Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

A day to ruminate on backyard farming

— Photo: S. Gopakumar

Fresh and safe: An exhibition of home-grown vegetables organised in the city on Monday as part of the World Kitchen Garden Day celebrations.

Thiruvananthapuram: World Kitchen Garden Day was celebrated here on Monday with a seminar, exhibition of products and posters and a field demonstration organised at the Sisuvihar Upper Primary School. The event was jointly organised by Thanal, a voluntary public interest organisation, the Zero Waste Centre and the school.

World Kitchen Garden Day is celebrated in nearly 100 countries primarily to highlight the need for producing our own fruits and vegetables as part of ensuring safe and nutritious food and also to contribute to saving the planet from climate change.

“The less the distance between the stomach and the earth, the better for our bodies and the sustenance of Earth. We and our children must understand this link and start producing as much of our own food as possible. This is especially important for Kerala which is a heavily import-dependent state,” said S. Usha, director of Thanal, introducing the concept of Kitchen Garden Day, which is being celebrated for the first time in the State.

“A kitchen garden is the simplest way to a healthy life, as we will be able to produce vegetables and fruits that give us the right mix of nutrition and satisfaction,” said G.K. Beela, Assistant Professor, Kerala Agriculture University, while delivering a lecture on “Kitchen garden for a healthy lifestyle.”

She spoke about the various vegetables and fruits needed to have a balanced diet. She also spoke about how horticulture therapy was helping the physically and mentally challenged children improve self-esteem.

Earlier, Commissioner of Civil Supplies K.B. Valsalakumari interacted with the participants and visited the model garden in the school. She promised to sponsor a prize for the best kitchen garden setup by the schoolchildren.

School manager Shanthakumari gave away awards to the four best kitchen gardeners. The prize money was sponsored by Sreedevi, a food activist from Mumbai. The first prize was won by Sreelekha of Panangode, the second went to Sasikala of Azhakulam and the third was shared by Usha Devi of Pachallur and Sulochana of Azhakulam.

The model of a raised-bed kitchen garden was presented by Pradeesh and Deepak, field organisers of Thanal. The programme ended with the participants visiting the kitchen gardens in the school.

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