Importance Of Home Gardening To Nutrition And Health

Course materials and technical notes

Day 1

Session 1: The role of the home garden: Household survey 1

Session 2: The importance of better household food supplies

Day 2

Session 3 :Practical nutrition for field workers (1)

Session 4: Practical nutrition for field workers (2)

Day 3

Session 5: Contribution of the home garden to daily family food needs

Session 6: Case-study

Day 4

Session 7: Collecting data on food and nutrition problems and home garden utilization: Household Survey 2

Day 5

Session 8: Promoting home gardening for better nutrition

Day 6

Session 9: Plan of action (1)

Session 10: Plan of action (2)

Course materials and technical notes

Day 1

Session 1: The role of the home garden: Household survey 1

COURSE MATERIALS AND TECHNICAL NOTES

Objective

By the end of this session participants will be able to understand the importance of the home garden in the daily lives of rural people.

The home garden can produce many different things: fuel for cooking, wood for building, food, Income, medicinal plants, herbs, spices and flowers

OVERVIEW

The home garden is traditionally a very important piece of land for rural households of Southeast Asia. Covering an area of about 500 to 1 500 m², the structure and function of home gardens are similar throughout the region. The home garden can be defined as a farming system which combines different physical, social and economic functions on the area of land around the family home. Within the typical home garden are social areas for meetings, children's play and gardens for display; economic areas for growing food, medicinal plants and trees and for raising animals and fish; physical areas for storage, living, washing and waste disposal. It is a place for people to live in but it also produces a variety of foods and other things for both home use and income.

The major part of this session covers a home garden survey which concentrates on three important aspects - the home garden as:

- the most direct way of providing daily food;

- a source of income for the purchase of other foods;

- a means to produce non-food items such as medicinal herbs, spices, fuelwood and building materials.

ACTIVITIES

Note: The trainer must read and understand the Technical Notes for Session 1. The trainer must also have identified a household nearby for the class to visit.

Objective. The trainer states the objective of the session and explains how long it will be, how it will be conducted and what is expected from participants.

Discussion. The trainer uses the Technical Notes to explain technical points during the activities and leads the participants in a discussion. The trainer refers to the Technical Notes to explain:

- the definition of a home garden and its importance to households;

- the roles and uses of the home garden;

- foods commonly produced in the home garden.

The trainer invites participants to contribute to the discussion with examples from their own experiences. Next, the trainer prepares for the Household Survey by distributing Survey Form I and explaining each question.

Household visit. Trainer and participants visit a home garden. Participants walk around the home garden and make general observations. They then complete questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Survey Form 1 individually.

Small-group work. While they are still in the home garden, participants divide into small groups to compare their responses to questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Survey Form I and then to discuss and complete questions 5 and 6.

Group discussion. The trainer leads the whole group in a discussion aimed at reaching a consensus on the importance of the home garden to the household.

Summary. The trainer summarizes the main points of the session.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

- Survey Form 1.

TECHNICAL NOTES

THE ROLE OF THE HOME GARDEN: HOUSEHOLD SURVEY 1

Priority messages

THE HOME GARDEN IS AN IMPORTANT LAND UNIT FOR HOUSEHOLDS, AS IT IS OFTEN THE CENTRE OF FAMILY LIFE

A WELL-DEVELOPED HOME GARDEN IS A COMPLETE FARMING SYSTEM

THE HOME GARDEN IS THE MOST DIRECT MEANS OF SUPPLYING FAMILIES WITH MOST OF THE NON-STAPLE FOODS THEY NEED YEAR ROUND

The home garden is an important land unit for households, as it is often the centre of family life

The rural landscape in Southeast Asia is typically a mixture of different farming systems. Surrounding a lowland village is a rice-based agriculture with fields of rice and other staple crops (e.g. maize, sweet potato or beans) and cash crops (e.g. groundnuts or vegetables). On uplands further from the village, shifting agriculture is practiced and sometimes there are plantations of forest and of commercial or industrial crops such as tea, coffee and rubber.

Within the village, the small area surrounding a house is the home garden. Because the home garden is in the village, it is often close to a source of water, it is usually better protected from floods and wild animals than other farmland. Access is good because roads or paths lead to the village. This is where the family builds its house and it is the central daily living area.

The home garden can be defined as a farming system that combines different physical, social and economic functions on the area of land around the family home. It is used as a place of work and for the storage of farm produce. The home garden is also a place where people live and meet each other and where children play. Its economic functions are crop production and livestock rearing for home consumption or sale for income.

A well-developed home garden is a complete farming system

The home garden includes all of the functions of the entire farming system. A well-developed home garden can provide:

- Enough nutritious food, including some staple foods, for all the family year round. This also includes extra food stocks for processing and sale to obtain income, and a reserve for special occasions or emergencies (e.g. sometimes a staple food crop is lost in a flood, eaten by pests or reduced because the farmer falls sick and cannot work for a period of time).

- Income from the sale of home garden produce. Sale from home garden produce can make a substantial contribution to a family's income (to buy daily essentials and farming inputs that cannot be produced on the family's farmland as well as other goods and services).

- Important farm development activities take place in the home garden. Some farm inputs come from home garden activities, for example plant propagation, raising and housing draught animals, and making or repairing tools. The home garden is also a place for trying out new crops and farming techniques.

The home garden is the most direct means of supplying families with most of the non-staple foods they need year round

A well-developed home garden contributes significantly to daily food needs. It can supply households with nearly all the non-staple foods they need, such as fruit, vegetables, legumes, coconuts and root crops as well as spices, tea, coffee, medicines and flowers for ornamental purposes or for sale.

Food items that cannot be produced in the home garden or on other family land can be purchased from the sale of other items produced in the home garden. For example, coconut oil or woven mats produced from the home garden can be sold to traders or shops and the money used to buy foods that the family cannot grow.

The three kinds of farmland owned by typical families

SURVEY FORM 1

THE FUNCTIONS OF THE HOME GARDEN

1. What are the main uses of the home garden you are observing?

Social or living areas:
Rest or meeting area
Children's play area
Flower garden
Other
Physical or utility areas:
Storage rooms
Washing area
Crop drying/processing area
Other
Economic or production areas:
Food crop area
Plant nursery
Cash crop area
Other

2. Of the food items below, does the home garden produce none, some or all of what is needed?

Item	None	Some	All
Coconut
Tree fruits
Vegetables
Root crops
Legumes
Spices
Small animals
Coffee
Fish
Others

3. What major food items does the household purchase?

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4. What are some of the things produced in the home garden for sale for income?

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TO BE ANSWERED AFTER OBSERVING THE HOME GARDEN

5. Name the three most important ways in which the home garden contributes towards the daily food needs of households.

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6. Why is the home garden important for households? Give three reasons.

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Session 2: The importance of better household food supplies

Objective

By the end of this session participants will appreciate the importance of household supplies as a basic condition for the nutritional well-being of all the family. They will also be familiar with the food system; that is, the chain of activities from food production to food consumption

A family's nutritional well-being depends on adequate food supplies

OVERVIEW

Nutritional well-being requires access to enough nutritious and safe food to meet the dietary needs of all members of the household throughout the year. Attaining better food supplies and nutritional well-being is more than just producing enough food locally. It also requires sufficient resources (such as land and labour), tools, skills and knowledge. Roads and transport to markets are necessary so that goods such as food and other essentials can be traded and so that household members can find employment as well as having access to other commercial and government services.

This session focuses on the importance of household food supplies for the well-being and health of all its members. Factors that make it either easier or more difficult for people to obtain enough food are discussed.

ACTIVITIES

Note: The trainer must read and understand the Technical Notes for Session 2.

Objective. The trainer states the objective of this session and explains how long it will be, how it will be conducted and what is expected from participants.

Discussion. The trainer uses the Technical Notes to explain technical points during the activities and uses the following questions to lead participants in a discussion of how to improve household food supplies.

- What is the meaning of "a good food supply"?

- What are the effects of a household not having adequate food supplies?

- What factors contribute to the food supply of a household?

Small groups work on factors that make it difficult for a household to attain a good food supply. Groups record their summary and conclusions on the blackboard or large piece of paper. Participants divide into small groups to:

i) discuss and complete Table 2.1, Problems in the food system (p. 16-17);

ii) discuss one of the following sets of questions:

- How isolated is the village you are studying?

- Does isolation affect:

- Buying and selling opportunities?

- Work opportunities?

- When is isolation a constraint (all year or only part of the year)?

- Are locally grown products mainly sold in the village, neighboring villages or in more distant town markets?

- Is there an opportunity to expand marketing? If so, how?

- When village people buy food in the towns, which main foods do they purchase?

Which foods are more expensive, less expensive or about the same in price? Give some examples.

Presentation. Each group presents its findings to the other participants for discussion.

Review/summary. The trainer reviews the main points of the discussion. These points will serve as background information for Sessions 7 and 8.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

- Blackboard for group summary.

- Table 2.1, Problems in the food system.

TECHNICAL NOTES

THE IMPORTANCE OF BETTER HOUSEHOLD FOOD SUPPLIES

Priority messages

ADEQUATE HOUSEHOLD FOOD SUPPLIES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR FAMILY WELL-BEING AND ESPECIALLY FOR THE HEALTHY GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN

SEVERAL FACTORS MAKE "FOOD FIRST "THE PRIORITY STRATEGY FOR HOME

GARDEN DEVELOPMENT

Adequate household food supplies are essential for family well-being and especially for the healthy growth and development of children

"A good household food supply" can be defined as having access to enough nutritious and safe food to meet the dietary needs of all household members year round. Households can obtain food supplies either through their own food production or food purchases, but more often through a combination of both. Some factors that help people to have enough food are sufficient fertile land, access to credit and agricultural advice, seeds and other inputs, good storage and a sufficient number of family members who are healthy and strong enough to work on the farm or to undertake off-farm employment.

Poor diets and inadequate food intake are not always the result of a lack of food or of money to buy food. People must have some knowledge of nutrition: the most important information is what kinds of food to eat and how to prepare the food in the right quantities and mixes and in a way that is safe and clean for children's healthy growth and development.

