Name
: Kukku Joseph Jose
Age
: 30
Date of birth
: 30-07-1987
Address for communication
: Parayakavil house, Puliyanam P. O, Peechanikkadu , Angamaly, Ernakulam, Pin -683572
Marital status
: Married
Languages known
: Malayalam, Hindi, English
Phone / Mobile
: +919446055109
Email
:
[email protected]
Report Title : GREEN PEACE - Sustainable Vertical Farms I am Kukku Joseph Jose a Master in Architecture ( Design And Theory) from Kochi, Kerala, India. I have done the research and submitted My Thesis topic named "Vertical Farming In India" . And currently I am working as an Architect in my hometown Kochi. I am focusing in doing the Architecture responsive to Climate and Sustainable Energy. The main considerations are the user level comforts ( 5 Senses ) and future running cost of the projects. Also am handling classes for the 'Architectural design' for the BArch students in a College named 'ASADI' in Kochi itself. The reason why am so much looking forward for the vertical farming concept was the fast growing trends of population towards the urban India as well as the transfer rate of the rural sectors in India into the satellite urban pockets . Along with that the technological advancement and digitalization is also playing a major role . In addition to that the need of smarter cities in terms of energy and resources is in a greater need in the near future by 2030. Due to the changing rain patterns and temperature in India
along with the increasing population in other hand , the demand for the technological advanced farming methods like Vertical farming etc are in a greater scope. As a part of this currently some of the institutions in India like Institute of Horticulture Technology (Noida,Delhi, India) ,University of Agricultural Sciences (Dharwad ,Karnataka State, India) etc are offering various courses like Hi-Tech production technology in horticulture, Urban Peri-Urban horticulture, Opportunities for youth in horticulture etc. But I can definitely say that these subjects are just an introductory level courses to get an awareness of the subject. We really need to go further taking the research and development to the next paradigm shift to take up the farming and food production to cater the emerging needs. As a case of India now we are having a greater strength in the terms of education, knowledge and workforce , but sadly lacking the technological advancements and expertise to anchor the things to the reality. In the next 10 years, I believe, today’s youth will determine whether Agriculture, Architecture ,Businesses etc win or lose the game. These young people are really pushing to innovate – to do things simpler, faster, smarter in ways that will ultimately change the world. If we equip this early talents with the best technology and empower them to be bold, we’ll watch the next greatest generation do amazing things. The pressure is now on us to unleash their spirit through a research ,innovation and development oriented support and teaching methodology and entrepreneurism. Vertical farming is in its sprouting stage in India, yet vertical gardens are finding a boosting. Hydroponics, Aquaponics and Aeroponics are still in the verge of boosting. In India urban centres like Pune, Goa, Banglore, Delhi etc having a very few number of Start ups , with all are in emerging stage. Attaching here with the pictures of the two farms which I visited last month. One is in Goa owned by Ajay Naik and the other one in Dharwad by University of Agricultural Sciences.
[ Goa - Ajay Naik , Area = 10,000 Sq.Ft ] - Invested around 50 Lakhs - Hydroponic Farm
[ Dharwad - University of Agricultural Sciences, Area = 1000 Sq.Ft ] - Invested around 10 Lakhs - Aeroponic Farm It is a hope giving fact that the concerned Government authorities approved almost 100 smart cities proposals in India. In fact in my state (Kerala) also two projects of smart cities have been approved. The shortlisted listed projects are Up gradation of Nehru Park - 2.00 Crores ,Development of open spaces and playgrounds - 0.30 Crores , Open space corridor linking DH Ground to Mangalavanam (depends on ecological sensitivity) -0.90 Crores, Mangalavanam Eco-restoration project -1.00 Crores . Restoration of Kalvathy canal and area drain improvement - Open spaces, Street furniture and landscaping features - 20.00 Crores. Small bore sewer/ Vacuum system for onsite sanitation - Includes storage facility for treated water use for landscaping 110.00 Crores. , Kochi ABD Housing Integrated redevelopment of Slum housing 141.40 Crores, Kochi ABD Housing Broadway Market and Ernakulam market Redevelopment and Mattancherry spice market 110.00 Crores, Kochi PAN 24/7 Water Supply Pan-city (Intelligent Water Management Solutions for 24X7 Water Supply) 621.00 Crores. Total Project Cost : 2076 Cr • • • •
