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Metal contamination of urban soils and homegrown products has caused major concern. In Part 1, we investigated the long-term effects of a former smelter on the degree of kitchen garden-soil contamination and the quality of the homegrown vegetables from these gardens. The results showed that the soils retained a high level of contamination and that a large proportion of the vegetables produced did not comply with the legislation on the levels of metals allowed for human consumption. The present study aims to assess the associated potential health risk to local inhabitants through consumption of homegrown vegetables and ingestion of soil particles using a land use-based approach. For lead (Pb), the standard hazard quotient (HQ)-based risk assessment method was used to determine the HQ. For cadmium (Cd), the approach consisted of calculating the HQs and then deriving site-specific assessment criteria (SSAC) using the SNIFFER method. The results suggested that the exposure pathways considered should not engender any form of deleterious health effects for adults. For children, Pb was the main concern and induced a relatively high health risk through soil particle ingestion, and most total soil Cd concentrations exceeded the derived SSAC, in particular, through consumption of vegetables. The metal bioaccessibility in soils was incorporated into the methods to establish more realistic risk assessment measures. This study proposes an approach to integrate different human health risk assessment methods. Further investigations should complete the assessment to improve risk determination, e.g., the determination of metal bioaccessibility in vegetables.

\"The walled garden was once an essential component of every country house, its shelter providing ideal conditions for growing food, flowers and medicine. This book from the National Trust looks at walled gardens throughout England and Wales and explores their history, innovative design and cultural heritage. Walled gardens are a feature of British gardening history. In the late 18th century, gardens became status symbols, with aristocrats vying to grow ever more exotic fruits--ushering in innovations such as glasshouses and even heated walls. With the First and Second World Wars many of these gardens fell into disrepair, but renovated ones feature at many key National Trust properties and remain a source of pride and fascination today.\"-- Provided by publisher.

Background Many indigenous communities reside in biodiverse environments replete with natural food sources but show ​poor access and utilization. Methods To understand the links between indigenous food access, dietary intakes, and biomarkers, we conducted a cross-sectional study among women of the Santhal Community ( n  = 211) from 17 villages in the Godda district of Jharkhand, India. Survey methods included household surveys, dietary intake assessment (24 HDR) and micronutrient and inflammatory biomarkers' estimation. Results The diversity in access to foods from different natural sources expressed as Food access diversity index was low. This led to poor consumption and thus a low Minimum Dietary Diversity. The mean nutrient intake was less than the estimated average requirement for all nutrients. Women with higher dietary diversity scores had higher nutrient intakes. Thiamine and calcium intakes were significantly higher in women consuming indigenous foods than non-consumers. One-fourth of the women had elevated levels of inflammatory biomarkers. The prevalence of iron deficiency was approximately 70%. Vitamin A insufficiency (measured as retinol-binding protein) was observed in around 33.6% women, while 28.4% were deficient. Household access to natural food sources was associated with specific biomarkers. The access to kitchen garden ( baari ) was positively associated with retinol-binding protein levels and negatively with inflammatory biomarkers, while access to ponds was positively associated with ferritin levels. Conclusion The findings highlight the role of access to diverse natural foods resources, including indigenous foods, for improving nutrition security in indigenous communities. Nutrition and health programs promoting indigenous food sources should include the assessment of biomarkers for effective monitoring and surveillance.

