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Although toxicogenic moulds have been identified in municipal waste and composting facilities, only a few reports exist on the occurrence of mycotoxins in compost. Those reports mostly concern sewage sludge as a substrate, tested only a limited range of mycotoxins, and did not monitor the production of mycotoxins during the composting process. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether mycotoxins are produced during composting of selectively collected kitchen and garden waste. The study was carried out at pilot scale (550 L reactor with passive aeration). Kitchen waste (59.0% w/w), garden leaves (28.2%), and wood chips (12.8%) were used as a substrate, which was sampled every five days to determine its basic physicochemical characteristics (temperature, moisture, size-fraction content, loss on ignition) and respirometric activity (AT4). The substrate and leachate samples were also tested for the content of eight mycotoxins by HPLC-MS/MS. To screen the local compost market, commercial organic-compost samples were analysed for mycotoxin contamination. The substrate was successfully stabilized after 45 days (thermophilic peak of 62.6 °C, 40.4% mass reduction, 26.9% loss of organic matter, increase in the share of particles in the smallest size fraction, AT4 of 9.82 g O2/kg). Although the substrate was colonised by moulds at an early stage, only trace amounts of mycotoxins were detected in a few samples. Similarly, little or no mycotoxins were found in the commercial compost. Our results suggest a low risk of mycotoxin contamination in biowaste compost produced under appropriate technological conditions. Future research should focus on screening compost produced at smaller scales (e.g., in agricultural/residential compost piles) and on identifying factors associated with the risk of mycotoxin contamination in compost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review article shows a holistic approach regarding integrated farming system (IFS) for livelihood security and sustainable development of small and marginal households in India. Integrated farming systems are being developed for location specific because enormous problems are being aroused in the agriculture and allied sectors such as declined factor productivity, profitability, unscientific management of farm resources, decreases in crops and livestock productivity due to climate change, changes in food habits of the people, deprived soil health, low inputs use efficiencies, declined in crop diversification and biodiversity, increased cost of production, utilization of high energy inputs, produces low energy outputs and other problems are also coexisted in current farming system. The integrated farming system includes different components like crops, livestock, poultry, beekeeping, fisheries, mushroom, kitchen garden, boundary plantation and others to cultivate in an integrated way for efficient utilization of limited farm resources. Moreover, imperative need to resolve these ablaze issues with the help of development of location-specific integrated farming system modules/models. IFS is a tool of sustainable strategies for the meeting of assorted agrarian anxieties along with ensured food and nutritional security and conserved ecosystem services. The standardized and upscale IFS models increased the productivity and profitability of the farmers more than mono-cropping and single-farm enterprises. The conducted studies emphases about enhance soil quality indicators, recycling and saving plant nutrients by around 55.6% through proper management of farm-based waste and byproducts. A total of 265.18 kg nitrogen, 48.91 kg phosphorus and 269.48 kg potassium can be saved through recycled farm-based waste or byproducts of a 1.5 ha model which comprises nine components. In conclusion, IFS modules/models are emission-negative or low GHG emitters, paving the way for promoting of climate-friendly farming in India. IFS emerges as a holistic approach to increase climate-resilient, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced, it is a potential for sustainable agriculture development requiring continued research, policy support and innovative strategies for widespread adoption. As regards to livelihood security, the IFS approach has adapted to meet the home-grown family needs of cereals, pulses, oils, fruits, milk, meat, eggs and vegetables. The future direction for research includes vertical farming, climate-smart farming systems and improving the quality and sustainability of the farming systems, especially for underprivileged farm householders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The study conducted a review of the parasitological profile of vegetables from 2001 to 2021, considering the type, consumption, and cultivation, globally. The databases searched included MEDLINE, SciELO, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Scopus using the terms "Detection OR Prevalence OR Incidence OR occurrence OR contamination AND vegetable OR fruit AND Helminth OR egg OR Parasite OR cysts OR protozoa". A total of 16,600 articles were found, 117 of which were reviewed. Of the 391,291 samples, 3.85% (15,095) were contaminated by parasites. Among those positive, 30.10% (4,543/15,095) contained enteroparasites commonly of human origin and 58.78% (8,873/15,095) came from markets. Few articles mentioned the cultivation type, but among those, conventional cultivation showed more contamination (42.34%; 224/529). Herbaceous vegetables were the most contaminated (56.84%; 8,580/15,095. Ascaris lumbricoides was found in 10.16% (1,535/15,095) of the samples. Lettuce was the most contaminated (20.43%; 3,084/15,095).

