ABSTRACT
Nutritional security is critical and yet is often ignored in developing countries. Until the recent past, the drive has been to ensure food security so that there is no hunger, but this can miss the critical micronutrients that are essential for child development, effective immune systems, the ability to learn, and good health and well-being. Even where there is an understanding of the need for a balanced diet with at least 400 g of fruit and vegetables per day, diets often fall woefully short of this minimum. The World Vegetable Center (AVRDC) has developed vegetable home garden models which address nutritional security by encouraging the production and consumption of a diversity of vegetables around the home. This ensures that a diversity of nutrient-dense vegetables are available to the household, which empowers women to have a choice in what they prepare for their families. In addition, excess produce can be shared with neighbors, preserved or sold in local markets. The vegetable home garden kits include a range of “global” vegetables, which may include tomatoes and chilies, as well as appropriate traditional vegetables which usually have a high nutritional content and are distributed with functional training to ensure best practices in production and food preparation.
