Pilot City - Hyderabad (India)

Surabhi colony

The residents in Surabhi colony originate from Surabhi Village, Kaddapaha District of Andhra Pradesh.  Primarily traditional folk theater artists, due to the declining interest in traditional folk theatre, particularly in urban areas such as Hyderabad, the community faced impending livelihood insecurity. In response to the declining socio-economic situation, the state government of Andhra Pradesh established the colony.

In Serilingampally, RUAF-CFF collaborated with colony members of Surabhi, in the development of urban agriculture on open spaces. In this relatively poor area, the community faces impending livelihood insecurity with temporary employment options alternated with dry seasons of unemployment during year.

The community members through stakeholder awareness meetings were convinced to participate in using their available open lands to develop Kitchen Garden.  More than 65 members from the colony, mostly women are engaged in cultivating the vegetables in their respective homes in that 35 members are actively participating.  The communities members have develop kitchen gardens, using low space cultivation methods including vertical and aerial cultivation methods. They have integrated the kitchen garden with composting of kitchen waste and rainwater harvesting structures to collect water from roof area to use in dry season when water is insufficient for irrigation. Implements, seeds, vermi compost, neem oil and cake, sprayers, rainwater harvesting structures and compost bins were provided to the colony members as part of the pilot project.

To date 3852.4 ft2 of land area in 35 households have been cultivated in the Surabhi colony.  An average yield of 3.8 kg of vegetables per household/month was harvested in the initial phase, the average monthly saving per household around Rs. 84 ($2) per month. A notable increase in the varieties of vegetables consumed is also a positive outcome. Although these figures look very small, the households are happy to have organically grown fresh vegetables and are ready to carry on sharing, and exchanging seed material with each other.  Also they are encouraged to use vertical structures to expand the areas of cultivation.  While forming SHGs are at infancy, this is seen as the sustainable method to keep the kitchen gardens growing in the future.