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--- site_visit_and_survey_notes [2008-05-18 12:22] – sanjeev
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-Though India has been traditionally known for its strong traditional agricultural methods, it is facing one of the worst agrarian crisis since independence. More than **160,000 farmers have committed suicide since 1997**, with the cotton belt of Maharashtra being hit the worst. Impossible debts, loss of ancestral land, expensive genetically modified seeds, large scale dependence on rain, reduction in farm subsidies, unfriendly banks, liberalised economies and moving away from traditional farming practices are some of the contributory factors. Today, the country faces one of the most serious challenges in balancing its rush to embrace the global marketplace with preserving and nurturing its greatest asset: the farmer. Demographically, more than 66 percent of Indians reside in rural areas. Not surprisingly, the emphasis here has always been on rural agriculture. This dominant rural demographic will continue till 2050 and is an important difference between India and Europe, which has a reverse population distribution in terms of percentage of people residing in cites. The positive contribution that production within the cities can make, has hardly been acknowledged in India. For more details on this please see the [[analysis of peri-urban agriculture in India.]]
+Though India has been traditionally known for its strong traditional agricultural methods, it is facing one of the worst agrarian crisis since independence. More than **160,000 farmers have committed suicide since 1997**, with the cotton belt of Maharashtra being hit the worst. Impossible debts, loss of ancestral land, expensive genetically modified seeds, large scale dependence on rain, reduction in farm subsidies, unfriendly banks, liberalised economies and moving away from traditional farming practices are some of the contributory factors. Today, the country faces one of the most serious challenge in balancing its rush to embrace the global marketplace with preserving and nurturing its greatest asset: the 'farmer'. This should be a matter of serious concern for the global food market, with India one of the largest exporter of food grain. Why has such a disaster not become a headline story in global media? Is it because of the nature of disaster and the fact that it has spiralled into a national issue over a decade? Would the impact have been far greater if this had happened over a shorter time period, say a week or a month? These are just some of the questions which the researcher is grappling with. Surely, reporting and news coverage needs to play a much more critical role, and there must be a national debate about this.
+Demographically, more than 66 percent of Indians reside in rural areas. Not surprisingly, the emphasis here has always been on rural agriculture. This dominant rural demographic will continue till 2050 and is an important difference between India and Europe, which has a reverse population distribution in terms of percentage of people residing in cites. The positive contribution that production within the cities can make, has hardly been acknowledged in India. For more details on this please see the [[analysis of peri-urban agriculture in India.]]
 New Delhi, which is the capital of India has a population of over 15 million. A couple of decades ago the area surrounding the city was mostly agricultural. Today, the city is increasingly in the midst of a continuous urban sprawl. Delhi has over 40% of it citizens living in slum like conditions and over the past decade they are being systematically thrown out. The river banks too were till recently a site for the poor. As demand for scarce land rises, there is an ongoing change in the demographics of residential areas. After a concerted city action in early nineties over 7500 hectares of forest are now legally protected in the city, and through another law, tree cutting needs special permission. Similarly Non Governmental Organisations along with the courts forced the conversion of public transport from diesel to CNG, a cleaner fuel. At the social and physical level, Delhi remains a historical, multi-layered fragmented city, with each fragment contributing in its own way to the city. Such multi layered city character is very common in India and creates a complex dynamic within the city. In Delhi, apart from the ridge forest which is the capital's green lung, substantial green stretches are seen in schools, universities, military campuses and religious institutions. Home gardens are common with the role of the 'maali'(gardener) crucial in maintaining the gardens. Commonly grown plants include green chilis, tomatoes, beans, papaya, grapes, jamun(or jamblang), cucumber, bananas, guavas, money plants, marigold and mangoes. A lot of these edibles are consumed within the household or within the local community. There is hardly any attempt to process, package or value add the produce. They are often sold on the streets. It is not uncommon to see vendors selling seasonal produce from nearby villages too. Organic gardens are not common within the city realms.