Home Gardening as a Household Nutrient Garden
Krishna G.C.
ABSTRACT
Home garden is an integrated system which comprises different things in its small area: the
family house, a living/playing area, a kitchen garden, a mixed garden, a fish pond, stores, an
animal house and people. Demographic Health Survey, 2001 shows that 50.5 percent of
below five children are stunted, 48.3 percent are under weight and 9.6 percent are wasted.
The consumption of pulses (mainly lentils, beans and peas), meat, fish and milk were very
low providing only 9% of total energy. Home gardening can improve nutritional status more
specifically on micronutrients status of women and children and poverty reduction, which is
one of the appropriate Food-based approaches, could be an essential part of the long-term
global strategy to alleviate vitamin A and iron deficiencies but their real potential is still need
to be explored.
Keywords: Demographic, nutritional status, micronutrients, integrated
INTRODUCTION
The home garden is an integrated system which comprises different things in its small area:
the family house, a living/playing area, a kitchen garden, a mixed garden, a fish pond,
stores, an animal house and people. It produces a variety of foods and agricultural products,
including staple crops, vegetables, fruits, medicinal plants, livestock and fish both for home
consumption or use and for income.
FOOD PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
A nation-wide survey on food consumption carried out in Nepal in 1970 (FAO, 1974),
showed that the national daily per capita consumption of energy was 2,126 kcal, 83% of
which consisted of cereals, mainly rice, wheat and maize.(Table 1) The consumption of
pulses (mainly lentils, beans and peas), meat, fish and milk were very low providing only 9%
of total energy. Consumption of fats and oils was particularly low, providing 2% of energy
intake. Considering the food consumption pattern of Nepalese, per capita consumption of
fruits (3.49%) and vegetables (17.38%) is very low. (Table 1).
Table 1. Food Consumption pattern, Kg/caput/year Nepal, 2000/2001
Ecological belt Mountain Hill Terai Nepal
Food groups Quantity % Quantity % Quantity % Quantity %
Cereals 199.51 58.87 202.93 57.40 204.46 49.96 202.3 55.09
Pulses, and beans 10.71 3.16 13.43 3.80 17.88 4.37 14.01 3.82
Oilseeds 0.24 0.07 3.77 1.07 5.96 1.46 3.32 0.90
Oils and ghee 6.82 2.01 6.76 1.91 8.21 2.01 7.26 1.98
Vegetables 48.28 14.25 54.45 15.40 88.75 21.68 63.83 17.38
Fruits 9.47 2.79 9.8 2.77 19.18 4.69 12.82 3.49
Tuber 22.97 6.78 6.13 1.73 11.6 2.83 13.57 3.70
Milk 29.01 8.56 43.45 12.29 36.24 8.85 36.23 9.87
Meat 7.1 2.10 7.14 2.02 9.37 2.29 7.87 2.14
Sugar 4.79 1.41 5.66 1.60 7.62 1.86 6.02 1.64
Total 338.9 100.00 353.52 100.00 409.27 100.00 367.23 100.00
(Source: Agriculture Statistics, 2000/200, MoAC, HMGN,Kathmandu)