Triumph of Mahinda Chintana:

Home gardening getting popular

Lakshmi de Silva

The home gardening project started under the Mahinda Chintana policy program had increased agricultural production and had a recorded growth of 13 percent in 2008 compared to the production of 2007, Agriculture Minister Hemakumara Nanayakkara told Daily News yesterday.

The Api Vavamu Rata Nagamu home gardening program was a success story since it became more popular among housewives in addition to students, Samurdhi beneficiaries, public sector employees and even the clergy, he said.

A successful home garden could produce fruits and vegetables valued around Rs. 2,500 per month giving a household that amount of saving in addition to being able to consume clean food without agro chemicals polluting them, he said.

Most of the home gardeners use carbonic fertilizer helping to keep the environment clean and unpolluted.

Home gardening has caught on as a popular as well as an interesting hobby among households and the agriculture department provided seeds and planting materials to home gardeners at a subsidized rate to encourage households to grow more food, Nanayakkara said.

Our aim was to encourage youth to take up agriculture and develop a liking to it so that they will be able to earn extra money while protecting the environment.

The training provided covers pre and post harvest agricultural methods, especially to preserve the produce as well as prevent waste.

It also helps home gardeners to learn the methods of soil and water conservation, he said.