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Mountain societies are strongly linked to natural resources and their rational management. The growing population has led to the management of mountain areas according to emerging human needs. The study was conducted in the Urej River catchment (The Fann Mountains, Tajikistan). This paper aims to present changes in land use in 1988–2023 resulting from environmental conditions and land reform. Pasturelands predominate in the study area (93.8%), while built-up with kitchen garden and irrigated areas cover 1.8% and 4.0% of the area, respectively. Kitchen gardens and irrigated areas provide food for the residents. Significant land-use changes were observed along the Uroz River, where the irrigation system was developed in areas that have not yet been used for plant cultivation. This is typical of many areas in Tajikistan, where it is impossible to obtain crops without irrigation due to climatic conditions. Until 1988, the study area was not as intensively cultivated as it is today. Under the ongoing lease system based on the Dehkan Farm Act, grazing land is still owned by the state, but inhabitants have access to it. The leased land does little to improve the economic situation of households but contributes to preventing ecosystem degradation on the slopes caused by humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Appropriate complementary feeding plays a crucial role in the enhancement of child survival; and promotes healthy growth and development. Evidence has shown that appropriate complementary feeding is effective in preventing malnutrition and child mortality. Thus, the main objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of appropriate complementary feeding practice and associated factors among mothers of children aged 6–23 months. Methodology: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from August to December 2018. A total of 259 mothers who had children aged 6–23 months were selected randomly from the 714 eligible mothers. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data from the respondents. The data were collected in a tablet phone-based questionnaire using the Open Data Kit mobile application by face-to-face interview. Data analysis was done in SPSS version 21. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the factor associated with appropriate complementary feeding practice. Result: The prevalence of appropriate complementary feeding practice was 25%. Mother and father with formal education (AOR 6.1, CI: 1.7–22.4 and AOR 5.6 CI: 1.5–21.2 respectively), counseling on IYCF (AOR 4.2, CI: 1.5–12.3), having kitchen garden (AOR 2.4, CI: 1.1–5.2) and food secured family (AOR 3.0, CI: 1.0–8.9) had higher odds of appropriate complementary feeding practice. Conclusion: This study revealed that a significant proportion of mothers had inappropriate complementary feeding practice for their children aged 6–23 months. This study highlights the need for behavior change communication and promotion of kitchen garden to address the associated factors and promote appropriate complementary feeding practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Climate change, nutritional security, land shrinkage, and an increasing human population are the most concerning factors in agriculture, which are further complicated by deteriorating soil health. Among several ways to address these issues, themost prominent and cost-effectivemeans is to adopt an integrated farming system (IFS). Integrating farming systems with livestock enables a way to increase economic yield per unit area per unit of time for farmers in small and marginal categories. This system effectively utilizes the waste materials by recycling them via linking appropriate components, thereby minimizing the pollution caused to the environment. Further integrating livestock components with crops and the production of eggs, meat, and milk leads to nutritional security and stable farmer's income generation. So, there is a dire need to develop an eco-friendly, ecologically safe, and economically profitable IFS model. Methods: An experiment was conducted to develop a crop-livestock-based integrated farming system model for the benefit of irrigated upland farmers in the semi-arid tropics for increasing productivity, farm income, employment generation, and food and nutritional security through efficient utilization of resources in the farming system. Results and discussion: The IFS model has components, viz., crop (0.85 ha) + horticulture (0.10 ha) + 2 cattles along with 2 calves in dairy (50 m²) + 12 female goats and 1 male goat (50 m²) + 150 numbers of poultry birds (50 m²) + vermicompost (50 m²) + kitchen garden (0.02 ha) + boundary planting + supporting activities (0.01 ha) in a one-hectare area. Themodel recorded a higher totalMEY (162.31 t), gross return (689,773), net return (317,765), and employment generation (475 mandays). Further negative emissions of -15,118 CO2-e (kg) greenhouse gases were recorded under this model. The study conclusively reveals that integration of crop, horticulture, dairy, goat, poultry, vermicompost production, kitchen garden, and boundary planting models increases the net returns, B:C ratio, employment generation, nutritional security, and livelihoods of small and marginal farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conserving rainwater at the household level is generally overlooked in many developing countries. Therefore, rooftop rainwater potential for kitchen gardening or aquifer recharge was explored using 30 years of weather data in the Rawal watershed, which is facing water table decline (> 1 m/year) due to urbanization and climate change. The results revealed that harvesting rainwater from rooftops of available