A Vegetable Garden for All - Food and Agriculture ...

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Manual "A Vegetable Garden for All" 5th Edition FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

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Manual "A Vegetable Garden for All" 5th Edition

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

MANUAL

Manual "A Vegetable Garden for All" 5th Edition. Zero Hunger Challenge- Antigua and Barbuda

J.R. Deep Ford FAO Coordinator- Sub-Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean

Deanne Ramroop FAO Consultant

Vera Boerger Land and Water Officer FAO Subregional Office for Mesoamerica

Vyjayanthi Lopez Plant Production and Protection Officer

Subregional Office for the Caribbean

Alberto Pantoja Plant Producction and Protecction Officer Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean

Juanita James National Coordinator Zero Hunger Challenge, Antigua and Barbuda

Owolabi Elabanjo Backyard Gardens Coordinator Zero Hunger Challenge, Antigua and Barbuda

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.

The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO.

ISBN 978-92-5-108105-1 (print) E-ISBN 978-92-5-108106-8 (PDF)

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Background

A Vegetable Garden for All is a self-instruction manual in family horticultural production, prepared originally by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, in support of the Technical Cooperation Network for Food Production.

The objective of this manual is to present a technology suitable for family horticultural production and consumption. It is a manual for small-scale farmers, school teachers, children, and urban and peri-urban families with access to small plots of land. Better nutrition and better incomes can be achieved through families working in horticultural production.

The Manual was first issued in 1990, and was used by several programmes, institutions and farmers' groups. The second edition (2002) was focused on increasing food security and providing a balanced diet to disadvantaged farmers and peri-urban populations in Central America, within the framework of the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS/PESA).

This expanded, third edition (2009) has been developed within the framework FAO/MANA as an activity of project UTF/COL/027/COL. It provides a practical, methodological guide for setting up family gardens for the production of nutritious, safe food crops, thatcrops that would contribute fibres, minerals and vitamins to the diets of populations affected by food insecurity. It is a useful tool for all projects that work to improve the food security of rural, urban and peri-urban families.

This 5th edition (2013) has been developed within the framework of the Zero-Hunger Challenge (ZHC) in the Caribbean. It is adapted to Caribbean conditions, using experiences from the ZHC pilot in Antigua and Barbuda during 2013.

Authors

The following FAO consultants were involved in the compilation and preparation of the technical material in the 1st Edition of the Manual: Rub?n Oliva and Marina Gambardella. The authors would like to express their thanks for collaboration of the participants in the Course/Workshop: "Technological reproduction of horticultural seeds for small farmers" organized by INTA Argentina and FAO, as well as various technical and communication Specialists, consultants and graphic designers (Maria Beatriz Pe?afort, Virginia Lattes, Cecilio Moron and Gonzalo Iba?ez, Arturo Fernandez and Francisca Rodriguez) who contributed to the first edition.

The 2nd Edition (2002) formed part of the activities of several Special Food Security Programmes for Central America, while the third edition (2009) was prepared from the component Market Gardens and Food and Nutritional Security of the project UTF/COL/027/COL on Food Security and Good Agricultural Practices for the Rural Sector in Antioquia. Contributions from various consultants and programme staff that collaborated on the 3rd Edition (Sara Granados, Miguel Gomez, M?nica Duque, Diego Giraldo, Arturo Andr?s Alarc?n, and Soledad Lama) and the technical supervision and editing of Juan Izquierdo (Plant Production and Protection Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean) are gratefully acknowledged.

The fifth edition (2013), has been adapted for the Caribbean Sub-region, with key inputs being provided by Ms. Deanne Ramroop, FAO Consultant, Ms. Vera Boerger, Land and Water Officer (FAO-SLM, Panama) and Ms. Vyjayanthi Lopez, Plant Production and Protection Officer (FAO-SLC, Barbados). Contributions from Ms. Juanita James (National Coordinator, Zero-Hunger Challenge, Antigua and Barbuda) and Mr. Owolabi Elabanjo (Backyard Gardens Coordinator, ZHC, Antigua and Barbuda) are acknowledged. The drawings and layout for the third and fourth editions were the responsibility of the Graphic Designer, Marcia Miranda. The assistance provided by Mr. Alberto Pantoja, Plant Production and Protection Officer (FAO-RLC) is greatly appreciated.

Chapter1 : Why do we need a vegetable garden?

Contents

1

Chapter 2 : What is needed to plant a vegetable garden?

17

Chapter 3 : Why is it important to take care of the soil in the vegetable garden?

41

Chapter 4 : How do you start a vegetable garden?

75

Chapter 5 : Vegetable propagation and sowing

93

Chapter 6 : What is hydroponics?

133

Chapter 7 : How do we look after the garden??

147

Chapter 8 : Harvesting, storing and processing of the vegetables

187

Chapter 9 :Breeding poultry and rabbits and feeding them from your home garden

(growing their food using hydroponics)

209

Information Chart

247

Chapter 113

Why do we need a vegetable

garden?

We don?t have much money and our family needs food to eat. Why don?t we grow our own vegetables?

Great idea!! Besides, I heard that vegetables are good for children.

Grow our own vegetables? ..... how?

Read this manual to learn how to grow the food your family needs for food security.

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