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The peculiar sounds of ding-dong-dang and the mouth-watering aroma emanating from most kitchens are matters that are familiar with everyone.  

These are signs that such kitchens are still active with some form of ongoing activity within with the main objective of putting food on the table and filling up tummies.

But as the prices of stuffs keep going up, this leaves many with shoe-string budgets in a bind.  Families have to budget carefully in order to balance their needs and wants.

Today, a stroll through the wet market may easily deplete anyone’s pockets by RM50.00-100.00, possibly even more. 

This is where the people of the state are in luck to be gifted with a new energetic, people-centric Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industries (MAFFI).  

As has been regularly reported in the press, the Hon. Minister has been at the forefront in efforts to drive home the message that the rural folks especially the farming community, need to be empowered to improve their livelihood and productivity, and contribution to the state’s well-being.

Empowerment may be through the various government agencies and departments, or possibly even through public-private partnership.  

The skills and knowhow of the relevant communities may be enriched through a series of short courses, practical, demonstrations or even talks and exhibitions.  

The objective is to stir up the inherent drive and desire to progress, so that at the end of the day, there will be increases in the production of more food and other agricultural commodities as well as improvement in economic levels.

In this respect, the food security of the state may be better taken care of instead of having to depend on imports.  Looking at the larger picture, it is even possible to create a surplus for export to other states or even neighbouring countries to enrich the state’s coffers.

But to be realistic, it is necessary to commence from the bottom to improve the food security.  

Thus the concept of Kitchen Garden, as espoused by the Hon. Minister, comes into the scheme of things beautifully, to be supported by the relevant departments such as Department of Agriculture.  

From here, it will be a breeze as the guidance by the hardworking and brilliant officers of the department will be most beneficial and productive.

Most people understand the concept of kitchen garden as one where the garden produces to supply the kitchen.  This is the most basic of the food security equation where the garden produce is literally lifted from the ground and served on the plate.  

When people have full stomachs, then, and only then, can incredible deeds be created and goals achieved.

There are many ways to achieve the goals to put food from the garden onto kitchen tables.  Successful achievements of the goals on a large scale involving great numbers of households may help to achieve the government’s dream of improving the food security of the state.

One of the ways is to cultivate vegetables, fruit and root crops, and even grains.  

Where animal husbandry and fisheries are involved, urban dwellings do not allow for activities such as keeping two dozen chicken, several goats or buffaloes, and a pond or two for fish, except for several beds of greens and lots of potted plants.

Support by the expert guidance from brilliant officers may lead to fruitful and productive use of the little plots of land in the backyard.  Of course it is even more productive with the use of kampung lands, community plots and other unused patches which may otherwise become havens for weeds and pests.

On the ground, planting beds may be created by measuring out small-sized plots of 1x3 metres.  Depending on the available area, it is easy to accommodate up to 8 plots to cultivate various kinds of climbing vegetables such as long beans, bitter gourd, cucumber, winged beans or Basella alba that is also known as Vine Spinach.  

Alternatively, non-creepers may be cultivated which do not need the setting up of trellis systems.  These include brinjals, corn, ladies’ fingers, chilli, bayam and kailian, among others.  

Planting vegetables in pots nowadays is not a novel idea anymore.  In fact, creative plant lovers may even grow attractively set edible plants in pots which often attract inquisitive eyes.  Such vegetables include kalian, choysam, cabbage, onion, salad vegetables.

There are growers who lug the potted vegetables when they are at their prime to popular spots to sell their produce, mainly as a side hustle to supplement their family income.

In this respect, I believe the ever popular Gaya Street Sunday Fair is a true hotspot for beautiful home-grown to be pushed out for some quick bucks.  But I guess approval from the authorities needs to be secured first to be on the right side of the law.

On the other hand, the cultivation of fruits in the backyard may require less numbers as each shrub usually takes up a larger area.  With durians, bambangan, coconut or belunu, the need for more space may be even more pronounced.

Hopefully, more numbers of smaller fruits trees such as starfruit, ciku, guava, langsat, etc, may fit inside small areas.

When full production comes on-stream, it is often necessary to look for outlets to monetise the produce to climb up the economic ladder.  Fortunately, there are many agricultural produce collection centres in many locations.

These are set-ups that aim to improve the well-being of especially the rural and farming communities. It is suggested for interested parties to approach the relevant agencies so they may latch onto the prosperity bandwagon.