We are inherently all farmers at heart. Farming and agriculture have been the backbones of our society. Without farmers, we would not have access to food, one of the most essential elements to survive.
Some scientists believe that farming started about 12,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest professions. Prior to farming, we lived by hunting animals and feeding off wild plants. This meant that people were centered around a certain piece of land and as it ran out of supplies, in this case, depleted of wild animals and plants for food; they moved on to greener and more thriving pastures.
With the advent of farming, people did not need to move or travel to find food as they began to live together In permanent settlements as clustered communities, usually around a water source, growing crops and raising animals on nearby lands, thus transitioning from a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a more domesticated one. As communities grew, the land under farming increased to cater to this growing population.
As time moved on, people moved from farming to the numerous other professions that came along. Small living clusters became a part of kingdoms and then countries. As urbanization gained momentum and technology evolved, more and more people began to give up farming and move to cities for better economic prospects.
For a long time, giving up the plough and farm for a white-collar job in a glass building became aspirational. However, this trend seems to now be accompanied with many wanting to return to the land, at least partially and roll up their sleeves and give the land another go.
For urban folk, this yearning is often fulfilled in the form of hobby farming. This could range from running a small kitchen, balcony, or terrace garden (depending on the availability of space), growing herbs and seasonal vegetables to owning a small tract of land, often as a weekend getaway where one can practice farming with varying degrees of commitments or without the expectation of it being a primary source of income. The owners of hobby farms usually have a main source of income, like an office job, business, or retirement income.
For some, hobby farming could eventually evolve into taking up full time farming, depending upon how comfortable and reassuring they feel with their ability to run the hobby farm.
Why Hobby Farming
- A hobby farm can be a fulfilling way to spend more time outdoors
- An opportunity to disconnect from the hectic lives of urban jungles
- Destressing activity
- You can grow your own sustainable and healthy food
- Reduce carbon footprint by growing food more locally
- Hedge against the rising cost of food
- A potential additional source of income
- Sensitizes you to understand the effort that goes into growing food
- Understand the impact of seasonal changes, pest control, how to manage a farm
Depending upon the scale and efficiency, some hobby farmers have also been able to monetize this effort. To cater to this rising interest, there has been an increase in the number of managed farmlands near Hyderabad and other metro cities across India. Some states like Karnataka have made owning farmland easier, while others have seen a spurt in the development of farm plots catering to hobby farmers. An interest in farming has also helped revive awareness about indigenous food staples and efforts towards their preservation, the need to save soil, revive water bodies and preservation of natural habitats.
In a world of rapid destruction of natural resources, this could prove to be a small contribution towards the preservation and revival of nature.