The Benefits of Home Gardens
Home gardens are small-scale subsistence agricultural systems established by households to obtain and meet their food requirements. The garden plots typically comprise a variety of fruits, vegetables, trees, crops ornamental plants, medicinal plants, as well as livestock [11.
Numerous studies have proven that home gardens can provide many benefits for families with limited resources. These benefits include economics, nutrition and health, as well as sustainability of the agro-ecosystem.
Nutritional Benefits
Gardening at home is essential for ensuring nutrition and food security, according to various studies. They can provide a variety of nutrients, provide a supplement to food staples, lessen "hidden hunger" and prevent the spread of disease caused by micronutrient deficiencies and boost family income and livelihoods. They provide ecosystem services and are often used to promote resilience of communities in times of crisis.
For instance, in Java, Indonesia 7% of the time people spend on gardening, and it accounts for 44% of the households total calories consumed and 32% of their protein intake. This is a higher quantity than paddy rice, which only accounts for 6% of a household's total calorie intake.
Gardening at home can provide a wide range of fruits, vegetables and tubers, as well as minerals, including iron, calcium, folate acids and vitamins (especially vitamin C). This is a great way to ensure a balanced diet and enables families to meet their nutritional requirements with a reasonable cost compared with commercial sources of food.
Some gardens are designed to produce high-value plants, such as spices and other herbal products that can be sold on the market. This has increased the income of poor households, especially women, and has improved their health and nutrition. Some households have also integrated livestock and poultry into their gardens to increase the availability animal proteins.
In post-crisis conditions home gardening is often the most effective strategy to increase food and nutritional security. For instance during the drought that hit Tajikistan in 2010, a large proportion of households turned to their gardens at home to grow an array of herbs and vegetables that they cultivated as part of their emergency food supply. In addition, they grew crops such as beans, which were available at a reasonable cost and comprised the majority of their food supplies. This allowed them to avoid malnutrition and hunger, and ensured that they ate a balanced diet while decreasing their dependence on imported food. This was an important lifeline for families affected by the conflict, facing economic hardship and unemployment.
Economic Benefits
Home gardens provide a variety of benefits that include food security and income generation. They can provide a steady and continuous supply of fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices, as well as animal product (e.g. In addition to eggs and milk as well as eggs and milk, they also provide ecosystem services like soil fertility and water conservation. These multiple benefits make home gardening an attractive sustainable agriculture practice, especially in developing nations.
flower gardening of gardens at home as a source of staple food items and as an effective buffer against food insecurity has been established in a variety of studies. The research has revealed that kitchen gardens can provide a steady flow of food that can be consumed by the household as and supplementary income through sales of produce to markets. These earnings can be used for other necessities like education, health care, and savings.
A review of the literature shows that women are the primary gardeners in home gardens. This is a reflection of cultural norms that place a high value on women's role in food production and nutrition for the family. The involvement of women in the management of their home gardens allows them to gain proficiency related to gardening and plant practices that enhance their agronomic competency and contributes to meeting family needs [4141.
In addition, the research by Rowe discovered that home gardens supplement the dietary intake of families living in densely populated and degraded areas with small croplands. They achieve this by increasing the supply and variety of food with high nutritional density, thus improving the balance of diet and health [52].
Home gardens are often described as low-tech, low-cost agricultural systems due to their location and horticultural makeup [53]. This means that they utilize local resources like soil as well as water, seeds, plants and labour to accomplish their objectives. garden flower lowers the cost of operating and investment costs when in comparison to the cost of commercially bought food and also generates economic benefits by reducing household spending.
In addition to being diverse sources of food and income, backyard gardens also promote the development of rural areas and encourage entrepreneurialism. They have been proven to be particularly effective in post-conflict or fragile situations. For instance in Tajikistan which was declared independent following a prolonged civil war and subsequent natural disasters such as drought, the gardens of homes provided an important avenue for food security and poverty alleviation for the population (Rowe et al., 2006).
Medical Benefits
Numerous studies across the globe have shown that gardens at home provide a range of cultural and social as in addition to economic benefits. They can help improve the security of nutrition and food in a variety of socio-economic and political situations improving family health and human capacity, providing income and self-reliance, empowering women as well as preserving indigenous cultures and knowledge, as well as protecting natural resources. Gardens at home contribute to ecosystem services, such as habitats and pollinators for animals, nutrient recycling and soil erosion reduction and watershed protection.
Gardening at home is now a part of many developing nations landscapes for agriculture due to their numerous benefits. For instance, in the upland areas of north-east India and Latin America, home garden cultivation is typically an ancient ethno-ecological (TEK) response to the decline in soil fertility and degradation of the site due to shifting agriculture practices [9].
Gardens at home are not just essential for sustaining food production, but can also contribute to combating the 'hidden' hunger linked with micronutrient deficiencies. Wiersum et. al. note that flower gardening of different fruit trees in the home garden allows families to access a high-quality, vitamin - and mineral-rich diets, allowing them to avoid diseases caused by deficiencies.
In countries in transition or have experienced an outbreak of conflict, gardening at home is a way to improve the security of food, nutrition and livelihoods. This is because it's flexible affordable, and adaptable, especially for women-headed families. For example, Rowe found that in Tajikistan which was a country that gained independence from the Soviet Union and was tormented by civil war and economic downturn households could get basic foods from rations, but relied heavily on home gardens for a variety of fruits and vegetables as well as tubers (such as cassava and yams) to provide a healthy food intake.
The cultivation of medicinal plants by the home gardeners is also an important source of medicine and treatments in a number of developing countries. Traditional herbal medicine from the local area is usually less expensive to make than pharmaceuticals. This makes it more accessible for the poor.
garden flower are small-scaled subsistence agriculture systems that provide food and other commodities for the household. They usually consist of an assortment of trees, shrubs as well as perennial and annual plants and herbs, spices and ornamental species. They also provide a significant source of income and livelihood possibilities especially for resource-poor households.
Home gardening is a healthier alternative to commercial agriculture which relies on chemical inputs. They also help to preserve biodiversity and natural resources.
A garden at home can serve as a habitat for wildlife such as insects, birds and other creatures that depend on it in order to survive. It provides protection from harsh conditions in the environment like harsh winds and sun. In addition, a backyard garden can help reduce noise pollution caused by traffic from busy roads. The tall plants in the garden will help absorb and diffuse noise and maintain peace within your neighborhood.
In response to the growing environmental issues, there is a greater focus on developing and enhancing local food systems. Gardens at home are becoming more popular as a viable option for providing local food services and ecosystem services. A variety of studies highlight positive impacts on food security, nutrition and income generation particularly among families with limited resources in urban and rural contexts.
Furthermore, studies on the social implications of home gardens also reveal positive effects on the welfare and social standing of household members particularly women. For instance, in the Achuar Indian community of the upper Amazon, a woman's ability to maintain a lush garden increases her social standing.
Home gardens are a great way to build resilience when confronted with food shortages or crisis. They are a low-cost and sustainable alternative to importing expensive food items from abroad. They also act as an agent of change and development through the empowerment of marginalized communities.