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Increasing interest for healthy lifestyle and inclination towards organic food among the urban people have encouraged them to go for agricultural activities in the form of growing fruits, flowers, vegetables, preparation of value added products, etc. Besides, putting a bed or two of mushroom in the home garden or rearing honey bees in small scale have become popular in urban dwellings. Some of the challenges of urban ecosystem are scanty land resource, high cost of labour, pollution due to vehicular traffic & industrial activities, inadequate sunlight, rising temperature, etc. Utilization of leisure hours of family members, use of household organic waste, production of fresh vegetables & fruits and obtaining a soothing environment are some of the potentialities of urban agriculture.

Growth of urban population has become a challenge throughout the world. Presently, many of the cities are featured with high rising buildings, rush of vehicular traffic and networking of industrial establishments. The urban ecological footprints are increasing day-by-day resulting in unfavourable living conditions. The cities require vast area of land to sustain the population for requirement of food, clothing and other requirements. All these items are brought from areas outside the city, may be from far or near. Creating avenue for production of food and other materials in and around the cities will certainly minimize the pressure on land available outside the city areas. The urban sustainability is at threat due to environmental pollution, rising population and intensification of non-green activities. Many cities have natural resources such as water bodies, inherent vegetation, open space, etc.; which can be appropriately utilized for productive purpose. Promotion of urban agriculture in the form of growing crops, planting trees rearing animals and encouraging landscape garden will have long term impact on urban ecosystem. This can prevent environmental degradation, ensure supply of fresh food and improvement in urban life.

Urban agriculture involves various aspects of growing plants and taking up other activities. Those include terrace gardening, vertical gardening, green walls, hydroponics, etc. Although several other types of garden present in urban areas, the gardens suitable for residental premises are discussed in chapter. Terrace Garden Terrace garden is generally established on a terrace or rooftop of a house having limited land space for gardening. This type of gardening is gaining momentum in the cities. These gardens can be created on different buildings like residential flats, individual houses, public buildings, commercial establishments and factories. The growth and development of the plants give immense pleasure to the garden owner. Plucking a fresh cucumber on the terrace provides a different pleasure, which is beyond the physical value of the fruit. The experience of consuming a fresh watermelon from own garden has unique satisfaction. As there is minimum or no space for growing plants in urban areas, the terrace can be transformed to an attractive garden. Irrespective of size of the terrace, it can be converted to a beautiful garden with proper planning. There are multiple ways for revamping the terrace depending on available time and resources.

Floriculture is the most important aspect of urban agriculture, which fulfils the need for beautification, recreation, entertainment and income earning. In broader sense, it includes growing flowering and ornamental plants in gardens, rooftops and terraces. Floriculture comprises of house plants, flowering plants, pot plants, cut flowers and decorative foliage. It also deals with cultivation of cacti, orchids, succulents, bonsai, ferns and plants grown in landscape gardening. Role of flowers in our life It is a unique gift of nature to relax human mind The fragrance and beauty of flowers bring joy and happiness Flowers are used as a symbol of grace and sophistication Flowers are used in religious rituals for offering during worship

Foliage plants are grown for attractive branches and leaves. These plants have several benefits such as improving air quality, promoting better mental & physical health and enhancing the aesthetic value of the immediate vicinity. Some of the foliage plants grown in indoor or in the garden are described in this chapter. Dieffenbachia Dieffenbachia is a foliage plant with large and showy leaves. This is native to the West Indies. It is a very popular plant grown in the home gardens due to easy maintenance. The beauty of the plant lies in the unique pattern of colour combination of the leaves. The leaves are yellow near the vein, which turns dark green towards the edge. This combination is random and even within the same leaf, different patterns of ribbons and spots of yellow & green are formed. It can be taken up under various light intensity and growing conditions. Dieffenbachia plants grow up to 2.4 meter height with wide leaves of around 50 cm long and 25 cm wide. 

Fruit trees can be planted in the backyard or any open space near the house. In absence of backyard area, fruit trees can also be grown on the rooftop by planting in polythene bag, plastic container, cemented pot, etc. Growing fruits like papaya, banana, lemon, mango, pineapple, coconut, pomegranate, etc. in the premises of house can fulfil the family requirement of fruits. It will help to get fresh fruits from own garden, which are free from any chemical or pesticide. There is a different satisfaction in plucking of fruits grown by own effect. Mango Mango (Mangifera indica) is one of the prominent fruit crops of India. It has delicious taste and excellent flavour. Mango fruit is utilized at all the stages of its development. Raw fruits are used for preparation of pickle, chutney and juice. The ripe fruits are consumed directly and are used for preparation of several products like squash, syrup, jam and jelly. Ripe mango contains about 0.6 per cent protein, 0.1 per cent fat, 11.8 per cent carbohydrate, 0.3 per cent minerals and 1.1 per cent fibre. 

