The Resilience, Entrepreneurship, and Livelihoods Improvement (RELI) Project, succeeding the Nuton Jibon Livelihood Improvement Project (NJLIP), received approval in May 2021. This project aims to expand livelihood improvements for 750,000 rural individuals in 20 districts across 3,200 villages over five years, with a budget of USD 300 million. In collaboration with FAO, it focuses on enhancing nutrition outcomes, particularly through the distribution of vegetable seeds for kitchen gardens (USD 5.8 million) under Subcomponent A.3 Health and Nutrition.

Another initiative, the Chhattisgarh Inclusive, Rural, and Accelerated Agriculture Growth (CHIRAAG) project, seeks to increase income opportunities and improve nutrition availability in Chhattisgarh’s tribal areas, addressing high poverty and malnutrition rates. This project adopts a Nutrition-Supportive Agriculture approach, promoting household nutrition through activities such as kitchen garden promotion, behaviour change communication, and women’s empowerment under Subcomponent 1.2 Household Food Availability and Nutrition Practices. FAO wished to prepare a brief knowledge piece on kitchen garden intervention with the following objectives.

Objectives

The goal was to provide a succinct knowledge piece, outlining kitchen garden interventions in South Asian investment projects, especially in India and Bangladesh, while considering other relevant countries. It would summarize lessons learned, including integration benefits and challenges. Furthermore, it would present recommendations for enhancing kitchen garden initiatives within RELI and CHIRAAG, focusing on improving input packages for the most vulnerable beneficiaries with a priority on nutrition.

Approach and Methodology

We compiled key insights into home and kitchen gardens, combining primary data from consultations with project implementers, technical experts, and community representatives involved in homestead gardening initiatives in India and Bangladesh. Our discussions included Odisha-State Rural Livelihood Mission representatives, Bihar Rural Livelihood Promotion Society, GIZ’s Securing Nutrition and Enhancing Nutrition (SENU) project, RELI project, FAO in Bangladesh, and kitchen garden and nutrition experts. We supplemented this primary data with an extensive review of literature, encompassing publications, reports, project documents, and assessment reports related to home and kitchen gardening. We used both primary and secondary data to draw meaningful conclusions. Additionally, we organized a brainstorming session to compare and evaluate insights from various homestead gardening projects, enhancing our theoretical framework.

Results

The outcomes of our efforts encompass a comprehensive understanding of Kitchen Garden Interventions within investment projects across South Asia, with a specific focus on India and Bangladesh. Importantly, we’ve formulated recommendations tailored to the RELI and CHIRAAG initiatives, emphasizing enhancements to the current input package to better address the needs of the most vulnerable beneficiaries while prioritizing nutrition considerations.

Save the Children has collaborated with NITI Aayog to support two of the most affected Aspirational Districts (West Singhbhum and Gumla) in Jharkhand to improve the nutritional outcomes in the districts. Save the Children will fortify its endeavour to strengthen the existing health systems and deliver high impact interventions and campaigns, through capacity-building of personnel from the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Health departments.

Save the Children proposed to improve the nutritional outcome for all the children and women in the targeted geography by strengthening the ICDS systems and by creating an enabling environment that results in evidence based, sustainable, multi-sectoral nutrition actions delivered at scale. The intervention will strive to achieve the objective of Sustainable Development Goals target of Zero Hunger (SDG-2).

Objectives

• Assess the present nutritional status among children under 6 years of age in the intervention blocks

• Assess the status of ICDS service delivery and its coverage in sampled households (provisioning and functional status and quality of services) related to child nutrition (growth monitoring, supplementary nutrition, nutrition and health education, immunization, health check-up and referral services) and integrated WASH in the intervention blocks.

• Understand the knowledge level and practice among mothers and caregivers and service providers related to child nutrition care and WASH in the intervention blocks.

• Determine the enablers and barriers both from demand and supply (systems) perspective for improving the coverage and utilization of key child nutrition and integrated WASH interventions in the intervention blocks.

• Provide recommendations to formulate the strategies for an integrated intervention leading to improved knowledge and practices of the target group and strengthening child nutrition and integrated WASH services in the targeted blocks.

Approach and Methodology

A mix method study involving qualitative and quantitative techniques and tools was adopted for this study. The qualitative survey involved group discussions and personal interviews using discussion guides while the quantitative survey involved personal interviews using structured questionnaires. Apart from the community, the key informants in the study are Anganwadi workers, Village Health Nutrition & Sanitation Committee (VHNSC), government officials etc. The information regarding three majors target groups – pregnant mother, children up to 36-month age and children between 36-month and 72-month age, was collected. 10 villages from the intervention area and 10 villages from the non-intervention area were covered under the study.

Results

The baseline study created a reference for tracking the result level indicators which contributed towards improving nutrition for all children and women and generated local evidences and learnings. It presented the status of coverage of ICDS services and current knowledge and practices of community (mothers and care givers) as well as service provider at institution level regarding child nutrition and integrated WASH.

Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF) is working in 12 states and 50 districts across the nation and reaching 2.8 million people in various geographies. ACF has been working in the Haridwar district since 2006 in 36 villages through various community development programs. ACF started the organic farming program in 2011 to promote the availability of safe and healthy foods to farmers, reduce the negative impact on the environment and reduce the farmer’s cultivation cost. It started with 6 villages, 50 farmers, and 20 hectares of land in the Bhagwanpur block of Haridwar district. ACF is promoting organic and natural farming practices under the agro-based livelihood program. One Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) has been formed in 2018 and is working in the entire value chain of organic production, certification, and marketing with 654 farmers.

Objectives

The core objective of the study was to conduct a comprehensive baseline report for establishing the current status of both short term and long-term indicators in organic farming.

Approach and Methodology

To conduct the baseline study, we employed a mixed methods approach that included a literature review, as well as quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques. The study focused on gathering information from 5 villages in the Bhagwanpur block and 20 villages in the Narsan block, both located in the Haridwar district.

For the quantitative data collection, we surveyed a total of 400 farmers from households (HHs), with 100 from the Bhagwanpur block and 300 from the Narsan block. To ensure accuracy and consistency, we developed a comprehensive structured questionnaire for collecting data at the HH level.

In addition, we utilized qualitative data collection methods to gain a deeper understanding of the ecosystem, gaps, and challenges. This involved conducting focus group discussions with farmers and members of the Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs). Furthermore, in-depth discussions were held with government officials, extension service providers, the certification agency, and the project team.

By combining these different methods, we aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the current situation, enabling us to identify potential areas for improvement and formulate effective strategies moving forward.

Results

Through the implementation of a comprehensive baseline study, ACF successfully established and documented the fundamental values of the project indicators. This achievement has paved the way for ACF to actively collaborate with farmers, encouraging the adoption of organic and natural agricultural practices.