MoUD grand : 500 Cr State Smart City fund: 577 Cr Convergence: 505 Cr PPP and other external funding: 493 Cr
A smart city would have a different connotation in India than, say, Europe. Even in India, there is no one way of defining a smart city. Some definitional boundaries are required to guide cities in the Mission. In the imagination of any city dweller in India, the picture of a smart city contains a wish list of infrastructure and services that describes his or her level of aspiration. To provide for the aspirations and needs of the citizens, urban planners ideally aim at developing the entire urban eco system, which is represented by the four pillars of comprehensive development-institutional, physical, social and economic infrastructure. This can be a long term goal and cities can work towards developing such comprehensive infrastructure incrementally, adding on layers of ‘smartness’. In the approach of the Smart Cities Mission, the objective is to promote cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of ‘Smart’ Solutions. The focus is on sustainable and inclusive development and the idea is to look at compact areas, create a replicable model which will act like a light house to other aspiring cities. The Smart Cities Mission of the Government is a bold, new initiative. It is meant to set examples that can be replicated both within and outside the Smart City, catalysing the creation of similar Smart Cities in various regions and parts of the country. The core infrastructure elements in a smart city would include: i. adequate water supply, ii. assured electricity supply, iii. sanitation, including solid waste management, iv. efficient urban mobility and public transport, v. affordable housing, especially for the poor, vi. robust IT connectivity and digitalization,
vii. good governance, especially e-Governance and citizen participation, viii. sustainable environment, ix. safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly, and x. health and education. Kochi is a coastal city that lies within the district of Ernakulam and is located in the state of Kerala. The city is set over 36.6 square miles and had a population of 602,046 residents in 2011. It is the largest urban agglomeration in the state of Kerala, but the city itself is second largest and for this reason is classified as a Tier II city by the Government of India. The city has a long history as a scenic city (it is known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea) and as a trading port and was the spice trading centre of the world in the 14th century. To this day, the city is an important tourist site which attracts the most domestic and international tourists in Kerala, while also being a significant economic and trading hub within the state. The city is home to the only stock exchange in Kerala, and has also witnessed considerable investment for industrial growth. Its port is operates as an international container transhipment terminal, houses oil refineries, and supports commercial maritime businesses. The city is also home to the Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy.
I strongly believe this is right time to rise with some sustainable concepts like Vertical Farming into these smart city ventures, for the sake of saving the mother earth from the depleting the energy ( Fossil Fuels ) and resources ( Land, Water and Air ). Looking a little ahead of the time the trends in Architecture too like any other disciplines in the various parts of the world will be a complete paradigm shift in the coming years. As an Architect my philosophy overlooking the future shall be the designs focused on innovations and technology. In India We have skilled Engineers and supporting facilities but at the same time we don't have proper technologies and awareness among the people. Also supplying energy requirement for plants is a great challenge. If this has made cheaper, the potential is definitely high and the most needy one. Energy supply from natural sources like sun, wind and water cannot be harmful if taken in a healthy way. And also the closed loop concept of energy must be used to make it in a sustainable fashion. Taking the past
50 years the India is in an emerging situation .Now a days the vertical concept is allocated in many cities in a small scale way. The best example is Dr. Giggins - Farm Villa concept which is an intensive integrated vertical farming system developed by him with the help of Krishi Vigyan Kendra with the aim of converging agriculture, animal husbandry and dairy farming.
