organizations and farming communities with the support of Swiss Agency for Development
and Co-operation (SDC) and International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). The
main objective of the project is to enhance the contribution of home gardens to on farm
management of plant genetic resources and to improve the livelihoods of Nepalese farmers.
It specifically aims to create an understanding of home garden systems and its dynamic
socio-economic contributions. The intervention is designed in a participatory way and mostly
based on farmers' demand and interest. It ultimately aims to influence the government
bodies and related institutions by documenting and demonstrating the contribution of home
gardens in nutritional status and dietary diversity of rural households.
Altogether four research sites were selected representing the different agro-ecological zones
and socio-economic settings of Nepal. District based stakeholders particularly the District
Agricultural Development Offices (DADOs) were consulted during the site selection process.
Four research sites viz.; Gauriganj in Jhapa, representing the eastern terai, Panchakanya in
Ilam, representing the eastern high hills, Durbar Devisthan in Gulmi, representing the
western mid hills and Dudrakshya in Rupandehi, representing the western Terai were
selected for the purpose of the project. A Home garden Research and Development
Committee comprising 36-42 farmers representing from different economic and ethnic
categories was formed in each site to facilitate research and development interventions in
home gardens.
The species composition, structure, use-value, marketing system for home gardens surplus
as well as the working approach of group, knowledge, ideas and perception varied across
the sites. For example, home gardens of Ilam were rich in species composition, and their
existing marketing system was also good. Wild species like Biyee (Solanum anguivi),
Pakhanbed (Berginia ciliate), Jaringo (Phytolacca acinosa) etc., were also domesticated in
those home gardens (Suwal et al., 2003). Those gardens could be taken as resource
gardens. Good practices (domestication of wild species, multipurpose species, use-value of
species, e.g. use of different parts of Chayote, linkage of home garden species to market,
working approach of farmers group etc) practiced by the Ilam farmers could be observed and
adopted by the farmers from other sites.
The farmers' travelling and learning workshop was organized in collaboration with research
farmers and other collaborating partners. The main aim of the Farmers Travelling and
Learning Workshop (FTLW) was to have an exposure to home gardens (species
composition and selection, structure, management, use and value of species etc.), local
marketing systems of home garden products/produces, home garden management system
including organic farming, nursery and fruit orchard management, group mobilization, fund
generation and mobilization and scaling up approach of good practices within the
community.
With the expectation of farmers' increased benefit, both economically and socially, we
organized an exchange visit programme. The objective of the exchange visit was also to
open an avenue for the increased species diversity in home gardens, which, in turn,
increased the access to the dietary diversity contributing family nutrition and also generate
income by selling surplus of home garden products and unique species. On the other hand,
farmers of Ilam would share their experiences of working in the group and their approaches
of scaling up of the technology with other farmers. Providing an opportunity for farmers to act
as resource persons would be a part of the social benefit of the community. Similarly, the
workshop would also be a forum to share/exchange different home garden species from one
site to another. This would also provide a market for selling their unique species and
contribute as an economical benefit to the farmers of that particular site. Increased bio-
diversity and adoption of organic based home gardening systems would impart the
ecological benefit by discouraging the use of different forms of chemical inputs in the
system.