Terrace Gardening: A Sustainable yet Economic Approach

Abstract

The study emphasizes the importance of terrace gardening in providing fresh, seasonal, and most importantly, chemical-free vegetables for everyday family requirements. It also tackles the problem of odorous, untouchable and unwanted kitchen waste by converting it into valuable organic manure that may be used as a low-cost, environmentally acceptable input for organic terrace gardening. This study was conducted with the ultimate aim to document the socio-economic profile of households practicing terrace gardening and list out the perceived benefits and constraints in adoption of terrace gardening. Ninety sample respondents who were practicing terrace gardening in Hyderabad were chosen for the study. Respondents who were practicing terrace gardening for the past 5 years were selected randomly from the list obtained from Horticulture Training Institute. The results inferred that majority of the respondents perceived that terrace gardening was providing them fresh fruits and vegetables with minimal investment as well as increased emotional well-being. Lack of availability suitable land near residential areas is identified as the major constraint and followed by lack of time was reported along with other constraints.