Nutrition garden programme implemented in Kerala

A group of officers with the KVK, an allied organisation under the Indian Institute of Spice Research (IISR), Kozhikode are overseeing and managing the Nutrition Garden project. Under the programme, vegetable seeds were distributed to twenty-five families in Kottur Panchayath and training programmes have been conducted to equip the families in their path to self-sustenance in nutrition.

Kozhikode: The newly launched ‘Poshakahara Thottam’- the Nutrition Garden project first to be implemented in Kottur village, in Kozhikode by Pervannamuzhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) aims for the availability of nutritious food.

A group of officers with the KVK, an allied organisation under the Indian Institute of Spice Research (IISR), Calicut are overseeing and managing the Nutrition Garden project.

Under the programme, vegetable seeds were distributed to twenty-five families in Kottur Panchayath and training programmes have been conducted to equip the families in their path to self-sustenance in nutrition.

Three Anganwadis in the locality have also been included in the project with an aim to ensure nutritious food to children, teenagers and pregnant women in the region.

IISR Director Dr Santhosh J Eappan said that nutrition garden is a sustainable model in food security. The officials associated with the project said the Nutrition Garden programme has been initiated under the ‘Smart Nutrition Village Scheme’ intending to ensure availability of complete and nutritious food to all children.

In the year-long programme, quality seeds procured locally and available in the region are being distributed to the beneficiaries. As a kitchen compost unit is also distributed along with the seeds, the families can turn their kitchen waste into compost manure and use the same to grow the nutrition crops.

Training programmes were conducted for the beneficiary families in vegetable farming, organic farming, earthworm composting, and other allied topics on agriculture.

Muthukadu and Naduvannur Grama panchayaths are part of the KVK programme in Kottur. Though the Nutrition Garden programme, KVK is encouraging individual families to take up mixed farming models suitable for them. Many have already started rearing goats and hens, along with the nutrition vegetable garden.

A selected group of beneficiaries from Kottur will get all the support from the KVK to create and sustain a nutrition garden in their house, for one year. Next year, the programme will be extended to other panchayats.