In Southeast Asia, too many young children become seriously ill because they do not eat enough of the right kinds of food. There is a direct link between having a variety of nutritious foods and staying healthy. Studies in Southeast Asia and around the world have shown that when people do not eat the right amount of nutritious food they cannot fight off illness, even when access to medical services and a healthy environment make it easier to stay healthy. It is also important for mothers to know about proper feeding practices and to be able to have enough time for child care to keep their children healthy and well nourished.

An inadequate diet can affect other members of the household as well. Many households have limited family labour available to work their farmland. A poor diet leads to poor work ability and illness, illness means visiting the health centre and too many visits to the health centre mean lost working time as well as lost money. These losses can be reduced or prevented if everyone in the family eats enough healthy foods, drinks clean water and practices good hygiene.

Several factors make "food first" the priority strategy for home garden development

Developing the home garden for food production is a very important part of attaining an adequate food supply for the household. There are several reasons why this is so.

One reason is the isolation of many rural villages. Food from other areas must sometimes be transported from far away so are either expensive to buy in the village or are not available.

Opportunities for earning income are also limited in a number of villages. Although cash crops (tobacco, rubber, tea, coffee, etc.) can provide income, many of these agricultural commodities obtain very low returns on investment at present. For isolated villages, the cost of transport to markets or factories is very high.

There are other factors in the food system that make it difficult to ensure that household food supplies are adequate. The most common ones are listed in Table 2.1, which should be used as a checklist to identify local problems in the food system.

Growing one's own food as much as possible makes the best economic sense. Fortunately, if properly developed, the home garden can supply a significant proportion of a household's daily food needs. The things that can be done to help families to grow enough of a variety of nutritious foods for their own consumption are discussed later in this course.

TABLE 2.1

Problems in the food system

Stage of food system	Typical problems in the food system	*Typical problems in your local food system .**
Home garden land	- Shortage of land
	- Unsure tenure
	- Infertile land
	- Shortage of water
Clearing the home garden	- Too few people to clear the land
	- Hand tools which limit the amount of land cleared
	- Late land preparation because of bad planning
Planting the home garden	- Limited variety of crops
	- Cash crops grown instead of food crops
	- Crops planted wrongly
	- Poor seed distribution
	- Limited inputs
	- Limited extension advice
	- Women farmers are not contacted by extension services
	- Limited family labour
Harvesting the home garden	- Stealing of crops
	- Labour shortage
	- Late pest damage
Home storage and preservation	- Inadequate on-farm storage
	- Producers sell most food
	- Pests or mould destroy food
	- Lack of equipment
	- Insufficient knowledge of food preservation
Food distribution and marketing	- Markets tar from food-producing areas
	- Poor roads
	- Shortage of lorries and spare parts
	- Shortage and high cost of fuel
	- Inefficient marketing system
Buying	- Lack of money
	- Too many debts
	- Not enough money budgeted for food
	- Poor-value foods bought
	- Healthy foods difficult to get
Food preparation	- Parents not knowing the right foods to cock
	- Lack of fuel
	- Lack of mother's time
	- Shortage of equipment
	- Shortage of water
	- Low-prestige foods not used
	- Food values lost in cooking
Sharing within the family	- Children not getting adequate share of food
	- Too many children
	- Taboos on certain foods for children or mothers
	- Bigger children eating taster
	- Poor appetite
	- Lack of information on children's needs
Eating	- Loss of appetite through illness
	- Food too bulky for enough to be eaten
	- Infrequent feeding
	- Lack of variety in foods
	- Diarrhoea preventing body from keeping and using food
	- Parasites taking food from body
	- Increased nutrient requirements through illness

* Use this third column to write down the most important problems in your local food system.

Source: Adapted from FAO. 1985. Field programme management:: food and nutrition. A training pack: Rome.

Day 2

Session 3 :Practical nutrition for field workers (1)

Objective

By the end of this session participants will:

- understand the meaning of the word "nutrition";

- know what food consists of;

- know why nutrients are needed and the amount of each kind needed;

- know the value of specific foods

Home garden produce

OVERVIEW

Most people eat because they are hungry. However, while the feeling of hunger tells you to eat, it does not tell you what to eat. Field workers promoting home gardening need to have a basic understanding of nutrition in order to help households achieve adequate daily nutrition. This session will define the meaning of "nutrition" and identify the main nutrients in food. It discusses the importance of each nutrient, how much of each nutrient is needed in the diet and the nutrient value of different foods.

ACTIVITIES

Note: The trainer must read and understand the Technical Notes for Session 3.

Objective. The trainer states the objective of this session, explains how long it will be, how it will be conducted and what is expected from participants.

Discussion. The trainer uses the Technical Notes to lead a discussion on the following questions:

- What is "nutrition" about? Participants should try to explain what their understanding of "nutrition" is.

- What are the nutrients in food and what are they for?

- Does the amount and type of food needed by different people vary? How does it vary? Why does it vary?

Discussion of the value of different foods. The trainer uses Survey Form 1 (from Session 1), to list on a blackboard the main foods grown in local home gardens. The trainer asks participants to estimate the value of each food in terms of energy (carbohydrates and fat), protein and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).

After the group discussion and presentation, the trainer confirms or adjusts the participants' estimate, referring to Table 3.3, Nutritional value of home garden foods (p.24). Finally, the trainer distributes or displays Table 3.3 as a reference document for the activities in Session 4(2).

Reading for information on dietary deficiencies. The trainer draws the following box on the blackboard and invites participants to speculate briefly on the effects of the lack of specific nutrients.

Symptoms of nutritional deficiencies
Cause	Effects
Not enough energy	?
Lack of fat in the diet	?
Too few protein foods	?
Lack of iron (Fe)	?
Lack of vitamin A	?
Lack of iodine	?
Lack of vitamin C	?

Participants then read Information Sheet 5, Food and nutrition problems. After reading, they complete the box together with the trainer.

Summary. As a group, participants use important information from this session to think of messages to spread among family members. For example:

- Variety is important in the diet.

- Different foods contain different kinds and amounts of nutrients.

- Meals should contain a mixture of several kinds of food.

- If children do not get the right kinds of food, they will not develop properly.

- The home garden can contribute significantly to the family's daily food needs.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

- Survey Form 1.

- Table 3.3, Nutritional value of home garden foods.

- Information Sheet 5, Food and nutrition problems.

- Blackboard for Box, Symptoms of nutritional deficiencies, and for group summary.

TECHNICAL NOTES

PRACTICAL NUTRITION FOR FIELD WORKERS (1)

Priority messages

"NUTRITION" IS ABOUT FOOD AND HOW IT IS USED IN THE BODY

FOOD IS MADE UP OF A COMBINATION OF NUTRIENTS

NUTRIENTS ARE NEEDED TO KEEP THE BODY ALIVE AND HEALTHY

THE AMOUNT OF NUTRIENTS NEEDED VARIES FOR EACH PERSON AND AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF LIFE

"Nutrition" is about food and how it is used in the body

Nutrition is an area of knowledge and practice. It is concerned with the food system; that is, how food is produced, collected, bought, processed, sold, prepared, shared and eaten. It is also concerned with what happens to food in the body - how it is digested, absorbed and used and how it finally influences the well-being of the human body.

Food is made up of a combination of nutrients

Food is made up of nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Nutrients are needed for energy (for activities such as working, playing, running), for growth (building and maintaining the body) and for protection against infection.

In the past, nutrition workers used the idea of the "three food groups" (food for energy, food for building the body and food for protection) when they taught people to plan meals. However, it is important to teach that many foods belong to more than one food group and that people need to eat a variety of foods to stay healthy.

For example, most of the foods in Table 3.1, Nutrient composition of raw foods, contain some of each type of nutrient. They all contain carbohydrates and fats for energy, protein for building and maintaining the body, and small amounts of vitamins and minerals for protection against infection.

However, each food has different amounts of each nutrient, so the message to convey is that, to get a balanced diet, people must eat a variety of different foods. For example, groundnuts and soybeans are good sources of carbohydrate, fat and protein but provide very little vitamin A and C; or rice is a good source of carbohydrate but is a poorer source of protein, fat and vitamins. To balance their diet, people must complement staples such as rice (rich in carbohydrates) with foods from animal sources (rich in protein) and green leafy vegetables, such as pumpkin leaves and yellow-coloured fruits, which are very rich in vitamins.

TABLE 3.1

Nutrient composition of raw foods

Foods (100g)	Energy (heal)	Protein (8)	Fat (g)	Vitamin A (Re)*	Vitamin C (g)
Rice (polished)	335	7.0	0.5	0	0
Groundnut	570	25.0	45.0	3	0
Soybean	405	38.0	20.0	9	0
Pumpkin leaves	25	4.0	0.2	167	80
Guava	46	1.1	0.4	48	325

*Re = Retinol equivalents in _g: 1 Re = 33.3 International Units (IU).

Nutrients are needed to keep the body alive and healthy

Most farmers know that crops need certain nutrients in order to grow well. Plants get these nutrients from the soil or from fertilizer. In a similar way, people need certain types and quantities of nutrients from their diet, from the time of conception to old age. A lack of nutrients leads to illness and even death and, in young children, affects growth and development as well as health (see Information Sheet 5, p.95)

The amount of nutrients needed varies for each person and at different stages of life

The amount of energy and nutrients that people need to obtain from their food in order to keep healthy and active varies with age, sex, level of activity, pregnancy, lactation and state of health. The most critical stage of human development is from conception to about 36 months. This is when physical growth occurs most rapidly. Therefore, it is crucial that pregnant and lactating women and small children receive the right amount of nutritious food in order to ensure proper growth, brain development and resistance to infection.

Table 3.2 shows the estimated nutritional requirements for a family household with five members. It shows that children need a large amount of energy - more than half that required by many adults.

Please note that the table mentions only some of the vitamins and minerals essential for health and development. There are many others which are important and must be provided in a daily diet.

TABLE 3.2

Daily requirements of energy, protein, fat, vitamins A and C for different sex and age groups

Family member	Age (Years)	Energy (kcal)	Protein (g)	Fat (g)	Vitamin A (Re)	Vitamin C (mg)
Father (active)	18-60	2 944	57	83	600	30
Lactating mother	Child-bearing age	2 640	68	73	850	50
Child (1)	Less than 1	800	12	-*	350	20
Child (2)	5	1 510	26	42	400	20
Child (3)	12	2 170	50	60	500	20

*The assumption is that breast milk satisfies the child's needs.

