BHUBANESWAR: Community cadres from as many as 2,500 panchayats in the State came together at the week-long ‘Odisha Pusti Mahotsav’ for gaining knowledge on nutrition. The participants, mainly women SHG members, were imparted training on supporting rural households in adoption of nutrition practices during the programme that ended on Sunday.
The programme focused on the promotion of nutrition gardens which would lead to dietary diversity and nutritional knowledge of rural communities. The women SHG members were taught the importance of consuming 10 food groups - pulses, grains, nuts, seeds, dairy, meat, eggs, fish, green leafy vegetables and ways to grow them in their backyard nutrition gardens.
Secretary of Mission Shakti department Sujata R Karthikeyan said the seven-day event was a unique initiative to fortify nutritional knowledge in the hinterlands of the State. “The community-led celebration signifies augmented nutritional outcomes in every village. The ‘Mo Upakari Bagicha’ initiative of the government has emerged a game changer for the communities,” she said.
A member of Dharitri SHG group from Jujomara block Sabita Bada said the nutrition garden has changed the food habits of people residing in rural pockets of the State. “Such events will enhance and strengthen nutritional knowledge at the grassroots as we came to know about the importance of consuming different food groups and how to diversify the food platter,” she said.
CEO of Odisha Livelihoods Mission Mansi Nimbhal said the event attempted to gauge how nutritionally literate are rural households in the State. With a nutrition garden in every backyard, every family will have four-square nutritionally balanced diet around the year, she said.
The programme was supported by Azim Premji Foundation.