A STUDY ON ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NUTRITION GARDENS ON FOOD AND NUTRITIONAL SECURITY IN TELANGANA STATE
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Date
2021-12-02
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PROFFESSOR JAYASHANKAR TELANGANA STATE AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY
Abstract
One third of the population of Telangana State resides in and around urban areas.
This causes continuous growth in demand of vegetables. Urbanization is one of the major
constraints in expansion of the agricultural area. Nutrition gardening helps to maximize the
food and nutritional security associated with mass production by localizing produce supply.
It helps to reduce the amount spent on purchasing vegetables and fruits and adds to the
biodiversity by encouraging birds and insects to flourish. It also nurtures people’s social
skills.
An ex-post facto research design was used for conducting the study. The three
districts viz., Rangareddy, Hyderabad and Medchal-Malkajgiri were selected purposively
from Telangana state with the presence of highest number of respondents growing nutrition
gardens. In total three mandals, 75 respondents growing nutrition gardens were selected
randomly for the study.
The data was collected by using personal interview method with the help of a
structured interview schedule. Statistical procedures like frequency, percentage, paired ‘t’
test and correlation were employed to analyze and interpret the data.
The findings of the study revealed that majority of the respondents were in the
middle age group of 36-50 years, had education level up to graduation and above and had
high (33.33%) experience in nutrition garden and had large >750 square feet operational
landholding, because most of the respondents (89.3%) had own land. Majority (62.67%) of
the respondents had medium mass media exposure, (60.00%) were with medium extension
agency contact and medium (77.33%) source of information seeking behaviour.
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The majority (45.33%) of the respondents participated in government-conducted
nutrition garden trainings, 58.67 per cent received training in compost production, 80.00
per cent opined that nutrition garden training had improved their knowledge and felt that it
was useful to them.
An average (total of vegetables, leafy vegetables, roots & tubers and fruits 237.09
kg/annum vegetables, green leafy vegetables, roots& tubers and fruits was produced
through nutrition garden. Vegetables alone accounted for the highest (143.31 kg/annum)
share in the average production of food groups, followed by fruits (47.45kg/annum). The
average per capita availability of vegetables and fruits increased from 302.89 gm/day to
357.54 gm/day after nutrition gardens were established among selected families. There was
a significant and positive relationship between the operational landholding, nutrition garden
plot percentage used for growing crops, yield of the nutrition garden with food and
nutritional security of the respondent at 1% level of significance (p<0.01).
The majority (94.67%) of the respondents faced insect and pest management as the
major problem. All the respondents used organic methods for vegetable and fruit
production with the usage of bio manures. Majority (90.67%) of the respondents suggested
pruning and using bio-fertilizers for insect pests and diseases, as suggestions for
overcoming the enlisted problems.
The establishment of nutrition gardens plays an important role in providing
sufficient, safe and nutritious food at household level. In addition, gardens increase the
availability, access, and utilization of vegetables and fruits, which lead to improved health
within the households. This results in improving the food and nutritional security of the
respondents