Mumbai: BMC launches terrace farming initiative for civic schools

Minister of School Education Deepak Kesarkar inaugurated the project on the terrace of the Woolen Mills BMC school at Dadar

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to address multiple issues under one initiative, taking ahead the government's plans to teach kids farming skills, while creating awareness about climate change and its mitigation, and encouraging terrace farming through projects implemented at its own school buildings. As a pilot initiative, the BMC has collaborated with NGOs Project Mumbai and Living Greens to set up facilities at 25 civic schools to teach terrace and urban farming.

The project was launched by Minister of School Education Deepak Kesarkar on Saturday at Dadar's Woolen Mills BMC school. As part of this project, six vegetable beds fitted with a drip irrigation system have been set up on the terrace of the school where tomato, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, lady finger and spinach have been planted.

According to BMC officials, school students will learn urban farming as part of their educational syllabus, also learning how to grow vegetables in a limited space. "Once the project is a success at the first 25 schools, we will look at replicating it in more schools. Through this project, we not only want students to learn terrace/urban farming but also help them understand how these practices would be beneficial environmentally. It was in the state government's plan to introduce lessons on farming. Our initiative of terrace farming will serve all these purposes," said Rajesh Kankal, BMC education officer.

He added that instructors will be sent by the NGOs to teach the students and also guide teachers. The BMC is planning to make terrace gardens mandatory for all new buildings having a plot size of more than 2000 sq mts. The plan is part of the civic body's goal to increase green cover in the city for which the BMC's Gardens Department had proposed changes in the city's Development Plan for rooftop/terrace gardens. "The initiative can set an example for all other commercial and residential structures that rooftop/terrace gardens are possible," a BMC official said, adding that the vegetables grown could also be used to provide midday meals at the schools.

Apart from the terrace farming project, the BMC, in association with Project Mumbai, inaugurated libraries, digital labs, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) and robotics training as part of its Learning 2.0 initiative. "With the help of NGO Project Mumbai, we got over 100 old computers replaced by new ones. Earlier, students were taught basic computer skills like MS Word, Excel etc. Now we will upgrade the lessons to start teaching robotics and STEM. Subject experts and instructors will be provided by Project Mumbai," Kankal said.

Additionally, as part of the Read Mumbai initiative, the BMC and Project Mumbai will be creating libraries in civic schools. According to Kankal, students will be encouraged to read books and get rid of their addiction to mobile phones. "They will be rewarded for reading a maximum number of books. We are planning to ask students to review the books they read on social media etc. For this we have increased two periods in the weekly timetable at all BMC schools, which will serve as library time," he said.

25
No of schools project has been launched on pilot basis