If I asked a room full of people if they had ever been fascinated by the idea of building their own kitchen garden or enrolling themselves for a permaculture course or turning their terraces into an entire garden, most of them would probably raise their hands. Only to later reveal that incorporating such sustainable and responsible practices has always seemed like a far-fetched reality. In between commuting to work, actually working, and then returning home exhausted only to fall asleep and wake up to face another similar day, there’s hardly any time to pause for a bit and try new things — even if those things are guaranteed to make your life better. Forget growing your own fruits and vegetables, most of us barely have the time to cook our own meals. But that’s exactly what Little Local, a responsible travel startup, is trying to change.
With their three-day long weekend workshop that will be taking place in the mesmerising hills and valleys of Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand, Little Local will help us urban-dwellers learn how to farm within the four walls of our concrete houses. The workshop will be conducted by urban farming experts, Edible Routes, who will be taking the participants through the process of setting up terrace gardens.
From learning how to grow your own garden patch, whether it’s in the balcony, verandah, or kitchen window, to turning kitchen waste into compost — this weekend-long workshop will also provide travellers with the opportunity to interact with the local villagers. In fact, not just villagers, participants will get to work with 100 women farmers of the village and even attend the village mela. Expect a lot of cultural performances, evenings spent gorging on local delicacies, and getting to understand the local lifestyle.
Part of something much bigger, this initiative by Little Local is to further the ongoing movement led by Shramyog — an NGO based out of Uttarakhand. Shramyog supports women self-help groups across 50 villages and helps them improve their farm practices and market linkages. In fact, the main objective of both the organisations is to ensure that travellers get to explore Uttarakhand beyond luxury homestays and invigorating treks. So rest assured that you shall go back with a whole lot of knowledge about urban farming and composting, a lively experience at the local cultural fair, and interesting stories that portray the rural life in a more empathetic and humane way.
The participation cost for the workshop is INR 7,500. It is inclusive of stay, meals, workshops and local activities.
Date: 24-26 November, 2018.
To register or know more about the workshop, you can click here.
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