The initiative being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture targets to establish one million gardens according to the Cabinet Administrative Secretary Anne Nyaga.
Already, 200,000 households have been covered in the first phase while the second phase to cover a similar number is currently ongoing.
The government is in the process of setting up kitchen gardens for vulnerable households in 21 counties in an effort to avert a looming food crisis following adverse effects of Covid-19 pandemic.
The initiative being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture targets to establish one million gardens according to the Cabinet Administrative Secretary Anne Nyaga.
Already, 200,000 households have been covered in the first phase while the second phase to cover a similar number is currently ongoing.
Other than receiving a startup kit of a 50 litre tank and a shade net, each household will get 10gms seeds of various vegetables including amaranthus, kales, black nightshade, cowpeas and spinach.
To showcase technologies available for the establishment of a kitchen garden, the CAS indicated that the ministry has set up a demonstration and learning site at the ministry headquarters at Kilimo House.
Currently, the learning site has 12 kitchen garden technologies that households can choose from.
“We are appealing to households to visit the site and implement the kitchen garden concept to collectively contribute to food and nutrition security,” she said.
Some of the kitchen garden plans include multi-storey, micro garden, moist bed garden, tire garden, simple drip irrigation garden cone gardens, staircase gardens, hanging gardens and aquaponics.
The project being implemented in partnership with the Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project, National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project and the Small-Scale Irrigation and Value Addition Project will closely work with counties to identify the beneficiaries.
The CAS indicated that priority will be given to poor households with large families, households with single parents, widowers and widows while the youth will also be considered as a way of ensuring that they also have access to income generation activities.
“The youth will be properly trained on different methods and they will also be provided with drying tools to be used in preservation of vegetables, given that vegetables are highly perishable,” she said.
Noting that the pandemic has led to the loss of jobs in the informal sector, the CAS said that the kitchen gardens will also serve as a source of income to households that will produce more than what they can consume.
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