The Jalpaiguri administration, in a bid to eradicate malnutrition in children, has launched a project to set up nutrition gardens in 500-odd anganwadi centres located across the district.
These gardens, designed to grow a variety of fruits and vegetables organically, aim to supplement children’s meals with home-grown, chemical-free produce.
The initiative, jointly undertaken by the district administration and the horticulture department, will see anganwadi workers caring for children and simultaneously tending to the plants.
Training sessions for the upkeep of the plants have been conducted for workers of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) who run these centres, said Khurshid Alam, the district horticulture officer of Jalpaiguri district.
“The training of the ICDS staff has been conducted in all blocks of the district,” Alam said. “Also, according to the instructions of the district magistrate, work to develop the gardens has begun at the centres which have the required space. We have set a target to open nutrition gardens in 500 centres and provide seeds and saplings to the staff.”
As of now, anganwadi staff have been trained to cultivate five different vegetables — bitter gourd, cucumber, pumpkin, green chilli and lady’s finger — to be served to children in their meals.
“During monsoon, we will train them to cultivate fruits,” added Alam.
A senior administrative official said that the initiative was planned considering the health benefits of organic produce for children.
Most vegetables available in the market are grown with chemicals, fertilisers and pesticides, he pointed out.
“These anganwadi gardens will rely solely on organic compost. If there is no space for such a garden in any centre, the administration will provide a government plot nearby. In locations where anganwadi centres are housed alongside primary schools, larger gardens will be developed to benefit both pre-schoolers and school students,” said the official.
“The effort is part of a broader push to eliminate the ‘red children’ (a government classification for severely malnourished children),” he added.
Once the gardens start yielding vegetables and fruits, anganwadi workers will also provide them to pregnant women in their areas.
“If a pregnant woman cannot visit the centre, workers must ensure these nutritious items reach her doorstep,” said a source.