: Ex-ISRO Scientist Makes Her Own Soil From Stubble, Grows 70 Food Crops at Home #IndiaNEWS #Gurugram Farming has often been considered a rural occupation, mostly practised in the countryside. However,

Ex-ISRO Scientist Makes Her Own Soil From Stubble, Grows 70 Food Crops at Home #IndiaNEWS #Gurugram
Farming has often been considered a rural occupation, mostly practised in the countryside. However, that’s not the case for 54-year-old Poornima Savargaonkar, a resident of Gurgaon. She has always been an ardent nature lover, an urban gardener, and advocate of sustainable living.
“I was raised as one with nature,??? she recalls, adding, “My parents lived in Ahmedabad, and were very fond of gardening. They would ensure that one meal every week was made entirely of produce grown in their garden. Even if we were living in a rented home, my father would grow a few varieties of flowers, while my mother would grow fruits or vegetables. When I was staying in a hostel during college, my study desk always had a small pot with a money plant growing in it. ???
But only a few know that Poornima is also a former scientist. Till 2003, she worked at the Indian Institute of Space Research (ISRO) in Ahmedabad. After quitting the organisation that year to take care of her family, she took up urban farming, and eventually became an entrepreneur.
Poornima Savargaonkar
Today, she runs Enriched Soil and Soul, which sells seven varieties of soil made using stubble waste and other organic material. In addition, on a 300 sq ft terrace, she grows over 60 varieties of fruits, vegetables and herbs in pots. Her garden includes fruits such as strawberries, pomegranate, jamun and papaya, as well as vegetables such as radish, carrots, tomato, and capsicum. It also has herbs such as basil, oregano, and moringa, among many more.
During the lockdown, the urban gardener decided to inspire and help others with their terrace gardens by starting a YouTube channel. Not only does she conduct live sessions to explain various aspects of urban gardening, but also speaks in Hindi so she can reach out to more people.
Harvest from Poornimas rooftop garden.
A self-sustained effort
When Poornima began terrace gardening, she noticed there were too many options on the internet about what kind of soil to use and what plants to grow in that.
“There were also very few articles or videos that explained the soil variety that can be used in India’s climatic conditions. I did my research, and started preparing Amrut mitti, which is a mix of compost, dried leaves, cow dung and urine, to grow these plants. To date, I do not purchase any soil, and only prepare my own. The raw material is sourced from my society, home kitchen and farmers in a village,??? she says.
Some plants growing on Poornimas rooftop garden.
To make the soil more fertile and reduce the burden on the environment, she decided to incorporate stubble waste produced in farms to make the Amrut mitti.

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