In the former mining area of Northern France, the number of diseases (cancers, malformations, backwardness...) is about ten times above the national average. Environmental surveys conducted by the Ministry of Health have showed that more than 10% of children living around a lead smelter located in this area had lead levels higher than 100 µg L-1 of blood (25% in the closest city). Two main factors contribute to the population exposure: the ingestion of plants produced in the contaminated area, and also the ingestion or the inhalation of contaminated dust or soil. It is usually known that these particles are key routes of exposure to lead for younger children, in particular via hand-to-mouth transfer. For a better understanding of this problem, researchers investigated different exposure sources like soil and vegetable contamination. Materials and Methods: All these parameters that contribute to the assessment of environmental and health risks of metal contamination have been measured. About 170 composite samples of soils around the smelter or from reference areas have been analysed, mainly from fields (70), kitchen gardens (60) and lawns (38). Total contents of Cd and Pd were measured in the organo-mineral layer (0-25cm) of soils. Composite grass samples were also taken on the lawns. Crops and vegetables were sampled from fields and kitchen gardens and then, parts of the plant intended only for consumption were washed and analysed. Results: For the organo-mineral horizon of the studied sites and located in various environmental contexts (contaminated or reference), we found a very broad range of metal concentrations. Generally, the data showed a strong variability of the physicochemical parameters of the urban soils (kitchen gardens, lawns), in particular with regard to lead. This work showed that cultivated plants (agricultural or kitchen garden) or lawn grass are also significantly contaminated by heavy metals, especially lawn grasses, cereal grains (wheat, barley) and lettuces sampled around the smelter. Moreover, the proportion of lead present on lawn grasses could reach 50% of the total contamination of the plants because of the deposition of contaminated dust. Discussion: The values of pollution in agricultural field and kitchen garden soils located near the smelter were respectively about 20 and 30 times above the agricultural regional reference values, probably due to the atmospheric emissions from a smelter that significantly increases the concentrations of metals in the upper horizons of the neighbouring soils. This pollution results in a high level of contamination of plants grown of these soils. Conclusions: The results showed that heavy metals in soils, particles (dust and soil) or plants of kitchen gardens, lawns or playgrounds could be potentially transferable to the users, and in particular to young children, and could then contribute, to a considerable share, to the exposure of the population living in a contaminated area around a smelter brought about through inhalation, direct ingestion of particles or consumption of plants. Recommendations and Perspectives: These results highlight that the consumption of home-grown vegetables can constitute a risk of exposure, in particular for cadmium, and especially in children. This work also underlined the role of the contaminated soil particles in the Pb contamination of the human food chains and their environment. Because of the complexity of the various methods of population exposure, it will be necessary to complete the data base, in partucular in urban areas. The main objective of this future work will be to relate the degree of environmental contamination with the lead level in child bood, and to integrate other environmental compartments like outdoor and indoor dust of the dwellings into the model of pathway exposure.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

\"For anyone who's ever wanted to grow their own food, comes gardening guru Carson Arthur's honest, and often hilarious, advice for any and every skill level and space. Everyone appreciates the glory of a fresh vine-ripened vegetable, but how do you successfully grow your own? Nobody wants to see their vegetable dreams die the tragic death of a #gardenfail! That is where Carson Arthur comes in, with a wealth of knowledge to guide your gardening decisions and set you up for success in any space. Whether it's a backyard, a rooftop, a balcony or even just a window ledge, this book has everything you need to know about sunlight, space, soil, seeds, and setup. Six years ago, Carson bought a small plot of land two hours outside of the city to try his hand at having his own farm. As a gardener by trade, and with a childhood spent on an apple farm, he had a little experience to back him up! Now he's sharing all of that in Vegetables, Chickens & Bees. Carson provides very real advice on how to choose the right garden for you, how to prepare your dirt and seeds, and gives step-by-step guidance for 20 key veggies you can grow--as well as how to dodge the many pitfalls out there (like checking about the locations of cable wires and gas lines before you start digging up your yard.) Then he shares his favourite recipes for those vegetables so you can have delicious options for everything you grow. Also included are primers on raising your own chickens and keeping your own bees.\" -- ONIX annotation.

Kitchen gardens may improve family food security and nutrition. While these gardens are the domain of women in Afghanistan, women face unique challenges accessing training and resources to maximize small-scale agricultural output. The University of Maryland's Women in Agriculture Project builds capacity among female extension educators to work with vulnerable women to implement and maintain kitchen gardens. Extension educators use experiential methods to teach vegetable gardening, apiculture, small-scale poultry production, post-harvest handling and processing, nutrition and marketing through workshops, demonstration gardens and farmer field schools. This paper explores contextual factors related to women's food security and agricultural opportunities, describes key project activities and approaches and discusses project success and challenges, sustainability and implications for future programs.

