Kenyan youth brings organic gardening to his urban slum community

Gregory Kimani grew up not having enough to eat in his crowded Nairobi settlement.

“I have a long history with food insecurity having grown up in a single-parent household where managing three meals per day was a challenge,” Kimani said.

After graduating from university with an environmental conservation major, the 26-year-old is using his knowledge to address the food insecurity crisis in Nairobi’s slums through organic farming. In 2018, his organization Mwengenye Lifestyle established an incubation and agriculture resource center to train families to use limited space to grow nutrient-rich, indigenous vegetables.

Kimani has worked with urban households, schools, and female welfare groups. Food is grown on balconies, in kitchen gardens, and in vertical, hanging and multi-story gardens in both low- and middle-income settlements in Nairobi. Classes for women and youth focus on growing indigenous vegetables and medicinal herbs to improve family health.

Mwengenye has built over 250 gardens, including for the wealthier suburbs of Nairobi. One pandemic initiative provided 120 burlap sack gardens—with training on how to grow crops out of the bags. This helped lessen hunger during the COVID-19 crisis.

Source: Xinhua

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http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-01/29/c_139707722.htm

Organic & Non-GMO Insights April 2021