of its project.
Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) Director Misbahul Hassan Dar said the authority was in the process of making a separate institute for horticulture trainings and certificate programmes.
Over the years, he said, urban horticulture requirements were getting complex and required professional training. Dar underlined the PHA always welcomed new ideas and willing to help the ALBB for success of its project.
Punjab Agriculture Department representative told the participants the Punjab government had started various initiatives to promote horticulture and kitchen gardening in urban areas.
The government was providing seeds and seedlings at subsidised rates in all 36 districts of Punjab and encouraging women and youth to start kitchen gardening.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2016.