It was an attempt to deal with her own health issues that led Vansika Jhawar, a student of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, to develop a low-cost, vertical micro-farm for year-round, chemical-free food production, with minimal water and energy input.
Added to that, it was designed for homes, remote areas, and disaster zones.
Kolkata-based 22-year-old Jhawar explains that her venture, Annapurna, tackles at one go multiple crises — shrinking farmland, water scarcity, and unreliable climate — to produce chemical-free food.
It all started when she was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD), or polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), as it is now called, some years ago.
Her doctor’s concern was whether it was triggered by the chemically treated food being consumed, she says.
“Even though we assume the food we get is fresh, it often contains growth hormones, pesticides, and fertilizers.
That made me realise that accessing truly fresh food is a big challenge today.
I got the idea to grow food close to us and keep it as chemical-free....