household sizes (single to five-room) in the Rawal watershed area is capable of growing vegetables (onion, tomato, cucumber, and garlic) on 25 (1 Marla) to 1339 m2 (53 Marla) using storage tanks of suitable capacity (10 to 59 m3). Furthermore, by recharging the groundwater through the available rainwater of around 1.2 m per year can stop or reduce the current water table decline in the study area. Rainwater storage during the monsoon can increase productivity by reusing in dry periods while recharging aquifers can sustain flow from springs, dug wells, and tube wells in rural and urban areas. The new information and knowledge can be helpful for decision support in designing site-specific rooftop rainwater harvesting systems for kitchen gardening, which can be instrumental in improving food security and raising groundwater levels in both urban and rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The momentum of central kitchen development is advancing rapidly, but also facing consumers with more diversified consumer demand and higher quality requirements. This paper summarized the central kitchen meat products in heat processing, storage and transportation, the change of product taste material, aimed to keep the central kitchen production and transportation chain on the good taste, ensurde the overall consumption experience of the central kitchen meat products, expanded the consumer market, so as to maximize the product quality and economic benefits, promote the central kitchen industry scale, standardized development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review summarizing the data, both original and literature, on the development of the urban environment by smaller mammals is presented, the common hamster serving as an example. Initially, having predominantly inhabited the forested steppe zone, this species first essentially became a hemi-agrophile and, along with the development of agriculture, it occupied the margins of fields, this providing it with good food supply throughout the year. Changes in farming culture (fragmentary fields replaced with vast areas of arable land occupied by monocultures and the use of poisons and fertilizers) led to a shift in the ecological optimum of the species to areas occupied by gardens, kitchen gardens, and urban ecosystems. This has provoked changes in the genetic structure of populations, a greater (compared to suburbs) diversity of alleles of the main histocompatibility complex responsible for the resistance to pathogens, a reduced hibernation period up to its complete abandonment, and a decreased aggressiveness to conspecifics which allows for more burrows to be arranged in a limited space and the general storage to be consumed. Using food wastes as additional food resources has appeared possible, and this may have led to changes in the digestive and other systems. All this has allowed the common hamster to exist successfully in urbanized environments, despite the reduction of life expectancy due to a large number of stressors (parasitic load, pollution, etc.). Not all of the above traits are assumed to have been formed in the process of synurbization. Many previously acquired adaptations could have turned out to be effective along with the development of urban areas. Obviously, the way the common hamster has developed from a noncommensal species to an agrophile and a synurbist is not unique, as many other mammalian and bird species have passed or are passing through it at present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Gardening at the Margins: Convivial Labor, Community, and Resistance" by Gabriel R. Valle explores the practice of growing ancestral food in home gardens in California's Santa Clara Valley. Valle's research focuses on the practices of home gardeners and their efforts to protect against vulnerability, improve health and wellbeing, and strengthen ties to their neighborhood and community. The book highlights the importance of convivial labor, which is labor outside of the capitalist system that produces value for those who practice it. Valle also examines the historical and structural factors that have alienated people from the land and the food it can produce, particularly for low-income wage earners and immigrants. Overall, "Gardening at the Margins" offers a critical and community-engaged account of home gardens in the Santa Clara Valley, emphasizing the potential for gardening, cooking, and eating as emancipatory acts. [Extracted from the article]

Darwin's observations of different kinds of climbing plants include numerous references to the tactility of plants. Darwin's insights into the sensory responses of plants were based on his research on grass seedlings, climbers, and carnivorous plants. Notably, visitors were invited to focus not only on their own sensorial experiences but on those of the insects and plants that Darwin observed. [Extracted from the article]

