More than 55% of the total species reported from the home gardens in Gulmi were vegetable
and fruit species. The availability of different species of vegetables and fruit were more or
less regular in Gulmi. However, the number of species grown in dry seasons (Baisakh and
Jestha) was comparatively lower. As there is a limited irrigation facility in the area, the
number of species grown during the dry season is affected (Fig 4).
Fig 4. Nutrient Supply from Home garden, Gulmi01020304050607080Baisakh Jyestha Asadh Srawan Bhadra Aswin Kartik Mangsir Paus Magh Falgun Chaitra
MonthsNo. of SpeciesVit A Vit B Vit C Vit D/E Protein Carbohydrate Fat Calcium Phosphorus IronCONCLUSION
Home gardens are a major source of the family nutrition supply across the different
ecological zones and different socio-economic settings in Nepal. Home gardens contain high
levels of species diversity. The value of home gardens for household dietary diversity and
health is well recognized. Many government and civil society organizations are devoted to
promote home gardens in Nepal. Despite their important contribution to the family food
security and nutrition security, the information related to home garden productions has never
been included in the national production data by the concerned government authorities.
Therefore, the scientific understanding of the home garden system and production is
severely lacking. The promotion activities of home gardens have not been based on any
scientific findings. Nutrition calendars are the source of basic information on the status of
home gardens with respect to the availability of diversified diets in different agro-ecological
and socio-economic settings. The promotion of any home garden activities should be based
on the actual demand of the farmers, and it should also fulfil the actual gap of the system.
The nutritional calendar clearly gives an idea on what exactly the gap is in the home
gardens, if any development activities have to be promoted, and when to intervene.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors are grateful to the farmers of the project sites, who provided necessary
information to the study team. We are very grateful to Dr. Pratap Shrestha, the Executive
Director of LI-BIRD for his kind support and guidance in conducting this study. We thank Mr.
S. Basnet, Mr. Balabhadra Poudel, Ms. Durga Gautam, Ms. Bhim K Rai and Ms. Kunta
Shrestha for providing supports during the field survey. We would like to express our sincere
thanks to Dr. Timothy Johns for reviewing this paper.
The study is a part of the global home garden project, which is coordinated by IPGRI. The
financial support for the Nepal home garden project is provided by SDC. The authors are
highly thankful to both of the organisations.