TITLE:
COVID-19 Outbreak and Urban Green Space, Food Security, and Quality of Life: Case of Urban Home Gardens in Kandy, Sri Lanka
AUTHORS:
Lalitha Dissanayake, Sathya Dilini
KEYWORDS:
COVID-19, Food Security, Greener Environment, Social Well-Being, Urban Home Gardening
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.8 No.9,
September
21,
2020
ABSTRACT: The study was conceptualized to distinguish contribution of urban home gardening
towards household food security and quality of life while making greener
environment in urban area in the context of country wise curfew during COVID-19
pandemic and challenges arisen with it. Kandy municipal area was selected as
study site and questionnaire surveys over prepared grid map and field
observations were the principal data collection methods used in this study.
Social and physical inputs for gardening as well as material and immaterial
outcomes received through the gardening were considered as major parameters in
data collection. It is notable that data collected concerning situation before
and during the curfew period. Data feeding and analysis were supported through
IBM SPSS Statistics 25 software. Social well-being and mental health was
highlighted in all three satisfaction levels of high, moderate, and low and is
more than that of 50% from the total recorded responses. Stress release,
collective work, family harmonization, exercise, sharing and social cohesion,
knowledge and experience, and healthy foods are the outcomes received in the
aspect of social well-being and mental health. As they perceive, environmental quality has amended with the outcomes through greening, aesthetic beauty, land management and erosion control, waste
management and clean environment. Also, urban dwellers have assured their
economic status during the pandemic situation at least fulfilling one or two
diets with homemade vegetable products. Still, social well-being and mental
health could be prioritized among the benefits received through home gardening;
especially during the pandemic situation. Because, awareness and promotion to
achieve desired harvest in the urban home gardening is challengeable in the
current context. Thus, those aspects should be address in the agricultural
policy preparation without compromising livelihood of large scale farmers. So
the crop specification for healthy diet can promote by continuation of this
home gardening trend with the experience of COVID-19 pandemic. Then only we can
fear off during this kind of disastrous situation.