TABLE 3.3

Nutritional value of home garden foods

Energy	Protein	Fat	Vitamin A	Vitamin C
Avocado	Cashew nut	Avocado	Fruit	Cashew fruit
Banana	Cowpea	Cashew nut	Banana	Citrus
Breadfruit	Eggs	Coconut milk	Bitter cucumber	Custard apple
Canna root	Fish	Coconut oil	Canistel	Guava
Cashew nut	Groundnuts	Groundnuts	Mango (ripe)	Litchi
Cassava	Hyacinth bean	Milk and milk products (buyer, ghee, etc.)	Papaya (ripe)	Longan
Coconut flesh	Long bean		Pumpkin	Mango
Coconut oil	Meat			Papaya (ripe)
Groundnut	Milk		Leaves	Pineapple
Jackfruit	Mung bean		Amaranth	Rambutan
Maize	Pigeon pea		Bitter cucumber	Soursop
Rice	Sesbania grandiflora		Cassava	Tomato
Sugar cane	Soybean		Drumstick tree
Sweet potato	Wing bean		Gnetum gnemon
Taro root			Papaya
Yam			Pumpkin
			Sauropus sp.
			String bean
			Sweet potato
			Taro
			Water spinach

Note: The table indicates which foods are particularly rich in these nutrients.

Session 4: Practical nutrition for field workers (2)

Objectives

By the end of this session participants will be able to:

- recognize nutritional deficiencies in diets;

- plan balanced meals using locally grown foods;

- identify useful snacks made locally;

- list essential foods that can be grown in the home grade

OVERVIEW

A diet must contain enough of the right nutrients. Different cultures have their own traditional foods and cooking methods so it is important to recognize local food preferences when planning a diet. In this session participants will use their knowledge of nutrition and their own experience to recognize and plan nutritionally adequate meals and snacks and to draw conclusions about the potential contribution of the home garden to a good diet.

ACTIVITIES

Note: The trainer should be familiar with Table 3.3, Nutritional value of home garden food, (p.24). The trainer should read and understand the Technical Notes for Session 4 and use the information in the following activities.

Objective. The trainer outlines the objective of this session and explains how long it will be, how it will be conducted and what is expected from participants.

Exercise. The trainer gives the class an example of two meals. Together they review the composition of the meals, select the meal they feel is nutritionally complete and explain what is missing in the other one.

Example:

Meal 1	Meal 2
Taro root	Fish
Coconut oil	Rice
Pumpkin flesh	Cassava leaves
	Pineapple

Question and answer. The trainer introduces Table 4.1, Composition of food eaten by a typical family in one day (p.28) and refers to Table 3.3, Nutritional value of home garden foods. In order to understand the nutritional value of the daily diet of a family, participants study the tables and ask each other questions on important facts. For example:

- Which has more vitamin A, three cups of spinach or two cups of string bean leaves?

- Which nutrient(s) does coconut oil contain?

- Which combination of foods would provide enough protein for a three-year-old child?

Snacks. Snacks are the foods that you eat between main meals. The trainer talks about the value of snacks as a contribution to the diet (see technical notes) and refers participants to Information Sheet 8, Snacks for young children (p. 105). Together, the trainer and participants make a list of local snack foods and estimate the nutritional value for each snack.

Small-group work. The trainer talks about the value of food and the reasons why families like different foods. Participants then divide into small groups and plan family meals for one day (breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner). The size of the family and the age and sex of family members should be as given in Table 3.2. Participants must:

- plan the meal using the foods grown in the home garden that they observed in Household Survey 1 of Session 1;

- plan for nutritional variety and completeness;

- specify what other foods need to be added to complete the diet, and estimate the cost of these foods.

Helpful ideas for participants are provided in Information Sheet 6, Recipes for family meals (p.97).

Presentation. Each small group presents the day's diet to the class and responds to their comments.

Summary. The class as a whole notes the most common foods in their plan of the day's diet and divides the foods into:

- foods that can be grown in the home garden;

- foods that must be bought from the market or shop.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

- Copies and/or charts of Tables 3.3 and 4.1.

- Information Sheet 6, Recipes for family meals.

- Information Sheet 8, Snacks for young children.

- Blackboard for summary.

TECHNICAL NOTES

PRACTICAL NUTRITION FOR FIELD WORKERS (2)

Priority messages

SNACK FOODS FROM THE HOME GARDEN CAN BE AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF NUTRIENTS

THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY FAMILIES LIKE DIFFERENT FOODS. THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF A FOOD IS ONLY ONE FACTOR TO CONSIDER WHEN PLANNING MEALS

COMPLETE, NUTRITIOUS AND TASTY MEALS CAN BE PLANNED BY ADDING ITEMS FROM THE MAIN FOOD GROUPS TO THE NORMAL STAPLE FOOD

Snack foods from the home garden can be an important source of nutrients

Snack foods eaten between main meals are a normal part of the family diet. They are usually foods that provide energy quickly and are eaten fresh or cooked. A batch of cooked snack foods such as cassava cakes and coconut sweets can supply the family for several days. Some good snack foods are:

- cooked or fried root crops and maize;

- starchy fruits (e.g. banana, cooked breadfruit);

- sweet fruits (e.g. mango, ripe papaya, sugar cane);

- roasted groundnuts and soybeans.

A home garden containing a wide variety of crops for snack food helps to maintain good nutritional levels in the family.

There are many reasons why families like different foods. The nutritional value of a food is only one factor to consider when planning meals

Agricultural workers often think of food in terms of different crops. Some are hard to grow, some are easy to grow, some get good prices at the market. Field workers concerned with improving nutrition think of the nutritional content of food. However, families may consider other things besides farming and nutrition. They choose the food they eat for a variety of reasons, including habit, tradition end preference for a particular taste, texture end colour as well as the time it takes to prepare a meal. Many people feel that they have not eaten properly if they have not had one of their normal staple foods at least once a day.

Complete, nutritious and tasty meals can be planned by adding items from the main food groups to the normal staple food

Use the Family mixed meal guide (p. 28) to plan meals for a varied and nutritious diet. Start with a local starchy staple (such as rice, cassava, maize, yam, taro or sweet potato) and combine it with one or more foods from each of the food groups.

Family mixed meal guide

In this way people can choose the foods they enjoy as well as plan complete and nutritious meals that satisfy the body's physiological needs.

TABLE 4.1

Composition of food eaten by a typical family In one day

Kind of food	Weight	Amount (g)	Energy (kcal)	Protein (g)	Vitamin A (IU)*	Vitamin C (mg)	Iron (mg)
Rice	1600	3.5 cups, dry	6 000	1 00	0	0	1 3
Soybean curd	200	2 large pieces	150	16	0	0	2
Fresh fish	300	6 medium pieces	300	40	360	0	2
Spinach	250	3 cups	60	6	11 000	150	7
Papaya (ripe)	500	5 medium slices	200	2	1 400	300	7
Cassava root	1 000	10 pieces	1 000	9	0	200	5
Long bean leaves	200	2 cups	40	5	6 800	40	8
Gnetum gnemon leaves	200	2 cups	80	5	3 800	40	8
Banana	500	5 pieces	400	5	550	10	2
Coconut oil	100	-	900	1	0	0	0
Coconut flesh	60	2 small nuts	200	2	0	0	1
Total			9 300	200	24 000	750	55
Portion of daily need (%)			100	100	100	100	75

*IU = International Units.

Note: The family consists of a father, mother and three children. See Table 3.2 (p.23) for their sex and ages. Values are approximate.

Source: Soerojo, R. 1991. The utilization of home gardens for the improvement of family nutrition and income. In Proc Seminar on Pekarangan Land. Development Possibilities and their contribution to Farmers' Welfare, p. 108--116. Centre for Agro-Socioeconomic Research, AARD, Ministry of Agriculture, Indonesia, with FAO

Day 3

Session 5: Contribution of the home garden to daily family food needs

Objective

By the end of this session participants will understand the contribution a home garden can make to the food supply that a family needs each day.

Food groups

OVERVIEW

The home garden, if large enough, has the potential to supply most of the non-staple foods and some of the staple foods (e.g. roots and tubers and some rice) that a family needs each day of the year. In every village there are examples of home gardens which are managed well. These home gardens produce a wide variety of food crops which supply the family throughout the year with fruits and vegetables, roots and tubers, some meat and fish, legumes, spices, medicines, etc. Two examples are studied in detail.

ACTIVITIES

Note: The trainer should read and understand Information Sheets I to 4 (p.8 1-93) as well as the Technical Notes for Session 5 and then use this information in the following activities.

Objective. The trainer states the objective of this session and explains how long it will be, how it will be conducted and what is expected from participants.

Reading. Participants divide into four groups. Each group studies one of the following sets of information sheets and the corresponding home garden technology leaflets, and prepares to answer questions about them.

- Information Sheet 1, Soil management, and Home Garden Technology Leaflets 5, 6 and 7;

- Information Sheet 2, Water management, and Home Garden Technology Leaflet 8;

- Information Sheet 3, Weed and pest management, and Home Garden Technology Leaflets 7,9 and 10;

- Information Sheet 4, Crop management, and Home Garden Technology Leaflets 11, 12, 13 and 14;

- Information Sheet 5, Food and nutrition problems, and Home Garden Technology Leaflets 1 and 2.

Question and answer . The trainer displays the summary notes listed on p. 31. Using these as a guide, participants think of questions about each subject to ask each group in turn.

Talk and discussion. The trainer introduces an example of a well-developed home garden (Figure 5.1, p.35) and invites participants' comments on:

- the variety of uses of the example home garden;

- aspects of management (such as the "raised bed" system or multilayer cropping);

- the nutritional variety and adequacy of the crops produced.

The trainer adds comments and confirms or qualifies the participants' comments in order to highlight the major aspects of good home garden development (see Technical Notes).

Local examples. Participants are asked to give examples of good home garden management from their own experience.

Summary. The trainer summarizes the conclusions from the session.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

- Blackboard or chart display of the Summary Notes.

