Depending on where you live eating healthy can be difficult.
It could be due to the lack of money to buy healthy foods or the inability to
grow them. In urban areas the lack of green space limits growing foods. However,
there is an increasing trend of community gardens in urban areas. There is even
one currently in West Lafayette by the Purdue airport (1). Gardening can be a
great way to increase overall health. There is evidence to suggest that
gardening can help relieve stress through decreased cortisol levels, improve symptoms
of depression, provide physical activity, decrease dementia risk and of course
provide nutritious foods (2). People who
grow food tend to eat more fruits and vegetables, resulting in a healthier diet.
There are economic benefits to gardening including saving money that would have
been spent on food that was not grown. One estimate determined that in Newark,
New Jersey there is a $475 return on investment from a 720 square foot garden (3).
There are now more projects being started in the US to
encourage gardens at elementary and middle schools to teach students how to
grow their own food. It introduces students to the fruits and vegetables that are
locally grown and teaches sustainable practices (4). Studies have also shown that when students are
involved with gardening they are more likely to choose healthier snacks and be
more willing to try new foods (4, 2).
Having a well-balanced diet is hard to come by especially in
developing countries. There is instability in the food market and food prices
are becoming too high for people to manage. The UN Secretary General
acknowledged that the increase in food price could impact the progress towards
the Millennium Development Goals as well (5). When it comes to agricultural
interventions, one of the most effective has been home gardens. It encourages
an increase in diversity in what is consumed and has led to an increase in micronutrient
consumption. Keyhole gardens are a specific type of home garden. When looked at
from about the garden looks like a key hole. All that is need are bricks or
stones, top soil, compost, straw or grass, wood ash, sticks, and string (6). The
garden is made so that the center of the garden has the nutrients and moisture
to feed the plants surrounding it and the gardens are usually six feet in
diameter. The small sizes of the gardens make it ideal for areas with limited
space. The elevated height can help elder or physically limited people to
garden on their own. Not only do the gardens provide nutritious food, but also
extra produce can become a source of income.
Other methods of gardening in developing countries includes
bag gardening and trench gardening. Bag gardening is when a bag is filled with
soil with a stack of stones in the center and slits are cut into the side of
the bag. Small plants are planted in the slits and plants can also be planted
on the top. It has an even smaller footprint than keyhole gardens but all fewer
plants can be planted (7). Trench
gardens are channels about 20 inches deep that are filled with similar material
to what is in a keyhole garden. Trench gardens are closer to the ground so
involves more bending and kneeling but a wider varied of plants can be grown (5).
Increasing gardens in developing countries should be an important focus of
international efforts. Gardens provide increase micronutrients important for
battling many diseases a well as malnourishment and can provide a source of
income.
(4) Patel, I. C. (1991).
Gardening’s socioeconomic impacts. Journal of Extension,29(4), 7-8.
(5) Romero‐Daza, N., Himmelgreen, D. A., Noble, C. A.,
& Turkon, D. (2009). Dealing with the Global Food Crisis in Local Settings:
Nonintensive Agriculture in Lesotho, Southern Africa. NAPA
Bulletin, 32(1), 23-41.
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