This project was initiated in 2011 and aims to provide long-term nutritional sustainability and availability of food for poverty stricken families. Under K.G project, the families are provided seeds, fertilizers, and training to grow their own seasonable vegetables in their homes. Each phase of this project ensures that for a 3-4 month cycle, nutritional intake of the individuals improves and they manage to reduce their daily expenses.
1724 beneficiary households have been financed to cultivate fresh vegetables in their homes on 424214 sq. ft. of land (till 2021).
Kitchen Gardening has following objectives:
Food & Nutrition Kits (FNKs):
This was a pilot project initiated in Matiari district and a predecessor to Kitchen Gardening. 25 Families that were identified as extremely vulnerable including widows, people with disabilities, and female-headed households were prioritized. The selected households were provided with seeds, fertilizers, trainings and a drip irrigation system to cultivate their own vegetables in their homes.
This was designed to ensure a balanced diet of nutritious vegetables. For a period of 6 months the households successfully secured a steady supply of vegetables including okra, cluster beans, zucchini, green chili, and pumpkin, which significantly reduced monthly expenses of food. The seeds produced an average 5-6 kg of vegetables each week for 6 months. The households saved Rs 1,500 on their monthly grocery bills from these home grown vegetables that would have been spent otherwise to buy the vegetables from the market leading to significant reductions in their monthly grocery bills.
Other residents of the community, who did not fall under this project, also started to imitate the beneficiary households in growing their own in-house vegetables.
