Need for Promoting Use of Plastics in Horticulture

Introduction:

The advances in technological developments have modified so much the course of controlled

environment, horticulture in the production of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamentals due to the

recent widespread use of plastic films and related materials in horticulture production. The plastic films are used extensively for the design and covering of new greenhouses; the covering of old conventional glass-greenhouses; for air-inflated, self-contained, or supported bubble houses; as interior curtains and external barriers to reduce heat loss in the conventional greenhouses; and for the containment of CO2 -enriched atmospheres. The plastic films also are used in the construction of high and low tunnels or covers for many row crops, protective covering of seed beds, and for soil mulches. Plastic tubes, laterals, and drip lines are important components of drip irrigation systems for high-value horticultural crop production. Drip irrigation is often a component with plastic soil mulches, crop rowcovers, and plastic greenhouses. Recent introductions using plastic films include peat modules, bag cultures, rockwool, the nutrient-film technique, and non-variable root environments for fieldgrown tomatoes. Plastic components contribute to the precise control of top and root environments of the crop plants. In many modern greenhouses, all plant growing structures, other than the root media itself are plastic.

Benefits of plastics:

The use of plastics has proved beneficial to promote the judicious utilization of important natural resources like soil, water, sunlight and temperature. Use of plastics in agriculture or ‘Plasticulture’ provides several benefits like;

• Effective control on pest and disease infestations

• Improves the economic efficiency of production

systems

• User friendly maintenance

• Efficient water and energy management

• Reduced temperature fluctuations

• Reduced moisture fluctuations

• Precise irrigation and nutrient applications and

reduced wastage

• Reduction in soil erosion

Use of plasticulture in micro irrigation:

Micro Irrigation One of the major sectors of application of plastics in horticulture is in the area of water management and conservation. The drip or micro irrigation includes emitting water by drippers, microsprinklers, mini-sprinklers, micro-jets, misters, fan jets, micro-sprayers foggers, emitting pipes, micro-tubes and similar other emitting pipes. Micro irrigation Technology can be used both on the surface as well as sub-surface areas which helps in increasing productivity by 30 to 100 percent with 50 to 70 percent saving of water. There is enhanced water use efficiency (WUE). Micro irrigation saves the energy as compared to sprinkler and conventional methods. Sprinkler irrigation enables water to be sprinkled with the help of a network of pipes and sprinklers (nozzles) on the plant foliage. Sprinkler irrigation system has become popular as a method of irrigation, especially under undulating topography, particularly for light textured soils for a variety of horticultural crops. The fertilizer use efficiency can also be enhanced when it is applied through drip irrigation. Increased productivity with saving of 30 to 40 per cent of fertilizer can be achieved through fertigation.

Initially, the central government launched a scheme on use of plastics in agriculture during the 8th plan, duly earmarking 200 crore for drip irrigation. The scheme was continued during the 9th plan under the title "Development of Horticulture" through Plasticulture Applications with an outlay of INR. 375 crore out of which INR. 300 crore was for drip irrigation. During 2003, the central government constituted a Task Force on Micro Irrigation to assess the scope and potential of the technology and to suggest strategies for its promotion in the country. The Task Force gave several recommendations for promoting Micro- irrigation in the country. Based on the recommendations of the Task Force on Micro irrigation several initiatives have been taken up by the central and state governments which has resulted in brining of lot of area under micro irrigation. The plasticulture programme, which started as a subsidy scheme is now a demand driven program in Karnataka and other states like Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. As a result of all these efforts, India has now emerged as one of the leading countries in using micro irrigation technology and plasticulture.

Plasticulture for popularizing Fertigation:

Fertigation need to be popularized for intensive and economical crop production, where both water and nutrients are supplied to growing crops through micro irrigation system. Fertigation provides major and micro nutrients directly to the active root zone, thus minimising losses of expensive nutrients, which ultimately helps in improving productivity and quality of farm produce apart from savings in the time and labour. Research studies have shown that fertigation economizes use of fertilizer and water to the tune of 40-60 percent. Farmers are using fertigation in grapes, pomegranate and banana crops in Karnataka and of late are being followed by small and resource poor farmers due to some schemes of Government of Karnataka. Fertigation is ideally suited for hi-tech horticultural production. Though micro irrigation has found widespread use in plantation and horticultural crop production, fertigation is confined to few high value crops.

