Impact Evaluation of an Ethnoecological Approach to Home Garden Development

An ethnoecologist, an international development organization and a microfinance institution developed and implemented a home garden development initiative blending ethnoecological and agroecological approaches to improve horticultural and home garden management practices in Kyrgyzstan for food security. Pre- and post-initiative, a cohort of 602 households, both participants in the development initiative and non-participants, were surveyed from eight villages to evaluate adoption rates and changes in income. Both pre- and post-surveys showed that there were significant rates of adoption for nearly all techniques with direct participants having higher rates of adoption of management practices that impact long-term yield, and thus income, sustainability and stability such as composting, thinning of fruits, grafting and seedling establishment. There was a direct link between the adoption of management techniques and increased household income. Targeting home gardens for agricultural development initiatives based on prior ethnoecological research and agroecological principles improves management practices and household income.