Home Gardens in Nepal

• Identification of the plant species with different nutrient contents from secondary
  sources (Koirala, 1997; NNP, 2004) - a single plant species may be the major source
  of more than one nutrient. Therefore, the number of species shown in the graphs, if
  cumulated, would be more than the actual number of species available in the home
  garden.


• Grouping of the species depending on the type(s) of nutrients/minerals supplied by
  the species and counting of the number


• Plotting the data with the help from EXCEL. The frequency of the nutrient available in
  certain plant was counted and plotted in Y-axis against their distribution over the
  period of the year (determined by the seasonal calendar)

These graphs do not give an idea on the actual amount of certain nutrient supplied.
However, these can clearly indicate what the lean season/time is with regard to the
nutrient/diet supply in home gardens and suggest when and where to intervene.

FINDINGS

The number of species grown in home gardens varied with the ecological regions. In
general, dietary diversity has a direct positive relationship with the number of species grown
in the gardens. Dietary diversity varied over seasons and locations. The details of the dietary
diversity available from home gardens in different locations with the distribution over a year
are discussed under following separate sub- headings.

Ilam

The species diversity was the highest in Ilam among the four research sites. Comparatively,
the distribution of species over the months is more even in this area. Though the total
number of species found in home gardens was the highest in Ilam, the contribution of
vegetable and fruit species was about 42% only. About 30% of the total species of home
gardens was contributed by ornamental plant species (Gautam et al, 2004). The availability
of different fruit and vegetable species was comparatively lower during the dry seasons (mid
April-mid July) in Ilam. Limited irrigation facility coupled with the dry season affected the
availability of diverse sources of nutrients during those months (Fig 1).

Nutrient Supply from Home garden, Ilam

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Baisakh Jyestha Asadh Srawan Bhadra AswinMonthsKartik Mangsir Paus Magh Falgun Chaitra

No. of S

peci e

s

Vit A Vit B Vit C Vit D/E Protein Carbohydrate Fat Calcium Phosphorus Iron
Figure 1: Nutrient Supply from Homegarden, Ilam
Jhapa