Urban Vegetable Gardening Brings Greening to Slum Environment and Helps Mitigate Climate Change Effects

Abstract

Urban Health Resource Centre’s (UHRC) social facilitators encourage families to grow vegetables in small spaces in slum houses. Seeds were provided. Facilitators motivate families to tend plants as they grow. During 2018–2019, 495 families grew beans, bottle gourds, round gourds, sponge gourds, tomatoes, brinjals, small green peppers, and pumpkins in small spaces, broken buckets. A total of 495 families shared with 1485 neighbor families, thereby benefitting 9,900 population. Costs saved over the 3 years total to INR 8,251,932. Slum families can be motivated and overcome space constraints of small slum houses to nurture household vegetable gardens. Despite each home garden being small, these have the potential to mitigate carbon emissions a key climate change challenge affecting the world. Vegetable plants release oxygen, sequester carbon in the soil, and reduce atmospheric carbon. Vegetable gardens contribute to the cooling effect in urban spaces. Growing vegetables despite small spaces and sharing with neighbors promote a sense of psychological well-being, accomplishment, and enhances social cooperation all crucial to the well-being of vulnerable city populations. Home-based vegetable gardens save costs for the family. Methods used in this program research to grow vegetables in small slum houses and other lessons learned of perseveringly motivating slum families have the potential of their replication or adaptation in cities of India and other LMICs.