Pakistan: Kitchen Gardening: A way forward to healthy life
Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) has set up more than 300 clubs in Rawalpindi and Islamabad since 2019, under a kitchen and rooftop gardening program, introduced to promote organic agriculture.
Dr. Saeed Ahmad Ali
Associated Press of Pakistan
Sept 10, 2022
Excerpt:
Mohsin Abbas, a 40-year-old retired Pakistan Army officer, spends time every evening in his small garden at his house in Shadman area of Lahore, and picks harvest of the day almost daily. From juicy red tomatoes to crunchy green-chilies, Abbas has been growing almost all seasonal organic vegetables he needs for his daily cooking.
Proud of his latest harvest, he told APP, “I grow spinach, mint leaves, tomatoes, carrots, cabbages, eggplants, beetroots, broccoli, coriander, bitter gourd, chilies, and even cauliflower.” Abbas said, a year ago, he prepared soil with the help of a friend, his wife and a colleague for gardening and created a small farm.
“I use my garden-fresh spinach leaves in chicken curry and freshly plucked beetroot leaves, stir-fried with grated coconut, which make me happy,” he said sharing his experience.
Abbas grows pesticide-free food as he deems it as therapeutic and a source for good health. “If you have a backyard or a balcony and have not yet started kitchen gardening, then you must try it immediately.”
A recently published research study by International Journal of Microbiology finds out a clear difference between organic and conventional kitchen garden produce in terms of nutritional value, pesticide contamination, and microbiological safety.
Noted nutritionist Dr. Asma Javaid said that at least a bare intake of 300 grams of vegetables and 85 grams of fruits per day is required for proper functioning of normal body and avoid chances of fatalistic diseases.