\"Presents twelve gardening projects using leftover scraps from cooking, including growing celery from stubs, growing a bulb of garlic from a single clove, and growing a ginger plant from a root\"--Amazon.com.

This paper reports on the evaluation of a kitchen garden program in primary schools in Victoria, Australia. It focuses on the motivations, impacts, and issues associated with volunteering in the program. The study revealed that volunteers are drawn from a range of sources, including: families of current and former students, former teachers, local residents, clients of aged care and/or disability services, other schools and communities, local universities, community organizations, the community services sector, and the corporate sector. Benefits to volunteers included: opportunities to use time productively, an increased sense of belonging, learning opportunities, and an increased sense of self-worth and enjoyment. For schools, volunteers enhanced engagement between the school and the local community, enabled them to engage more effectively with hard to reach groups, and increased student engagement. In addition, the involvement of volunteers improved the sustainability of the program, improved communication between teachers and families of students from minority ethnic groups, and gave students the chance to relate to new people, to learn from their experience and to have fun in working with the volunteers. Perhaps the most telling benefits to flow both to students and to volunteers were not the \"three Rs—reading, w'riting and a'rithmetic\" but the three Cs—confidence, capabilities, and connections. However, a clearly identified issue was the importance of matching volunteers' motivations and needs with the roles they play to sustain current levels of volunteering and, therefore, the program itself. Cet article présente une évaluation d'un programme d'initiation à la cuisine dans des écoles primaires de l'Etat de Victoria, en Australie. L'analyse se concentre sur les motivations, les effets et les problèmes liés au bénévolat au sein de ce programme. L'étude révèle que les bénévoles proviennent d'origines très variées: familles d'anciens et de nouveaux élèves, ex-enseignants, voisinage, bénéficiaires de services aux personnes âgées et/ou handicapées, autres écoles et communautés, universités locales, organismes municipaux, secteur des services de proximité, et monde de l'entreprise. Les avantages que les bénévoles retirent du programme incluent: des opportunités d'utiliser leur temps de façon productive, un sentiment plus fort d'appartenance à un groupe, des opportunités éducatives, et un renforcement de leur sentiment d'estime de soi et une satisfaction accrue. Quant aux écoles, les bénévoles améliorent leurs interactions avec la communauté locale, leur permet d'agir de façon plus efficace auprès de groupes autrement difficiles à atteindre, et incitent les élèves à s'investir davantage. De plus, l'action des bénévoles accroît la durabilité du programme, améliore la communication entre les enseignants et les familles d'élèves issus de minorités ethniques, et donne aux élèves la chance de nouer des liens avec de nouvelles personnes, d'apprendre de leurs expériences, et de se divertir tout en travaillant avec les bénévoles. Peut-être que le gain le plus significatif pour les élèves comme pour les bénévoles ne réside pas dans les trois piliers classiques: lecture, écriture, arithmétique, mais dans les trois piliers que constituent confiance, aptitudes, et connections. Cependant, un problème apparaît clairement: il sera important de donner aux bénévoles un rôle qui correspond à leurs aspirations et leurs besoins afin de maintenir le bénévolat à son niveau courant, et par conséquent, le programme lui-même. In diesem Beitrag wird ein Küchengartenprogramm an Grundschulen im australischen Bundesstaat Victoria bewertet. Im Vordergrund stehen die Motivationen, Auswirkungen