Anganwadi schools in Narayanpet district of Telangana are different from other anganwadis. These anganwadis feature vegetable gardens in the backyards and food for children is cooked by picking fresh vegetables from these gardens. This unbelievable thing has happened thanks to Nutri Gardens, an initiative by district administration. Advanta Seeds and Numhans Seeds have collaborated to provide free seeds to the gardens and maintain and set up the gardens.
“Poshana Vanams” (Nutri Gardens) started as a small and innovative step and is now flourishing, as about 50 anganwadis feature nutria gardens now. Looking at the success of this initiative, the district administration is now planning to use this model in high schools, covering around 100 schools, according to Narayanpet collector D. Harichandana.
They started with a dozen vegetables like ridge gourd, spinach, and lady’s finger. The teachers of the anganwadis and the village green committees have come forward to maintain these gardens. According to the collector, some of the vegetables are given to pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children below six years, under home ration initiatives.
This is not all. The initiative also aims to teach farming to school children and encourage them to practice plantations at their homes. Several anganwadi schools in Appampally, Eklaspur, Kosgi, Perepalla, Marikal, Krishna, and more are raising these gardens.
Advanta Seeds and Numhans Seeds, impressed by this initiative, have come forward to contribute in their own ways to these nutri gardens. They have collaborated with the anganwadi teachers and the district administration to set up and maintain nutri gardens. Being major seed companies, they have also decided to provide free seeds to these gardens.
