URBAN 'MANDI'

by Zainab Khan

Traditional agricultural practices in India grapple with great inefficiencies which also contribute largely to GHG from methods such as slash and burn. Urban ‘Mandi’ provides an alternative agricultural solution within urban settings such as Dwarka, an upcoming smart city in Delhi. The Mandi (farm) incorporates an aquaponic system within the terraces which provide direct produce for the inhabitants. Mimicking a natural ecosystem, aquaponics exchanges the waste by-product from the fish as a food for the bacteria, to be converted into a perfect fertilizer for the plants, to return the water in a clean and safe form to the fish. This is a continuous process that goes on uninterrupted 24x7. Chemical free, sustainable, no weeds, no pests, no soil, and no land degradation are some of the benefits of this scheme. Urban ‘Mandi’ terraces have been developed through rigorous sun/shadow studies in order to provide the optimal conditions for the harvest.