The benefits of community-based, grassroots food practices, such as community gardens or kitchens, are widely acknowledged. However, they have also been shown to support neoliberal and exclusionary dynamics. This paper examines this contradiction on the ground by unpacking the processes and mechanisms through which these initiatives reproduce, reinforce or challenge social inequities and injustices in the city. It suggests the concept of community food space to look at the articulation of practices and intentions within these groups, and highlight emancipatory practices situated around food rather than simply about food. The paper draws upon an ongoing militant ethnography into community food spaces in Berlin, Germany. Exploring the complex and diverse landscape of Berlin food activism, it illuminates the ways in which food may be used to perpetuate unjust social configurations or, on the contrary, to advance social justice at both local and structural levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Home gardens have been a part of local and global food systems since humans first began domesticating crops and have endured the test of time. They are commonly referred to as kitchen gardens, backyard gardens, garden patches, and garden beds and often have a local or cultural context. Home gardens vary from location to location in terms of organization, structure, size, and composition and are generally influenced by household resources and attributes, socioeconomic aspects, and cultural factors. International organizations and national, regional, and local governments, non-governmental organizations, and grassroots groups have been adopting and utilizing home gardening to reduce hunger and food insecurity and mitigate food risks from various crises and disasters. Drawing on case studies from various regions of the world, this article highlights experiences with home gardening through case studies and their impacts on targeted communities in various areas of the world. The case studies show that low resource use, adaptability to diverse conditions and situations, and resilience are key factors contributing to the widespread adoption of home gardens. Furthermore, they have been a particularly useful development strategy in crisis and post-crisis situations and in improving marginalized and vulnerable communities' food and nutritional security. This review article summarizes the important contributions of home gardening projects from various countries and identifies major constraints and opportunities. It concludes with recommendations to policy-makers, researchers, development practitioners and other relevant stakeholders to address those challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Vulnerability to malnutrition is very high with low-income women and their children in rural Balochistan with contributing factors including lack of awareness about proper nutrition, low literacy, scarcity of vegetables and fruit, and low purchasing power of households. The Food and Agriculture Organization's kitchen garden program provides resources to improve nutrition and health knowledge and promote healthy eating practices. The objective of this study was to assess nutrition and health awareness, knowledge, attitudes, behavioural intentions/behaviours (AKAB) of women who attended the kitchen garden program and trainings. Materials and methods: A community based cross-sectional survey (N = 209) using a two-stage cluster sampling method was used to select households with survey participants being mothers with children under five years of age. A pretested questionnaire was administered via face-to-face surveys by trained enumerators in two districts of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Nutrition and health AKAB were constructed indices. Chi-square tests compared statistical differences in AKAB by women attending against a control group who did not-attend kitchen garden interventions. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to assess kitchen garden program outcomes against key AKAB indicators, while adjusting for covariates. Results: Significant differences (p<0.001) were identified between intervention and control groups with women attending kitchen garden being more aware of the components of kitchen garden (65.8% vs 36.8%), and more knowledgeable about causes of illnesses caused by poor nutrition including, iron deficiency anemia, pregnancy, and unborn child health complications, compared to women not attending kitchen gardens program. Logistic regression analysis identified women attending kitchen gardens also had higher odds of being more knowledgeable (OR = 1.59, 95%CI 1.27–1.99, p<0.001), having improved attitudes (OR = 4.86, 95%CI 2.77–8.53, p <0.001), and behavioural intentions/behaviours (OR = 1.98, 95%CI 1.26–3.12, p = 0.003) towards improved nutrition and health. Conclusions: Substantial opportunities exist for achieving improved nutrition and health outcomes with vulnerable groups in Balochistan, through greater participation in kitchen gardens behavioural change programs and interventions. As part of scaling-up efforts, academically rigorous project evaluations should be institutionalized for continuous improvement of nutrition programs to address micronutrient deficiencies in rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meeting food and nutritional security needs for a growing population is a global sustainability challenge due to the heavy reliance on a few cultivated crops for dietary requirements across the world. To ensure local food security, it is imperative to diversify dietary options with locally available, neglected, and underutilized crops (NUCs) with nutritional and biocultural significance. In this context, the present study aims to explore the role of NUCs for nutritional, ethnomedicinal, and agricultural relevance in two districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, i.e., Mirzapur and Sonebhadra. Extensive field surveys were conducted in the study sites, and a total of 445 local respondents were interviewed based on structured questionnaires for calculating ethnobotanical indices, i.e., relative frequency of citation (RFC), frequency of citation (FC), use report (UR), and cultural importance index (CI) of NUCs. The study identified 116 NUCs belonging to 55 families and 103 genera. All reported NUCs had medicinal value; 55 were edible and used as food; and 41 had agricultural significance. Leaves were the most commonly used plant parts for medicinal purposes, followed by roots and stems, whereas flowers were the least commonly used parts. NUCs