An interview with Mr.Suman Rathod, Programme Director, Centre for Environment Education
(co-contributors : Ms. Khyati Parmar,Programme coordinator, CEE, Ahmedabad, Mr. Mansukhbhai Gadhiya, Project coordinator, CEE, Ahmedabad)Rural and semi-urban households are increasingly dependent on markets due to changing lifestyles, reduction in traditional farming practices, shrinking landholdings, migration for labour work, and preference for cash crops over food crops. Earlier, families used to grow vegetables, pulses, and local seasonal foods around their homes, but over time this practice has reduced. Limited water availability, lack of awareness about nutrition, and easy access to packaged and market food have also increased dependency on external food sources. As a result, even basic vegetables and daily food items are now purchased from markets instead of being produced at household level.
At present, there is also a noticeable lack of awareness about healthy eating habits at both rural and urban levels. Small and marginal farmers, as well as landless families, largely depend on the market for vegetables and fruits. This dependency is mainly due to the dominance of cash crops like groundnut and cotton, limited irrigation facilities during winter and summer, and insufficient awareness about health and nutritious food.
The typical Indian diet has also shifted heavily towards cereals and carbohydrates, while lacking sufficient proteins, fruits, and vegetables. Increased consumption of processed and junk foods, changing lifestyles with less physical activity, and limited access to diverse foods have further contributed to nutritional imbalance.
The increasing dependence on markets and chemically grown food has reduced diet diversity and negatively affected nutrition, especially among women and children. Earlier, vegetables were grown using organic methods without chemical fertilizers, and people naturally received essential nutrients through local seasonal foods. Traditional nutritious millets such as sorghum, pearl millet, and finger millet were commonly consumed and contributed to better health.
Today, diets are mainly dependent on cereals like rice and wheat, with low intake of proteins, fruits, vegetables, and pulses. Earlier, many households consumed only limited vegetables such as potatoes, brinjal, and onions. This poor diet quality has contributed to rising cases of malnutrition, low haemoglobin levels (anemia), and increasing non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
Women and children are among the most affected groups. Nutritional deficiencies are becoming more common, while dependence on processed foods and low-quality produce is increasing. The problem today is not only how much people eat, but what they eat.
NutriGardens can significantly reduce market dependency by enabling families to grow vegetables, fruits, pulses, and medicinal plants within their own household premises. Through awareness campaigns and demonstrations promoted by the Centre for Environment Education with support from Apraava Energy and WIN Foundation, many rural women have successfully established household NutriGardens.
Based on field experiences, beneficiary women are now able to produce 2–3 kilograms of vegetables daily during monsoon and winter seasons. Families consume what they need and often share surplus produce with neighbours and relatives. As a result, households are saving approximately ₹2,500–5,000 per month on vegetable expenses.
NutriGardens have also improved dietary diversity by introducing leafy vegetables, pulses, root crops, and seasonal foods into daily diets. Organic and low-cost farming practices have increased awareness about healthy food and encouraged food-based nutrition solutions instead of dependence only on medicines.
A NutriGarden should include a wide variety of crops to ensure balanced nutrition and year-round food diversity. These include:
Leafy vegetables: spinach, fenugreek, amaranthus, coriander
Vegetables: tomato, brinjal, okra, bottle gourd, cluster beans, chili
Root vegetables: carrot, radish, beetroot, sweet potato
Protein-rich crops: pulses, beans, peas
Fruits: papaya, banana, lemon, guava
Medicinal and herbal plants: tulsi, mint, aloe vera
Traditional and seasonal crops: locally adapted varieties suitable for the climate and food habits of the community
Including seasonal and locally adapted crops helps maintain diversity, improve nutrition, reduce cultivation costs, and increase resilience.
From field experiences, it is evident that a NutriGarden should include a seasonal mix of pulses, root crops, spices, creepers, fruits, and medicinal plants to ensure balanced nutrition.
Women play a central role in spreading awareness and transforming household food and nutrition practices. In most rural households, women traditionally manage household expenses, childcare, livestock care, and agricultural activities. These inherited skills position them well to manage family nutrition effectively.
Children are also becoming actively involved in maintaining NutriGardens by watering plants, adding manure, and helping in daily care activities. This creates awareness about healthy food habits within the entire family.
NutriGardens become more sustainable when the whole family participates. Women’s leadership, combined with support from children and other family members, helps strengthen household nutrition, reduce expenses, and improve overall well-being.
There is a popular Gujarati saying: “As the food, so the belching,” meaning that the quality of food directly affects health. If families consume healthy and chemical-free food, they can maintain better health and avoid unnecessary medical expenses.
The following sustainable practices are important for the long-term success of NutriGardens:
Composting: Using kitchen waste, dry leaves, and farm waste to prepare organic compost
Seed saving: Preserving local and seasonal seeds for future cultivation
Water management: Drip irrigation, mulching, reuse of household water, and water-saving techniques
Organic farming methods: Avoiding chemical fertilizers and pesticides
Crop rotation and mixed cropping: Maintaining soil fertility and reducing pest attacks
Use of local resources: Promoting low-cost and locally available materials for cultivation
Farmers should also focus on improving soil health, conserving local seeds, and producing their own organic fertilizers, bio-inputs, and natural pesticides to reduce costs and ensure healthy food production.
Although NutriGardens have shown positive results, scaling them up across villages faces several challenges:
Lack of irrigation water
Crop damage by wild animals
Limited awareness about nutrition and organic farming
Space constraints and poor-quality soil
Weak market linkages
Crop management challenges
Climate change impacts
Dependence on cash crops instead of food crops
Easy availability of packaged and processed foods
Another major challenge is changing community mindsets and creating awareness among both producers and consumers about the harmful effects of chemically grown food and the benefits of nutritious and organic food.
Scaling up requires continuous awareness campaigns, demonstrations, training, school-level education, community mobilization, and support systems for women.
NutriGardens can play a major role in improving long-term nutrition security and building self-reliant communities in India. By promoting household-level production of diverse and nutritious foods, they reduce dependency on markets and improve access to fresh, healthy, and chemical-free food.
NutriGardens also help revive traditional food systems, local seeds, seasonal crops, and millet-based diets that were once part of healthy rural lifestyles. They improve dietary diversity, reduce household expenses, and increase awareness about nutrition among women and children.
In the long term, transforming NutriGardens into a people’s movement can contribute to healthier families, sustainable villages, improved soil and environmental health, and reduced healthcare burdens caused by poor diets and lifestyle diseases.
This movement can be strengthened through awareness campaigns using videos, newspapers, television, and school education programs. Expanding such awareness across communities can help build a healthier society and a self-reliant nation.
