A COMMUNITY-BASED INTERVENTION INTEGRATING KITCHEN GARDENING AND NUTRITION EDUCATION FOR RURAL WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT
Keywords:
Agriculture, Autonomy, Decision Making, Diet, Food Security, Nutrition Education, WomenAbstract
Background: Rural households in South Punjab continue to face persistent food insecurity, limited dietary diversity, and restricted socio-economic opportunities for women. Integrated community-based interventions that combine household food production with nutrition education offer potential pathways to address both nutritional and empowerment needs.
Objective: To evaluate the impact of a kitchen gardening and nutrition education intervention on household food security, dietary diversity, and women’s socio-economic autonomy.
Methods: A community-based quasi-experimental study was conducted among 210 women, with 105 in the intervention group and 105 in the comparison group. The intervention included training on kitchen gardening techniques and structured nutrition education. Data were collected at baseline and at six months using standardized tools assessing household food security, dietary diversity, and autonomy. Statistical analysis included paired and independent t-tests, chi-square tests, and multivariable regression, with significance set at p < 0.05.
Results: Household food security improved substantially in the intervention group, with food-secure households increasing from 17.1% to 39.0%. Dietary diversity scores rose from 4.8 to 7.1, compared with a marginal increase in the control group. Women’s autonomy indicators also improved, including decision-making scores (12.3 to 18.6), mobility (10.1 to 14.4), and resource control (9.8 to 13.7). Changes in the comparison group were minimal across all indicators.
Conclusion: The integrated intervention demonstrated significant improvements in food security, dietary diversity, and women’s autonomy. Kitchen gardening, when paired with nutrition education, presents a practical and sustainable strategy for strengthening household well-being and supporting women’s empowerment in resource-limited rural settings.
References
1. Bamishaiye EI, Oyeyipo S, Atibioke OA. The Role of Women in Enhancing Food Security and Nutrition at the Community Level. Impact of Women in Food and Agricultural Development: IGI Global; 2024. p. 340-63.
2. Ezzeddin N, Kalantari N, Abdollahi M, Amiri P, Amini B, Zayeri FJBPH. Outcomes of a homestead food production program on nutritional knowledge, dietary diversity, food security and empowerment of rural women in Tehran province, Iran. 2024;24(1):118.
3. Hazra S, Parida SP, Giri PP, Behera BKJFiPH. Kitchen garden, dietary diversity, and women’s health in rural eastern India: a mixed method study. 2025;13:1465169.
4. Nanda B, Ray NJIJoCH. Women’s Health and Nutritional Security through a Community Health Perspective-A Case Study of Poshan Vatika-Harit se Poshan Project (Plan India). 2025;37(1):08-14.
5. Nontu Y, Mdoda L, Dumisa BM, Mujuru NM, Ndwandwe N, Gidi LS, et al. Empowering rural Food Security in the Eastern Cape Province: Exploring the role and determinants of Family Food gardens. 2024;16(16):6780.
6. Etuna MP, Nkechi AT, Nkechi FMJNJoHE. EMPOWERING RURAL COMMUNITIES THROUGH HOME ECONOMICS INITIATIVES FOR SUSTAINABLE SOCIOECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION OF FAMILIES. 2025;13(11):196-202.
7. Sultana Bari F. Effect of Integrated Agricultural and Health Based Interventions on the Nutritional Status of Under Five Children in the Southern Part of Bangladesh: © University of Dhaka; 2025.
8. Mangwane QE, Egal A, Oosthuizen DJN. Impact of a nutrition knowledge intervention on knowledge and food behaviour of women within a rural community. 2024;16(23):4107.
9. Ajal MT. Characterisation and production of kitchen gardens and their contribution to food security and livelihoods in Karamoja, northeastern Uganda. SLU, Department of Molecular Sciences; 2025.
10. Lugagu S. Home food gardens and poverty alleviation in the rural area of Macekane, KwaZulu-Natal. 2025.
11. Shrestha S. Home garden characteristics amongst Lao’s vulnerable upland rural farmers in the context of food security: University of Southern Queensland; 2024.
12. Dlamini ZM. Promoting healthy nutritional practices through the use of a school food garden at an early childhood care and education centre in the Mkhondo circuit 2023.
13. Upreti YR. Transforming Nutritional behaviors in Schoolchildren through a School-Based participatory Nutrition Education Intervention 2023.
14. Lakshmi MR. Empowering Women in Food Entrepreneurship A Study on Food Justice and Democracy in Pondicherry Bioregion. 2024.
15. Asmorowati S, Dwipoyono MK, Sukmawati N, Dwintania F, Mohamed Harith NHH, Supeno E, et al. Organizational Capacity and Women’s Empowerment: A Case Study of Women Farmers’ Groups in Sustainable Food Garden Programs in Indonesia. 2024;26(4):9.
16. Mechlowitz KF. Women's Empowerment, Rural Livelihoods, and Child Nutrition in Eastern Ethiopia: University of Florida; 2023.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Axis Journal of Agriculture & Biological Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
