Festivals of waste

Early schooling in India is not considered complete if you've not written an essay on Festivals of India. Mine, like many thousand others before me and after me began, "India is a land of festivals...", but perhaps I should have started the essay I wrote as a 6 year old slightly differently - "India is a land of festivals of waste...".

The abundance of celebrations this season of festivals has begun, and so has the traditional abundance of food waste. I must, however, not be partisan to festivals. The issue of food waste is a chronic plague of marriages,  parties, celebrations, and at times even occasions of  commiseration, like someone's death. India's garbage dumps consume approximately 25% of the accounting difference between the farm and fork, filling our landfills with putrefying, stinking and disease causing organic waste. Much of this same waste, it is estimated,  can be brought back into the consumption cycle that could go towards feeding approximately 33% of India's  214 million food-insecure poor.  All it takes is some sensitivity, careful planning, education, awareness, sprinkled with some supporting policy, to taste.

Food is unlike any other purchase we make. Though food may have been bought by us, this act of buying is quite unlike buying any asset - which we could have acquired and chosen to use/dispose of in any manner we deem fit. When we buy  food, we merely purchase the permission from society to consume the food in a manner such that is beneficial to the consumer or others the purchaser chooses. This purchase permission also deems that if the purchased food is not consumed, then it must be returned to society in some beneficial manner.

Food waste happens in many ways, but is easy to control, if the individual knows how to. Here are some simple ways to stop waste of food:

1. Waste on the plate: This is the easiest and most important to prevent. It not only saves food, but also brings an infectious attitudinal change in the person avoiding waste on the plate. The simple ways to prevent is to take small helpings, several if needed. These frequent helpings are also a way to ensure you allow the stomach to have after-thoughts without wastage. Plate waste must be avoided at home, restaurants, parties or celebrations. The adage that best describes this is best is, "Take all you want, but eat all you take".
2. Waste in serving containers: These are the usual leftovers. Though in Indian homes most of this gets consumed because of the extremely conscious lady of the house, in restaurants and in celebrations, much of this goes into the garbage. The first way to prevent this is through self-control, by ordering small quantities (some good restaurants I frequent even serve half portions) - a little less is better than a little more. The second is an art that Indian's were good at once, but is getting forgotten in more recent times - request for leftovers to be packed. If you don't pack it, it will definitely end up adding to the garbage as it is not usable by anyone else. Even if you are with important guests you should pack the leftovers. When you vocalize your beliefs in avoiding food waste, you'll probably make a better impression than if you wasted it. 
3. Waste in the refrigerator: Packed food (home-cooked or otherwise) may go bad in the fridge, often because it does not get consumed in time. But this too is very preventable, and with a little planning, frequent fridge-rummaging, you can ensure that food goes into consumption. Also, there are so many delicious dishes that can be made from recycled food that if you were to try it a few times, it will become a quick habit. You also need to understand what to container suits which food, so that you can preserve it best. 
4. Waste in restaurants: Restaurants many times are careless, they often cannot anticipate numbers and there is also waste at the table. The way you can contribute to lessening restaurant waste, is by frequenting only those which ensure that their excess food goes into the consumption cycle. Ask your favourite restaurant how they dispose of their waste, ask the waiter how much gets wasted. You can then make your preference more vocal and also protest/suggest that the restaurant call a NGO to give away excess waste to the poor (there several such NGOs in every city). 
5. Waste for visual appeal: We often peel the apple and dump these precious vitamin C packed parts. Cucumber peels not only add taste, texture but also give the essential fiber for better digestion. There are mango varieties, which have wonderful tasting skin as well. Pea-peel soup has a flavour that is so delectable, that you may permanently decide to make soup only with its peel. So, firstly, do not cut, chop and throw for visual appeal. Secondly, know your veggies and fruits (read more about it) so that you can appropriately use the peels etc. in your what you eat. 
6. Waste due to excessive buying: When at the grocery store, only buy what is needed, don't over-buy. Often this is the main reason behind the waste. Before going to the grocer, open your fridge and know what you must buy. Choose a store where you can buy the quantity you like, and not what the shop dictates. Most of all, don't attempt retail therapy through food - it only leads to waste.  
7. Waste due to lack of preservation:Food is wasted due to wrong preservation. Sometimes potatoes left out for long develop 'eyes' or nodes, sometimes they wrinkle - but like several other veggies, there are great ways in which such food can be semi-cooked and frozen for later use. Pickling is yet another way of preserving different veggies and fruits about to go bad. Read more, understand your food so that you can preserve them safely.

This food waste is preventable by action of individuals, you, me and everyone else. 13% of all food can be saved in such manner through individual and community action. Such food if brought back into the consumption cycle will not only improve food security of many poor, but will also reduce the food burden on earth. Of the 7 billion people on earth, 1 billion do not get enough food to be able to be productive. If you do your bit, you'll not just be doing your duty, you'll be directly saving lives. 

My two-level food growing experiment

5 plant vertical growing unit

When you say the word 'city,' it automatically implies space constraint. But plants need space to grow and we must find ways to meet this challenge of maximizing growth area per sq. ft. floor area. World over many innovative ways have been tried for the maximum number of plants per sq. ft. floor area and I have also learnt from these experiments.  To grow well plants need enough nutrition (and therefore less growing competition near their root), enough sunlight (and therefore must not be shaded by other plants) and enough water.

To meet all these needs, one such design is what you see to above  where 5 plants are growing in in a 5inch x 5inch floor area. I already have 2 more growing units ready for this wall and another 3 for the opposite wall giving me 30 plants in all just on the walls (I am growing tomatoes, basil and lettuce in them, so I call them 'salad sticks').

I am also trying another experiment to give a two level planter system using bottles. Since the bottles have their own earth and nutrition, my logic is that the lower level and the bottle level will both grow well. For sunlight, I am ensuring that that the ground plant is already well grown so that the bottled plant will not block the sun of the other ground plant. I am also growing the shorter plants like herbs in the bottles for this reason and also to maintain the balance of the bottle (they are placed inverted in the earth so too much weight may move their center-of-gravity).

Inverted bottle planters interspersed between plants

In the picture to the left there are spinach seeds planted in two bottles  and there's a third bottle in the direction of the caption growing methi or fenugreek (it may seem like the bottles are broken, but the glass has been specially cut and smoothened  to give it that jagged look on purpose). The tall plant you see next to the furthest bottle is of baby potatoes. To the right of this plant (see picture) is  a white name tag which has scarlet radish written on it. I expect to grow about 15 of them interspersed around this small area because they don't seem to need too much ground space.

If all goes well, in this small 2ft x 2ft floor space I would have 2 bunches of spinach, one bunch of fenugreek, 2 baby potato plants (which should give me about 15 potatoes each) and about 15 scarlet radishes. Not bad, huh. That's not all, the wall above it (to the left) will carry 30 plants in 5 plant growing units which are going to be put up this weekend.

Don't gasp just yet. Look to the left of this picture and you'll the trunk my fragrant chameli (jasmine) creeper which is now in full bloom and makes my living room come alive every evening. Now perhaps, you can say not bad!

Will keep this space posted on the progress of the growing food.