Children plant crops in a food garden. (Courtesy of Helianti Hilman)

Everyone can make a food garden, but the most important rule is to really care for all the crops.

'With less space, it means we have to be more selective in choosing plants,' said Helianti Hilman, co-founder and executive director of PT Kampung Kearifan Indonesia.

'Therefore, I highly recommend planting crops that will be used frequently in our kitchen first as well as growing local super food, such as moringa oleifera [kelor] and purslane [krokot] since they provide great nutrition for the whole family.'

Helianti, who through the company has set up Javara, a social enterprise that provides systemic solutions for small-scale local food producers in the country, emphasizes the important concept of self-reliance in urban agriculture.

In the beginning, she said everyone must inevitably buy seeds and natural fertilizers, but once the garden is set and the crops are ready to be harvested, growers should be able to produce their own organic compost and save their own seeds.

'We can also make the money to purchase other necessities for the garden, such as buying animal manure and mineral fertilizers, by selling our homegrown herbs and spices.'

In March last year, Helianti and her team of urban agricultural experts launched Javara Urban Farming workshops and seminars, which have attracted hundreds of followers, from housewives and business professionals to officials.

Stemming from her desire to encourage Javara customers to help preserve local food biodiversity, she held her first outdoor urban farming class in her community food garden, involving 10 to 15 participants.

But growing interest in urban farming made them conduct bigger scale seminars for private companies and government bodies.

'These workshop graduates have shown new participants that creating a food garden is doable,' she said.

Helianti and her team have specially formulated the urban farming module, which includes introduction to urban ecology, food garden design concepts, guides to selecting crops and containers, seeding and harvesting techniques as well as garden maintenance tips.

The workshop's graduates have even created a community that interacts regularly.

The community offers a platform for fellow food gardeners to share practical gardening tips, cooking recipes even posting photos of their unique garden produce.

At the workshop, the prepared snacks, beverages and lunch are all made with fresh produce coming from the food garden.

'That way they can truly experience the great feeling of owning a food garden,' Helianti says. 'The tasting has effectively made the participants catch 'planting fever'.'

Simple tips to refine food intake:

Study your food by knowing how the food system works. Basically, people consume naturally produced foods because they want to be healthy.

'If we want to improve our wellbeing, the first important step is to gain as much knowledge and information about our food system,' Helianti says.

The knowledge can be achieved by browsing the Internet or joining a local food community or initiative that focuses on naturally produced foods.

'That way we can truly understand the origin of the foods we eat: where they come from, how they were produced and how they have been processed.'

Carefully read the label. Most people have been lured into a more convenient eating habit by the industrial food system and its processed food products have taken over supermarket shelves.

'We need to read thoroughly all the ingredients used in the processed food products we're buying, especially if we're
gluten sensitive,' Helianti says. 'The Internet provides helpful information on how to inspect various preservatives and artificial ingredients on food labels, including flavorings and colorings.'

Eat real food. Helianti says many processed food products found in stores today are not real food. 'So, consume as much natural food as possible. Buy free-range or organic poultry, grass-fed cattle meat or freshwater fish. Cook meals without added MSG or other artificial seasonings. Natural food is the only real food we should be eating,' she says.

Design your own food garden. Helianti says people can utilize their food garden to grow fresh produce for their daily meals and make their own naturally processed products, such as homemade condiments, jams and syrups. 'There are tons of great healthy recipes in the Internet we can try today.'

Consume everything moderately, because that's the wisest way to becoming healthy, Helianti says.

Join the action. Helianti encourages people to inspire others by being involved in various programs offered by a local food community or initiative that supports a sustainable food system. 'By constantly interacting with likeminded people, we can become smarter and wiser food consumers.'

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