- Figure 5.1, A home garden on mixed land, and related notes.

- Information Sheets 1 to 4.

- Home Garden Technology Leaflets.

- Blackboard for group discussion and summary.

SUMMARY NOTES

(for question and answer activity)

SOIL MANAGEMENT

Protect the soil	Feed the soil
- Cover the soil with plants	- Mulch around plants
- Clear only the areas to be planted	- Make and use compost
- Use barriers to stop loss of soil	- Grow green manure crops
	- Plant legumes

WATER MANAGEMENT

Dry season	Wet season
- Plant in sunken areas	- Raise mounds
- Select appropriate crops	- Select crops that like water
- Use all water sources	- Protect young plants from rain
- Mulch	- Use tall containers
- Shade	- Use a trellis
- Remove weeds	- Dig in organic matter
- Dig in organic matter

WEED AND PEST MANAGEMENT

Insects and diseases	Animals
- Feed the soil	- Root crops - coconut shells
- Plant in suitable place	- Make a fence
- Plant in suitable season	- Plant a living fence
- Select strong variety
- Do not repeat same plant in same place	Weeds
- Remove diseased parts	- Cut or cultivate
- Use ash or spray	- Mulch
- Include insect-repellent plants	- Cover crop and create natural shade
- Remove weeds

CROP MANAGEMENT

Multiple cropping	Multilayer cropping
- Plant together, harvest different time	- Climbing plants
- Follow one crop with another kind	- Plants of different height
- Do not put same plant in same place	- Long-term system
	- Trellis
Intensive vegetable square
- Select crops that the family likes
- Protect the area
- Feed the soil
- Do not put same plant in same place

MAKING AND USING A HOME GARDEN MAP

Appraising the home garden Planning improvement

- Identify three different areas - Set objectives

- Get the right people to help - Locate technology options using the map

TECHNICAL NOTES

CONTRIBUTION OF THE HOME GARDEN TO DAILY FAMILY FOOD NEEDS

Priority messages

A WELL-DEVELOPED HOME GARDEN MAKES A VITAL CONTRIBUTION TO HOUSEHOLD FOOD SUPPLIES BY:

- SUPPLYING A VARIETY OF NUTRITIOUS FOODS ALL YEAR

- PROVIDING INCOME FROM THE SALE OF ITS PRODUCTS

WELL-DEVELOPED HOME GARDENS EXIST IN MOST VILLAGES

IMPROVING THE HOME GARDEN MEANS EXPANDING ITS STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION

A well-developed home garden makes a vital contribution to household food supplies

A home garden can supply a family with substantial quantities of a variety of foods all year round. First, the home garden can produce food for meals; and, second, products from the home garden can be sold for income to buy other essential things.

The priorities for family food supplies are an adequate quantity and sufficient variety. The household needs enough staple food, but also enough of the right kind of other foods. Variety in the home garden produces different foods with essential nutrients. Young children, especially, need a sufficient quantity and variety of food.

The household also needs the right food in all seasons of the yea' Food production is often lowest from the middle of the dry season to the middle of the wet season. The start of the wet season is also the time when sickness among young children is most common and they need foods rich in vitamins for protection. A well-developed home garden can provide food in all seasons. Snack foods from the home garden are also important in the family diet.

Income from the home garden also contributes to the household food supply. Some crops, animals or products made in the home garden (e.g. handicrafts) can be sold or exchanged for food or other things needed for the well-being of the family (e.g. education, health care, clothing).

Well-developed home gardens exist in most villages

Well-developed home gardens can be found on a walk through most villages. These households have the ideas, skills and resources to produce all year many different staple crops, roots, vegetables, fruits, livestock and sometimes fish.

Many layers of plants can be seen in a well-developed home garden. Tall plants are combined with shorter plants. Plants grown together mature at different times. Animals consume plants from the home garden and return manure to the soil.

Improving the home garden means expanding its structure and function

It is clear from Figure 5.1 that the key to improving household food supplies is to improve the physical structure and technical system of the home garden. To achieve this, four important principles must be observed:

Diversify the kinds of crops and animals to provide a variety of foods in all seasons of the year. Most well-developed home gardens grow a large number of different crops as well as different varieties of one crop. As an example, one well-diversified home garden had more than 35 different crops as well as three types of livestock. This family said that their home garden produced nearly all it needed.

Intensify the home garden structure in order to produce the maximum amount of foods and other products from the area available. Production from most home gardens can be intensified - that is, more things can be produced using the same amount of land and about the same amount of inputs. Well-developed home gardens typically use a cropping system in which different crops are selected which can be grown together in the same place. An example is planting sweet potato and mung bean together between fruit-trees. All the plants share the light, water and soil nutrients because they have different heights and are harvested at different times. In this way, three crops are produced where there normally would only be one crop. A mature multilayer structure in which trees meet overhead can have other crops planted beneath and does not require much work after it is established, but careful selection of suitable crops is important.

Increase the number of products and activities in the home garden. Surveys show that most households are able to increase the number of products or conduct more activities in their home garden. Well-developed home gardens use the land for a number of products and activities, including food production, production for income, the production of spices, the manufacture of medicines and the provision of fuelwood and building materials.

Improve the productivity of individual crops to reduce losses and use inputs better. Home garden surveys have shown that the growth and yield from most crops could be improved with very little extra effort by making use of natural resources. Organic matter can be used to improve the soil, while multistory cropping can increase production by improving home garden conditions.

FIGURE 5.1: A home garden on mixed land

Structure

The home is 1 000 m² and is located in a region of undulating land. There is a very small area of flat land around the house (10 percent of the total area) gut the majority is sloping land (more than 30 degrees of slope) and wetland. The sloping land is planted in a multilayer structure of crops. Short-term, medium-term plants planted are planted together in the same area. The wetland has been made into four sunken beds. Rice is grown in two beds and fish and water spinach (Ipomoea aquantica) in the other two beds. Various tree crops are grown on the raised between the sunken beds.

Function

The home garden function mainly as a source of daily food and income. In addition, it provided spices and medicinal herbs.

Nutrition contribution

The home garden is the major supplier of daily food. Agricultural products and brick are also to purchase food and other items that cannot be produced in the garden. The combination of foods from crops, livestock and fish gives a good diet in terms of energy, protein and micronutrients.

Session 6: Case-study

Objective

In this session, participants apply their knowledge of nutrition and home garden potential to a case-study in preparation for applying it to a real life situation.

Some home garden crops

OVERVIEW

By now, most of the technical information of this training package has been conveyed. The remaining training sessions teach participants how to apply this knowledge in various ways. Therefore, in this session the knowledge and concepts covered so far are actively reviewed and are then used in a case study of a household situation. The case-study is analysed and recommendations are made.

ACTIVITIES

Note: The trainer should read and understand the Technical Notes for Session 6 and use this information in the session's activities. The trainer should also be familiar with the Case-study Notes (p.41) and Case-study Diagnosis (p.43).

Objective. The trainer states the objective of this session and explains how long it will be, how it will be conducted and what is expected from participants.

Information review. This activity may be done by small groups or by the whole class. Using the Review Notes (p.39), the trainer writes the Elements of information on one part of the blackboard and draws Figure 6.1, Information review chart on the other part. The trainer asks participants to suggest where the information elements fit on the review chart. Note that these are only some examples of information elements and new elements can be added or repeated. Try to keep the chart simple.

Case-study. This exercise may be done by the whole class or by small groups with a summary by the whole class, depending on the time available. Participants read the Case-study Notes and discuss the significance of each piece of information. In the summary, the trainer should refer to the Case-study Diagnosis.

Recommendations. As a summary of the session, the whole group should formulate and agree on a short list of priority recommendations for the case-study household.

MATERIALS NEEDED

- Review Notes.

- Case-study Notes and Case-study Diagnosis.

- Blackboard or large piece of paper for group review and summary.

REVIEW NOTES

ELEMENTS OF INFORMATION

Income	Wild animals	Ground cover
Labour shortage	Infertile land	Snack foods
Distant markets	Fuelwood	Living fences
Energy/carbohydrate	Raised bed system	Nuts, beans
Multilayer cropping	Lack of knowledge	Pumpkin leaves
Erosion	Night-blindness	Protein
Soil management	Cultural preference	Staple food
Vitamins A and C	Medicinal plants	Fatigue
Variety of foods	Protection from infection

FIGURE 6.1: Information review chart

TECHNICAL NOTES

CASE-STUDY

Priority messages

MANY HOME GARDENS ARE NOT FULLY DEVELOPED IN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION

IMPROVING THE HOME GARDEN MAKES GOOD ECONOMIC AND NUTRITIONAL SENSE

Many home gardens are not fully developed in structure and function

As discussed in the previous session, examples of well-developed home gardens exist in most villages. The home garden is used to obtain household food supplies and contribute to family well-being through two main activities:

- by growing a variety of foods;

- by producing goods that can be sold to buy essentials that cannot be grown on family farmland.

Unfortunately, far too many home gardens are not fully developed even after many years of occupancy. The home garden structure often shows poor use of the land, and its potential to produce crops and livestock is not reached. For example:

- the land is not intensively cultivated - many home gardens have only a single layer of plants;

- there is not enough diversity of crops, often a single-crop system is used;

- crops are poorly suited to their location;

- individual crop production is poor;

- trees produce poorly because of overcrowding or bad pruning;

- obtaining an income is the main reason for cultivating the home garden;

- home gardens are not well maintained and weeds overcome crops.

Improving the home garden makes good economic and nutritional sense

Many households produce cash crops and try to get some employment off the farm. It is uncertain whether these activities can earn enough income for purchasing an adequate diet. Also, for many commercial crops, a long period of growth and care is needed before produce can be harvested and sold, and future prices are not always certain. Thus, growing food in the home garden is a safe option for obtaining daily food and extra income.

Although food production is undertaken in nearly all home gardens, very few home gardens are actually producing enough food to supply most of the households' diet. In addition, an insufficient knowledge of nutrition undoubtedly contributes to food shortages and nutrition problems in the family.

This session's case-study exemplifies many of these problems.

CASE-STUDY NOTES

1. The family consists of a husband, wife and two children, aged five and two. The husband works full-time away from home.

