Mangaluru: Over the years, many people have turned to farm life to not only sustain themselves, but also to earn a living. As there is an ever-increasing emphasis being put on recycling and “organic” living, one Mangaluru educational institution has taken it upon itself to grow an organic garden on their terrace, getting more than just veggies out of this venture.
Over 500 varieties of plants such as brinjal, tomato, bottle gourd, snake gourd, ladies’ finger, pumpkin, double beans, watermelon and other plants are being grown at this college, which has become a model for other institutions, as well as the general public, to take up gardening.
The novel initiative was taken up by Milagres College Principal Fr Michael L Santhumayor, who, for the past 40 days, has dedicated around three hours a day to set up this terrace garden on one of the institution’s buildings.
Another unique aspect of the terrace garden is that the bio-compost used to fertilize the garden is prepared within the college premises itself. It is prepared by utilising the waste generated from producing food in the Hotel Management Lab. The manure is also prepared by using lab waste, vegetable waste, grass and tree leaves.
Interestingly, the vegetables grown on the terrace are now in great demand among the staff as well as the other residents of the city.
This is due to the fact that these vegetables are grown without using chemical fertilisers. Inspired by the unique initiative undertaken by the college principal, NSS students and the college staff have begun assisting Fr Michael in his gardening.
Speaking to News Karnataka, Fr Michael said that the initiative was an effort to educate students about the importance of waste management and to make them aware of the process of growing vegetables in their own homes.
“Our students now know how a terrace garden can be set up in their own homes. I have asked our students to pay a visit to the terrace garden once a day to learn more about gardening. This has inspired them to set up their own gardens at their homes. Many of our students have been inspired to get more involved in gardening,” he said.
Terrace garden income to be used to fund poor students’ education
Informing about his future plans, Fr Michael said that he plans to utilise the entire terrace gardening. “For now, I have grown vegetables using only 1000 sq ft of the terrace, which measures a total of 10,000 sq ft. There is a plan to use the entire terrace for gardening in the coming days.
“As there is a huge demand for our vegetables, I am planning to help the poor students by funding their education using the income generated by this terrace garden,” he added.