Plasticulture in promoting protected cultivation:

Optimum growth of plants is governed by the availability and use of soil, water and sunlight. However, climatic variations often tend to have adverse effects on the yield and production of crops. There is a need to focus our efforts on harnessing the natural resources through artificial means for increasing crop productivity. One such technology is protected cultivation or green house cultivation. Greenhouses are framed or inflated structures covered with plastic material or glass in which crops can be grown under partially controlled environment which is large enough to permit normal cultural operation manually. Large greenhouses are usually constructed for export oriented flower production. Greenhouse technology was well adapted in Europe and USA by the end of the nineteenth century. Currently, China and Japan are the leading countries. Other countries where green house technology is being widely used are Netherlands, Israel, Canada, Spain and Egypt besides some Arab countries. Green house technology is currently catching up in India also. Green houses are suitable for growing a variety of vegetables, fruits and flowers. In addition to temperature control, there will be protection from wind, soil warming and in some cases, protection against insects, pest and diseases, thus helping in enhanced maturity of crop, increased yields, improved quality of produce and in some instances it can reduce the use of insecticides and pesticides. The total time for preparation of seedlings and cuttings also gets reduced significantly by the use of green house technology. Greenhouse is also essential for plant propagation through tissue culture. Considering the advantages of greenhouse, there is ample scope for encouraging area under protected cultivation of high value flowers and vegetables out of season, both in the temperate and tropical climate. However, profitability in green house cultivation will depend upon the choice of greenhouse structure, selection of crops and varieties and production technologies adopted. While the conventional greenhouses are simple structures, the hitech greenhouses have facilities for controlling light intensity, temperature, humidity with complete automation of the system. The constraint in adoption of green house is mainly the high investment required on equipments.

Indian horticulture, which was hitherto an individual activity, became corporate driven, which could

sense the potential and scope the modern protected cultivation technology. Refinement in protected

cultivation technology is being carried out in different ICAR institutions, state horticulture and agricultural universities. Different designs of glasshouse and polyhouses are being developed. Besides above-ground greenhouses, underground green houses were also being tried. Polytunnels and poly crop cover has also been tried.

Plasticulture in Mulching:

Plastics are popularly used for mulching in horticultural production. Mulching has been helpful not only in preventing moisture loss through evaporation from the and lowering the temperature, but also in reducing nutrient losses by leaching and weed control where chemical fertilizers and weedicides are used. Mulching also reduces run-off, increase penetration of rainwater, controls erosion, corrects the chemical balance of the soil and reduces damage done by pests and diseases. Soil moisture could be conserved through mulching either with black polyethylene or locally available mulches, growing cover crops or inter-culturing in the orchards to check soil erosion and runoff of rain water.

Plasticulture in promotion of sub-surface drainage system:

Sub-surface drainage is a proven technology in reclaiming saline and water logged land and restoring

the productivity of the land to its full potential. The subsurface drainage is designed to lower the water table to a level, which allows optimum root development and prevents the capillary movement of salts into the root zone. The basic principle of sub-soil drainage is that a set of corrugated/perforated PVC pipes is laid in a systematic order to collect excess from the water logged

soil. The water so collected is led into a collector pipe system, which in turn drains into the main drains. Some of the advantages of sub surface drainage systems are: (a) useful in removing soil salinity and reducing water logging (ii) helps to control run-off and flood waters (iii) It requires less maintenance and long life and most reliable system. This technology needs to be promoted in the areas covered under horticultural crops which are affected by soil salinity and water logging.