2. The family has a 1 000 m² home garden in a humid tropical lowland climate and has been there for ten years. Previously, the family lived in a different area and had very little land.

3. The children both have coughs and the five-year-old cannot see well at night. The family's diet consists mainly of rice, with soybean and a few eggs. The mother thinks that the family eats reasonably well.

4. The main crops grown are coffee, pineapple, clove, cocoa, cassava, taro, katuk, soybean, groundnut and mung bean, with some banana, mango and long bean (see Table 6. 1).

5. Food shortages occur for five months from the middle of the dry season to the middle of the wet season. The family buys the extra food it needs, in particular rice. It says the home garden does not supply its food needs.

6. The home garden is used for both income and food. The cloves, cocoa, coffee and pineapple are cash crops. The household keeps a few chickens and ducks for home use and these roam the home garden freely.

7. With the present management, less than half the home garden is used for growing food at any time of the year. Seventy-five percent of the land is planted with annual plants and only 25 percent is planted with perennial tree crops (mostly clove and cocoa). Only 25 percent of the total land area is used for growing two or more crops at the same time in the same area (multiple cropping).

8. Many of the plants are growing poorly. The trees are not producing well and a large number do not bear any fruit - they appear unpruned. Some (e.g. the coffee) do not seem to have enough shade. The annual plants produce poorly in the dry season and are often eaten by animals, including the chickens.

9. The soil in this area is sandy and naturally infertile with a shallow topsoil. Twenty-five percent of the home garden is wetland and subject to floods, 50 percent is upland and flat. The remaining 25 percent is sloping but not terraced.

TABLE 6.1

Crops and animals produced in the case-study home garden

Crop/animal	Number of plan/animals	Bearing	Non-bearing
Coconut	15	10	5
Coffee	100	75	25
Banana	20	20
Pineapple	100	100
Rambutan	5		5
Jackfruit	3		3
Gnetum gnemon	2		2
Sesbania grandiflora	3	3
Mango	5	3	2
Clove	25	10	15
Cocoa	50	40	10
Cassava	200
Sweet potato	25
Taro	75
Yam	1
Amaranth	5
Cassava leaf	100
Katuk (Sauropus sp.)	75
Chili	20
Ginger	1 5
Turmeric	10
Lemon grass	10
Soybean	700
Groundnut	300
Long bean	50
Mung bean	300
Chickens (eggs, meat)	20
Ducks	5

CASE-STUDY DIAGNOSIS

1. There are four family members and it should be possible to feed them all well, if necessary, from the home garden. However, one family member works off the farm and therefore cannot contribute much work to the home garden. Most of the income goes towards paying the children's school fees and health care. The two young children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of poor nutrition.

2. The family's previous land was much smaller than its present home garden, so the management of a large piece of land is unfamiliar to them. It now has a much greater range of agricultural options and may therefore need advice.

3. The children's symptoms suggest that their diet is inadequate. The cause is not only a lack of appropriate foods but the parents' unawareness of the need for those foods. There is too little variety and a lack of fresh fruit and vegetables in the diet. In particular, the night blindness of the five-year-old is almost certainly due to a lack of vitamin A.

4/5. The crops produced for home consumption to some extent reflect these deficiencies. Some very common and nutritious fruits and vegetables are missing (e.g. citrus, papaya and pumpkin). Most of the other crops are produced for sale. Although there are several foods rich in vitamin A (e.g. taro leaves, katuk [Sauropus sp.] and cassava leaves) these do not appear in the diet. The home garden is not providing enough food and, as a result, the family is forced to purchase food. The family thinks that the home garden is insufficient, but it is not fully utilized. A lack of sufficient family labour is one of the contributory factors.

6/7. The home garden is used to a large extent for income. To see whether this is a wise policy, we would need to balance the income against the cash needed to provide the household with a proper diet. It is clear that the home garden is capable of producing much more. A multilayer, mixed cropping system is recommended, with a variety of plants of different heights grown in the same area. Since only 25 percent of the home garden is planted with trees, plenty of land is also available for planting more trees. The initial work involved in developing the home garden will need the husband's labour; once the garden is established, the wife will be able to carry out most tasks.

8. Productivity can be increased in other ways - by pruning, providing shade, choosing the best variety of plants for the area and increasing plant diversity. Better water management would entail using water run-off from the house roof, the washing area and kitchen, and mulching around annual plants that are sensitive to drought. Plants must be protected against local animals using fences or other plants.

9. Since the local soil is infertile and the land includes areas that are easily eroded and flooded, the household will first need assistance in soil management. The sloping land will need some protection from erosion. The wetland could be developed into a raised bed and canal cropping system. Soil fertility will need to be increased by fertilizing with organic matter.

Conclusion

From the information given, the main conclusion is that there are many ways to improve the situation. Home gardening for better nutrition can be improved through a strategy that:

- raises the household's awareness of the potential of the home garden to provide daily food requirements as well as some extra income;

- encourages, advises and supports households to take immediate action to improve their home gardens.

Day 4

Session 7: Collecting data on food and nutrition problems and home garden utilization: Household Survey 2

Objective

By the end of this session participants will be able to gather and interpret information needed to understand:

- the food and nutrition situation of a household;

- the actual and potential contribution of the home garden.

OVERVIEW

On this visit to a household, participants collect detailed information and use it to assess the household's food and nutrition situation. In this session, participants do not give advice or make recommendations. How to advise households is the subject of the next session.

ACTIVITIES

Note: The trainer must have selected a household nearby for the participants to visit. The husband and wife of the household must both be present to help the class with the survey. The trainer should be familiar with Survey Form 2 (p. 47) and the Notes for Surveyors (p. 55). This session will require one to two hours in class and two to three hours (more if travel to the field is required) for the household visits.

Preparation. Participants should read Survey Form 2 and discuss the purpose and significance of the questions referring to the Notes for Surveyors before visiting households. Table 2.1, Problems in the food system (p.17-18) will also be needed.

Household visit.

- Participants start a dialogue with household members, requesting them to answer questions of parts A, B. C and D (Background, Nutrition, Food sources and Problems in the food system) of Survey Form 2.

- Participants walk around and observe the home garden and complete parts E to H (Agricultural conditions, Biological load, Management of the home garden and Crops and livestock produced in the home garden) of Survey Form 2.

Note: The trainer should make a rough sketch map of the home garden, similar to Figure 5.1 (p.35), during the visit. It will serve as a reference for discussions in this session and Session 8.

Follow-up: preparation for group presentations. Participants divide into four groups, each to work on one set of questions of part I (Follow-up to Household Survey 2). Do not complete the Plan of action for the questions in part I, as this will be completed in Session 8. Following this, each group presents its findings on the respective follow-up question. The group presentations may be done immediately after the household survey or as a preliminary to the following session.

Summary. The trainer summarizes the conclusions of the session.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

- Copies of Survey Form 2 and Notes for Surveyors.

- Copies of Table 2.1, Problems in the food system.

- Blackboard for group summary.

SURVEY FORM 2

FOOD AND NUTRITION PROBLEMS AND HOME GARDEN UTILIZATION

A) Background

1. How many household members are there and what are their ages?

-----------------------------------------

2. Do any household members have off-farm work now?

-----------------------------------------

3. Do any household members have experience in farming or home gardening?

-----------------------------------------

4. Do any household members think the home garden is adequate to supply their food needs?

-----------------------------------------

5. What is the main function of the home garden at present?

Daily food needs

Income

Both

B) Nutrition

6. What did the children eat yesterday (including snacks)?

Morning -------------------------------

Afternoon -------------------------------

Evening --------------------------------

7. Do parents think they are feeding children enough of the right kind of food?

------------------------------------

8. Have the children had any illnesses in the last month?

Cough ------------------------------

Diarrhoea -----------------------------

Night-blindness ---------------------------

Other -------------------------------

C) Food sources

9. How much of the household's food comes from the home garden?

Most

About half

Much less than half

10. What important food items does the household buy with cash?

-----------------------------------------

11. What important food items does the home garden supply for home consumption and how are they prepared?

Item	Preparation (fresh, cooked, processed)

D) Problems in the food system

12. What major problems are there in the food system (use Table 2.1 as a checklist)?

-----------------------------------------

E) Agricultural conditions

13. What approximate percentage of the home garden land is:

Lowland swamp

Flat upland

Sloping upland ..?

14. What is the soil texture?

15. How deep is the topsoil?

16. What is the soil fertility like?

F) Biological load

17. Approximately what proportion of the total home garden land is used for:

Growing food

Other purposes ..?

18. How much of the total home garden land is used for growing:

Annual plants

Perennial plants ..?

19. How much of the total home garden land is planted in:

One layer of plants

Two layers of plants

Three or more layers of plants ...?

20. Are most of the plants growing well or poorly?

-----------------------------------

G) Management of the home garden

Item	Good	Poor	Remarks
Spacing of trees
Use of organic matter
Use of drains to grow food
Use of hedges and terraces on slopes
Protection from erosion
Pruning of trees
Layering of crops
Diversity of crops

H) Crops and livestock produced in the home garden

Record the number of plants and animals and their condition in Table 7.1 (p. 50).

TABLE 7.1

Home garden crops and animals

Crop/animal/product	Number of bearing plants	Number of non-bearing plants	Remarks
Coconut
Coffee
Banana
Pineapple
Rambutan
Jackfruit
Papaya
Mango
Cove
Citrus
Cocoa
Cassava root
Cassava leaf
Chili
Katuk (Sauropus sp.)
Sweet potato
Taro
Yam
Pumpkin
Spices: Ginger
Turmeric
Lemon grass
Groundnut
Long bean
Mung bean
Poultry eggs (duck, chicken)
Goats
Fish

I) Follow-up to Household Survey 2

1. Has the household achieved year-round food supplies?

Does the diet provide sufficient energy and nutrients?

-----------------------------------------

- If not, what is lacking? --------------------

- Why? -----------------------------------

What are the main child health problems identified by the household?

-----------------------------------------

- Do these health problems indicate nutritional deficiencies? -----------

- What kinds of food would improve the household's diet? -----------

How much of the household's food needs are being met from the home garden?

