Ladakh in the Himalayas in northern India is one of the driest places in the world. The growing season is only four months long, so there’s a lack of food in winter, causing villagers to suffer from poor nutrition and other health problems. Lille Fro aims to improve farming practices so the villagers can have fresh fruit and vegies year-round. It does this by teaching the local community how to build and maintain greenhouses.
The greenhouses are made from locally produced mud bricks and lined with straw, so that heat from the sun is retained at night, when it’s needed most. One side of the roof is covered with transparent polythene sheeting (more durable and cheaper than glass), which allows radiation to pass through and minimises heat loss. I really like the simple, smart design and, apart from raising awareness of their amazing work, that’s one of the reasons I wanted to feature Lille Fro in this book. This design can easily be translated into anyone’s garden and you could build it using a variety of materials. Thanks to the greenhouses, the local people now have a year-round supply of fresh fruit and vegetables, including tomatoes and zucchini in summer and spinach, coriander and carrots in winter. They even generate income by selling the surplus. How good is that?”
JAMIE DURIE – EDIBLE GARDEN DESIGN, First published by Penguin Group (Australia) 2013.
