Does backyard vegetable gardening enhance perceived household food security and dietary diversity? A case study in the Philippines

Abstract

People’s rights and access to foods they prefer are the core of the food sovereignty approach. In this study, the approach was used in research on the meanings of backyard vegetable gardening for people’s perceptions of food security and the dietary behaviour of schoolchildren and households. The implementation and effects of the Philippine Backyard Vegetable Gardening Program (BVGP) were investigated in two provinces (Antique and Surigao del Norte) and the National Capital Region (NCR), covering four municipalities, two cities in the NCR and 10 barangays (villages). The findings show that gardening enhances the feeling of being food secure, but also that gardening continues to be a women’s concern. Rather unexpectedly, knowledge about the importance of vegetable consumption did not differ between households with and without a garden and having a vegetable garden did not affect the dietary behaviour of schoolchildren and households. The dietary diversity scores of schoolchildren and households with and without a garden proved to be equally low. The study recommends a comprehensive review of the backyard vegetable gardening program to improve the efficacy of the program.