Increasing the production and consumption of vitamin A–rich fruits and vegetables: Lessons learned in taking the Bangladesh homestead gardening programme to a national scale

Micronutrient malnutrition affects more than 20 million children and women (at least 50% of this population) in Bangladesh. the diets of more than 85% of women and children in Bangladesh are inadequate in essential micronutrients such as vitamin A, largely because adequate amounts of foods containing these micronutrients are not available, or the household purchasing power for these foods is inadequate. in Bangladesh and many other developing countries, large-scale programmes are needed to make a significant impact on this overwhelming malnutrition problem. There has been limited experience and success in expanding small-scale pilot programmes into large-scale, community-based programmes. This paper describes the development and expansion of the Bangladesh homestead gardening programme, which has successfully increased the availability and consumption of…