Mumbai: The Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM), which is scheduled to take place on January 21, 2024, is known for supporting initiatives having social impact. Keeping with the tradition, the upcoming edition of the event has decided to spread a word about agroforestry.
The practice involves growing trees on agricultural lands, which in turn, helps improve livelihoods of farmers. Solapur district has been chosen as the place for implementing this green plan.
United Way Mumbai to plan and implement green initiative
This community-based drive will be planned and implemented by United Way Mumbai, the philanthropy partner of the TMM. To support the cause, one has to upgrade to a 'TMM Green Bib' while signing up for the marathon. The registrations have already started from August 17. The initiative not just emphasises on planting trees but also aims to give a fillip to a farmer's earning avenues. It is unique because each farmer will allocate one acre of land to the agroforest initiative.
TMM Evergreener Initiative
After upgrading to a green bib, the participant can boast of being a 'TMM Evergreener', who makes contributions for growing a tree. One can even choose to contribute for one acre farm. The contribution amount for a single tree is ₹635. This one-time investment covers planting, sapling protection, drip irrigation, maintenance and supervision and capacity building of the farmer for a period of three years. This timeframe is critical to ensure a tree becomes self-sufficient. Once the tree is planted, a geo-location tag will be shared with each contributor.
In addition to participants, a citizen can also opt to be an 'Evergreener' by giving donations for the initiative on the United Way Mumbai website. “TMM has now become an integral part of Mumbai’s folklore with a significant impact on the country’s health, social and economic landscape. Strengthening this impact is the 'TMM Green Bib'. We urge all citizens to contribute towards sustained livelihoods (of farmers),” said Anil Singh, Managing Director of Procam International, which plans and executes the run.
