Based on primary and secondary data, an attemtpt has been made in this study to investigate the role of kitchen gardening in ensuring food security among rural people of Jharkhand. It has been found that Jharkhand with its diverse agro-climatic conditions is much suited for the development of horticulture based economy with ample scope of growth. It is evident from the study thatthe number of household members exhibits a strong negative correlation with the dependent variable, indicating that larger households tend to have lower values in the dependent variable. Female members and the number of children also display significant negative correlations suggesting that households with more female members and children tend to have lower values in calorie intake. Additionally, the number of children shows a significant negative correlation, indicating that households with a higher number of children tend to have lower values for the dependent variable. Conversely, variables such as income and land owned exhibit weak positive correlations, suggesting a minimal relationship with the dependent variable. On the other hand, variables such as income and land owned do not demonstrate significant correlations with the dependent variable, as their correlation coefficients are close to zero and their p-values are above the conventional threshold. The regression results suggest that factors such as the number of children, adult males, adult females, illiteracy, and levels of education within the family are significantly associated with the log of daily calorie intake. However, the presence of a kitchen garden does not exhibit a statistically significant relationship.

Highlights

• Jharkhand is much suited for horticulture based economy.
• More female members and children tend to have lower values in calorie intake.
• Presence of a kitchen garden does not exhibit a statistically significant relationship.