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Home gardens key to improved nutritional well-being

Year of publication 2006

Pages 43

Author Bhattacharjee, L.; Phithayaphone, S.; Nandi, B.K.;Agriculture Group

Product type Book (stand-alone)

Series title RAP Publication

Series number 1020-6221|1014-2789|18194591|0428-9560

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) FAO recognizes that healthy, well-nourished people are both the outcome of successful social and economic development and constitute an essential input to the development process. Achieving nutrition related goals requires that national and sectoral development policies and programmes are complemented by effective community-based action aimed at improving household food security and promoting the year-round consumption of nutritionally adequate diets. These activities are being actively pursued by FAO as part of its field programme. This report provides an account of one such pilot project in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The objective was to promote integrated home gardening, including small livestock and aquaculture. The project activities targeted poor and food-insecure families with under-five-year-old children with moderate or severe undernourishment. Post-project evaluations found increased production of vegetables, fruits, poultry and fish among the targeted households a nd a decline in the rates of undernutrition in children under five years of age. The project demonstrates an effective and sustainable method for improving nutritional standards of low income rural families through integrated household food production, which can be extended to the national level.

Language English

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    This publication is intended for the instruction of agricultural extension, home economics, nutrition, health and other community development agents working with households and communities. Home gardens are found in many humid and subhumid areas of Africa. These gardens have an established tradition and offer great potential for improving household food supplies. The home garden can be used to raise many kinds of vegetable, fruits, staple crops, medicinal plants and spices as well as animal and fish. Even a small plot of land, if well managed, can make a substantial contribution towards meeting household food needs and improving nutrition. This training package integrates food production and nutritional issues and provides a comprehensive set of material for training field workers who wish to assist families and communities in improving food production and adding nutritional value to their diets.
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    Policy Brief. Combatting micronutrient deficiencies through home gardens in Sri Lanka 2019
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    Vegetables and fruits are rich in micronutrients, which are essential to maintain optimal health and for growth and development. Despite their significance, in Sri Lanka, the average consumption of fruits and vegetables is lower than the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) minimum recommendations. Inadequate availability of micronutrient-rich food at affordable prices is cited as the key reason for low micronutrient intake levels in Sri Lanka. An avenue to enhance consumption of fruits and vegetables is through home gardens. Several studies have highlighted the key role of home gardens in enhancing food security by providing direct access to a variety of nutritionally rich foods, as well as employment and income generation opportunities to households. In Sri Lanka, many crops in existing home gardens are under-utilized, meaning that these species are not widely grown, rarely found in the market and not cultivated commercially, yet are low maintenance, climate resistant and contain high amounts of micronutrients. In this respect, this policy brief suggests that promoting cultivation, harvesting and consumption of these under-utilized food crops in home gardens is a feasible strategy to sustainably reduce micronutrient deficiencies persistent in the Sri Lankan population.
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