Vegetable refers to the edible parts of plant such as leaf, root, stem, fruit, rhizome, corm or seeds consumed directly or after cooking. Vegetables are an important constituent of balanced diet taken for good health. Vegetables are good source of dietary fibre, protein, essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Hence, vegetables play a vital role for human health. In urban areas, vegetables can be grown in the backyard, rooftop and terrace. Harvesting vegetables from own garden has a separate satisfaction. The vegetables produced in home gardens are of superior quality as those do not contain any harmful toxic substance. Growing vegetables in the home premises will reduce the daily expenditure of a family. In urban areas, vegetable can be taken in small patches in the backyard to fulfil the family requirement. In absence of surplus land area, it can be grown in pots, containers or polythene bags placed on the rooftop or terrace. Some vegetables can also be grown on the rooftop in a specially prepared bed with shallow depth of soil. In this chapter, discussion is made for cultivation of vegetables in small patches.

India is known to be rich source of medicinal plants since ancient time. Medicinal plants like Aloe vera, Aswagandha, basil, mint, cinnamon, etc. are widely used to cure various ailments and for several health benefits. Some of the common diseases like common cold, headache, stomach problem, skin disease, etc. are treated in home by use of various herbs. Medicinal plants can be grown in the backyard or on the rooftop to meet the household demand. Cultivation practices of some of the medicinal plants are described in this chapter. Tulsi Tulsi or basil is considered to be a sacred plant with religious importance. It is grown in homes as an aromatic perennial shrub and used for medicinal purpose. Tulsi possess antimicrobial and antiviral properties with capacity to purify the air. It can be grown up to an altitude of 2000 m above mean sea level. This plant can be grown in pots and in home gardens. The leaves and twigs of the plant are used for medicinal purpose. The fragrant leaves and flowers are used in the form of tincture, tea or decoction for curing cold & cough, stomach disorders, skin diseases, etc. The plant is also rich in antioxidant, vitamin and calcium. There are two types of tulsi viz. green type and purple. It can be planted in the pots or in the beds.

Plant propagation refers to the process of increasing number of plants of a cultivar. Plant propagation is of two types viz. sexual and asexual. Sexual propagation is done by seeds, whereas asexual plant propagation is done by vegetative means such as stem/root cuttings, slips, corm, bulbs, rhizomes, grafting, budding, layering, etc. Good quality seed or planting material of established crop varieties should be procured from authentic source to get desired result. The seed should be uniform in size, free from disease infestation, possess good vigour and having good viability. The quality of the seed is decided based on germination percentage. Seeds can be directly sown to raise a crop or seedlings are raised in nursery beds, which are transplanted later to main plot. Seedlings can be raised in nursery beds, poly bags or pro-trays. The nursery beds are usually kept one meter wide, convenient length and of 15 cm height. The soil of the bed is prepared by addition of well decomposed bulky organic manure, sand and garden soil in equal proportion. The beds have to be disinfected by exposing the soil to sun (solarisation) and addition of neem or karanj oil cake. After sowing the seeds in the bed, those are covered with straw, leaves or compost to protect the seeds from birds and to conserve moisture in the soil. It also helps to maintain the temperature for quick germination. The seeds are sown in lines on the bed.

Fruits and vegetables grown in kitchen garden or in the field can be preserved in various forms like juice, squash, puree, pickle, jam, jelly, murabba, paste, ketchup, sauce, etc. for year round consumption. Seasonal produce of vegetables and fruits can be preserved through various methods for consumption at a later time. Juice Fruits like pineapple, mango, orange, lemon, etc. can be used to prepare juice, squash and other ready to serve beverages. Beverages can be prepared by following various steps. The fruits are washed thoroughly and pat dried with clean cloths. Then the peels are removed wherever necessary. Peeling can be done by hand or by knife. The juice is extracted by using juice extractor or by netting. The extracted juice is then strained using a muslin cloth or mosquito net. To enhance the taste and shelflife, the juice is mixed with sugar syrup. The sugar syrup is prepared by dissolving sugar in water and boiling it. After the syrup is ready, it is allowed to cool and strained through muslin cloth. Then the extracted juice is added with the syrup and citric acid. Preservatives like potassium meta-bisulphite or sodium benzoate is added for storage of the juice. If necessary, essence can be added @ 2 ml/litre of juice. The juice is to be stored in a narrow mouth bottle by leaving a head space of one to two centimetres. The cap of the bottle is to be sealed with wax.

Potted Plants In urban areas, scarcity of space compels the dwellers to take up gardening on rooftop, terrace, balcony or small space adjacent to the house. Usually, plants are grown in pots or containers for rooftop gardening. Big size pots with diameter of 30 cm or more are required for growing rose plant. It is necessary to prefer tall pots to obtain appropriate growth of the plant having deeper root system. Now-a-days, pots of different materials such as clay, cement and plastic are used for growing potted plants. Usually, clay pots are better than plastic pots as clay is slow in transfer of heat thereby maintaining the root zone cooler. Of course, plastic pots are lighter and suitable for use on the rooftop as those put less load on the building structure. Light coloured plastic is preferred to dark colour as those generate less heat. Although heavier, cemented pots are more durable than earthen or plastic pots. The pots should have adequate drainage facility with holes in the bottom. Besides, a layer of gravel or medium-size stone of one-inch thickness are to be placed at the bottom of the container to facilitate drainage.

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