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An American family is in town to demonstrate how they have managed to grow their own food, not in a rural farm as you might think, but in the middle of a bustling city
Far away in California, if you walk down the urban Cypress Avenue in Pasadena, your sight of freshly-mown frontyard lawns will suddenly be interrupted by a thriving, organic farm.
The Dervaes family doesn't need to go far to get their daily ration of fruits and vegetables. All they have to do is step out and pluck it from their garden.
The American family is in the city to talk about how they have managed to convert their limited space in the city into an urban homestead called Path to Freedom. Here, they live self-sufficiently by growing a massive 2,720 kilos of organic fruits and vegetables annually on a mere 1/10 acre land.
The talk is being organised by Urban Leaves, an organisation that is spreading awareness about ecological, sustainable living.
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Jules Dervaes with his family |
"The front lawn has become our signature showpiece," says Jules Dervaes, father to three children who live with him and help him in his endeavour.
"It is an attempt to take a step backwards and return to ancient values so that we can discover what we have lost and fix it before we get into more trouble."
To visually demonstrate how this can be made possible, the Dervaes will screen a short documentary A Homegrown Revolution that chronicles their step-by-step journey.
"We feel that people universally are facing a similar problem and if we don't have enough for today, what are we going to leave for our children tomorrow?" asks Dervaes.
The family is also raising 'citified' farm animals, has installed solar panels to generate electricity for their home and makes their own biodiesel fuel from waste vegetable oil.
It might seem impossible to adapt the Dervaes' approach to a home in Mumbai, where all we have is a windowsill with two plants to act as a frontyard.
But Dervaes is hopeful that some solution will emerge from the interaction that will follow the screening. He says, "If you don't take any action, nothing is possible. It's up to every individual to salvage whatever he can."
On: Today, 4 pm to 7 pm. At Maharashtra Nature Park, Dharavi.
Call: 983369981 Tickets: Rs 100 | 
