Home gardening is perhaps the most important alternative method of food production in almost all developing countries including Sri Lanka. It remains one of the most successful substitutes in the manufacture of foods for everyday consumption, offering many health and other benefits to society.
Home gardening has also been identified by experts as an effective alternative method to provide year-round access to food for most rural and suburban households in the country. While making a significant contribution to food security in Sri Lanka, home garden harvesting also provides a nutritious, safe, healthy and chemical-free food supply to meet daily household needs.
The United Nations Committee on World Food Security defines food security as “the state in which all people have, at all times, physical, social and economic access to an adequate supply of food that is safe and meets their nutritional needs in order to be active and lead healthy lives. Despite the lengthy statement, Sri Lanka appears to be headed for a major food crisis unless the authorities immediately make an effective national effort.
lack of food
The current food shortages are due to several reasons, most notably the previous government’s ban on chemical fertilizers, which has led to an alarming food crisis in the country. Two consecutive seasons of poor harvests resulted in a significant loss of production, along with a drop in grain imports due to foreign exchange restrictions.
Many institutions, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), are adding fuel to the fire, warning of an imminent global food crisis that could affect almost every country in the world. The most worrying factor for Sri Lanka is that global food shortages will collide with the poor food security currently prevailing in the country. Food exports from countries from which Sri Lanka imports some key products may be subject to severe restrictions.
With the food crisis looming and the difficulties facing the agribusiness industry, Sri Lankan technical specialists and academics have submitted several viable food security proposals to the previous government. The irony is that the new government has not seriously discussed such projects, proposals or recommendations.
At the time, media reports revealed that the short-, medium- and long-term solutions had been presented as a suggestion for food security and other agricultural efforts. The scientists who put forward the proposal agree that implementing the plan’s recommendations will help solve the nation’s food problem.
More importantly, according to a recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), an estimated 6.3 million people in Sri Lanka are suffering from moderate to severe acute food insecurity, and their situation is becoming likely to deteriorate if adequate support is not provided.
Globally, home gardens have been identified as an important additional source contributing to food security and livelihoods. Home gardening has been an integral part of local food systems in Sri Lanka for centuries. Therefore, with a little nudge from the authorities, the citizenry will no doubt embrace the concept with open arms, for two main reasons.
Firstly, to reduce the burden of prevailing prohibitive food costs and secondly, to eat healthily. However, you certainly need some motivation to get started.
Nowadays gardening at home in Sri Lanka is much more than just a pleasure or a fun activity. Not only do people enjoy gardening as it has so many scientifically proven benefits, but it can also greatly reduce their daily living expenses, but also greatly reduce their daily living expenses. People can benefit from gardening in many ways.
The most obvious financial benefit of home gardening is the opportunity to cut down on grocery spending, which has skyrocketed in recent months. On the one hand, growers can reduce household expenses and earn extra money by selling the extra yield on top of their harvest at the market.
For example, if someone grows plantains or vegetables in their garden, they might have no problem selling them in the market since everyone appreciates organic food.
Also, home gardening is considered to be a very powerful “mood lifter,” among other financial benefits. Getting outside and gardening can be an immensely beneficial stress reliever, especially when people are struggling to make ends meet due to the prevailing deep financial crisis and other ongoing chaos. Gardening has been shown to reduce depression and anxiety in those who regularly engage in such activities.
backyard
The grower has complete control over the fertilizer used during the growing process when growing food in the backyard. Whatever the cultivation, the gardener has an opportunity to avoid toxic materials, especially chemical fertilizers and pesticides. For centuries, the people of Sri Lanka have been accustomed to using native methods to control weeds and pests. These old methods can be successfully reintroduced through well-structured communication. Encouraging home gardening can provide households with the opportunity to consume healthy, organic foods.
Unlike produce on the market, which is often collected before it is fully ripe, homegrown produce cannot be picked until it is ready. Freshly harvested produce from a home garden is of better quality than store-bought produce, which often contains unidentified chemicals. Homegrown vegetables are always healthier because they contain more nutrients when eaten soon after harvest.
Home gardening offers immense benefits to the deteriorating environment. Planting a garden is a chance to improve the environment. Most kitchen and outdoor waste can be turned into a nutrient-rich garden fertilizer through composting. Home gardening activities cause less pollution and groundwater pollution because no chemicals are used. Also, garden plants often help reduce soil erosion by holding the soil in place.
Home gardening is by no means a guaranteed answer to the approaching food crisis. However, a concerted effort by authorities to encourage people to be more involved with the home garden will mitigate the impact of the current severe shortage as it can successfully replace a significant part of every family’s diet.
It goes without saying that the media can be crucial, if not the most effective, in promoting backyard and community gardening. During the time of the Covid-19 disaster, the general population was effectively encouraged and inspired by both mainstream and social media.
However, the media takes a back seat, giving political issues more space than other important public issues such as food security. Undoubtedly, the media is perhaps the single most important vehicle for spreading the tremendous benefits of home gardening to the masses.
Unfortunately, opposition parties or those engaged in endless campaigns of protest for system change seem uninterested in confronting the impending food crisis. They continue to ignore the alarming warnings from domestic and foreign intellectuals and organizations.
Currently, a large majority of them are interested in an upcoming election and are vehemently committed to pressuring the government to hold an election.
While timely elections are essential to democracy, none of them seem to have considered that food security is more important in the long run. Given Sri Lanka’s history, it is a foregone conclusion that the food crisis will be used as effective campaign fodder.
Sri Lanka has been heavily dependent on food imports in recent years. However, at a time when the state is desperate for foreign exchange, food imports are severely restricted. It has come to a point where the country must find its own sustenance to survive.
Therefore, anyone who has space, even a small one, must be encouraged to get into the home garden to help meet the challenge of the impending food shortage, among many other benefits.
