CHENNAI: In an effort to promote urban farming and create new economic opportunities, the Chennai Resilience Centre (CRC) has initiated a program to train women from self-help groups as professional gardeners.

The initiative which has been developed in collaboration with Okapi Research and Advisory is aimed at to transforming underutilized urban spaces into green areas which can in turn provide a source of income for women.

According to The Hindu, the program has already trained 250 women affiliated with the Tamil Nadu Urban Livelihoods Mission. The training covers a range of essential skills, including seasonal cultivation, organic farming practices, techniques to improve crop yield, and also trains them in the creation of grow bags from biodegradable materials like banana sheaths. The initiative also equips them to offer paid gardening services to city residents.

The "Madras Mali" initiative was launched to bridge a gap identified by the CRC. Many households wanted to start gardens but faced obstacles such as a lack of horticultural knowledge or insufficient time for maintenance. To bridge this gap, the program directly connects the households with need with the newly trained women professionals.

Apart from individual homes, the CRC’s efforts have also established vegetable gardens at 144 anganwadis and 16 government schools to provide healthy food for children. The project mainly aims at empowering women economically, and while it currently focuses on South Chennai, it would be extended to other parts of the city in the future.