Way Forward:

Though the use of plastics in Indian horticulture was late compared to different countries of the world, its promotion should be top on the priority programmes of the both central and state governments. The plasticulture based technologies can help the farmers in better utilization of resources in different geographical locations for production of good quality horticulture produce which can fetch better prices for the farmers. It also opens up avenues in export of quality produce

and processing sectors. The different programmes on use of plastics should be promoted more rigorously. The research institutions need to pay more emphasis on use of plastics in horticulture production.

Future of supply and market chain management with regards to fruits and vegetables

Introduction

India is one of the leading producers of variety of horticultural crops in the world and is one among

the world’s five largest producers of over 80 per cent agricultural produce, including many horticultural crops. The vast geographical area and varied climatic conditions prevailing in the country help the farmers to produce a variety of fruits and vegetables. Among the horticultural crops grown in the country, greater emphasis is given to vegetables like tomato, brinjal, chilli, cauliflower,

cabbage, peas, potatoes, onions, common cucurbits and other leafy vegetables which are in high demand. These crops also help in generating higher income and employment opportunities, particularly for the small and marginal farmers throughout the year. However there are several constraints in marketing of these commodities. The country need to develop an efficient supply chain for the distribution of fruits and vegetables.

Supply chain management plays a pivotal role in minimizing operational costs and profitability as high as possible. Of the several factors of supply chain, flow is one of the most important factors. Flow refers to the product flow, the information flow and flow of finance. The product flow mainly includes the movement of goods from farmers to consumers, as well as any customer returns or service needs. The information flow involves transmitting orders and updating the status of delivery and while the finance flow includes all the financial aspects such as invoices and payments. The present challenge in supply chain management is to maintain all three flows in a most efficient manner, resulting in optimal results for farmers, wholesalers and the consumers.

Overview of Fruits and Vegetables Production

In India per capita availability of fruits and vegetables is low due to post harvest losses which account for about 25% to 30% of production. Besides quality, sizable quantity of produce deteriorates by the time it reaches the ultimate consumer. Most of the problems relating to the marketing of fruits and vegetables can be traced to their perishability. Perishability of fruits and vegetables is one of the main reasons for high marketing costs, market gluts, price fluctuations and other similar problems. There is a rise of about 4% in the production of fruits and vegetables but there is significant increase in production area also which results in low per hectare production. This phenomenon is caused due to various factors in which economic and technological factors lead the race. There is a need to educate the farmers of the latest technological innovations and also help them by providing support in getting latest technologies and proper supply chain management interventions.

With rise in the population of middle and upper middle class coupled with increase in number of working couples, the demand for semi-processed foods, fast foods, packed foods, ready-to-eat foods has increased in the recent years. The change in taste and preference of consumption are driven by longer working hours, increasing incomes, exposure to advertising, comfort and convenience etc. As urban population is becoming increasingly health and hygiene conscious, they prefer to buy any food and food products either from super markets and modern retail stores instead of conventional markets. This has led to the entry of more number of organized retailers into the horticulture

produce marketing.

Marketing of Fruits and Vegetables

Marketing of horticultural crops is quite complex and is associated with several risks due to their perishable nature, seasonal production and bulkiness. The spectrum of prices from producer to consumer, which is an outcome of demand and supply transactions between various intermediaries at different levels in the marketing system, is also unique for fruits. Moreover, the marketing arrangements at different stages also play an important role in price levels at various stages viz. from farm gate to the ultimate user. These features make the marketing system of fruits to differ from other

agricultural commodities, particularly in providing time, form and space utilities. While the market infrastructure is better developed for food grains, fruits and vegetables markets are not that well developed and markets are congested and unhygienic. Hence, development of an efficient marketing system can help in reducing postharvest losses; enhances farmers’ realization; reduce consumer price; promote grading and food safety practices; induce demand-driven production; enable higher value addition and facilitate export.

The different channels that exist for marketing include:
• Farmer-trader-wholesaler-retailer-consumer
• Farmer-trader-retailer-consumer
• Farmer-trader-consumer
• Farmer-consumer.

