Nanded City, a 700-acre integrated township being developed on the outskirts of Pune along the lines of Magarpatta City, plans to propagate the concept of urban organic agriculture.

This involves using 110 acres earmarked as green zones in the two-phase project for creating biodiversity that will yield agricultural produce such as vegetables, fruits, medicinal and aromatic plants as well as enrich the flora and fauna of the region.

“We are already processing the waste generated in Magarpatta City by vermi-culture and using the organic manure produced for growing plants in a small way,” Satish Magar, CMD, Nanded City Development and Construction Company Ltd said.

This will serve as a pilot for sustainable urban agriculture practices at Nanded City, he said, adding that they had learnt a lot from the pilot. It may be mentioned here that Magar is acknowledged as the chief architect of the Magarpatta City model that went on to become the basis for the formulation of Maharashtra’s Integrated Township policy.

The urban agriculture project will include initiatives such as poly-culture instead of mono-culture, crop rotation, use of recycled water, integrated pest management and use of solar energy to help make it sustainable. It also plans on leasing small plots ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 sq ft to residents where they can grow agro produce of their choice.

To help optimise local resources and generate revenue for itself, Nanded City is in the process of setting up an agro division which would be in position and functioning after the monsoons, Magar said.

 

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