Dear Semu

I think first you go for some piloting. The piloting will let you know the contribution of the HG to the Household. Based on the services rendered to the HH by the HG, you can go for stratification and then you can use random sampling (if area is not too large), other wise you can opt for multistage sampling. 

Regards

Rajiv

WHO are you surveying (what is your target population)? WHY did you opt for surveying in the first place?

You need to considere at what level you want to measure what (individual, community, region etc x the indicator(s) of 'health state', 'food security', 'homegarden' appropriate for that level). This determines what data you need and where/how you might acquire it. You may also want to see if you can combine (different) measures at different levels, to see if results are consistent.

That's part of your study or research design (as contrasted with a narrower survey design)

For the analysis of homegardens may consider the following approaches:

1- Production: description of farming systems and animals that exist

2- Ecological; estimate rates of species diversity

3- Livelihoods; contributions to food security, community capital: human, economic, natural, social, cultural (this is paramount considerations for customs- use of plants, etc.), etc.

Some key points:

- Improved food security

- Increased availability of food and better nutrition through food diversity

- Income and enhanced rural employment through additional or off-season production

- Decreased risk through diversification;

- Environmental benefits from recycling water and waste nutrients, controlling shade, dust and erosion, and Maintaining Local or increase increasing biodiversity

More information:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/v5290e/v5290e02.htm

https://agricultureandfoodsecurity.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2048-7010-2-8

http://www.medwelljournals.com/fulltext/?doi=rjasci.2011.38.43

http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs-wm/45425.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4495805/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292147006_Huertos_familiares_agrobiodiversidad_y_su_aporte_en_la_seguridad_alimentaria_en_territorios_rurales_de_Guatemala

Article Huertos familiares: agrobiodiversidad y su aporte en la segu...

thanks all 

Dear Semu:

 For a first approach to your research interest I recommend you a small purposive sampling strategy and a qualitative research methodology. You must include: 1) an ethnobotanical survey to characterize the ecological context of food gardens (physical characteristics, inventories and maps), 2) in-depth interviews with the household’s primary gardener (preferably in the garden itself), and 3) participant observation during the growing season. Success in your project.

Carmen María Pérez