Plataforma de conocimientos sobre agricultura familiar

Keyhole gardens for better nutrition and livelihoods

A keyhole garden (so-called because of its shape) is a round raised garden, supported with stones. Keyhole gardens are built in places where it is difficult to build normal gardens (rocky areas, shallow arid/or compacted soils, etc), near the entrance of dwellings to facilitate their watering with household waste water. Keyhole gardens are made with low-cost locally available materials. The production of a keyhole garden can be enough to feed a family of eight people. Such gardens can produce food all year round, even under harsh temperatures. It can also support the production of at least five varieties of vegetables at a time, thus supporting dietary diversity. Compared to regular vegetable gardens, keyhole gardens require less labour (ideal for elderly, children or sick persons), less water and no costly fertilizers or pesticides. They act like an organic recycling tank, using food and garden waste as fuel to grow vegetables. Crop rotation and growing of insect-repellent plants are important to balance nutrient demands, fight insects and plant diseases, and deter weeds. When a project introduced keyhole gardens in Lesotho, neighbouring villages outside the project intervention area were reproducing keyhole gardens on their own initiative. This clearly indicated the success of the intervention and its potential sustainability. This technology gives a detailed step-by-step description of the building process of a keyhole garden.

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Autor: Nutrition Division in FAO
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Organización: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO TECA
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Año: 2020
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Cobertura geográfica: África
Tipo: Prácticas
Texto completo disponible en: https://www.fao.org/teca/en/technologies/7643
Idioma utilizado para los contenidos: English
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