-----------------------------------------

What major problems are there in the food system?

-----------------------------------------

Plan of action

How does the household plan to solve the food problems?

-----------------------------------------

2. Could the home garden contribute more to household food needs in terms of quality and diversity ?

What nutrients are scarce?

-----------------------------------------

Is there a variety of crops for each nutrient?

-----------------------------------------

Which plants on the list of home garden crops and animals are not common in this home garden?

- Trees ---------------------------------

- Annual crops ------------------------------

Plan of action
What coos the family plan to grow?
What problems were raised and how can they be solved?
Problem	Solution
What aspects of nutrition did the family need to know about?

3. Could the home garden contribute a larger quantity of food to the household's supply?

Does the soil need:

- Feeding

Water management

Erosion prevention ...?

Could productivity be significantly increased?

------------------------------

- If so, how?

- Multilayer planting ------------------------------

- Increased diversity ------------------------------

- Pruning ------------------------------

- Plant selection ------------------------------

- Use of organic matter ------------------------------

- Plant spacing------------------------------

- Pest management ------------------------------

Plan of action
How many plants will be planted and where?
Plant	Number	Location
a)
b)
c)
What are the problems and how can they be solved?
a)
b)
c)

4 What human resources are available?

------------------------------

Is the household well-informed about nutrition?

------------------------------

Is the household new to this area?

------------------------------

Are the household members experienced farmers?

------------------------------

Do they have a realistic appreciation of the home garden potential?

------------------------------

How much labour is available for the cultivation of the home garden?

------------------------------

Who does most of the work on the home garden?

------------------------------

Plan of action
What are the problems and what does the family plan to do?
Crop	Problem	Proposed action




General

NOTES FOR SURVEYORS

COLLECTING DATA ON FOOD AND NUTRITION PROBLEMS AND HOME GARDEN UTILIZATION: HOUSEHOLD SURVEY 2

A) Background

1. How many people are there in the household? We need to know the size of the household, the age and the nutritional needs of the family members.

2. Do any members of the household have off-farm work now? This tells us what labour is available to cultivate the home garden. Labour shortages are one of the major blocks to home garden development.

3. Do household members have experience in farming or home gardening? This question indicates how much advice and support they will need.

4. Do household members think the home garden is adequate to supply their food needs? Together with observations in Part E, this will show whether the household has a realistic appreciation of the home garden's potential.

5. What is the main function of the home garden at present? If a main function is to meet food needs, then we need to find out whether it is fulfilling this function. However, if income is the main purpose, we must ask if the income generated covers the cost of purchased foods and whether other food crops could be integrated into the cash crop system.

B) Nutrition

6. What did the children eat yesterday (including snacks)? A danger sign is a lack of nutritional variety throughout the day. In particular, we need to know if children eat enough fruit and vegetables that are rich in vitamins A and C.

7. Do parents think they are feeding the children enough food of the right kind? The answer to this question, together with the other data gathered, should show whether the household is well-informed about what a nutritious diet is.

8. Have the children had any illnesses in the last month? Night-blindness indicates a lack of vitamin A in the diet. Coughs might also be due to a vitamin A deficiency reducing resistance to infections. Diarrhoea means that children are losing nutrients and water, in which case they need regular feeding and sufficient liquids to prevent dehydration.

C) Food sources

9. How much of the household's food comes from the home garden? This indicates how well the home garden is providing food for the household, and also the need for cash to buy food.

10. What important food items does the household buy with cash? Surveyors should try to find out which foods could be produced in the home garden in order to save cash. Questions 12 and 13 together indicate how much the home garden is contributing to household food supplies.

11. What important food items does the home garden supply for home consumption and how are they prepared? Interviewers should try to identify crops that have the potential for simple home processing (e.g. banana, cassava) but are not being processed by the household (see Information Sheet 7, Home processing and preparation of weaning foods, p.101).

D) Problems in the food system

12. What important problems are there in the food system? Answers to this question will indicate major impediments to household food supplies - real and imagined.

E) Agricultural conditions

13. What percentage of the home garden is lowland swamp, flat upland or sloping upland? The answers will indicate what needs to be done to improve the quality of the soil, such as feeding the soil or erosion protection.

14. What is the soil texture? Sandy soil will not hold much water and dries out quickly; it may need a lot of organic matter to retain water and improve productivity. Clayey soil will hold water but may be difficult to work in the dry season.

15. How deep is the topsoil? Shallow soil will need more improvement than deep soil. Shallow soil can indicate an erosion problem.

16. What is the soil fertility like? Poor soil will need more work to improve it.

F) Biological load

17. What percentage of the total home garden area is used for growing food or for other purposes? We need to know what else the land is being used for so that we can estimate what proportion is available for growing crops. We can then decide whether or not this remaining land is fully used and whether it could produce more.

18. How much of the total home garden is used for growing annual plants or perennial plants? Introducing more perennial plants, especially trees, can increase the productivity of the land by extending the top layer of plants, providing shade and natural compost and preventing the growth of weeds.

19. How much of the total home garden land is planted in one layer, two layers or there or more layers of plants? The multilayer system also increases productivity.

20 Are most of the plants growing well or poorly? If some plants are growing poorly, we need to study the management of the plants.

G) Management of the home garden

Spacing of trees. If trees are overcrowded, they will be competing for light and nutrients.

Use of organic matter. Mulch should be used to conserve moisture around annual plants that are sensitive to drought. Manure and compost should also be dug into the soil to feed it.

Use of drains to grow food. Water run-off from wells and kitchens should be used for crops when water is scarce.

Use of hedges and terraces on slopes. The contour across slopes should be structured to prevent erosion.

Protection from erosion. Soil should be covered by plants or mulch and barriers should be in place to prevent soil from being washed away.

Pruning of trees. Trees produce more when they are properly pruned.

Layering of crops . Different crops are good for the soil and promote nutritional variety.

Diversity of crops. The information gathered for part H will show in detail how many crops the home garden is producing. The greater the variety, the better the chances of ensuring that enough food is produced for family needs throughout the year.

H) Crops and animals produced In the home garden

Table 7.1 shows the productivity of each crop and animal and invites comments on those that should be producing better than they are now. Remarks should try to identify the reason for poor production. For example:

- coffee - lack of pruning

- mango - flowers, but never bears fruit (not suited to climate)

- citrus - poor fruit (must prune dead branches and fertilize)

Day 5

Session 8: Promoting home gardening for better nutrition

Objective

By the end of this session participants will be able to:

- understand how to use a consultative method to help households improve food supplies;

- survey a household and use the consultation method individually

OVERVIEW

The issues discussed so far have been mainly technical. However, promoting home gardening requires a strategy that takes account of the socio-economic situation and culture of the household and it should be seen as an interactive process. The importance of helping households to make their own decisions is stressed in a consultation, based on the use of part I (Follow-up to Household Survey 2 in Session 7). The consultation method is rehearsed in class before being practiced during individual household visits.

ACTIVITIES

Note: The trainer must be familiar with the Technical Notes for Session 8 and the Household Consultation Method (p.61) and have arranged for individual participants to visit households to conduct the consultation.

Objective. The trainer states the objective of this session and explains how long it will be (two hours in class and about two hours for the consultation), how it will be conducted and what is expected from participants.

Presentation. The trainer introduces the Household Consultation Method and the follow-up (part I) to Household Survey 2 (Session 7), reading through it briefly.

Role play using the data from Household Survey 2. The trainer explains the consultation method, referring to the notes on p.61-63.

- Participants divide into four or more groups and each group plays the role of household or consultant. For each of the four parts of the Household Consultation, there should be two households and two consultants represented.

Note: Wives are often responsible for the home garden, but both husband and wife should participate in the role play, as they make joint decisions on home garden development.

- Participants prepare their roles, briefing themselves on the data from Household Survey 2 and consulting Tables 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3 (p.64-66) if appropriate.

- Each group then portrays a consultation session. While watching, the remainder of the group completes part I, Follow-up to Household Survey 2 (Session 7).

Discussion. The whole group discusses its reactions to counseling and being counseled.

Individual visits. Participants should now make their own arrangements to visit a home garden individually where they will conduct a Household Survey and Consultation with the active participation of the household. The consultation is conducted by following the method practiced.

The day after completing the household consultation, each participant should present to the trainer a completed Survey Form 2, including part I.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

From Session 7:

- Sketch map of the surveyed home garden.

- Table 7.1, Home garden crops and animals (from Survey Form 2).

- Copies of Survey Form 2.

From Session 8:

- Copies of notes on Household Consultation Method.

- Table 8.1, Suggested minimum plantings for home gardens.

- Table 8.2, Suggested crop locations in the home garden.

- Table 8.3, Suggested layers of crops.

TECHNICAL NOTES

HOUSEHOLD CONSULTATION METHOD

Priority messages

HOUSEHOLD CONSULTATIONS SHOULD ASSIST RURAL PEOPLE IN MAKING THEIR OWN DECISIONS

HOUSEHOLD CONSULTATIONS SHOULD ASSIST RURAL PEOPLE IN MAKING THEIR OWN DECISIONS

This household consultation method is designed to help rural people make their own decisions about their system of food supply. Visiting consultants should provide information but should ask and listen as much as giving advice. It is not necessary to follow this method strictly; it is more important to work with members of the household to decide on actions to be taken to solve their food and nutrition problems.

At the start of the consultation, the consultants should greet the household members and make sure both wife and husband can participate in the consultation. The visiting consultants should also explain the purpose of their visit and make sure the family is comfortable about the questions and the implications of the answers.

The trainer should emphasize that, if a child's health problems appear urgent, the participants visiting that home should suggest a visit to the village health post.

HOUSEHOLD CONSULTATION

Preparation. Complete parts A to H of Survey Form 2 with the household. Next, during the consultation complete sections I to 4 of part I (Follow-up to Household Survey 2), as explained below.

Section 1. Has the household achieved year-round food supplies?

The consultant completes section 1, part 1, Survey Form 2 and:

- asks the mother to suggest ways of immediately helping the children to gain weight and grow, if necessary;

- identifies with the mother any nutritional gaps in the children's diet;

- discusses gaps in food availability with the husband and wife (e.g. lack of weaning foods, lack of time for the mother to feed the child) and identifies gaps in food processing, food preparation and food utilization;

- analyses with both husband and wife why these gaps exist;

- discusses how to fill these gaps by:

- growing more of what is needed

- growing and selling to purchase what cannot be grown;

- processing what is already available.

