What we can put on our plates and choose to eat is influenced by a variety of factors. Some are within our control and some, unfortunately, are not. Food insecurity and malnutrition are pressing public health concerns in India. For example, recent findings from a situational analysis conducted by the food systems study under NIHR Global Health Research Centre for Non-communicable Diseases and Environmental Change revealed that nearly 80% of households in selected blocks of Sarguja district are food insecure, and their diets severely lack diversity. Despite having land & natural food sources, along with traditional farming knowledge, families are struggling to access or afford a balanced, nutritious diet. This is governed by economic constraints, fluctuating market prices, geo-political upheavals, supply chain instabilities, knowledge gaps, and rapidly changing food environment. Nutri-gardening as part of the natural food environment of a community can be an inexpensive, local and sustainable way to contribute towards improving dietary diversity of communities.
In many ways, modern agriculture owes its roots to little kitchen garden patches. After all it was little kitchen gardens in the backyard, farmyard, compound, and homestead scattered throughout the home that slowly developed into farming communities. Contributing to first the family’s, then locality, and then community’s ability to produce food and make ends meet. Perhaps, a return to traditional and time-honoured practices can be the way forward to a secure food supply future.
Why Nutri-gardens
Kitchen gardens are making a return to rural India as a potential solution to the country’s nutrition challenges. In recent years, several groups have highlighted nutri-gardens as a practical, affordable micro-solution for improving access to healthy, diverse, and balanced diets. Case studies1 from various low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) demonstrate their potential to address household-level nutritional gaps Often the produce is superior to market-brought products, which may be laced with harmful chemicals such as pesticides, artificial ripening agents, etc., poorly stored, or sometimes simply too expensive to afford.
In some cases, nutri-gardens were also able to fetch additional income to households. Or at very least reduce the cost-burden of nutritious daily meals. Local production and consumption of organically grown food items also reduces the strain on resources and the miles food items often need to cover to reach consumers. Moreover, by using organic compost and natural farming methods, we can minimise the use of hazardous chemicals like synthetic pesticides, fertilisers, and ripening agents. Which promotes not only soil health and seasonal & varied eating habits, but for the long run is a much more cost-effective option.
As a part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen food systems in India, the NIHR-GHRC food systems team is initiating a key intervention in Surguja, Chhattisgarh. This initiative focuses on diversifying meals provided under public food procurement programs, specifically the Supplementary Nutrition Program (SNP) under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN) scheme.
At the heart of this intervention is the development of community-managed nutri-gardens to ensure a sustainable supply of fresh vegetables for meals served at Anganwadi Centres and primary schools. By integrating locally grown produce into daily meal preparations, the initiative aims to improve the nutritional quality of meals provided to children under these programs.
Improving agricultural knowledge and skills while supporting nutritonally vulnerable members of the community like women and children can help in enhancing their nutritional status. Also, since government food programs like ICDS and PMPOSHAN already cater to women and children, Nutri-gardens can be utilized to diversify the meals provided through these programs.
A sustainable solution for a sustainable world
What makes Nutri Gardens so pertinent to global health?! Well, the world’s population is predicted to surpass 9.8 billion people by 2050.2 However, only 1/5th of the land on Earth is suitable for agriculture.3 The resources needed for food production like land and water are becoming increasingly limited, while the demand for food is and will continue to accelerate. Necessitating immediate interventions that can help combat the rising demand and effectively manage fluctuations in food prices and production. Furthermore, Nutri-Gardens have a vital role to play in the fight against greenhouse gas emissions and global warming.
Studies suggest that carbon emissions from Nutri-gardens were 2 kg lower per kilogram of vegetables than those purchased from stores4. Unlike conventional food supply systems which are resource intensive with packaging, transportation, air conditioning for storage, and more contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, nutri-gardens are both sustainable and can be a key strategy towards mitigating climate change.
However, care must be taken when designing kitchen gardens to account for local preferences and tastes of the community. But sensitively created and curated training sessions for seed & crop selection, natural farming, pest management, etc., bearing the local contexts in due regard, can help rural communities tap into the multi-faceted benefits of cultivating and nurturing kitchen gardens. Traditional agricultural practices like Nutri Gardens aren’t just a pre-emptive measure to prevent food insecurity but a critical step towards ensuring sustainable food system transitions for communities that need them the most. Sometimes, the past holds lessons the present should heed for a secure future.
To ensure the success and sustainability of the GHRC initiative, capacity-building efforts will take place at both the community and institutional levels. Community members and small farmers will receive training to strengthen their technical knowledge and practical skills for establishing, maintaining, and managing Nutri-Gardens. In parallel to these community-driven activities, institutional trainings will also be conducted for key program implementers such as schoolteachers, cooks, Anganwadi Workers (AWWs), Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs), Mitanins and SHG members for enhancing nutrition literacy.
These sessions will focus on general nutrition awareness, sustainable and diversified diets and menus, by incorporating locally available, naturally grown, culturally acceptable, low-cost nutritious ingredients to ensure that the intervention is implemented conscientiously and sustainably across households, schools and AWCs.
Know more about how kitchen gardens in rural India are helping enhance food security here & here.
Discover how community kitchen gardens helped Adivasi households in Karsud village, Vikramgad take control of their own nutrition and secure fresh, homegrown produce for their families here.
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This blog has been co-authored by Sahiba Kohli and Vidisha Sharma
Curated and Edited by Sarah Iqbal and Neha Sen
About the co-authors:
Dr. Sahiba Kohli- Sahiba is a Public Health Nutrition Researcher with over a decade of experience covering a wide range of thematic areas, including food systems, nutrition security, infant and young child feeding (IYCF), maternal nutrition, community health workers competency and performance, national health and nutrition initiatives, and health systems research. Dr. Kohli is a Research Fellow and New Research Leader at the NIHR Global Health Research Centre for Non-Communicable Diseases and Environmental Change, working on developing, evaluating, and implementing bottom-up, sustainable food systems interventions.
Dr. Vidisha Sharma- Vidisha is a nutrition researcher with nearly a decade-long career spanning work with government food programs, food systems, clinical nutrition, dietetics, technology-assisted diet assessment, and nutrition security. As a Research Fellow at the George Institute for Global Health and a member of NIHR Global Health Research Centre for Non-communicable Diseases and Environmental Change, Dr. Sharma aims to co-develop and assess sustainable food systems interventions that focus on improving nutrition security, dietary diversity, and the reduction of NCD risk associated with diet.
About the editors:
Sarah Iqbal- Sarah is the Research Manager at the George Institute for Global Health, India. She also spearheads the knowledge management at the NIHR Global Health Research Centre for Non-communicable Diseases and Environmental Change. A PhD in Biochemistry and with over three years of experience as a research manager, Sarah Iqbal works closely with researchers and the communications team.
Neha Sen- Neha is the Communications Officer at the NIHR Global Health Research Centre for Non-communicable Diseases and Environmental Change. She provides editorial and communications support, working closely with researchers and the knowledge management team.
This research was funded by the NIHR (Global Health Research Centre for Non-communicable Diseases and Environmental Change) using UK international development funding from the UK Government to support global health research. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the UK government.