und Probleme in Verbindung mit einer ehrenamtlichen Mitwirkung bei dem Programm. Die Studie zeigte, dass die ehrenamtlichen Mitarbeiter aus einer Reihe unterschiedlicher Bereiche kommen bzw. diverse Hintergründe haben. Unter anderem sind sie Familienmitglieder derzeitiger oder ehemaliger Schüler, ehemalige Lehrer, Gemeindemitglieder und Kunden von Dienstleistungseinrichtungen für ältere bzw. behinderte Menschen; manche kommen von anderen Schulen und aus anderen Gemeinden sowie von lokalen Universitäten, Gemeindeorganisationen, aus dem Gemeindedienstleistungssektor und dem Wirtschaftssektor. Durch die ehrenamtliche Tätigkeit erhielten sie die Gelegenheit, ihre Zeit produktiv zu nutzen. Ihr Zugehörigkeitsgefühl wurde gestärkt, und die Tätigkeit brachte Lernmöglichkeiten, ein erhöhtes Selbstwertgefühl und Freude mit sich. Die Vorteile für die Schulen waren, dass durch die ehrenamtlichen Mitarbeiter das Zusammenwirken zwischen ihnen und den Gemeinden gefördert wurde, sie sich effektiver mit schwer erreichbaren Gruppen auseinandersetzen konnten und das Engagement der Schüler erhöht wurde. Zudem führte die Involvierung ehrenamtlicher Mitarbeiter zu einer verbesserten Nachhaltigkeit des Programms und einer besseren Kommunikation zwischen den Lehrern und den Angehörigen von Schülern aus ethnischen Minderheitsgruppen. Die Schüler konnten neue Beziehungen aufbauen, aus ihren Erfahrungen lernen, und sie hatten Spaß an der Arbeit mit den ehrenamtlichen Mitarbeitern. Die bedeutendsten Vorteile für sowohl Schüler als auch ehrenamtliche Mitarbeiter waren vielleicht nicht die drei grundlegenden Fertigkeiten Lesen, Schreiben und Rechnen, sondern die drei Qualitäten Selbstvertrauen, Fähigkeiten und Verbindungen. Allerdings wurde deutlich herausgestellt, wie wichtig es ist, die Motivationen und Bedürfnisse der ehrenamtlichen Mitarbeiter bei den von ihnen übernommenen Rollen zu berücksichtigen, um das gegenwärtige Maß ehrenamtlicher Beteiligung und somit das Programm selbst zu erhalten. El presente documento informa de la evaluación de un programa de huerto en escuelas primarias en Victoria (Australia). Se centra en las motivaciones, los impactos y las cuestiones asociadas al voluntariado en dicho programa. El estudio reveló que los voluntarios procedían de una gama de fuentes, incluidas: familias de estudiantes actuales y antiguos, antiguos profesores, residentes locales, clientes de los servicios para discapacitados y/o de atención a personas mayores, otras escuelas y comunidades, universidades locales, organizaciones de la comunidad, el sector de servicios comunitarios y el sector corporativo. Los beneficios para los voluntarios incluyeron: oportunidades para utilizar el tiempo de manera productiva, un aumento del sentido de pertenencia, oportunidades de aprendizaje y un aumento del sentido del disfrute y del propio valor. Para las escuelas, los voluntarios aumentaron el compromiso entre la escuela y la comunidad local, les permitió comprometerse más efectivamente con grupos a los que es difícil llegar y aumentó el compromiso de los estudiantes. Asimismo, la implicación de voluntarios mejoró la sostenibilidad del programa, mejoró la comunicación entre los profesores y las familias de estudiantes de grupos étnicos minoritarios, y ofreció a los estudiantes la oportunidad de relacionarse con personas nuevas, aprender de su experiencia y divertirse trabajando con los voluntarios. Quizás los beneficios más elocuentes derivados tanto a los estudiantes como a los voluntarios no fueron las tres R—lectura, escritura y aritmética, del inglés \"reading, w-riting and a-ritmetic\", sino las tres C—confianza, capacidades y conexiones. Sin embargo, una cuestión claramente identificada fue la importancia de ajustar las motivaciones y necesidades de los voluntarios a los papeles a desempeñar para mantener los niveles actuales de voluntariado y, por consiguiente, el propio programa.