The consultant and the family together complete the Plans of action at the end of section 1, part 1, on Survey Form 2.

Section 2. Could the home garden contribute more to household food needs In terms of quality and diversity?

The consultant completes section 2, part I, Survey Form 2, and then:

- reviews Table 7.1, Home garden crops and livestock, with the family and discusses any obvious nutritional and food gaps;

- asks the family to suggest a few crops that it likes to eat but does not at present grow;

- discusses with the family why it is not growing these foods.

- If there is a technical problem (e.g. home garden structure, function, crop productivity), the consultant should give advice.

- If planting materials are in short supply, the consultant should advise on sources of or ways to improve supply (e.g. seed exchanges, starting a local nursery or obtaining supplies from the ministry of agriculture).

- If the family members do not know the food value of the selected crops, the consultant should provide a simple list such as Table 3.3, Nutritional value of home garden foods, if someone in the family can read. Otherwise, a drawing or poster showing all the different foods can be prepared for distribution to families after the work is completed.

The consultant and the family together complete the Plans of action at the end of section 2, part I, Survey Form 2.

Section 3. Could the home garden contribute a larger quantity of food to the household supply?

The consultant completes section 3, part I, Survey Form 2, and then:

- discusses with the husband and wife how this particular home garden structure can be intensified (e.g. more trees, multilayer cropping);

- discusses the remarks on individual crops in Table 7.1 with the husband and wife and brings up any general or specific problems such as use of fertilizer, crop protection and better crop varieties;

- consults Table 8.1, Suggested minimum plantings for home gardens, and decides with the husband and wife on the number of each crop to be planted;

- consults Tables 8.2, Suggested crop locations in the home garden, and 8.3, Suggested layers of crops, and identifies possible locations for the selected plants. The consultant should make a simple sketch map of the home garden and explain to the farmers why it is useful.

The consultant and the family together complete the Plans of action at the end of section 3, part I, Survey Form 2.

Section 4. What are the human resources?

The consultant completes section 4, part I, Survey Form 2, and then:

- discusses with the husband and wife the importance of nutrition knowledge to the health of their family members;

- describes the ways that the husband and wife can find out more about nutrition (such as nutritious local foods, cooking and food processing methods, local health centres, women's groups) and farming techniques (such as good home gardens in the area, farmers' groups or agricultural extension agents);

- provides copies of appropriate home garden technology leaflets (if available) for their reference;

- describes the potential of the home garden, pointing out how local conditions such as land area, labour, soil type or rainfall will limit or enhance the garden's food potential, and decides with the husband and wife how much time they can make available for work required in the garden.

Together, the consultant and the family complete the Plans of action at the end of section 4, part I, Survey Form 2.

TABLE 8.1

Suggested minimum target plantings for home gardens

Crop	Mini mum number	Every three months Frequency
Root crops
Sweet potato	100	+
Taro	150	+
Yam	50	+
Cassava	300	+
Legumes
Groundnut	600	+
Soybean	600	+
Mung bean	600	+
Long or French bean	50	+
Vegetable crops
Water spinach	50	+ (upland)
Pumpkin	4
Amaranth	25
Rape or jute	50
Katuk (Sauropus sp.)	100
Cassava (leaves)	100
Fruit
Papaya	5
Coconut	1 5
Banana	1 5
Jackfruit	5
Guava	5
Citrus	5
Spices and medicinal plants
Lemon grass	5	+
Chili		+
Black pepper	10	+
Garlic or onion	20	+
Ginger	10	+

TABLE 8.2

Suggested crop locations In the home garden

Plants for moist areas	Plants that cover the soil
Taro	Pumpkin, cucumber
Water spinach	Vine legumes
Sugar cane	Sweet potato
Banana
Lemon grass
Plants to grow on a trellis	Plants as living fences
Wing bean	Katuk (Sauropus sp.)
French bean	Long bean
Pandanus	Cassava
Pumpkin	Pineapple
Gourd	Lemon grass
Passionfruit	Gliricidia sp.
Yam	Salak
Black pepper
Bitter cucumber
Plants to grow under a trellis (shade)
Most leafy plants
Some root crops, e.g. taro, sweet potato

TABLE 8.3

Suggested layers of crops

Crop	Upper storey	Middle storey	Lower storey
Coconut	x	x
Breadfruit	x
Durian	x
Tamarind	x
Sesbania grandiflora	x
Rose apple		x
Jackfruit		x
Rambutan		x
Banana		x
Litchi		x
Cashew nut		x
Coffee		x
Papaya		x
Cocoa		x
Soursop, custard apple	x
Taro			x
Ginger			x
Katuk (Sauropus sp.)		x
Chili			x
Lemon grass			x
Tea			x
Sweet potato			x
Eggplant			x
Pumpkin			x
Yam			x*
Pepper			x*
Bitter cucumber			x*
Long bean			x*
Passionfruit			x*

*Vine crops that can grow on trees or trellises.

Day 6

Session 9: Plan of action (1)

Objective

By the end of this session participants will be able to:

- understand why a plan of action is essential for good management of a field programme;

- identify the main components of a plan of action for improving household food supplies through home gardening

A field worker discussing a home garden sketch map with farmers

OVERVIEW

Individual consultations are valuable but cannot give families all the knowledge and skills needed to make their own decisions and act on those decisions. The community as a group needs to take actions that make people aware of the importance and urgency of improved food production and better nutrition as well as to provide information and practical training on how to achieve these. Proper action requires planning, which can be done using a simple project planning method. In this session, the basic terminology and principles of project formulation are discussed, illustrated and applied.

ACTIVITIES

Note: The trainer must read and understand the Technical Notes for Session 9 and Project Outline 1: Training in home garden development (p.71).

Objective. The trainer states the objective of this session and explains how long it will be, how it will be conducted and what is expected from participants. A full day is needed for this session.

Presentation of method for project planning. The trainer uses the Technical Notes to introduce the elements of a project, emphasizing that the project method is based on simple reasoning and is particularly valuable because it guides people in preparing for needs and any problems that might occur after work starts on the project.

Discussion: formulating a project. The trainer displays the first three sections of Project Outline 1: Training in home garden development, showing the rationale, goal and objective of the project outline. The trainer asks the participants to work together (or in groups) to finish writing the plan of this project for their own area, including discussion and preparation of the:

- outputs (also when they should be achieved);

- activities and inputs;

- timetable.

Participants can propose the project elements in any order but should try to identify them correctly with the trainer's guidance.

Feedback. The trainer displays the complete Project Outline I and invites participants to discuss the differences between this and their own project outline.

Note: Project Outline 1 is only an example. The participants' own project outlines will probably be more sensitive to local needs and conditions.

Short discussion. The trainer displays the first two columns (problem and causes) of Table 9.1, Food and nutrition problems (p.72), and invites participants to suggest what kind of community action is suitable in each case. The trainer then displays the third column and participants compare their solutions with those in the table.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

- Project Outline 1: Training in home garden development.

- Table 9.1, Food and nutrition problems.

TECHNICAL NOTES

PLAN OF ACTION (1)

Priority messages

COMMUNITY ACTION MUST RAISE AWARENESS AS WELL AS PROVIDING PRACTICAL TRAINING

ACTION TO PROMOTE HOME GARDENING FOR BETTER NUTRITION NEEDS CAREFUL PLANNING

Community action must raise awareness as well as providing practical training

In previous sessions participants have learned to recognize the importance of households having food security, i.e. having access to enough nutritious foods year round, and the potential of the home garden to contribute to it. They have applied their knowledge both to case-studies and to individual real life situations.

The next thing is to consider how an improved household food supply can be achieved for a whole community. The strategy adopted must involve:

- raising people's awareness of the importance and urgency of improving the home garden's production for better nutrition and extra income;

- encouraging and supporting them, by means of practical skills training, to take immediate action using existing resources.

Action to promote home gardening for better nutrition needs careful planning

Any project or programme designed to reach a number of households will need careful planning. One of the most effective ways of planning an action programme is to work systematically through the elements of project formulation:

- rationale and goal;

- objectives;

- strategy;

- outputs and targets;

- activities and agents;

- inputs;

- timetable and work plan.

Planning a project is like planning a journey. You need to decide why you are going (rationale and goal); where you want to go (objective); how you propose to get there (strategy); what the immediate result of your trip will be (output); when you expect to arrive (target); what preparations you need to make and how you will travel (activities); what you will need, e.g. documents, vehicles, petrol (inputs); and how long it will all take (timetable).

A methodical approach makes it possible to:

- see how realistic the project is and whether it will fit into the existing work programme;

- anticipate problems;

- check on the progress of the work (monitoring) and on whether the project has achieved its aims (evaluation).

The elements of project formulation are described in greater detail below.

ELEMENTS OF A PROJECT

The rationale is the reasoning behind the plan. In the case of home garden development, the lack of knowledge and skills among the householders means that some form of education is important. The rationale should also make clear who is to benefit from the plan. Women are often the managers of the home garden and household food supply; therefore, women will generally be the direct target group and beneficiaries of home garden improvement projects while children will be the main indirect beneficiaries because they will benefit from better nutrition.

The goal is the ultimate aim. In this training course, the goal is improved food production and nutrition through better use of the home garden.

The objectives are what is hoped will happen as a result of the project activities (e.g. households improve their farming methods in specific ways, they produce more food as well as a wider range of foods and families have better diets). An objective is more specific than a goal and it should be stated so as to make it possible to measure (in quantitative terms) progress towards it.

The strategy is the general procedure proposed for achieving the objective. It should take into account all local constraints and conditions; for example the culture and expectations of the beneficiaries, budget restrictions, seasonal factors and limitations on resources.

The outputs are the actual products of the project activities (e.g. 20 people trained, one demonstration home garden developed, 300 recipes circulated). There may be many outputs for one objective. In a detailed plan, the description of an output should include the quantity of the output and a date by which the output must be completed.

