FAISALABAD, Nov 22: Kitchen gardening can help improve nutrition level of the poor in rural and urban areas and play a role in poverty alleviation, said Prof Dr Bashir Ahmed, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad.

Inaugurating an FAO-sponsored training course on Kitchen Gardening, organized by the Institute of Horticultural Sciences (IHS) at Old Senate Hall here on Tuesday, he said malnutrition among the poor living in rural and urban areas was not only causing health hazards, but it was also adversely affecting economic growth of the country.

He suggested that a balanced diet must include fats, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins and fibre-rich food.

He said the skills learned through kitchen gardening would not only benefit the environment, but could also help alleviate poverty.

Earlier, IHS Director Dr Muhammad Aslam Pervaiz in his welcome address highlighted the importance of such short courses. He said kitchen gardening techniques were free of all sorts of chemicals.

He said most of the country’s population in remote rural areas was suffering from problems caused by malnutrition such as anaemia, vitamin A and iodine deficiency, particularly in women and children.

He suggested that kitchen gardens could help rectify such problems and be a factor in the achievement of health and nutrition goals by boosting nutrition level of the poor.

FAO Project Director Dr Muhammad Ilyas said on the occasion that the course intended to impart to the participants effective skills for better vegetable production.

He said the participants were drawn from different parts of Balochistan, with different levels of education, having different cultural backgrounds.

The participants were, Humera (FAO), Aamina, Asima (FAO), Malyka, Zakra, Neelum, Skina, Rabia and Shehras. A large number of students and faculty members also attended the session.—APP