The Awesome Power of the Humble Rooftop Garden

WEP’s Ushassu students in Hyderabad are making quick use of their training in organic gardening, and to see the results one must merely look skyward…or roofward to be more precise.    Rooftop gardens (designed by WEP’s partnership organization M. Venkatarangaiya Foundation), an efficient application of space and resources are the simple, final product of one recycled plastic tarp, some fertile soil, and a few coconut husks.  The results: fresh and nutritious herbs and vegetables available steps away from the family kitchen.

This isn’t just a matter of convenience to WEP families.  The gardens and the food that they yield represent a significant decrease in the time, effort, and money involved in an extra trip to the local market.  One garden saves a family about 20 rupees a week - 10% of their food budget.

In keeping with WEP’s essential philosophy of spreading knowledge and change, students are sharing their new gardening skills with the women of their villages. Last year, nineteen WEP students and their families started gardens. Two students planted on their roofs and the others in areas around their homes. Together, they planted fifty-seven fruit trees in their villages.  In the coming years those numbers will continue to grow.

This recent update on the ongoing progress in Hyderabad was posted on Urban Gardens.  You can read it here at:

http://www.urbangardensweb.com/2010/01/10/it-takes-a-village-to-farm-on-a-rooftop/