The home garden competition in Halmillewa is in progress for the fourth successive year with the majority of participants being women. The home garden competition involves three stages of judging with marks being awarded based on the variety of fruits and vegetables grown, whether cultivation is organic, and whether the appropriate garden techniques and care are observed.

It has proven to be a successful initiative in generating an additional source of income for the participants while providing an economical and nutritious diet for their families. E. P. S Priyangani, a first time participant in the home garden competition commented “After visiting my neighbours and seeing the positive impact of this initiative, I decided to take up the challenge. This experience has been very beneficial – not only have I enhanced my gardening knowledge but I am also able to use the vegetables in my garden to feed my entire family on a daily basis”. Our JKH volunteer, Pasan Amaratunge from InfoMate also joined during an inspection as a photographer taking pictures of the villagers and their produce.