The Biodiversity and Community Health (BaCH) Initiative’s partner Bioversity International started a home garden initiative in Nepal in 2002. Based on support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in collaboration with Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD) and other partners, the initiative studied how home gardens can contribute to biodiversity, food security, nutrition and household income.
A recent impact study highlights following results:
- Home gardeners see their yields nearly triple from 300kg per year to as much as 900kg per year.
- Biodiversity increased in the home gardens of participating households, with 66 species under cultivation as compared to fewer than 40 species before the project.
- Farmers now maintain higher plant diversity and cultivate a greater range of plant groups – vegetables, fruits, spices, medicinal herbs, fodder and ornamentals.
- More households are selling their garden products and participating households doubled their overall consumption of produce.
Read more about the partners involved and the scaling up of the project here.
Biodiversity & Community Health 