Exploring the science behind home gardens as sustainable solutions for nutritional security
Home Gardens
Nutrition Security
Community Resilience
Sustainable Systems
Imagine a quiet community in Nigeria's Edo State, where a woman named Aisha Isa stretches out her hand to pluck fresh pumpkin leaves from a garden by her doorstep. Not long ago, fresh vegetables were a luxury her family could only enjoy occasionally on market days. Now, they incorporate nutritious leafy greens into their daily meals year-round. "Before this, we ate whatever we had," Aisha explains. "Now, we know why vegetables are important, and we use them in our everyday meals." 4
Aisha's story represents a quiet revolution taking place across Nigeria and many other developing regions—a return to home gardening as a strategy to combat persistent malnutrition and strengthen local food systems. As global food systems face a "brewing storm" of climate change, rising hunger, and significant social inequities, these small patches of cultivated land are emerging as powerful tools for improving nutritional outcomes. 1
In this article, we explore how home gardens are transforming from simple traditional practices into strategic solutions for addressing one of Nigeria's most pressing public health challenges—ensuring that families have consistent access to diverse, nutritious foods even in times of crisis.
When scientists discuss "food systems," they're referring to the entire journey food takes—from production and processing to distribution, consumption, and disposal. According to research, sustainable food systems are those that "enable food safety, food security and nutrition for current and future generations" while also being "inclusive, equitable, and resilient." 1
Home gardens represent a micro-level component of these broader food systems. They're defined as small-scale agricultural plots near residences where families grow various vegetables, fruits, and herbs for household consumption and sometimes for sale. What makes them particularly interesting to nutrition scientists is their potential to address multiple forms of malnutrition simultaneously—from undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies to obesity and diet-related diseases. 5
Research reveals that home gardens influence nutritional outcomes through several key pathways:
Gardens increase household availability of fresh, nutrient-rich foods, particularly vegetables and fruits rich in essential vitamins and minerals. 8
With women typically managing home gardens, they gain greater control over household food choices and resources. 4
Gardening programs often include educational components that improve understanding of nutrition and healthy feeding practices. 4
The beauty of this approach lies in its multifunctional nature—home gardens simultaneously address immediate food needs while building longer-term household resilience against economic and environmental shocks.
Before the pandemic, Nigeria's food security situation was already precarious, with complex challenges including rapid population growth, climate variability, and inadequate infrastructure. 5 When COVID-19 hit, it disrupted supply chains, inflated food prices, and induced widespread economic hardship, particularly affecting urban populations where market closures and transport difficulties hindered access to fresh food. 5
This crisis setting created what scientists call a "natural experiment"—an opportunity to study how home gardening functioned as a coping strategy when conventional food systems were severely disrupted.
A comprehensive 2020 study examined the impact of home gardening on household nutritional security using cross-sectional survey data from Nigerian households. 5 Here's how researchers designed their investigation:
The findings provided compelling evidence for home gardening as a crisis-response strategy:
| Research Finding | Significance |
|---|---|
| Income from home gardening significantly associated with higher dietary diversity | Suggests economic mechanism behind nutritional improvement |
| Home gardens provided critical buffer against food insecurity | Particularly important for urban households with disrupted market access |
| Gardening enabled informal income generation during economic downturns | Provided economic resilience alongside nutritional benefits |
The study concluded that "home gardening emerged as a vital response strategy during the pandemic" and represented an "affordable, sustainable approach to enhancing access to fresh and nutritious foods." 5
The research identified several additional benefits that extended beyond simple nutritional metrics:
Income diversification, reduced food expenditures, informal employment
Increased micronutrient consumption, reduced vitamin A deficiency
Sustainable food production, biodiversity conservation
Knowledge sharing, community resilience, preservation of agricultural traditions
The study also highlighted challenges, particularly limited government support and extension services, which constrained broader adoption of home gardening practices. 5
Understanding the impact of home gardens requires specific research tools and methods. Here are the key components scientists use to measure the relationship between home food production and nutritional outcomes:
Function: Measures variety of food groups consumed
Application: Primary indicator for nutritional security
Function: Captures detailed food consumption data
Application: Standardized approach for assessing diet quality
Function: Identifies patterns in complex datasets
Application: Determines key pathways from gardening to nutrition
Function: Assesses physical nutritional status
Application: Tracks child growth metrics (stunting, wasting)
Function: Addresses sample selection bias
Application: Isolates true effect of gardening on nutrition
Function: Measures perceived food insecurity
Application: Captures household experience of food stress
In Nigeria's Edo State, home gardening interventions build upon rich culinary traditions that already value diverse, plant-based foods. Traditional Edo cuisine includes numerous vegetable-focused dishes such as:
A nutrient-packed blend of bitter leaf, scent leaf, and other herbs, traditionally served postpartum for its health benefits. 6
A protein-rich soup made from roasted groundnuts, enjoyed with various staple foods. 2
Typically served with yam, rice, or plantains.
This cultural foundation creates natural receptivity to home gardening initiatives, as families already value and incorporate traditional leafy greens into their diets.
Recent projects in Northern Nigeria (including regions near Edo State) have demonstrated how modern home garden interventions can build on these traditions. The Advancing Local Dairy Development in Nigeria (ALDDN) program established over 1,000 home gardens across more than 200 rural communities, reaching 1,600 participants—70% of them women. 4
These initiatives have addressed key challenges like seasonal water scarcity through solar-powered boreholes, enabling year-round gardening even during dry seasons.
The program also emphasized organic practices, with gardeners like Aisha Isa using poultry droppings or garlic oil instead of chemical pesticides. "I want what I grow to be safe for my children," she explains. 4
The evidence from Edo State and across Nigeria points to a clear conclusion: home gardens represent a viable, sustainable strategy for improving dietary diversity and strengthening household nutritional security, particularly during periods of economic and food supply shocks. 5
Unlike many development interventions that require massive infrastructure or complex technologies, home gardening offers an accessible entry point for families to take control of their nutritional destinies.
As researchers note, "Policymakers should consider incorporating home gardening initiatives into broader food security and livelihood programs." 5
The future of home gardening as a nutritional strategy may lie in integrating traditional knowledge with modern innovations—combining time-tested growing practices with efficient water management, climate-resilient crops, and connection to broader support systems.
As global food systems continue to face unprecedented challenges, these small patches of green remind us that sometimes the most powerful solutions begin right outside our doors. Whether in the rich soils of Edo State or urban containers in crowded cities, the simple act of planting a seed may be one of our most sophisticated strategies for cultivating healthier communities.
Have you experienced the benefits of growing your own food? Share your stories in the comments below.