Hyderabad:
Ever thought health and affordability could go hand-in-hand? Sometimes the price or the quality, one thing or the other always becomes a roadblock. Well, if that's what has worried you then Andhra Pradesh is your answer.
Here, not only will you get healthy food at an affordable price but you can also be actively involved in the biggest ecological agriculture project in the world for a mutually beneficial deal.
Don't believe it? Then meet Sushma, a doctor and a homemaker who is happy and relieved to discover an outlet in Hyderabad that sells commodities said to have been grown without using harmful chemicals.
Sahaja Aharam, is a cooperative outlet that sells goods produced under the combined purview of consumers and farmers who have come together to deliver quality product at affordable cost.
"I found it reasonably economical, the taste is good and basically, when we hear so much about pesticides now-a-days, this is a much better option," said Sushma.
Activists say there is a growing demand from health conscious consumers for affordable and safe food but, the market has failed to meet the demand.
"All around us we see the growing use of pesticides and insecticides. There are many studies which have linked it to cancers and other neurological disorders including hyperactivity in children. So having a place where we can get organic food is really important,'' Vidya, Consumer activist.
In the last five years the area under chemical-farming has grown from 25000 acres to 28 lakh acres. That is a record 12 per cent of the agricultural land in the state. Clearly indicating the popularity of the concept in Andhra Pradesh.
Now, spurred by the success and spread, the government hopes to bring 50 per cent of Andhra Pradesh's farmland under this kind of community managed sustainable agriculture by 2014.