Role of homestead garden on food and nutritional security of rural women of Assam

Abstract

newline The present research aimed to determine the impact of homestead garden newlinealong with nutritional education in the nutrition and economic stability of women in newlineAssam. The socio-economic and demographic profile of the respondent in the study newlinearea were examined and found that most of them are of age between 19-59 years, newlinerepresenting 80.39 per cent of the total population. The educational status was found newlinehighest for respondent having high school education (50.22 per cent). Most of the newlinerespondent families (76.5 per cent ) were constituted with 3-4 members and majority newline(72.5 per cent). of them lived in nuclear families. Majority of the families (64 per cent) newlinehad monthly income ranging from rupees 10000-15000. The homestead garden newlinecommonly cultivated green amaranth (33.5 per cent), amaranth (20.5 per cent), white newlinegoosefoot (26.5 per cent) during the kharif season. Highest production of other newlinevegetables was noticed in the study area followed by green leafy vegetables and roots newlineand tubers. Most of the households commonly cultivated gourd varieties with the newlinesupport of trellis made of bamboo. In the rabi season, commonly cultivated vegetables newlinecultivated were radish followed by knolkhol, ghost chillies. In respondents exhibited a newlinehigh deficit for green leafy vegetables (85.17 per cent), other vegetables (82.48 per newlinecent), fruits (76.22 per cent), milk and milk products (76.95 per cent), and roots and newlinetubers (61.60 per cent). The consumption of pulses and legumes was 110.50 per cent newlineand meat products were (75.29 per cent) were adequate. In the daily nutrient intake, it newlinewas recorded that carotene content is the most deficit nutrient, followed by calcium, and newlineiron in the selected women respondents. With nutrition education intervention along newlinewith homestead garden, the anthropometric parameters, such as waist circumference newlinewas decreased from 77.50 cm to 75.45 cm, the hip circumference was decreased from newline87.66 cm to 85.13 cm, decrease in the waist to hip ratio was recorded from 0.89 to 0.88, newlinethe weight of the respon...