Supply chain and need for a supply chain management 

Supply Chain Management includes management of the entire set of production, processing, distribution and marketing activities by which an end user is supplied with a desired end product. The supply chain development not only benefits the private sector but also creates spin-offs that stimulate social, economic and environmental sustainable development in the region. The advantages include; reduction of product losses in transportation and storage; increasing sales; dissemination of technology, capital and knowledge among the chain partners; better information about the flow of products, markets and technologies; transparency of the supply chain; tracking and tracing to the source; better control of product safety and quality; large investments and risks are shared among partners in the chain; productivity Improvement; high customer satisfaction; increased profit and on time delivery.

Factors affecting India’s Supply Chain Management

• Availability of cold storage: Availability of proper cold storage is one of the important factors in supply chain management. The growth of the cold storages in India is not uniform and adequate. The

shortage of cold storage capacity is resulting in over 30 percent of farm produce goes waste every year, more than 20% of produce from fields is lost due to poor post harvesting facilities and lack of cold chain infrastructure. The present supply chain that connects the farmers to both the organized, as well as the unorganized retail, is not efficient with many intermediaries and manual handling. This results in around 30 percent of wastages and also less remuneration for the farmers.

• Infrastructure for better connectivity: For transferring goods from one place to other connectivity plays a vital role. In India the road infrastructure is not so good so transferring food and other goods is a real big challenge. Thus to improve the efficiency of food supply chain more attention is needed on transport.

• Sorting and grading system: The sorting and grading methodology needs to be updated on scientific grounds as farmers do it themselves and they have very little knowledge about the processes. To improve the efficiency of the supply chain we need to improve the skills of the farmers.

• Handling and packaging: Most of the agriculture is in remote village areas and all the places are not provided with proper facilities of handling and packaging. Because of this lot of fruits and vegetables get spoiled, wasted and deteriorates in quality to be used in supply chain. Thus, proper training and knowledge has to be provided on handling and packaging.

• Market intelligence and linkages: Proper marketing and market intelligence provides efficient food supply chain and thus help in development of strong economy. It is essential to provide linkages

with actors in market chains.

• Policies of Government: The Governments play an important role in formulating the policies for agriculture, horticulture and food industry which includes farming, production, processing, distribution besides the financing and retailing these activities. There are several multitudes of Departments handled between both State and Central Governments. In view of the globalization of this industry, the decisions if are mutually reinforcing and consistent would be extremely productive.

Current scenario of supply chain in India: It is found that around 30–40 percent of fruits and vegetables are wasted due to post harvest losses and in value terms the loss is estimated to be 25%. Wastages at every stage of the food supply chain has resulted in low availability of fruits and vegetables for consumers and also its imports in-spite of India being second largest produce. The country has a huge opportunity to become a leading global food supplier only if it has an agile, adaptive, responsive and efficient supply chain. However, lack of infrastructure (cold storages, refer vans, cool chains, ripening chambers etc) has resulted in wastages. Some

of the other factors include, missing link between production and research system and consumers, capacity building market information, research and intelligence. Isolated functioning of various stake holders and the infrastructure connecting these partners is very weak. There is lack of demand estimation and technology applications such as cold chain logistic supply chains and product tracking and tracing. Lack system integration and presence of large number of unorganized retailers result in making unorganized supply chain practices further inefficient.

Measures for improving supply chain and its

effectiveness:

Improving the supply chain the following measures can be adopted. There has to be structural changes at different levels - farmers, intermediaries and consumer. The government, private, public-private partnership, cooperatives, technology providers, and even media can play a crucial role. Infrastructure like roads, transport, information and communication technology and cold storage are basic requirement for better results in supply chain.

• Demand forecasting: It is one of the important requirements for improving the effectiveness of supply chain. Poor forecasting demand can result in an imbalance between supply and demand. In some months vegetables are either not harvested from the fields due to lack of demand. In some reasons, produce is not available and thus results in prices increase.

