Sundargarh’s 27,000 Mo Upakari Bagichas Bring In a New Paradigm Shift In Ensuring Nutrition and Vitamins to the Vulnerable

Sundargarh: Consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the most important aspects of keeping yourself healthy today. The over dependence on pulses and vegetables produced using chemical farming practices devoid us from the required nutrition and vitamins that we need in our daily life. This becomes an important facet when we take into account the vulnerable class of people such as pregnant women, lactating mothers, adolescent girls and children under the age of five years. There is a need to devise a sustainable and resilient strategy that will provide continuous supply of nutrition and food with vitamins to these people. As part of its efforts, the Sundargarh administration has made a good headway through its Mo Upakari Bagicha that has become the mainstay of nutrition and vitamins in the rural hinterlands of the district. Through its innovative efforts, more than 27,000 Mo Upakari Bagichas or backyard farms have been set up that have become the main source of nutrition and vitamins.

The Sundargarh District administration has helped develop these 27 thousand Upakari Bagichas with various interventions such as providing seeds, knowhow, land development and training the women. The association of Women Self Help Groups in this initiative has helped tremendously by increasing the participation of housewives and young women. These beneficiaries are nurturing the Nutri Gardens or ‘Mo Upakari Bagicha’ that are giving them various fresh vegetables and fruits such as Pumpkin, Eggplant, Bottle Gourd, Chilli, Okra, Papaya, Lemon, and Banana that give good amounts of nutrition and vitamins. The administration also plans to add another 12 thousand gardens so that they become the main source of nutrition for the needy. Odisha Livelihoods Mission has been supporting the Women Self Help Groups under Mission Shakti in this endeavour. Today these backyard nutrition gardens have been playing a major role to enrich the nutritional needs.

Procuring vegetables and fruits right from the backyard garden has many benefits as the vitamin content will be at its highest. Also, there is reduced risk of eating vegetables that contain or contaminated with harmful chemicals. Another aspect of these interventions is the economic benefits that come with this. People are saving money spent on buying vegetables. Organic vegetables are grown with a fraction of the cost of vegetables bought from markets.

For Anupama Choudhuri of Khamarbahal Village in Tangarapali Block of Sundargarh, the nutri garden has become a savior especially after her delivery. The doctor had recommended for nutritious food, which was available from her own backyard garden that was set up with the help from the government. She now gets fresh leafy vegetables and fruits from her own garden that gives her nutrition and vitamins.

I have built a Mo Upakari Bagicha in my backyard. I have planted various types of green leafs and vegetables. Without depending on purchasing vegetables from the market, I regularly get fresh vegetables from my garden. I am getting nutritious and healthy food from my own garden says Sushama Kerketa of Balishankara Block.

Like Sushama and Anupama there are thousands of women who have taken help from the government for setting up gardens and getting fruits and vegetables without spending huge amounts of money.

Odisha Livelihoods Mission has been implementing this all over the state by identifying beneficiaries and helping them with knowledge and financial support. Members of the Women Self Help Groups are being given preference. The success of the initiative in tribal dominated Sundargarh District is also due to the proactive participation of people. It helped the beneficiaries most during the Covid pandemic as supply of vegetables and fruits from outside dwindled.

Started in 2019-20, the program has seen ample success in Balishankara, Kuanramunda, Bonai, Tangarpali, Rajgangpur, Lefripada and Gurundia blocks among others. For setting up a Mo Upakari Bagicha, beneficiaries need to have 2.5 decimals of land. Local Anganwadi kendras and school premises are also being utilized for this purpose.

The gardens are mainly prepared to plant brinjal, pumpkin, okra, bottle guard ridge guard, chillies, cucumber, bitter guard, papaya, lemon, banana, etc., for which the Odisha Livelihoods Mission provides best quality seeds and seedlings. Financial support for putting up barbed wire nets to safeguard the gardens is also being provided by the government. The beneficiaries are being trained in different aspects of maintaining the gardens such as preparing the beds and seeding for which Panchayat level Krushimitras, Community Resource Persons, have been appointed. They visit various villages and help the people in setting up and maintaining the gardens.

According to Draupadi Mahakud, working as a Krushi Mitra, “We are setting up Nutri gardens in the backyards of the beneficiaries by explaining them the benefits. Villagers looking at the gardens and the yield, get interested and come to us for help. They are using organic manure and producing the best vegetables and fruits.”

Implementing the initiative in a mission mode has already starting its benefits in the rural hinterlands. People today have a choice of not going to market for nutritious food. The green garden revolution is adding happiness to their lives today. It has become a necessary dietary intervention and helping in diversification of food habits from pulses to green vegetables. With energetic community participation, Sundargarh has shown that it worth emulating by others.