they include the adequate availability of and access to safe diverse nutritious food access to clean water sanitation and health care and appropriate childfeeding and adult dietary choices the root causes of better nutrition outcomes are even more complex and encompass the broader economic social political cultural and physical environment social assistance is an important instrument for improving nutrition outcomes among the poor but it cannot sustainably eliminate poverty and malnutrition by itself additional integrated action and complementary interventions are needed in agriculture and the food system in general in public health and education smallscale homegardening projects to boost household fruit and vegetable consumption represent one approach suitable for poor households that can accompany social assistance programmes home gardening is already widely practised can be effective on a small scale and is feasible in most locations although water and labour constraints may pose challenges and should be carefully considered in project design fao a one home production intervention that was successfully scaled up is the homestead food production project introduced in bangladesh by helen keller international nearly two decades ago