Kitchen gardening boosts food security and household incomes in West Nile and Acholi sub-region

Small holder farmers in Pakwach sub-county and Lamogi sub-county, embrace kitchen gardening as a way of improving their livelihoods. Through the support from ALENU-DINU action, a total of 600 farmers were trained on kitchen gardening right from how to set up a nursery bed as a way of empowering communities at household level to reduce the rate of poverty in the sub-counties.

Kitchen gardening is the growing of fruits and vegetables at the backyard of house, also known as vegetable /nutritional gardening using the available space and resources. This practice ensures continuous supply of fresh fruits and vegetables, high in nutrition value, enabling farmers to have direct access to food that can be harvested as well as fed to family members often on a daily basis and the surplus sold thereby an increase in household income.

275 farmers were selected in West Nile region and 325 farmers in Acholi sub-regions to benefit from the horticulture kit and training. The horticulture kits distributed included; vegetable and fruit seeds (for tomatoes, cowpeas, okra, amaranths, oranges, sweet potatoes, papaya, mangoes, yams, cabbages and egg plants), watering cans, hand hoes and spray pumps.  The Health and Nutrition Officer, Morris Ogwal urged the farmers to ensure they have a supply of vegetables throughout the year that will help them cut down on food costs and improve their nutrition.

VHT explaining the process of setting up a kitchen garden

 

Idda Aguch, a beneficiary from Lugwang village, Guruguru Parish, Lamogi sub county, Amuru District is reaping big from the egg plants, she is able to feed her family and sell the balance on the market.

 

Obotha Mary from Adundu village, Nyakagei parish, Panyimur sub-county invited Advance Afrika officials to her garden to celebrate with her the big harvest of papaya, fruit seedlings that were distributed to her after the horticulture training.

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