• Coordination between farmers: Vertical coordination of farmers through FPOs, cooperatives, contract farming and retail chains would facilitate better delivery of output, reduce market risks, provide better infrastructure, attract more public interest, acquire better extension services, and create awareness regarding the prevailing and new technologies.

• Customized logistics: It is another important requirement to make logistic more effective. This

reduces the cost, facilitates the maintenance of quality of the produce and fulfills the requirements of targeted customers.

• Government policies: The State Government is providing subventions of Rs.1/- per KWH of electricity consumed by cold storages in the horticulture sector. Further, National Horticulture Board is providing a back ended subsidy of 25% (maximum of Rs.50 lakhs whichever is less) for construction/modernization of cold storage units. Cold storages are classified as Agro Food Processing Industry for providing incentives and concessions available to Agro Food Industry.

• Better Information system: It is required for better coordination among different stakeholders from farmers to consumers is the need of the hour. The internet and mobile communication can also be used to enable information and financial transfer between the stakeholders.

• Public private partnership: It is another important strategic solution. Supply chain like washing,

waxing, grading, sorting, packing, pre-cooling, handling facilities, insurance, finance, transport and processing facilities would add value to supply chain functioning.

• Establishment of food parks: This promotes agro and processing industries in cluster in area where there is predominant production of process able agriculture and Horticulture Products. These parks also provide the required infrastructural facilities.

Strategies for Addressing Issues Around Water

Introduction:

Water is a great gift of nature to the humanity and is an essential resource for all forms of life. It is essential for healthy economic, geopolitical, and environmental conditions around the world. Yet, due to population growth and mismanagement, the need for adequate, affordable drinking and irrigation water is a growing international crisis. Water is likely to become critically scarce resource in the future. Variations in climatic characteristics both in space and time can cause uneven distribution of precipitation, which can result in highly uneven distribution of available water resources leading to floods and droughts affecting the vast areas. Inter-basin transfer of water is one of the options for

mitigating the problems of the surplus and deficit basins in India. Proper management of groundwater resources should be an essential component of management. An accurate assessment of available surface and groundwater resources, considering the man-made changes, is needed for planning, design and operation of the water resources projects as well as for watershed management. There are several issues around water that need urgent attention. The important basic issues pertaining to water include shortage of water, surplus of water and quality of water. There is need to address these issues with a multipronged scientific approach. Some of the strategies that can be used in addressing the water issues are briefed in this paper.

Strategies for addressing water issues:

• Strategy for groundwater management: Ground water is an important source of water and it’s over exploitation is an important issue. To regulate the usage of ground water from over exploitation,

an effective groundwater management policy oriented towards promotion of efficiency, equity and sustainability is needed. The exploitation of groundwater resources should be regulated so as not to exceed the recharging possibilities, as well as to ensure social equity. Promotion of participatory action in rehabilitating tanks for recharging would go a long way in augmenting groundwater. The

role of government will have to switch from that of a controller of groundwater development to

that of a facilitator of equitable and sustainable development.

• Strategy for scientific flood management: Floods are the most frequently experienced natural

disasters in some states. The main causes for flood are inadequate capacity within river banks to

contain high flows, river bank erosion and silting of riverbeds. Other factors include landslides leading to obstruction of flow and change of the river course, retardation of flow due to tidal and backwater effects, poor natural drainage in the flood-prone area, cyclone and associated heavy rain storms or cloud bursts, snowmelt and glacial outbursts and dam break flow. Technical advancement in a well planned flood forecasting and warning system can help in providing higher lead time for timely action. It is well recognized that long-term solution of flood problems lies in creating appropriate flood storage in reservoirs. Media can play an important role in creating awareness on this issue.

• Strategy for conjunctive use of water: The main reason for excessive use of surface water as compared to groundwater is its much lower price for irrigation as compared to the cost incurred in

using groundwater. Water-logging problems could be overcome if conjunctive use of surface and

groundwater is made. Groundwater utilization for irrigation with water logged areas can help to lower the groundwater table and reclaim the affected soil. Over exploitation of groundwater has resulted in mining of groundwater. It is desirable that the irrigation needs for fulfilling crop water requirements should be satisfied by judicious utilization of available canal water in conjunction with groundwater so as to keep water table within the acceptable range.