The activities are what is done during the project to produce the outputs (e.g. training, demonstrating, selecting trainees, producing charts). In a detailed plan, it is very important that the description of activities makes it clear who is responsible for each activity.

The inputs are all the things (labour, equipment, money) necessary to make the activities possible. In the detailed plan, these should be quantified (e.g. ten person-days, 30 note pads) and costs estimated.

The timetable sets out the time needed to complete all the activities of the project and makes it possible to measure progress. It can be prepared as a detailed work plan showing exactly who does what, when, over what period and with what result.

Note: These elements are illustrated in Project Outline 1: Training in home garden development.

PROJECT OUTLINE 1: TRAINING IN HOME GARDEN DEVELOPMENT

Rationale

Home gardening can be greatly improved by enhancing use of the garden. Many home gardens are not fully used, mainly because of a lack of knowledge. Home garden owners or managers need more information on how to manage land, diversify and intensify the crop base and improve individual crop productivity.

Goal

Improved food production and nutrition through better home garden utilization.

Objective

To enable households to put into action their own plan for the improvement of their home garden, involving:

- improving soil management;

- diversifying the food crops grown;

- intensifying land use;

- improving productivity of individual plants.

Strategy

A field worker will help families to analyse the main problems that exist in their home gardens. The field worker will also help to identify families who have developed their home gardens well and who apply good practices.

Home garden owners or managers (e.g. husband or wife or both) will be invited to a series of training sessions, involving demonstrations of good home garden practices and an introduction to new techniques. Home garden owners or managers will then, with the help of the field worker, develop plans for improvement of their own home gardens.

Outputs and targets

Note: For each of the following outputs and targets, a date for completion should be set.

- Identify main home garden problems with the participation of home garden owners or managers.

- Identify well-developed local home gardens.

- Prepare training plan and materials.

- Train ten home garden owners or managers.

- Develop individual plans for home gardens and prepare a list of the materials required (and costs) in discussion with the home garden owners or managers.

Activities

The field worker:

- surveys local home gardens, identifying their potential for increased food production and the problems involved;

- identifies two or three examples of home gardens showing good veil management, diversified and intensified cropping systems and good individual crop productivity;

- prepares a training course;

- invites home garden owners or managers to participate in the training course;

- conducts five half-day training sessions, including:

- one walking tour of "good example" home gardens, using the home garden owner or manager as guide

- one demonstration session on easy new techniques

- two follow-up discussion sessions

- one session for finalizing individual home garden plans

- arranges supplies of seeds and seedlings as necessary;

- visits participants' home gardens to discuss the feasibility of improvement plans.

Inputs

The following inputs are needed:

- field worker - 23 days of work;

- seeds and seedlings from the ministry of agriculture;

- technical support (one or two advisers for training sessions) from the ministry of agriculture, the local university or other specialist local institutions.

Timetable

- Information collection: ten days;

- planning of training: five days;

- training: three days;

- follow-up visits: five days.

TABLE 9.1

Food and nutrition problems

Problem	Causes	Solution
The productivity of the home garden has not reached its potential	Soil improvement techniques are not fully utilized	Identify simple soil improvement techniques
	The cropping system is not the most suitable for high productivity	Teach households about the techniques
	Individual plant productivity is not good	Teach households about multilayer and multiple cropping
		Identify problems and demonstrate solutions
Home gardens do not meet daily food needs	Households are not aware of appropriate crops	Teach households about appropriate crops
	Households do not have access to enough good planting materials	Ensure villages grow their own planting materials
		- Find out where they are available
The family diet is inadequate and lacks variety	Households are not familiar with specific nutritional needs of family members, especially those of young children	Educate households to understand the benefits of a greater variety of foods and adequate nutrition

Session 10: Plan of action (2)

Objective

By the end of this session participants will have designed a realistic work plan for their own community.

OVERVIEW

The principles studied in the previous session are now applied to designing real plans of action for local needs and conditions.

ACTIVITIES

Note: The trainer must read and understand the Technical Notes for Session 10 and Project Outline 2, Training in diet and nutrition (p.76), and Project Outline 3, Developing a home garden (p.77).

Objective. The trainer presents the objective and explains the relevance of the session, emphasizing that a "realistic" plan is one that is small and manageable and makes use of available resources. A full day should be available for this session.

Discussion . The trainer writes a list of commonly available local resources on the blackboard and asks participants to discuss and compare the resources available in their own areas.

Design a community action plan. The trainer asks participants to work in groups to design one of the following community action plans:

- Project Outline 2: Training in diet and nutrition

Objective: to help ten households learn about adequate food and nutrition and how to create a varied diet using local foods.

- Project Outline 3: Developing a home garden

Objective: to encourage 15 households to improve their home garden by using good practices aimed at:

- improving soil management;

- diversifying the food crops grown; intensifying land use;

- improving productivity of individual plants.

Participants should use the method for project planning to help them prepare a workable plan. However, it should be emphasized that obvious common sense is far more important than a rigid design.

Presentations. The trainer asks groups to present the outline of their plan of action and respond to comments from other participants.

Note: The trainer may wish to display and discuss the example outlines for these two projects (Project Outlines 2 and 3) which are included in the Technical Notes. However, in the same way as for Project Outline 1, the trainer should emphasize that these are only "model" project plans in that they are logical and consistent.

Individual planning of work programme. The trainer asks participants to work individually to develop the outline of a work programme which they can implement in their own community. Later, the trainer selects participants to present their programmes to the whole group for discussion.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

- Blackboard for presentations.

- Project Outline 2, Training in diet and nutrition, and Project Outline 3, Developing a home garden.

TECHNICAL NOTES

PLAN OF ACTION (2)

Priority messages

TO BE EFFECTIVE, PLANS MUST BE SMALL AND MANAGEABLE

THE MOST EFFECTIVE STRATEGY IS TO WORK WITH THE PEOPLE AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE

To be effective, plans must be small and manageable

It is better to undertake and complete one activity successfully than to undertake many and not complete them. Far too many community projects start with good intentions but fail to achieve anything. There are many reasons for unsuccessful projects, but a common cause of failure is that the activities planned are too ambitious and require too much from both the field worker and the household.

When planning community projects, field workers should therefore aim at small, achievable objectives. For example, by the end of the training course:

- 80 percent of the households attending should be able to apply at least two new techniques to improve the productivity of their home gardens;

- twenty households with malnourished children will select two new crops to cultivate which will significantly diversify their diet.

The most effective strategy is to work with the people and resources available

Community projects must work within the limit of available resources. Following is a list of some commonly available local resources:

- well-developed home gardens in the area;

- local skills, knowledge and good practices;

- home garden service centres;

- local colleges or universities;

- service stations of the ministry of agriculture;

- local government;

- survey information, including the surveys carried out in this course.

PROJECT OUTLINE 2: TRAINING IN DIET AND NUTRITION

Rationale

There is evidence of malnutrition in the area, which threatens the growth and development of children. The dietary deficiencies are mainly due to people's lack of knowledge of what makes up a proper diet. Training would encourage people to make better use of existing food sources and to develop the contribution of foods to their diet.

Goal

Improved food production and nutrition through better home garden utilization.

Objective

To help 20 households learn about adequate food and nutrition and how to create a varied diet using local foods.

Strategy

The people (home garden owners or managers) are not highly educated and will respond best to visual messages and practical experience. Training will therefore be based mainly on pictures and practice, including a walking tour of a well-developed home garden and demonstrations of simple food preparation and processing techniques.

Outputs and targets

- Twenty trained people (home garden owners or managers);

- a picture booklet or charts showing food values of commonly grown local crops;

- step-by-step illustrations of food preparation and processing procedures.

Activities

- Preparation of booklets or charts.

- Training (four half-days) consisting of inputs on:

- the importance of nutrients and their effect on health;

- the food value of commonly grown local crops;

- simple food processing techniques;

- recognizing and creating an adequate, nutritious and safe diet.

Inputs

- Training material designer: five days;

- artist: five days;

- nutritionist: two days;

- trainer: total of two days;

- printing of picture charts.

Timetable

- Preparation of pictures and photos for training materials and testing: ten days;

- preparation of training materials: ten days;

- training: three half-days over three weeks.

PROJECT OUTLINE 3: DEVELOPING A HOME GARDEN

Rationale

Home gardening can be greatly improved by development of the home garden. Many people in the villages lack the experience, knowledge and skills to make improvements. Sometimes they also lack appropriate planting materials. Knowledge and skills can be transferred by identifying successful home garden managers who are prepared to work together with other less successful or knowledgeable households, supported by agricultural extension staff. The need for planting materials can be fulfilled by setting up nurseries in individual home gardens, which can be managed by the respective owners or managers on a commercial basis. Visible success is more persuasive than a thousand lectures.

Goal

Improved food production and nutrition through better home garden utilization.

Objective

To encourage 200 households to improve their home garden by applying good practices aimed at:

- improving soil management;

- diversifying the food crops grown;

- intensifying land use;

- improving productivity of individual plants.

Strategy

Two or three households with well-developed home gardens will be identified to serve as demonstration and learning sites. Planting materials can be produced by these demonstration farmers and other interested home garden owners or managers. Demonstration tours and exchange visits can be conducted on a regular basis.

Outputs and targets

- Well-developed home gardens identified and serving as demonstration sites;

- number of visitors per year;

- number of demonstrations carried out per year;

- quantity of seeds and seedlings distributed.

Activities

- Identify the most commonly grown plants and main cropping patterns in the area.

- Work with demonstration home garden managers to demonstrate how best to intensify and diversify the home garden crops grown.

- Establish experimental plants and control groups for demonstration purposes.

- Conduct demonstrations involving techniques for intensifying land use and increasing productivity.

- Interested home garden owners or managers produce planting materials for distribution.

- Organize and conduct demonstration tours and exchange visits among home garden managers or owners to show improvements and enable people to learn from each other which home garden management practices are feasible.

Inputs

- Home garden owners or managers prepared to use their home garden as a demonstration site;

- one day's work per week by an agricultural extension worker over a specified period;

- seeds and seedlings from the ministry of agriculture;

- technical support from local training institutions.

Timetable

- Preliminary research and design: two months;

- home garden development: one year;

- demonstrations, tours, plant production: year round.