[ Dr. Giggins Farm Villa ] The Farm Villa project, which incorporates agricultural cultivation and animal rearing through vertical farming, helps farmers overcome constraints posed by lack of space. The unit can be set up even on one cent of land. What makes it attractive is its multifaceted nature, wherein farmers can rear goats, hens, rabbits and quails, while also cultivating vegetables, gathering seeds, supplying saplings and catering to production of organic manure. In short, it is a comprehensive unit that assures guaranteed income for families. The design of the Farm Villa is unique as animals can be housed in spacious, technically designed compartments. The roofs of the compartments consist of galleries where vegetables, seeds and saplings can be reared. Special provision has been made to collect animal and bird droppings, in order to convert them into organic manure. The entire structure has been envisaged so as to protect the interests of farmers," said Giggin. Indian citizens are so much eagerly waiting for the concepts like these since they are thinking their life to lead too in a sustainable fashion. The current obstacles to the progress of Vertical Farming in India is the change of mindset, especially of the farmers who are still believing in ground space for their cultivation rather than stacked space. Better lighting sources like current led LUX output to carbon NANO lighting systems. The more efficiency in converting electrical energy to light energy the better we win !!!. The other main obstacles preventing the expansion of vertical farming in India are high operating costs, initial investment costs, low market prices of perishable food and the shortage of experts. And coming to the crop diversities, Vertical farming can't be limited to just crops to feed. It can also be used for sourcing many medicines without chemicals and pollution, by cultivating high value medicinal plants and availing raw chemicals for medical and other chemical industries. Also I think in addition to crop we can combine the Non vegetarian
programmes like Hen, Goat, Pig, protein rich mushrooms, insects along with Fish farming which can boost the success in the field since there is huge demand in these sectors. In addition to that according to me the integrated programs incorporating the Vegetative and Non-Vegetative Vertical farming can have more possibilities to make the system closed loop . To make Vertical Farming reality we should not depend on government especially while introducing some new concepts as the convincing part is normally ends up in waste of time. There are other encouraging organisations who will be good in supporting and convincing them in a business term will be rather practical ! With the new extension of ITC initiatives like Krishivihar, i-Kisan, e-kutir, e-Sagoo, ICT models- Agroweb, Agropedia, AgrInnovate, etc Indian agriculture has come to a long way and established several records in terms of production and productivity. IT sector have the potential to transform agriculture into a better prospect in the wake of climate change and decrease in the cultivable land. But if we take Government side they have to allocate proper fund for the development of smarter ideas for the cities breathing . And I believe in the coming 10 years our Government will be moving in this same line .Central, state governments and private organisations have taken ICT measures for agriculture extension which include ITC- e-choupal, Kisan Kerala, Aaqua, Rice knowledge management portal , e-krishi, Mahindra Kisan Mitra, IFFCO Agri-portal, Village knowledge centers (VKCs)- M.S Swaminathan research foundation (MSSRF), village resource centres (VRCs)- Indian Space research organisation, etc .Lots of initiative programmes are happening in different sides of India these days. Energy is the major concern for the Vertical Farming. As described earlier natural energy sources are the best. Energy cost is the major challenge which is not a special case of any other projects. And also we need an strong workforce/team to maintain the vertical Farming from the various fields like Agriculture, Architecture, Information technology, Electronics, Genetic Engineering, Bio Technology, etc. So far there is not any planned organisations working in this regard. As said above the ITC- e-choupal, Kisan Kerala, Aaqua, Rice knowledge management portal , e-krishi, Mahindra Kisan Mitra, IFFCO Agri-portal, Village knowledge centers (VKCs)- M.S Swaminathan research foundation (MSSRF), village resource centres (VRCs)- Indian Space research organisation, etc are in emerging stages. But we can definitely win as this idea since ultimately all need to depend on this in near future. Proper training and encouragement is a must in this regard and a wide publicity of course. Rather than going for a virtual publicity in social media platforms , hands on live events and workshop shall be of a greater scope for the VF to take off in INDIA. To anchor it to the ground reality I think there is no need of a separation from urban to rural. As it is the need for all areas and possible equally in all locations. Also in India even the small rural areas are emerging very rapidly due to technology and education. And I think rural and urban can go hand in hand in this case. But as a model for the starting stage it will be feasible or viable in the URBAN set up initially. Clearly, it is time for change. We not only need to respond to long-standing issues and challenges, but we must also face newer realities. The natural resources on which agriculture is based-land and water, above all – are being degraded and there is growing competition for their use. Climate change is already exacerbating this situation, making agriculture more risky, and it will have an even greater impact in the future.
But the public-private partnership model could be just the game-changer India’s agricultural sector needs. By drawing on the collective power of all agricultural stakeholders, PPPs can transform the sector at multiple levels. With the government providing and co-financing the back-end of the value chain, and the private sector and farmer contributions doing the rest, the agricultural sector could remain a primary engine of rural growth and poverty reduction in India. As a conclusion to go forward to support the emerging modern agricultural (VF) methods ,INDIA really need to 1. Invest in smarter value chains ( PPP model developments ), 2. Improve access to credit, technology and markets ( Biotechnology and IT ), 3. Build farmers resilience to environmental shocks and new emerging farming technological methods ( Awareness and supporting hands ). Note: Please find the link for the detailed report on Vertical Farming in India. https://www.academia.edu/7655922/Vertical_Farming_Concepts_for_INDIA
With Regards, Kukku Joseph Jose (30/11/2017)