Impact of a homegardening intervention on crop diversity: results from a cluster-randomized trial in Bangladesh

Summary

This cluster-randomized trial evaluated a Homestead Food Production intervention in rural north-eastern Bangladesh, assigning 96 settlements to intervention (1337 women) or control (1368 women) arms. Women in the intervention received vegetable seeds and training in homegardening, poultry rearing, and nutrition over three years. By the final intervention year, the programme increased harvested vegetable species by 4.3 species and total crop species by 6.4 species (more than double compared to control), with sustained impacts across seasons, wealth and education gradients, and maintained up to 2.5 years post-intervention.

Regional applicability

This study was conducted in rural north-eastern Bangladesh and demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of homestead food production in a South Asian context with constraints on agricultural land and market access. Findings may be transferable to comparable agro-ecological and socioeconomic settings in South Asia and other regions, though UK conditions (temperate climate, established food supply chains, higher baseline food security) differ substantially; however, the trial methodology and intervention logic offer valuable evidence for global food security and malnutrition-reduction programmes.

Key measures

Number of harvested vegetable species; total crop species; crop species richness; homegarden management practices; measured across 12 four-monthly survey rounds at baseline, during 3-year intervention (2015–2018), and post-intervention follow-up.

Outcomes reported

The study measured the number and type of harvested garden crop species across 12 survey rounds over three years during and after a Homestead Food Production intervention. Primary outcomes were crop species richness and homegarden management practices as pathways to improved household access to nutrient-dense foods.

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