• Strategy for drought management: The droughtprone area in the country is around 51.12mha and

drought management has to be given top priority. Robust and rainfall independent off-farm livelihood

opportunities may be targeted in the drought mitigation strategy. Conjunctive uses of surface and groundwater, aquifer recharge and watershed management with community participation are important. An integrated basin development approach is required for preparing the drought management plan before, during and after the occurrence of the drought.

• Strategy for water conservation: Water conservation is essential for better use and management of

water resources. On the demand side, a variety of economic, administrative and community-based

measures can help conserve water. Agriculture accounts for about 69 per cent of all water withdrawn, the greatest potential for conservation lies in increasing irrigation efficiencies. Just a 10 percent improvement in irrigation efficiency could conserve enough water to double the amount available for drinking. An important supplement to conservation is to minimize the wastage of water in domestic, agricultural and industrial usages. Prices of water for all uses has to be fixed, keeping in mind its economic value, control of wastage, and the ability of users to pay which will help in avoiding wastage and ensuring optimal use.

Strategy for rainwater harvesting: Different methods of rainwater harvesting need to be developed to suit the geographical and meteorological conditions in various parts of the country. Traditional rainwater harvesting, which is still prevalent in rural areas, is done by using surface storage bodies like lakes, ponds, irrigation tanks, temple tanks, etc. There is a need to recharge aquifers and conserve rainwater through water harvesting structures. In urban areas, rainwater will have to be harvested using rooftops and open spaces. Harvesting rainwater not only reduces the possibility of flooding, but

also decreases the community’s dependence on groundwater for domestic uses. Apart from bridging

the demand–supply gap, recharging improves quality of groundwater, raises water table in wells/

bore-wells and prevents flooding and choking of drains.

• Strategy for watershed management: For an equitable and sustainable management of shared water resources, flexible, holistic approach of  Integrated Water Resources Management is required, which can cater for hydrological variations in time and space and changes in socio-economic needs along with societal values. Watershed is the unit of management, where surface water and groundwater are inextricably linked and related to land use and management. Watershed management

aims to establish a workable and efficient framework for the integrated use, regulation and development of land and water resources in a watershed for socio-economic growth with local community participation.

• Strategy for land use planning and cropping pattern: Planning of land use, especially in new

land developments is important. Areas where water supply priorities are low can be planted with drought-resistant varieties of trees and crops. Considerable information exists on time distribution of water requirements for various crops and various planting dates. This knowledge is required to be integrated systematically with water supply probabilities to develop planting strategies. The selection of cropping pattern as per availability of water will reduce adverse impacts of drought on potential water consuming crops.

• Strategy for recycling and reuse of water: Another way to improve freshwater availability is by

recycling and reuse of water. Use of water of lesser quality, such as reclaimed waste water, for cooling and fire fighting is an attractive option for large and complex industries to reduce their water costs, increase production and decrease the consumption of energy. This conserves better quality waters for potable uses. Currently, recycling of water is not practised on a large scale in India and there is considerable scope and an incentive to use this alternative.

• Strategy for inter-basin water transfer: The vast variation, both in space and time, in the availability of water in different regions has created a food–drought–flood syndrome with some areas suffering from flood damages and other areas facing acute water shortage. Some states (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra) face worst droughts and some states (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa and Assam) face severe flood problems. Inter-basin

transfer of water can be a long-term option to partly overcome the spatial and temporal imbalance of

availability and demand of water resources.

• Strategy for developing legal restrictions on water use: Brining provisions of legal restrictions

on use of water, mainly during the period of scarcity can be an important strategy. In India, a national water policy has policy directions for development and management of water resources and legal restrictions on proper utilization of groundwater resources. However, provision of legal restrictions should be carefully thought of and need mobilization of qualified water specialists to explore effective solutions. The legal strategies should be implemented with minimum probability of being

rendered ineffective by injunctions and law suits.

