COVID-19 Outbreak and Urban Green Space, Food Security, and Quality of Life: Case of Urban Home Gardens in Kandy, Sri Lanka

Urban home gardening significantly enhanced social well-being and mental health during Sri Lanka's COVID-19 curfew, benefiting over 50% of participants. This practice also improved environmental quality through greening and waste management while ensuring food security by supplementing diets with homemade vegetables. Despite challenges in achieving desired harvests, the study highlights the potential for urban home gardening to mitigate the impacts of disasters like pandemics. The research used questionnaire surveys and field observations in Kandy's municipal area, analyzing data before and during curfew periods. Findings suggest that promoting crop specifications for healthy diets could sustain this trend without compromising large-scale farming livelihoods.

Dissanayake, L., & Dilini, S. (2020). COVID-19 Outbreak and Urban Green Space, Food Security, and Quality of Life: Case of Urban Home Gardens in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 08(09), 185–197. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2020.89013