Backyard Kitchen Garden as the Viable Tool for Nutritional Security of Rural Families: A Study from Kannauj District (U.P.)

Food and nutritional securities are often overlooked in rural areas. Promotion of kitchen garden is one of the best ways to ensure nutritional security for rural families. The present study with objective to assess the role of kitchen garden in addressing nutritional security for rural women was conducted in district Kannauj (U.P.) on purposively selected 60 households from three villages i.e. Digsra, Nekpurkayastha and Khudlapur of Jalalabad block, which were already selected by KVK under NAARI programme of ICAR. Awareness creation about kitchen garden among targeted households was done through training programmes. Front line demonstration on kitchen garden (50 sqm) were conducted using the kitchen garden kits (IIVR, Varanasi) and vegetable seeds and seedlings (C.S.A.U.A. &T. Kanpur) with participation of the women members of the selected households in Kharif, Rabi and Zaid season for round the year vegetable production and consumption. Follow up visits were conducted and sites were monitored about scientific layout and maintenance of kitchen garden. Analysis of data reveals that the majority of families were traditionally having very small size unplanned kitchen gardens as per the size of their family which were not fulfilling round the year need of vegetables for families. They were consuming high proportion of potato in comparison to green vegetables, root and tubers, and other vegetables. Many nutri- dense vegetables which may add nutritional diversity to diet were bought by families rarely or occasionally. After implementation of kitchen garden in selected families 44 per cent increase in yield of vegetables were reported and benefit : cost ratio was 6.13. Availability of vegetables per person for consumption increased from 80 gm to 200 gm and improvement in nutritional status was also observed to increase in BMI after six and twelve months trial.