• Strategy for demand management for urban areas and industries: Demand management in urban areas and industries is another strategy which could be adopted to reduce demand in urban water supply or households and industries. The water conservation and reuse strategies should be planned at the time of setting up of a new industry to build on the conservation and reuse requirements from the beginning.

• Strategy for developing decision support system: One of the new trends in finding solution of water management problems has been to aggregate several models into integrated software, i.e.

knowledge based Decision Support System (DSS) that focuses on the interaction between the user and the data, models and computers. Automating the process with a DSS could effectively improve the water resources planning and management.

• Strategy for enhancing people’s participation and capacity building: For successful management of water resources, participation of different stakeholders and their capacity building on

different issues of water resources management is needed. Policy decisions on any water resources

management should aim at improving knowledge, attitude and practices about the linkages between

health and hygiene, provide higher water supply service levels and to improve environment through

safe disposal of human wastes. Sustainable management requires decentralized decisions by giving authority and responsibility to communities to manage their natural resources.

Kitchen Gardening – A Potential Strategy for Nutritional Security

Introduction:

Farming is under tremendous pressure to produce greater quantities of food, feed and biofuel on limited land resources for the growing population which is expected to reach over nine billion by 2050. Under these circumstances the developing countries where the pervasiveness of hunger and food scarcity is more acute, are resorting to various strategies to meet he growing demand and to avert food and nutrition insecurity. Majority of the hungry and malnourished people live in developing countries under sub-standard living conditions and more than half a billion of the global population suffer from chronic food insecurity. The National Health Survey (2005-06) says “India loses 2-3 percent of its GDP every year due to under nutrition among children in the age group of up to two years”. According to the report “Nutrition in India” even among wealthy only about 7 percent children between 6 and 24 months receive adequate feeding, health care and environmental health.

The FAO of the UN declared 2014 as year of family farming with the intention of making each family a farming unit to meet the nutritional requirement. The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, New Delhi released two policy papers related to organic farming and a related approach to make homesteads self-sustainable. India enjoys temperate, sub-tropical and tropical climate along with arid climate and a longer coastal eco-system. India has the strength of biodiversity, traditional wisdom and adequate natural resources-soil, water and energy. Thus horticulture can provide remedy for every nutritional melody. Various horticultural crops are the reservoirs of much needed fiber, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, lipids, flavorants, odorants and essential phyto-chemicals. The concept of kitchen gardening has been part of the agriculture and food production systems in many developing countries and are widely used as a remedy to alleviate hunger and  malnutrition.

Kitchen Gardening:

Kitchen gardening is a small-scale production system and is marked by low capital input and simple technology. Generally, kitchen gardening refers to the cultivation of a small portion of land which may be around the household. These gardens are the highly mixed cropping system that encompasses vegetables, fruits, plantation crops, spices, and herbs, ornamental and medicinal plants.

Characteristics of Kitchen Garden:

The kitchen gardens are mainly characterized by (1) Their proximity to the residence (2) Possess a high diversity of various crop plants (3) The production is supplemental rather than a main source of family consumption and income (4) Usually occupy a small area (5) Do not require high investments (6) The specific size of a kitchen garden varies from household to household (7) New innovations and techniques have made kitchen gardening possible even for the families that have very little land (8) They may be delimited by physical demarcations such as live fences or hedges, fences, ditches or boundaries (9) Application of kitchen waste, available manure, and other organic residues has been a practice amongst kitchen gardeners who are more health conscious (10) Kitchen gardening has helped to considerably increase the productivity and fertility of these gardens and make a safe food production.

Benefits of kitchen gardening:

The sole objective of kitchen gardening is production of food for kitchen consumption which involve various types of staples, vegetables, fruits and medicinal crops. It involves the family labor and do not call for external hired labor. The labor requirements are part time and the family members can do the work at their leisure. The important benefits can be listed as (1) Assured food security for the family (2) Increased availability of food and better nutrition through diversified food (3) Income and enhanced employment through additional or off season production for the family members (4) Decreased risk through diversification (5) Environmental benefits from recycling water and waste nutrients, controlling shade, dust and erosion, and maintaining or increasing local biodiversity.

