ABSTRACT
In recent years there has been growing interest in strengthening and intensifying local food production systems to mitigate vulnerability to global food shocks and food price fluctuations. In this context there has been a growing focus toward home gardening as a strategy to enhance household food security and nutrition as well as income. Home gardens, also known as kitchen gardens and homestead gardens, have existed alongside the agricultural landscape of many developing countries, and they are a time-tested household activity. This chapter examines the various definitions and characteristics of home gardens through an extensive literature review and presents their various contributions to households in diverse socioeconomic contexts. A greater fraction of the studies presents an optimistic perspective on the impact of home gardens toward food and nutrition security, household income and livelihood opportunities for resource-poor families and their contributions to ecosystem services. While emphasizing multiple benefits, the chapter also highlights limitations to home garden production.
