Improving Nutritional Security through Kitchen Gardening in Rural Areas

Malnutrition is a serious nutritional problem in rural areas, resulting in different types of diseases, hampering physical growth and retarding brain development. For poor people households, vegetables and fruits are often the only source of micronutrients in the family diet. Homestead production of fruits and vegetables provides the poor people the direct access to important nutrients that may not be readily available or within their economic rich. Hence, kitchen gardening is an important strategy to improve household nutritional security. Present study was conducted in Bundi district of Rajasthan to quantify the impact of kitchen gardening to improve nutritional security of households in rural areas. The result suggests that kitchen gardening has proved a feasible livelihood strategy for resource poor people in terms of nutrient as well as calorie intake and economic performances.