Growing vegetables requires more love than money.

A food-secure society is one where “everyone has access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food to live a healthy and strong life” (World Food Summit, 1996). Growing your own vegetables seems to be the best way to achieve food self-sufficiency. People who grow vegetables at home will soon be sharing pictures of their beautiful vegetable gardens and pots.

The lifestyles of both urban and rural people in Thailand today, despite Thailand being an agricultural country, show that food production and consumption are almost entirely monopolized by a few large industrial companies, from seeds and chemicals to purchasing and processing.

Good Reasons to Grow Your Own Vegetables:

1. Delicious: This is an undeniable advantage. It's untrue that every vegetable or every fruit tastes the same. Try growing just one vegetable!

2. Safe: Free from chemicals and bacterial contamination. When we grow and eat our own vegetables, we are certain they are safe to eat. Therefore, we don't need to worry about chemicals.

3. Rich in nutrients: Vegetables and fruits are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals. Fruits and vegetables we grow ourselves and harvest quickly retain more vitamins and minerals than store-bought ones. Transportation and ripening times can reduce beneficial nutrients over time. In short, not only do fruits and vegetables grown at home taste better, but they also have higher nutritional value.

4. Healthy vegetables, healthy you. Of course, growing vegetables isn't as simple as just sitting around. You have to prepare the soil, sow seeds, water, till the soil, and constantly care for them. Activities that involve physical exertion and exposure to sunlight and wind are ideal for times when we're staying home and moving less. Even with small pots, you still need to move your arms, legs, and fingers. Research by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in the United States shows that 45 minutes of gardening is equivalent to running 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) in 15 minutes. Healthy vegetables make you healthy too; eating vegetables further strengthens your body. It's a win-win situation!

5. A continuous food supply. Returning to the food security mentioned above, growing your own vegetables is a way to create food security. Even a small start, like planting chili peppers, water spinach, kale, or ivy gourd, will lead to increased growth and save you a little on food costs throughout the year.

source: Greenpeace