Institute of Horticulture Technology (IHT) is organizing ‘Horti India 2021’ 4th in series on 29th April 2021. The International webinar is being organized on “Vertical Farming for Doubling Farm’ Income”. IHT has been successfully organizing capacity building and R & D programmes on Hi-Tech Horticulture since 2009 and events such as ‘Horti India’ since 2012. The earlier events were inaugurated by Governors, Union/State Ministers and Secretaries to Government of India and attended by policy planners, entrepreneurs, participants from corporate sectors and farmers across different states and union territories of India. These events were well received and attracted a wide coverage in National Newspapers and TV channels through popular programmes like Krishi Darshan.
‘Horti India 2021’ is going to be an event of International stature focused on live demonstration of latest Horticultural technologies in vertical farming and interaction with national and international experts. Technical sessions covering lectures on Protected cultivation- vegetables, ornamental plants and cut flowers, Hydroponics, Precision farming, Micro irrigation, Fertilizers and Chemicals.
Population is continuously increasing, and the land is decreasing day by day. It is estimated that by the year 2050, the world’s population will increase by 3 billion people and close to 80% will live in urban areas. Vertical farms have the potential to feed the world’s population by creating additional farmland. Vertical farming can be a better tool for the growth of the nation as it combines technologies and socioeconomic practices. It allows cities to expand while remaining substantially self-sufficient in food. This would allow large urban/rural centers to grow without food constraints.
The new concept of Vertical Farming can help in doubling farm incomes in one year. Vertical farming is the production of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and medicinal plants in vertical surfaces or integration with other structures. The crops produced are likely to be pesticide-free, so it can reduce burdens on the medical facilities, thus increasing the net income of the farmers and consumers.
Crop production can be increased by increasing the number of crop seasons per year with a controlled environment and the losses due to biotic and abiotic stresses can also be reduced. It ultimately multiplies the productivity of the farm surface by a factor of 4 to 6 depending on the crop. In rooftop farming especially in urban and peri-urban areas, the overall farm area will get increased, leading to the higher production per unit area. In situ consumption of city population will check the wastage due to transportation, spoilage, and infestation, ultimately leading to better economic gains.
Crops grown in traditional outdoor farming depends on supportive climatic conditions, and suffer from undesirable temperatures rain, monsoon, flooding, wildfires, and drought which ultimately leads to loss of crops or decreased yields. In Vertical Farming, productivity is mostly independent of weather, as the crops are grown under controlled conditions. Vertical farming saves many natural resources as the human interference in the natural environment and biomes is reduced by practicing the farming vertically at a limited place with manipulated environmental conditions by reduced farmland, agricultural encroachment and deforestation can be avoided by vertical farming.
A threat to industrial agriculture caused by phosphorous-based fertilizers and runoff and leaching losses can be avoided by vertical farming. Traditional agriculture interferes with wild populations, while vertical farming would cause nominal harm to wildlife. Vertical farming works on the principle of optimization of the available resources; therefore, scarce resources are conserved, leading to the conservation of natural resources. Food security is one of the primary factors leading to economic upliftment. Production of food in wastelands or places like balcony, the rooftop can help the population to be secure for their consumption.
Like previous events, international experts will attend the webinar and share their expertise in horticulture with farmers and other visitors through interactive lectures. There will be provision of interpreter. All of this makes ‘Horti India 2021’ an event not to be missed by farmers, horticulture officials from states and private organizations and horticultural crop growers as well as other stakeholders.
A large variety of saplings of flowers will be on display and available for sale.
INSTITUTE OF HORTICULTURE TECHNOLOGY,
42 A , KNOWLEDGE PARK – 3, GREATER NOIDA – 201310, NCR , DELHI