were used by the locals for their medicinal properties to treat various ailments, such as skin and eye problems, headaches, and liver problems. They were administered as decoction, paste, vapor inhalation, fruit juice, and poultice. The RFC, FC, UR, and CI values of the NUCs were in the range of 12 to 365, 0.03 to 0.82, 12 to 394, and 0.03 to 0.89, respectively. Fruits were the most commonly consumed part, followed by leaves, tubers, pods, and aerial bulbs, whereas the mode of consumption was stir-fry, soup, vegetables, salad, or in raw form. NUCs were bestowed with essential macro- and micronutrients and were found in the range of Ca (3.79–1147.3), K (2.6–1600.3), Mg (0.8–468.0), Na (0.4–270.8), P (1.15–305), Fe (0.1–327.6), Zn (0.1–84.6), Cu (0.047–33.3), Mn (0.1–62.3) mg/100 g, and vitamins like ascorbic acid (0.04–1561.1), thiamine (0.041–2.4), and β-Carotene (0.2–93.6) mg/100 g. These NUCs were cultivated in different settings, such as kitchen gardens, backyard gardens, border crops, and sometimes agricultural fields. The current study reveals the rich diversity and varied use of these NUCs with respect to their ethnomedicinal, nutritional, and agricultural relevance. Sustainable utilization with large-scale cultivation of promising NUCs can lead to local food security and the subsequent attainment of the associated UN Sustainable Development Goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malnutrition and food insecurity remain high in rural Rwanda, where residents consume a low-diversity diet provided through subsistence farming. Agricultural interventions using kitchen gardens may improve diet diversity in some populations. However, little is known about their efficacy when developed using community-based participatory research in combination with nutrition education focused on the empowerment of women. The objective of this study was to develop and implement a kitchen garden and nutrition education intervention using a community-engaged model and examine its impact on household diet diversity and food security. Using a mixed methods community-level design, we assessed a 16-week intervention implemented in Cyanika, Rwanda. Stratified purposeful sampling was used to select women participants representing 42 households. Household diet diversity scores (HHDS) and hunger scores were calculated at the baseline, post-intervention and one-year follow-up. HDDS increased after intervention from a pre-intervention intake of 2.59 [1.3] food groups/day, to 4.85 [1.6] at four months post-intervention and at one year post-intervention, reaching 5.55 [1.3]. There were no significant changes in household hunger scores. Our results indicate that collaborative community-engaged nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions can increase household diet diversity; however, future work should explore whether this type of intervention strategy can lead to sustained changes and impact nutritional adequacy in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composting can turn organic waste into a valuable soil amendment that can improve physical, chemical, and biological soil quality. Compost amendments can also contribute to the remediation of areas anthropogenically degraded by metals. However, it is well known that compost, particularly self-produced compost, can show enrichment in metals. An experimental study was conducted to examine the short- and long-term distribution and the mobility of metals in soils amended with a self-produced compost when it was added alone or in combination with different doses of a natural zeolite to soil. The aim was also to study the interest of managing moderately metal-contaminated kitchen garden soils by assessing the chemical extractability, phytoavailability, and oral bioaccessibility of metals. When zeolite was added to compost alone, it had the tendency to better reduce extractability of Cd and Zn at 25%, and those of Pb at 15%. When the self-produced compost alone or in co-application with zeolite at these doses was applied to soils, the results showed (1) a decrease of NH4NO3-extractable Zn; (2) a reduction of Pb environmental availability, but not Pb bioaccessibility, and (3) an increase of ryegrass biomass. Nevertheless, the risk posed by the self-produced compost was minimal when applied at the proper rate (0.6% w/w). In the selected experimental conditions, the study recommends that self-produced compost be mixed with 15% zeolite to maximize vegetal biomass and minimize environmental risk. The question of sustainability of the results with repeated compost addition is also raised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A research was conducted in the Veneto region (NE-Italy) inside kitchen gardens and potato fields of outer pre-Alps, and in asparagus fields on the low Po plain near the Adriatic coast, in late summer-autumn after harvesting. Original vegetation-plot records were compared with historic and recent materials from Italy, especially N-Italy, and with comparable associations from Central and South-Eastern Europe, to ensure a consistent syntaxonomical frame of this highly dynamic vegetation. At the same time it was possible to shed light on the actual occurrence of past coenoses, cited by Italian authors for the Po plain. The analysis not only confirmed the occurrence of Echinochloo-Setarietum pumilae in north-eastern Italian territories, but also showed that it was more extensive than previously thought. It also confirmed the persistence of Panico-Polygonetum persicariae. The historical presence of Veronico-Lamietum hybridi occurring in pre-Alps and Dolomites needs confirmation. Further regional-scale investigations of summer crop weed vegetation appear necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]