Improving health:

Plants are an important source of medicine for humans and livestock and crops. Herbs and medicinal plants grown in kitchen gardens are used for treating various illnesses, diseases, and also to improve their health conditions. Food insecurity and economic hardships force people to consume less and to settle for food that is of low nutritional quality. Adverse health effects due to inadequate intake of basic macronutrients are further compounded by deficiencies in micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Amongst them, vitamin A deficiency is a major health issue in many lowincome countries and poses serious health problems, particularly for pregnant women and their babies and growing children. The global incidence of anemia is primarily attributed to iron deficiency. Iron insufficiency

elevates the risk of mortality during pregnancy by 20 percent. Moreover, estimates suggest that nearly onethird of the global population live in countries with high zinc deficiency. Micronutrient deficiency can raise the vulnerability to other infectious diseases and the risks of mortality due to illnesses such as diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria, and measles. It may also lead to poor physical and cognitive development and impairment of motor skills in young children as well as other short-term and long-term health effects. In different contexts, kitchen gardening helps to address health issues resulting from malnutrition.

Improvement in the social status of women:

Though the women play a pivotal role in food production but at times their worth is somewhat undermined. They play a key role in kitchen gardening too. In most scenarios women’s contribution to household food production is immense, but this does not imply that kitchen gardening is predominantly a female activity. Participation of Women and shouldering of responsibilities in kitchen gardening mainly include land preparation, planting, weeding, harvesting, and marketing. In most of the cases women are the important sole caretakers of kitchen gardens. Kitchen gardens stimulate social change and development. Their labor is indispensable to maintain the garden and to help keep production cost low. As kitchen makers, women have useful knowledge of numerous domestic needs. By their involvement in the production process, they are able to meet family needs more easily and economically. Kitchen gardens provide a respectable path for women to contribute to

household subsistence, eminence, and character; they hold a greater socio-cultural and spiritual importance for women. Furthermore, they are a key source of gardening knowledge and information.

Economic benefits:

The economic benefits of kitchen gardens go beyond food and nutritional security and subsistence, especially for resource poor families as they contribute to income generation, improved livelihoods, and household economic welfare as well as promoting entrepreneurship and rural development. Kitchen gardens can contribute to household economic well-being. Although kitchen gardens are viewed as subsistence low production systems, they can be structured to be more efficient commercial enterprises by growing high-value crops and animal husbandry.

Environmental benefits:

Kitchen gardens provide multiple environmental and ecological benefits as they initiate and utilize ecologically friendly approaches for food production while conserving biodiversity and natural resources. Kitchen gardens contain a rich composition of plant and animal species and make interesting cases for ethnobotanical studies.The rich diversity and composition of species and the dense distribution of faunal and floral strata denote extraordinary features of kitchen garden ecology. Kitchen gardens also contain a wide spectrum of plant species, some of which are landraces, rare or threatened species, and specific cultivars selected for a set of desirable traits. Kitchen gardens also provide a number of ecosystem services.

Conclusions:

Promotion of kitchen gardens leads to eco-friendly sustainable practice to improve food security and

enhance economic growth. The structure, functions, and contributions of kitchen gardens vary in geographic regions. The kitchen gardens fulfill social, cultural and economic needs, while providing a number of ecosystem services. In the real world, there is substantial overlap and dependence between the various beneficial elements resulting in several advantages making kitchen gardening initiatives more attractive. In the wake of a global food crisis and the soaring food prices, there has been increased emphasis on enhancing and building local food systems. In this context, there is renewed attention to food production and livelihood enhancement through kitchen gardens. There is also a need for research on the cost-benefit analysis of kitchen gardening to determine the economic value and to derive viable models that hold the most promise in diverse circumstances. Several corporate companies can support initiatives in the rural and urban dwellings and schools.